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“Fucking hell, Birdie.”

I feel my lip tremble as I reach for him.

Atlas and Kenzo walk into the already crowded room, their faces like thunder. I know by the sheer silence they’ve been recognized, not just in the restroom but outside in the hallway too.

Hayden moves back as Hudson gently scoops me up. I gasp and turn into him, grabbing a fistful of his suit jacket.

“You Hayden?” I hear Kenzo ask.

“Yeah. She’s gonna be okay, right?”

“We’ll make sure she is. Fill me in on what happened,” Kenzo orders as Hudson carries me toward the door.

“Mr. Monroe—” the principal chokes out as Atlas holds the door open for us.

“Back the fuck up, bitch, or I’ll move you myself.”

She stumbles away as Atlas’s eyes move to mine. He winks at me before following us out.

Cell phones start recording as excited voices talk animatedly around us, like a celebrity has arrived. I guess, in a way, Atlas is one.

“Is that her father?” someone in the crowd asks.

“I thought her dad was dead,” someone replies.

“You hear that? They think you’re her daddy,” Atlas teases with a snicker.

Hudson doesn’t say anything, his face like stone, as he carries me through the crowd.

“You forget to tell them you were married, Starling?”

I glare at him over Hudson’s shoulder as gasps ring out.

“She’s married? Wait, that’s her husband? But I thought she was with Abbot.” The voices blend together as they get louder. Knowing I’m safe now, I ignore them all and pass out.

Chapter Thirty

Hudson

Istand in the corridor outside her room, silent, seething with anger.

“Kenzo is on his way up. What did the doctor say?” Atlas asks as he hands me a paper cup of coffee.

“That she’s incredibly lucky. She has a few cuts and a fuck ton of bruises, but miraculously no broken bones or internal damage. She’s concussion-free too, but they want to keep her in overnight just to be safe.”

“I’m glad she’s okay. She might be black and blue tomorrow, but we both know it could’ve been a lot worse if she hadn’t protected her head the way she did.”

“What I want to know is, what the fuck happened?”

“I might be able to help with that,” Kenzo says, walking toward us.

“Is she doing okay?” He looks through the window at Starling sleeping in the bed, which makes her look so tiny.

“She’ll be sore for a while, but nothing’s broken.”

“Thank fuck for that. I called Trix. She’s putting together a bag of things she might need. I’ll bring it by later.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it. So tell me what you found out.”