Page 89 of Mile High Baby

"All right."

I hurt like a motherfucker, but the idea of lying in bed all damn day felt worse. “Do you know how long I need to be here?"

Dax laughed again. "Jeez, man, you only just woke up. Let me go get rid of Banion's daughter and let the nurse know that you’re up."

"Thanks, man."

"Of course. Oh, I'll be heading home with the family tomorrow. If I'm lucky, Vivie and I made another baby on the strip." He waggled his brows.

Dax was one of the most kickass men I knew, so it was a little bit strange to see him all gaga over his wife and family. Even so, it was nice too. He looked happy, happier than anyone I met except maybe Noel and Archer, both of whom had families too.

Perhaps that feeling deep in my gut was a pang of envy that I wouldn't have that.

I wasn't justlucky to come out of George Pitney's clutches with my life, but I had all my body parts as well. In a feat of surgical magnificence, the doctors were able to save my hand, although it would never be the same. I supposed rock climbing was out in my future.

I had bruises and contusions, a couple of fractured ribs, and burn marks, but nothing else had been broken. Thank fuck. Not that I wasn’t a 100 out of 10 on the pain scale, but I could have come away a lot worse than I had.

I was pretty out of it for the rest of that day and the next, but the following morning, despite the continued pain, I was ready to get out of the bed and go home. I was informed that I couldn't fly back to England, but if everything checked out okay today, the doctor would allow me to at least go to the Saint Security corporate apartment to finish my recuperation. The nurse had just finished checking all my stats when I heard a commotion outside my door.

The nurse made a face. "It must be that woman again."

"What woman?"

"The one that your colleague said wasn't allowed to see you, but every day, she comes by and insists that she should."

“Is it Victoria?" She was the only woman I could think of who would continually demand to come in, maybe even make a scene doing so.

"I think so. I'll get rid of her."

"No. You can let her in." I’d given permission before I had fully thought it through. I didn't have any reason to see her, but I’d let her have her say as Dax said she needed.

Victoria pushed into the room, looking over her shoulder as if she was expecting someone to grab and pull her out again. When she first turned to me, her expression was full of anger and frustration. But the minute she saw me, she burst into tears.

"I look that bad, eh?"

“No. I just couldn’t believe you were okay until I saw you.” She came toward me, reaching for my right hand, but I pulled it away.

"Say what you need to say, Victoria. I'm tired and I feel like shit."

She nodded and sniffed. "Yes, of course. Thank you for seeing me. I just... I needed to tell you how sorry I am."

"You needed. I'm in the fucking hospital overcoming a beating, tasering, and a hammer to my hand, but you need something. That's how it is with you and Henry, always what you need, not giving a shit about anyone else."

She drew back at the anger in my voice. And I was angry, not only because she believed I was capable of killing her father or that she betrayed me by telling Henry the truth about us. What I was the angriest about was the desire to pull her close and bury my face in her long, dark hair. It was fucked up that after all of this, I couldn't stop loving her. But apparently, the heart didn't work like that. I was hurt and angry, yet still yearning for something I couldn't have.

30

Victoria

I'd been so grateful to hear that Dax and his men had been able to find Alex and bring him back to safety. But it had been difficult to get information on Alex because Dax and others on the team seemed to resent me and my father. I guess I couldn’t blame him for that. Alex had gone to great lengths to keep us safe, and we'd questioned his character. Not only that, but my running off and getting caught by Pitney had put him in danger. I'd regret that for the rest of my life.

When we received word that Alex was in the hospital, all I wanted to do was to go to him. I needed to see with my own eyes that he was alive.

My father couldn’t stand that. "He was my friend, Victoria. Do you know how unsettling it is to hear that he slept with my daughter?"

I felt for my father, but I couldn’t deny what I felt as well. "I imagine it is unsettling—”

"It’s fucking perverted. The job is done. Just let him be and let him go home."