Page 20 of Demon
Jett pulls his phone from his pocket and starts typing. I take a moment to consider my options. I’m at Milly’s brother’s clubhouse. I trust her, and I’m with Jett. I know he’ll protect me. He hasn’t given me any doubts about trusting him. I visually inspect the room. It’s barebones. One king-sized bed in the center of the room against the back wall. White walls. No personal belongings. Just a wardrobe and some side tables with origami birds on them. “Whose bedroom is this?” I ask.
He pauses. “Mine.”
I frown.
There’s a knock on his bedroom door. “Come in,” he says.
Milly walks in with a glass of water and a frown on her pretty face. “How are you feeling?”
“There’s a dull ache in my head.” I touch my nose and flinch. It doesn’t feel broken. “My face is tender.”
“That’s to be expected. Here,” she says, passing me the glass of water and a painkiller. I swallow it down.
“As you know, the swelling can take five to seven days to go down, and the bruising can take ten to fourteen days to fade.”
I briefly close my eyes. I have only three days left before going back to work again. The hospital will not want me there while there’s bruising, especially in the ICU. It will unsettle the patients and their visitors.
I let out a heavy sigh. I just started, and I need the money. The fact I’ll unlikely be able to hide the bruises with makeup and from Sammy makes a fire burn through me. “What cowards,” I hiss. “Grabbing me by my hair and punching me in the face.”
Jett goes rigid beside me. I peek down to see him clenching his fist.
“Richard is the one to blame. He told them I had the money, even though I didn’t. How could he?” That anger ignites into a blaze. Horror widens my eyes. “What if Sammy was there?” I stutter out. My stomach drops. I wouldn’t survive if I lost her.
Milly frowns and leans down, pulling me into an embrace. When she inches back, she says, “Demon got there. Sammy is safe, and those men won’t be coming back anytime soon.”
Jett snorts. “They won’t be coming backat all.”
I blow out a deep breath, exhaustion slowly creeping in.
“Are you okay staying here, or would you like to come back and stay at my house?” Milly asks.
I feel safe with Jett. “It’s okay. I’ll stay here and leave early tomorrow morning.”
“You have my number in your phone. If you ever need me, just call.”
My heart warms. “Thank you.” I’ve known these people for only a short time, but they care. It’s nice not to have to do it alone and be the strong one all the time. To know these kind people have my back.
“Can you get her some clothes?” asks Jett, looking at Milly.
“Why?” I ask.
His eyes flick to me then to the top of my dress, which is stained with drops of blood.
“I sure will,” Milly replies. “You appear to be Elena’s size, so I’ll check with her.”
“Thanks again,” I say, hating to be a bother.
Milly smiles, then leaves.
“Do you want some dinner?” Jett asks. “They left a plate for you.”
“That’s so sweet but... I can’t eat anything right now.”
He gives me a small nod.
“I got something for you while I was out earlier.” Jett stands and goes to his wardrobe, bends down and pulls out a black bag. He comes back over to the bed and shuffles through the bag. I peer over curious. He grabs a handful of things and places them on the bed in front of me. I stare at them wide-eyed.
He points at a long, black keychain, a silver pen, a black key, a ring, and a hairbrush. “They are all disguised as knives.” He pulls the back off the pen, showing me the knife underneath. I gulp. He points to another keychain. “Pepper spray.” Then to two black cylinder-shaped objects. “Stun gun and safety alarm.” Then he points to the last object, a silver ring, with a hook-like edge at the top. “Self-defense ring.”
