Chapter 30
-MILLIE-
I was awake the entire time they stitched the wound on my left side. I was lucky my attacker only sliced my skin and didn’t stab me with his knife; that’s what the doctor said. I knew better, and my attacker got me where he wanted me to be.
I was in the Emergency room, and Damian hadn’t left my side. He stood guard beside my bed, looking lethal, eyeballing every nurse and doctor who approached me.
None of the guests at the party knew we were in the hospital. I begged Damian not to make a fuss about this. I didn’t want Mom and Nancy to worry. He called Nancy on the drive here, making up a story that he’d be taking me out on a date to fix our issue. Nancy seemed to buy his story, and now here we are.
“I’m here for the stabbing.” I stiffened in my bed, recognizing that voice.
Of all the police officers in Roslin City, why would they assign Hunter in my case? He was in the drug control unit.
“Bed four,” the nurse answered. Seconds later, the curtain to my bed was pushed to the side, the metal rings ground against
the bars.
Hunter locked eyes with me. He doesn’t look surprised to see me lying on a hospital bed. Then again, the guy deals with criminals for a living, trained to hide his emotions.
“Millicent,” my name rolled off his tongue, throwing a dark look at Damian, who inched closer to me. Damian’s hands were clenched into a fist, and the veins in his arms looked like they were seconds from bursting. “Well, this is interesting.”
Hunter moved with deliberate slowness and pulled out a pad and pen from his pocket. He wore dark jeans and a fitted gray tee. his badge and gun hanging from his belt.
“My name is Detective Hunter Lean,” his tone was business-like. For the record, can you state your name?”
“Mil…” I swallowed. My mouth was as dry as a desert. “Millicent Alejandro.”
He gave me a once over, lips curling on the end to a sneer. He peeked over the curtains and asked a nurse for a bottle of water. Damian helped me sit up. I took a small sip, feeling the tension growing between Damian and Hunter.
“Where were you injured?” Hunter started again.
I pointed at my side and my neck. My neck needed one stitch, but my side needed four.
Hunter leaned. Damian moved to a defensive stance, ready to jump at Hunter. The latter’s eyes shone with amusement as he dropped his gaze back to me, taking a closer look at my stitched wounds.
He scrawled something on his pad. “Can you tell me what happened?”
1 hesitated. Hunter frowned, and Damian reached for my hand, running his thumb over my knuckles. Since Saturday, this was the first time Damian touched me. His touch was surprisingly soothing. I leaned on him for strength.
“Don’t force yourself if you don’t want to talk about it,” Damian mumbled. His gentle tone spiraled down my spine. Even if I practically pushed him away for reasons unknown to him, he was still here, offering me comfort without judgment.
I nodded and squeezed Damian’s hand. He tightened his hold on me as I turned to Hunter. 1 backpedaled at the murderous. glare he was panning on Damian. He masked it quickly when he saw me frowning at him.
“I barely finished my business in the cubicle when the door was forced open. This guy came at me like a blur. He grabbed me, wrapped his arms around my neck, and pushed me against the wall. That’s…” I swallowed. “That’s when I felt a slight sting on my side.”
“Did you fight him?” Hunter cut me off.
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Chapter 30
I shook my head. “He was top strong. I struggled, but then he pressed something into my neck.”
“Did he say what he wanted from you?”
I glanced up at Damian. He smiled at me reassuringly, squeezing my hand. “No.. no, he didn’t say anything at all.”
Hunter frowned, writing on his pad. “Did you get a good look at him?”
I shook my head again. “He had gloves and a mask. And the only time I saw him was when he grabbed me and when…. when Damian fought him.”
Hunter stabbed Damian with narrowed, probing eyes. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Damian Black. The boyfriend,” Damian added. Hunter’s gaze could melt steel.
“And what were you doing in the ladies’ room?”
Damian told Hunter why he started to look for me and how he found me. His voice was filled with power, dominance, and an underlying annoyance.
“Aren’t you lucky your boyfriend was there like he knew what was about to happen?” Hunter commented
“Excuse me?” I frowned. What was he trying to insinuate?
Hunter shrugged. “I’ve been to the Black Hotel. There are restrooms inside every function hall. boyfriend knew which restroom you would use and what time to come looking for you?”
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“I don’t appreciate your tone, Detective Lean.” Damian remained calm, though his dominating aura rolled off him like billowing smoke.
“It’s my job to look at all the angles of this case and not to please you, Mr. Black
Damian didn’t back down. He released my hand and glared at Hunter through the tip of his nose. “If you’re done here, my girlfriend would really appreciate it if you leave and start doing your fucking job of finding who assaulted her.”
Amusement, with a pinch of annoyance, crossed Hunter’s face. “No.”
Damian took another step. I reached for his hand, shaking my head when he looked down at me.
“No, I wasn’t done yet.” Hunter clarified. “For the record, do you have any enemies?”
I drew in a huge breath. The testosterone level was suffocating. “Not that I know of. I’ve been living in New York for a whil and recently decided to come back to Roslin City for good.”
I’m giving too much information, but I had to take Hunter’s attention from pissing off Damian. And I succeeded. “You’re moving here?”
Feigning bored, I nodded. “Yeah. I found my y reason to come back.”
I smiled up at Damian. He easily caught up with my play, kissing my forehead.
Hunter’s detective facade waned, pinning me with dead confusion. The look he gave me was unnerving.
“Are there more questions you’d like to ask my girlfriend, Detective?”
Hunter’s molar ground, his jaw fluttered. “I’ll be in touch.”
His parting words felt more like a threat than a promise to find my assailant.
