Dominic’s panicked face suddenly loomed over her. “Oh, god. She’s hit. Get me out of these fucking ties.”
Hit. It didn’t feel like she’d been hit. This was so much worse, like her chest had imploded. Fire scorched her lungs, taking away all the oxygen and leaving her gasping for the tiniest bit of breath.
But Dominic was alive and unharmed.
She held on to that thought as the world went dark.
Chapter Seventeen
The nurse took the tray from her bedside table. “You didn’t eat anything, hon. You have to eat to get your strength back or they won’t ever let you out of here.”
Kinley looked over at the nurse. She was the nicest one Kinley had found since she’d been admitted to the hospital in Anchorage two days before. “I don’t know why the doctor won’t release me now. The surgery went fine.” The bullet had merely nicked her lung.
She was ready to go home. Well, to whatever home she had left. And it appeared she would be going alone.
Two days and no visitors. No phones calls. Nothing.
She was alone again.
“Well, you need time to rest. You’ve been through a lot. And the press figured out where you are. The hospital is surrounded by news vans. Doctor Craig is keeping them all away with some help from the police, too.”
Ah, the police. “I’m sure they want to talk to me. I should just get it over with.”
The nurse patted her hand. “I’ll tell the doctor you said you were ready. He’s been holding them off because he’s worried about you. You’ve been…withdrawn. Do you think you’re up for a visitor? There’s a young woman out there who’s very insistent on seeing you. We’ve checked her out, and she isn’t a member of the press. This woman says her name is Annabelle Wright. Would you like to see her?”
Belle had come all the way to Anchorage? At least Kinley had one person she could count on through thick and thin. She nodded at the nurse. “Please.”
Two minutes later, Annabelle rushed in, heels clicking on the cheap linoleum tiles, carrying a massive bouquet of flowers. “Oh, girl, you are going to be the death of me. Thank God you’re all right.”
Tears welled in Annabelle’s dark eyes as she set the flowers down and reached for Kinley’s hand.
“Hey, I’m okay.” She felt better with Annabelle here. A sense of comfort eased through her. It didn’t stop the pain of Dominic, Law, and Riley’s absence, but settled over the wound like a bandage. If she could stop the bleeding, maybe healing would follow. “You didn’t have to come all this way.”
Annabelle shook her head. “Of course, I did. God, Kinley, I got you into this. I agreed to help. I didn’t imagine it would go so wrong.”
“If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I wouldn’t listen to you about Greg being an obnoxious douchebag killer.” Kinley took a long breath. “Speaking of, I need to hire a lawyer. Can your guys recommend someone for me? I have to sue my sister.”
Annabelle’s eyes grew wide. “They haven’t let you watch TV?”
“I didn’t want to.” The last thing she wanted was to see the press interviewing Law, Riley, and Dominic, all alive and happy without her.
“Your sister has been arrested for embezzlement. The files on your iPad showed plainly that she was the one who moved the money around. Then pictures of her with Greg Jansen doing the nasty surfaced. Your brother-in-law has already filed for divorce and is bringing the kids back from boarding school.”
So those sweet kids would finally get the life they deserved. “I’m glad. So the FBI is investigating?”
Annabelle huffed. “You have no idea. They’ve impounded the diamonds, including the ones they found in the shampoo bottles. Nice job there, Kin. They’re investigating everything. They realized they have an internal leak.”
One that had sent Greg Jansen straight to their hideout, where he’d almost killed Dominic. Instead, he’d shot her.
She could still hear Greg’s voice telling her all the things that were wrong with her. He’d preferred her sister. He’d wanted someone thinner, someone blonder. Someone more devious. “I hope they find the leak.”
“My bosses are going to force them to. They were wiretapping us. You do not do that to lawyers without expecting some backlash.” She sighed a little.
“Well, thank them for me, please. You saved me from a tropical death, so it seems. You were the only one willing to step up and do it.”
No one in her family loved her. She would have to be grateful that Dominic had loved his sister enough to spend years bringing her killer to justice. Kinley had to be satisfied that she’d helped with that effort. But the men themselves…they were obviously gone. She’d probably been a total fool—again—to trust them, but she’d always think of those few days at the James compound as some of her happiest.
Annabelle squeezed her hand. “Gosh, Kinley, I’m so sorry they hurt you. I always knew Becks was a nasty bitch, but I can’t believe she’d actually steal from you and plot to kill you. And your dad is being investigated for his participation. If I had to guess, I think he’s going down, too.”
So everyone was getting what they deserved. Somehow it didn’t make her feel better. It just depressed her more. The one bright spot was her niece and nephew coming home. Kinley had to be happy for that. She only hoped that Brian would allow her into the kids’ lives.
“It’s okay. I’ll survive.” Kinley tried to shrug, but the wound in her chest was stiff and sore. “I guess I need to find a job.”
Her charity was surely in limbo until the investigation was over, but she worried that with all the scandal it would go under anyway. She needed to be able to feed herself and buy kibble for her dog—and any puppies that came from her illicit union.
Annabelle stared at her blankly, blinking in confusion. “Why would you do that? I mean, you need to wait until you’ve settled into your new place in Dallas. Once the feds clear Hope House, you can start up again or find different work, if you want. I personally think you should sell your engagement ring to fund the reopening of Hope House, but I don’t think those guys are going to let you get too far away.”
“Guys? Dallas?” She’d never actually been to Dallas. Why would Annabelle think she was moving to Dallas? Though she would definitely sell the ring. She liked the idea of hundreds of children being clothed by Greg’s ring. “I’ve really been thinking about coming to Chicago. Hopefully, I can find a job there.”
Annabelle was the only person on the planet that Kinley knew loved her. She trusted Belle more than anyone. It made sense to move closer to her best friend.
“Oh, no.” Annabelle squeezed her hand. “Sweetie, where do you think your men are?”
She shrugged, not wanting to have this particular conversation. “I don’t know. The job was over. Mission accomplished. I’m sure they moved on.” Kinley looked away. “They aren’t mine.”
“Who do you think these flowers are from? If I’d bought it, you would have two daisies, honey. But this is a really expensive arrangement. Those men gave me very specific instructions about what to buy you.”
She glanced at the bouquet. They were high end, beautiful and expensive. The vase looked to be crystal. So at least they had wanted to send her something. They hadn’t come in person…but she supposed she would have to mean something to them for that. “I’ll send them a thank you note.”
It would be polite and formal. Dear Dominic, Riley, and Law, Thank you so much for the lovely floral arrangement and for saving my life. It was a kind thing to do. And I truly appreciated the lessons in sexuality and ménage. I will never forget the spankings. They meant so much to me. Sincerely, Kinley Kohl. P.S., you owe me for puppy support.
Annabelle’s phone chirped. She fished it out of her purse, then looked down at the screen. Her face lit up. “They made it inside. You have no idea how crazy it is out there. They’ve been trying to make their way in here for hours. Wait a second.”
She turned to the door and opened it. A man walked through wearing scrubs and carrying a clipboard. Two more men in scrubs followed him.
Her heart seized when she realized that under the bland clothes and masks, it was Riley, Law, and Dominic.
Law tore his mask away and stepped up to her side, his eyes wide. His expression softened as he took her in. “Baby, tell us everything. We’ve been dying. Are you all right?”
They were here. Why? “Uhm, I’ve been here for days. I’m alive. Don’t worry about me.”
Dominic took her hand. “And we’ve been in a forty-eight-hour hold. The FBI has been questioning the hell out of us. They didn’t have to give us a phone call or any rights. And the hospital is in virtual lockdown because of the media frenzy out there. Annabelle only got in because Tate threatened to sue the hospital. We had to sneak in to see you, Kinley.”
Riley moved around to her opposite side and cupped her cheek. “Are you okay? They wouldn’t tell us anything. They said we weren’t husbands or family, so we didn’t have rights to your information. God, I hated every moment they kept us away from you. We need to fix that.”
He tried to pull her gently into an embrace.
What the hell were they talking about? She held herself stiffly until Riley eased back with a frown. “Who kept you away?”
She still didn’t quite understand why Law, Dominic, and Riley had come. When she’d awakened alone, that had felt like a statement—one full of finality. She’d heard all those voices in her head that told her she wasn’t good enough or pretty enough. That she would never be what three incredible men wanted. No one had been there to hold her hand or talk to her or reassure her that everything would be all right. Because no one cared.
“We’ve been saying that we were held for questioning, pet.” Dominic reached for her other hand. “Do you understand? They held us the full forty-eight hours because your doctors wouldn’t allow you to answer questions. And our lawyers took their damn time getting here.”
Tears threatened. She couldn’t deny how much she loved seeing them, even if she wasn’t sure why they’d come. Guilt? “No one said anything. They wouldn’t even tell me what happened to Gigi.”
“We hired a dog sitter,” Law said quickly. “We flew them out on a private plane. She’s fine. She and Butch are going to be here tomorrow so we can all fly out together.”
So they planned to take her home. That was nicer than making her find her own way back. She supposed that was the polite thing to do, given that they weren’t really in the kidnapping business. “It will be good to get back to New York.”
“You’re not going to New York.” Law crossed his arms over his chest in a deeply forbidding gesture. “You’re going to Dallas.”
Riley’s jaw firmed stubbornly. “You’re not going anywhere but home with us, Kinley. I know you’ll have things to clear up there, but not until the press’s interest dies down. We’re going to hole up at Dominic’s.”
“It’s our place, not just mine anymore. It’s our home, and we want to take you there with us.” Dominic took her hand.
Why? The question floated through Kinley’s head, but she didn’t speak it. What was the purpose? To put them in the position where they had to explain the duty they felt to her, the responsibility to make sure she was safe from the media, the feds, and whoever else wanted a chunk of her?
“Kinley, we’re going about this all wrong.” Dominic raked a hand through his hair.
Annabelle rolled her eyes. “You sure are.”
Dominic ignored her. “Kinley, pet, we want you to marry us and live with us. We’ll take care of you in every way. Is that understood?”
Annabelle rolled her eyes. “Doms. What is wrong with you?”
Hope lit up a corner of Kinley’s heart, but she refused to settle for less than everything. She wouldn’t be the girl who took less than she deserved ever again. “I won’t live with men who see me as just a responsibility to be taken care of. I won’t marry men who don’t love me.”
Dominic’s eyes flared. “You haven’t said the words either, pet.”
He had a point, just not a good one. “I got shot saving you. That should speak very clearly about my feelings. After all, I’ll bear the scars of loving you for the rest of my life.”
Dominic turned stark white. He looked somewhere between horrified and tongue tied, and suddenly Kinley believed what they were trying to say. It took everything she had not to giggle. She loved teasing her Dom Dom.
“You will never do that again.” He pointed a finger at her. “I swear to god, pet, if you ever throw yourself bodily in front of a bullet again, we will give you the spanking of a lifetime. You won’t be able to sit down for a week. A month. And there will be no orgasms. Ever again.”