I sat on the edge of the couch, hair still damp from my earlier shower, legs curled under me, a steaming mug of ginger tea in my hands. The apartment smelled like mint and eucalyptus. Tess's doing.
She said it helped with stress. I wasn't convinced, but it was better than the hospital antiseptic I was starting to get used to.
Tess walked in from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. "Okay," she said, flopping beside me, "start talking."
I raised a brow. "About what?"
She gave me a look. "Don't play dumb, Gina. You've been walking around in a daze since you got back. What happened after the whole dinner debacle with Marcus? And don't skip the part about that tall, expensive man you work for."
I sighed, resting my head on the back of the couch. "It's a lot."
"I'm not going anywhere."
I took a slow sip of tea before beginning. "After we left the hotel... Adrian drove me home. We didn't speak for the first few minutes. I was still processing everything... Marcus showing up, his threats, the way Adrian just... shut him down. And then his brother Harrington... God, he's a handful."
Tess grinned. "So he does have a family. Tell me everything about Harrington."
"He's childish. Charming in an annoying way. Very unlike Adrian. He called me Adrian's girl right in front of Marcus, just to stir the pot."
Tess cackled. "I like him already."
I smiled faintly, but the mood shifted quickly. "But in the car, Adrian... he said something. I don't think he meant to. It was quiet. Barely above a whisper."
Tess's expression sobered. "What did he say?"
I looked down at the steam curling from my cup. "He said, 'You make me want to burn the world down and rebuild it for you.'
He also said that I am his to protect."
Tess's brows lifted. "Wait. That sounds like a confession. Like, feelings. From him?"
"I don't know. He didn't look at me when he said it. Just kept his eyes on the road like it slipped out and he didn't want to acknowledge it."
"Did you say anything back?"
I shook my head. "What could I say? He's my boss. This whole world I've been pulled into... it's like I'm walking on eggshells. There are things I don't understand yet. People with guns. Strange medical calls. Everything feels... off. And then he goes and says something like that and I don't know how to feel."
Tess leaned forward, popcorn forgotten. "Gina, listen to me. Adrian Huntley isn't just some boss. You do realize that, right?"
I frowned. "He's been decent to me."
"Maybe. But decent men don't have armed guards outside properties. Decent men don't run secretive operations with no traceable records. This town? People talk. And when they talk about Adrian, it's always with caution. Fear, even. He's dangerous."
I paused. "He hasn't shown that side to me."
Tess reached over, gently touching my arm. "That's exactly what worries me. You're smart, G. But you've been through so much lately. Heartbreak, betrayal, pregnancy... You're vulnerable, and he knows it."
"I'm just a doctor, Tess."
"No. You're more than that now. Whatever world you've been pulled into, it's changed you. You're involved in something bigger than you realize."
I stayed quiet for a moment, the weight of her words pressing on my chest.
"Is it bad," I whispered, "that part of me likes the way he sees me? Not as weak or broken... just seen?"
Tess softened. "No. It's not bad. But be careful. You don't know his motives yet."
Before I could respond, a loud, sudden bang rattled the front door.
We both froze.
"What the hell?" Tess said, jumping to her feet.
Another pounding knock. Then a voice. Weak. Muffled.
"Gina..."
Tess rushed to the door, heart in her throat. I followed slowly, a sick feeling growing in my gut.
She swung the door open, and Marcus stumbled in, soaked, bruised, and barely standing.
"Oh my God!" I rushed to him, catching him as he collapsed forward. His face was bloodied, one eye swelling shut, and his bottom lip split.
He gripped my sleeve with trembling fingers. "Adrian..."
Then his eyes rolled back and he slumped unconscious in my arms.
"Tess!" I cried. "Help me!"
She was already moving, pulling the throw blanket from the couch and dropping to her knees beside me.
"What the hell happened to him?" she muttered, checking his pulse.
"I don't know," I whispered, heart pounding.
But deep down, a cold fear was already settling in my chest.
Because Marcus had said only one word before blacking out.
Adrian.
"He just showed up like this and said Adrian's name... and then passed out." I say.
Tess glanced up sharply. "Wait, he said Adrian?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Just his name. Nothing else."
Tess's eyes narrowed. "So either he was running from Adrian, or he's trying to warn you about him."
"I don't think Adrian would do this," I said quickly, almost defensively. "This looks like something else. Marcus is in rough shape."
"He looks like someone beat the hell out of him," Tess said, her voice tight. "This isn't just a bar fight. Gina, look at his shirt. His jacket's torn and soaked in blood. This was... serious."
I shifted Marcus gently onto his side, mindful of his injuries. My stomach turned at the sight of bruising already forming beneath his shirt.
"I need to clean him up," I said, standing and heading to the bathroom for my med kit. "I need to at least stop the bleeding."
"I'll grab towels," Tess called after me.
When I returned, she had cleared the coffee table and laid Marcus flat on the rug, a pillow under his head. His breathing was shallow, uneven.
I worked in silence, cleaning the cuts, dabbing away blood, checking for broken bones the best I could with what little I had.
Tess sat beside me, watching. "You think someone sent him here?"
"I don't know," I muttered. "But he came here for a reason. And his last word... it was Adrian."