The silence in the facility was louder than I expected.
Tess, for once, had nothing to say. She was just... taking it all in. The security. The stone cold building. The damn guards outside the door. She stayed close to me, her eyes moving from wall to wall like she was mentally marking exits.
I changed into scrubs quickly and left her in the hallway, saying nothing. She didn't follow, but I could still feel her energy trailing behind me, tight, simmering, protective. The kind of energy that burned a hole through everything in its way.
When I returned, Tess was still standing near the entryway, arms crossed, unease written all over her face. She didn't speak. Just nodded toward the hall Marcus had been taken down.
I walked and she followed...
His door was already slightly ajar.
Marcus was awake now, lying on the white hospital bed like a man who'd been run over and then dragged back to life.
His eyes met mine as I walked in. Bloodshot. Groggy. But there.
"Gina," he whispered, like the word tasted better than water. "You can't stay here."
I swallowed hard, stepping to the edge of his bed. "You're awake."
"Barely," he gritted out. "But I know danger when I see it. You need to get away from him. This whole place, it's a fortress."
I didn't answer. I just looked at the bruises, purple and swollen across his ribs, his jaw. His lip split open. And still, he found a way to look at me like I was the one in trouble.
"It's not safe, Gina," he said again. "Even if you don't come back to me, just leave. Go home. Go anywhere. But don't stay here."
Tess stood behind me now. I hadn't even heard her walk in.
"He's right," she said. Her voice was clipped. Sharp. "There are men with guns outside. Inside! Real guns. What kind of hospital is this? And why the hell is he in charge of it?"
I didn't answer. I didn't know how to.
Tess stepped forward, folding her arms. "This isn't just dangerous, it's insane. Marcus looks like he went ten rounds with a brick wall. And for what? Because Adrian is jealous?"
"I'm not."
The voice that cut through the room was low and calm, but full of quiet threat. Adrian's silhouette filled the doorway, his black shirt rolled up to his elbows, like he hadn't bothered to fix it after just doing damage.
"I'm not jealous," he repeated, stepping into the room. "Let's clear that up."
Tess whirled on him. "Oh really? Then what do you call this? A welcome back massage?"
"Protection," he said. "And trust me, I'm not the one Gina needs protection from."
Footsteps followed behind him. Harrington appeared next, followed by Dr. Rita, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.
"I don't know," Harrington drawled, leaning against the wall. "You did hit him kind of hard. Might've been a sprinkle of jealousy in there."
Adrian didn't even blink.
Tess scoffed. "Protection? What does she need protection from, huh? From Marcus? This is the same guy who carried her when she couldn't walk. Who knew her before any of you existed. So what exactly are you protecting her from?"
Adrian turned to Marcus, brows raised ever so slightly. "Should I tell them, or would you like to do the honors?"
Marcus looked away. His fingers clenched the blanket. He said nothing.
That silence, long, pregnant, and sickening, was louder than anything else that followed.
Rita walked forward, brushing past them all to get to Marcus's side. "Vitals are stable," she muttered. "No broken bones, but it's going to feel like he has a few. I'll prescribe something for the pain and swelling. He'll survive. Probably wish he didn't."
She turned to me, giving me a tight lipped smile like she was proud of the prognosis.
Harrington leaned down near the bed, hands in his pockets. "You know, Adrian actually went easy on you. Personally, I thought you deserved worse."
Tess lost it.
"This is barbaric! You think this is funny?" She spun toward Adrian, jabbing a finger at him. "What gives you the right to send your goons to beat him like this,"
"I didn't send anyone." Looking at Tess's finger then her face.
He held up both hands slowly.
His knuckles were raw. Bruised. The skin across them split open in small, healing cracks.
"I did it myself," he said calmly.
I couldn't breathe.
Neither could Tess.
Adrian looked at me then, only me. "Because if someone hurts what's mine, I don't outsource."
"I'm not," I started, but my voice cracked.
"You are," he said softly. "You just don't realize it yet."
I stepped back. So did Tess. She looked at me like I'd grown a second head.
Adrian glanced at Marcus, then at me again. "He wasn't here to apologize, Gina. He was here to talk you back into his arms. Back to his family. The same family that now knows about you. And more importantly, about what you're carrying."
Tess froze.
"What?" she whispered.
Adrian's voice dropped lower. "If she doesn't return with him willingly, they will come for her. And they will not be as polite."
I turned to Marcus, heart pounding. "Is that true?"
His jaw twitched. Still, he said nothing.
"You were going to bring me to them?" My voice trembled. "Let them take me?"
"I was going to reason with you," Marcus muttered. "Because once they come, it'll be too late. I thought I had time."
"You didn't," Adrian said. "I found out last night. That's why you're here. I don't play chess with people's lives, Marcus. I make preemptive moves."
"So this was a warning?" Tess asked, wide eyed.
Adrian nodded. "To his family. If they come near Gina, they'll be leaving in worse condition than he is now."
Harrington stepped forward, casual as always. "They have enough clean suits, doctorates and law degrees to make it look legit, but Marcus's family is rotten. Old money. Old power. Old violence. They know how to play both sides of the law. But what they didn't expect," he looked at me, "was the Huntley's and Adrian's commitment..."
"Aren't you guys old money?" Tess asks looking between Adrian and Harry.
"I'd say we are fists and guns. Not really into politics but we can go toe to toe with them when it comes to money I'm sure..." Harrington teases.
Tess looked between them, stunned. "So what now? We just wait for them to make their move?"
"No," Adrian said. "We make ours."
The room fell silent again.
Tess was the first to speak.
She turned to Marcus, voice low but steady. "Is it true? Everything he said?"
Marcus finally met my eyes. "I wanted to do it gently. I thought if I came to you first, I could... soften the blow. Talk you into it."
"You wanted to deliver me," I said flatly.
"To keep you safe," he said. "On their terms."
Tess shook her head, furious. "You're disgusting."
Adrian took a step back, nodding once. "I'll give him a proper ride out. But next time, I won't be so gentle."
He looked at me then, softer now. Like this entire room hadn't just imploded.
"You're safe here," he said. "Even if you don't trust me yet, know that."
Then he walked out, just like that.
No more explanations.
No more warnings.
Just Adrian, always one step ahead, dragging the rest of us behind him.