Free Wolf’s Heart by Ruelle Channing, Cam Cassidy Page B

the fear evident. “You know how I always have shitty taste in men? Present company included?” Ryden’s guilt swelled tenfold at that jab and knew it was deserved. “It’s complicated. Let’s just leave it that eight days ago I was jumped and two guys beat the shit out of me. My spleen was ruptured and had to be removed. A couple of cracked ribs, lots of bruises.” Ryden’s hand locked down on Carlee’s shoulder and she moved, trying to get away. “Hey, I have skin and bones under there!”
    He loosened his grip, but his jaw was tense. There were a hundred thoughts that had run through his mind as he tracked her down. Her having been jumped wasn’t one of them. She was too smart for that. He knew she was leaving something out, something that she damn sure was going to tell him. “Why did you leave the hospital?”
    Closing her eyes, her tears and trembling lip gave away any attempt at a strong resolve. “I hate hospitals, you must have forgotten that. I left to make sure they didn’t come back. I really didn’t want to stick around to see if they came to visit.”
    Ryden didn’t say a word, only thought that getting jumped was random violence. Perps like that didn’t normally follow up on their victims in the hospital. Cracking his neck, he resolved to hunt the bastards down, something he would undoubtedly do later, but Carlee was his first priority. He would let her get away with telling only half of the story for now.
    She weakly fought the doctor when he took away her pillow as if it was a prized possession. While Cal gently examined her, he asked her some questions about her medical history and if she had any allergies. She didn’t look as he lifted her shirt, and Ryden cursed under his breath when he saw the long row of staples down her abdomen.
    “This is the new ‘in’ thing right, Bride of Frankenstein ? I don’t need a costume for Halloween next year. I’ll just get some black tassels and I’ll be good to go.”
    Cal gently pulled down her shirt and moved away, then came back a few minutes later with needles in hand. "Carlee this is some Dilaudid. It will help with your pain. This one is some penicillin to the cover infection that seems to be brewing. Are you okay with that?" She nodded and looked away as he injected her with pain medication and antibiotic, hissing at the burn. He and Ryden spoke a bit as Carlee’s eyes became heavy. The doc cleaned the wound and redressed it before leaving the room. He came back shortly with two bottles of pills and a couple of loaded syringes.
    “Give her the pills for infection; the directions are on the bottle. The shots are for the pain. Once she can take it or if you need her more alert you can switch to the capsules. Here are some clean bandages. Just keep the wound clean. Watch for signs of bleeding, if that happens you need to bring her back. The last thing you need is an infection getting in there. I’ve also included a staple remover. Those can come out in about two more days.”
    Ryden took the supplies and stuffed them in his coat pocket. Carlee looked all relaxed and pain-free at the moment, so he figured they’d be safe enough to catch a few hours’ sleep. Why Savannah, he’d yet to figure out. Right now, she needed some sleep and food. Ryden pulled a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and attempted to give it to Cal.
    “Nope, not taking it, Ry. You just take care of your lady, here. Let me know if you need anything else.”
    “Thanks, Cal. I’ll do that.” He picked up a still-sleeping Carlee, eased her out the back door and into the car. In minutes, they were back on the road to find somewhere to settle down for a while.
    It didn’t take long to find a hotel. Ryden was hesitant to leave her in the car alone while he checked them in but her appearance would arouse suspicion. The hotel wasn’t the Ritz, but it would do in a pinch. The fellow at the front desk wasn’t too keen on taking cash for the room without ID until Ryden