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  “I fell.” It was kind of the truth. I mean, I did let myself fall from that tree after cutting Ruiz down. I didn’t think “reverse centaur bite” or “evil baby spirit attack” would go over all that believably.

  Brenden unwrapped the bandage Mason had made me from my bloody t-shirt, frowning at the crescent-shaped teeth marks that were clearly not from a simple fall. He pushed his black frames up his nose and squinted one eye at me. “Care to recant your statement? How did you break the skin here?”

  I sighed. “It’s a long story, and not one I can share. Can you fix my wrist?” I knew he could, it was just a matter of if he would help me, knowing I was lying.

  Brenden spoke slowly. “I can. Can you keep something like this from happening to you again?” His eyes flashed to Danny, who was looking around the infirmary with wary eyes. “Are you in some sort of trouble?” He shook his head. “Silly question. Of course you are. Otherwise you would’ve just gone to the ER.”

  The buzzer sounded overhead, making Danny even more uncomfortable. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had a patient,” I said, hopping off the table, and wishing I had my hospital scrubs on to give myself that one degree of professional separation. “Danny, hide behind the partition.”

  Danny, of course, didn’t listen to me. “No need.” He held up his palm and wriggled his fingers, letting me know he’d rather pull than leave my side.

  Brenden tapped a few buttons on his computer. “I don’t have a real patient, actually. But I told the guards I needed you for a consult. It might look suspicious if I didn’t have an inmate up here for you to check out.” Brenden cast me a dubious look that told me how much he didn’t care for having to lie.

  “Thank you. And I’m so sorry, Brenden. Really. This’ll never happen again.”

  Brenden’s shoulders loosened, and he cracked a small smile. “It’s alright. You should always come to me if you have a problem. Just try to have fewer problems that involve a potential fracture in your wrist.”

  “Duly noted,” I said with a nod as Brenden walked to the wall and pushed the green button to let in the guard with his inmate.

  Make that guards.

  I turned around to see none other than Terence being escorted in by Jerry and Bryce, instead of the usual one uniform per inmate. Our intakes of breath matched at seeing each other so unexpectedly. The feeling of overwhelming gratitude and the desire to make sure he was okay washed over me, flooding my veins with a maternal tsunami in my chest. I wanted to watch over the towering thirty-three-year-old man like he was my baby bear cub – the way he’d watched over me.

  Brenden waved off the second guard. “It’s just an exit interview, guys. You know Terence is one of the few inmates Nurse Gracie’s actually safe around.”

  “You’ve got a visitor in here?” Bryce asked warily, looking at Danny. I didn’t know a ton about Bryce, just that he liked his coffee stronger than the breakroom brewed it, and he mostly kept to himself.

  Danny shook the hands of both guards, who had been ready to jerk Terence back out of the room at the breach of procedure. I knew Danny would only make such a show of kindness if he had an ulterior motive. I saw Jerry’s shoulders relax, and surmised that Danny had pulled the suspicion and protocol straight out of both of them.

  “It’s my fiancé’s brother,” I offered, letting them know Danny was fine, despite the cagey looks he kept tossing Terence.

  Jerry, my favorite of all the guards because he’d never once called me “kid”, dipped his head in my direction as Brenden’s eyebrows shot up. “Congratulations, Nurse Gracie. I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone. When did you up and get engaged?” His skin was a hair darker than Terence’s, and without the scars that littered the second-born McCray boy.

  “Not too long ago.” I held up my ring that shone with too much audacity and sparkle. “Henry here’s brother is quite the charmer.” I smiled at Danny, letting him know that his name was now Henry.

  Danny nodded to the guard in lieu of speaking a greeting.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Bryce asked everyone, including Jerry, to make sure he could handle Terence if he acted up. We all nodded, and then Bryce pointed his finger at Terence, who narrowed his eyes at the guard. “Now listen up, T. You get out in a few days. Don’t go throwing away your parole now. You behave yourself.”

  Terence didn’t respond in any way, not even with a nod. He didn’t much care for being bossed, big as he was. He didn’t behave because of threats from guards; he fell in line because he preferred a quiet and peaceful life.

  Bryce seemed disconcerted by this, so he swallowed hard and nodded, as if somehow Terence’s silence indicated his compliance. “Good. Nice to see you again, kid. And congrats on the wedding. Lucky guy.”

  I offered up a smile and waved him off, glad there was one less person to deal with now. My fiancé had almost just killed me because I’d kissed him while nursing an open wound. Images of Von tearing into me during our vows, chomping into my skin through my wedding dress, flooded my mind. The wedding seemed eons away, not that we’d set a date. The well-wishes did little to dispel my inner turmoil.

  Terence kept his calculating eyes on Danny throughout Brenden’s exam of him, which was fast and clinical. Brenden was taking notes on his clipboard, ready to discharge him when he threw up the obligatory, “What do you think, Nurse Gracie? Is Terence good to go?”

  I moved closer to Terence, so I could get a better look. I grimaced through the pain in my leg I’d forgotten about. Danny was my shadow, hovering behind me with a silent threat that I was not to be touched. Jerry watched the exchange with disinterest, no doubt coming to the same conclusion I had long ago – Terence was no threat to me. “Could you stand and raise your arms over your head, please?” I asked, studying the way his left arm wasn’t able to raise all the way to a vertical line. “And can you bend down and touch your toes?”

  Terence met my gaze with his foreboding dark one, taking a full ten seconds before he obeyed. I could see a million flashes of emotion in the eyes I knew so well. To anyone else, it would have seemed an intimidation tactic, but I could see clearly his worry at me being back at the prison, and what that might mean. His fingers swept toward his shins, but were unable to touch his government-issued shoes. With every movement, Danny watched Terence, in case he breathed wrong. I motioned to a nearby orange plastic chair for Danny to relax in, but he only complied insomuch as he took one step back. “Terence, have you been in a fight recently?”

  Terence gave a curt nod, his eyes locking in on mine again to tell me that he was hurt worse than he cared to let on.

  Brenden checked his file on Terence, frowning. “He hasn’t been up here in a couple months.”

  “That’s because he doesn’t like to let on that he’s hurt.”

  Terence opened his mouth to speak – a thing he rarely did without absolute necessity. “I don’t like coming up here since you left. Why’d you leave?”

  My whole demeanor softened, my shoulders relaxing at the puppy cuteness in his midnight eyes. “It was time for me to move on. I’m sorry you’ve been hurt this whole time, though. What happened?” I patted the table for him to sit down on again. “Your ribs are bothering you, eh?”

  Terence nodded. “Yard fight.”

  I gave him my best motherly smile, pressing two fingers to each rib, making my way down the row until he winced. “Well, we can’t send you back out into the world all banged up. Can we get him an x-ray, Brenden? They’re probably just bruised, but best double check.”

  Brenden huffed at Terence. “You can still come up here. Just because Nurse Gracie’s gone doesn’t mean you won’t get adequate medical care.”

  Terence didn’t respond to this because it wasn’t necessary. He didn’t like talking unless there was no other option. “I can take Terence to x-ray,” I offered, holding up my wrist. “Two birds with one stone.”

  Brenden nodded, glancing up at Jerry. My favorite non-intrusive guard escorted us to the x-ray room,
which was just down the hall to the right. The machine took a minute to warm up, making its comforting whirring sound I’d missed. “You got any big plans for when you get your freedom back?” I asked kindly.

  Terence nodded. “I’m staying with Darius.” He pointed to my wrist that I hadn’t realized I was cradling to my chest – a dead giveaway I was injured. “If your fiancé steps out of line, I’ll take care of him for you.” There was no hint of aggression or sleazy suggestion in his voice, just a promise between old friends.

  Danny didn’t like it. “My brother’s not going to step out of line, yeah? You don’t have to offer your services. She’s well taken care of.”

  Terence’s eyes zoomed in on my wrist. “I can see that.”

  I motioned to the chair behind the desk. “Go sit, Henry. Everything’s fine. Terence is a good guy. He’s an old friend, actually. Known me since I was a baby.”

  Danny let out a low groan that made it sound like my words pained him as he moved to the chair. “You drive me absolutely mad.”

  I ignored Danny, helping Terence get situated for the x-ray. “Hold still just like that,” I instructed. I positioned his arms just how the machine needed them to best read his injury, and situated the heavy lead vest on his body. “And thanks for the offer. I’m glad I won’t have to take you up on it. This wasn’t from my fiancé. He’s a good guy.” I went to the machine and pressed the necessary buttons, turning him again to get a different angle. When he was finished, I took the lead vest off of him carefully with my one functioning hand, bestowing on him a quick hug that couldn’t be detected by Jerry. I lowered my voice when Terence looked down at me as he stood. “Listen to me, Terence, I want good things for you. I want you to lay low and be careful. Stay out of trouble, okay? And I mean, if you see trouble, run away from it, not toward it. I don’t want to ever see you back here.”

  Terence paused, and then bobbed his head twice.

  My voice lowered with too much guilt. “I spoke with Judge on the way here. He said he wants you to lay low. You’re almost out, and he doesn’t want anything to set you back. So if you see a fight, walk the other way, okay?” I scratched my thigh, wincing when I grazed over the slash I kept forgetting was there. “He also wanted me to tell you that Javier stepped out of line. He said you’d know what to do.” I looked up into his eyes, fear and heaviness weighing on me. “But don’t do it, hun. Please don’t hurt anyone.”

  Terence spoke slowly, his eyes narrowing. “You’re delivering messages for Judge now?”

  My eyes lowered with remorse. “I owe him a few favors. He’s helping me with a security problem I’m having.”

  Terence’s thick upper lip curled into a sneer. “You tell my big brother that for every message you deliver, that’s another load I’ll just happen to not deliver when I get out. He’s down by one now.”

  I nodded, unable to speak for several seconds. “Be careful. I wish you could stay somewhere with people who won’t get you into trouble.” As I said it, I realized that I hadn’t been taking my own advice. Since the Vandershots and Ezra’s crew had walked into my life, there had been a steady stream of trouble. I hadn’t been able to walk away, but I was expecting Terence to master the feat. “Please, Terence. I don’t want to have to worry about you ending up back here. Be a good man. I know you want more than this.”

  “Okay, baby girl.” We shared a sliver of a smile at the nickname usually only Judge used. Terence called me “Nurse Gracie” in lockup to keep my identity safe, but since it was just us, we spoke like the friends we were. He glanced down at my wrist. “You need to be more careful, too. Your security isn’t cutting it. When I get out, I’ll give your house a look to make sure everything’s how it should be.” Terence towered over me with his mouth in a tight line. “Plus, you never finished reading me that book. We were almost to the end.”

  I smiled up at him, unable to mask my affection for Terence. “Once you get settled, I’ll have you over for dinner sometime. You can meet my guy, and I’ll read to you until we finish The Swiss Family Robinson.” I knew by this point that my story with the McCray brothers would never be finished, but perhaps it could have a happier ending.

  “Will you make the applesauce like Mama used to?” The insecurity and longing for simpler times shone in his eyes, tugging on my heartstrings.

  “Of course I will. I’ll make a whole pot of it all for you. We can get Judge the store-bought kind if he starts being a pain,” I teased, drawing out a smirk from Terence.

  Danny stood across the way from behind the machine’s controls, letting Terence know I was not alone. “Are you quite finished, then?”

  Jerry watched the exchange with his hand touching the bat at his side, just in case. “Alright, Terence. Let’s go back to the doc.”

  “Tell Brenden I’ll be there in a minute,” I said to Jerry.

  Danny waited until the door closed before he spoke his mind. “We’re leaving. Get your arm looked at, and we’re out of here. You’re never stepping a foot back inside this place, yeah?”

  “Terence just looks scary, but he’s a total puppy.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a ‘yes, Danny.’”

  “Yes, Danny,” I offered with a roll of my eyes. I positioned my wrist how I knew it needed to be, and instructed Danny which buttons to push. “Well done. You’re almost ready for your medical degree. You’ve got that warm bedside manner about you,” I kidded, trying to get him to loosen up. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work. “You know they can smell your fear, right? If you act like being here is no big deal, that’s exactly how it is. If you act like you’re looking for a fight, you’ll find one, sure enough.”

  “Says the girl with the broken wrist. Spare me the finer points of your worldview.”

  We walked back to the infirmary with the x-rays, and even though I was down to one hand, I was still able to make myself useful helping Brenden tape Terence’s ribs. Terence parted with a sweet bob of his head in my direction, mouthing “never come back here” to me like a prayer, before he was escorted out by Jerry.

  Forty-Five.

  Stripping for Danny

  I clipped my x-rays onto the light board to examine the bones that were immoveable. “Crap.”

  “What?” Danny asked, looking over my shoulder.

  Brenden pointed to the problem bone in my wrist. “Just a small break, kid. It’ll heal just fine after we set it. Easy enough.”

  “Yeah, okay. Danny, why don’t you wait in the hallway?” I didn’t feel the need to use his fake name, now that only Brenden was with us.

  Danny snorted derisively, looking down his nose at me. “Are you having a laugh, or are you suicidal? Not out of my sight, kid.”

  “Brenden’s going to have to reset my wrist, and I don’t want you to hear me scream.”

  “I honestly don’t have the patience for your pride today. Set it, stitch it, and let’s go. I mean it. Not a second longer than we have to be here.”

  Brenden chuckled as he motioned for me to sit down on the table. “Someone doesn’t like that you play with the inmates?”

  “Brothers are funny like that.”

  “Okay, now. Try to sit still. You know what’s coming, but if you could try not to tense up, that would help me only to have to do this once.”

  I nodded, knowing relaxing was going to be out of reach. Danny seemed to know the right thing to do, though I hadn’t had an inkling. He moved to my other side with a look that told me he had this whole thing under control. His arm wrapped around my back, tilting me toward him so I leaned into his chest from my seat on the table. Danny was bulkier than Von, which made him a good pillow to rest against. He cupped my face with his free hand so I only saw his eyes that were telling me to buck up when I wanted to run. Oh, how far and how long I wanted to run. For so many reasons, I wished for an infinite sprint that would carry me far, far away from Terraway, from broken bones, and from all of it.

  When Brenden lifted my hand, I closed my eyes to brace myself through th
e pain I knew would snap a scream out of me. I’d reset quite a few bones myself, and the inmates always howled.

  “Hey,” Danny whispered. “Look at me. Don’t go somewhere else in your mind.”

  “Relax your hand, Gracie. I’ll make it quick,” Brenden said in his calm doctor voice.

  My lashes fluttered open, begging Danny silently to make the pain of Terraway go away from us. I felt his steady pull start to ramp up, peeling away my anxiety in layers until my hand was limp in Brenden’s capable grip.

  When the scream cracked out of me, Danny gripped me to his chest, cradling me. He kept my arm still, so Brenden could put it in a brace. I insisted I didn’t need the song and dance of a brace for such a small bone, but Brenden overruled me with his handy MD. Danny was sweet to me the entire time, not calling me out on my yelpy cry. He didn’t let go when I needed someone to stay with me. I would never admit to needing him there, but he was a good brother and read my mind, as only the best brothers can do.

  “She’s got a few deep cuts,” Danny told Brenden when I was about to get off the table. When I tried to pass off Danny’s concern as nothing, he said, “Do you really think you can stitch yourself up with one functioning hand? Let’s get everything taken care of now. I don’t want to bring you home with open wounds.”

  Brenden nodded with compassion in his kind eyes. “Of course, Gracie. Let’s see what you’ve got. Where else do you need help?”

  My cheeks flamed pink and I shot Brenden a look of chagrin. “For the record, I was going to try and fix this by myself. It’s my... this area,” I said, motioning to my chest. For all my medical experience, I couldn’t say the word breasts in front of my coworker. It was too embarrassing. I really, really didn’t want to show him.

  Brenden smirked at me, holding up his hands to display their innocence. “Why don’t you show me? Maybe the cut won’t be as deep as you’re thinking.” When I hesitated, he tilted his head to the side. “I’ve treated women before, remember. With you. It’s your choice, of course, but you don’t have to be uncomfortable.”