Page 18 of Jay Bird
He didn’t date seriously. He didn’t talk about his childhood. He didn’t discuss family, and he sure as hell didn’t talk about feelings. He had spent most of his adult life making sure nobody got close enough to ask the questions he didn’t want to answer.
There was a reason for that—one he had never bothered to explain to the rest of them, and the team had eventually accepted that he was built differently, that maybe there was a chunk of ice where everyone else had a heart. Jay Bird had never bothered correcting them, and he wasn’t about to start now. But apparently the tiny girl clutching his shirt hadn’t gotten that memo either.
He looked down at Lily.
She was exhausted, scared, and separated from the only person in the world she trusted. Yet somehow she had latched onto him.
He couldn’t explain why it mattered, but it just did.
His gaze followed the ambulance as it disappeared down the road, then slowly drifted back to his team.
“Lily’s staying with me.”
A beat of silence followed before Joker’s mouth curved into a grin, quickly mirrored by Bear. Playboy and Aussie were both shaking their heads, clearly amused by something Jay Bird wasn’t interested in hearing about, while Duke gave a quiet nod.
“Okay, then,” Nails said quietly as he reached into his pocket for his keys, already moving with the rest of them. “Let’s head to the hospital.”
The group started moving toward their vehicles, but Jay Bird remained where he was for another second, adjusting Lily more securely against his chest.
She sighed softly and relaxed against him.
Jay Bird had a feeling that whatever Willow had been running from wasn’t finished with her.
And somehow, without a single conversation or conscious decision on his part, he had already decided it would have to go through him first.
CHAPTER THREE
Willow woke to hushed voices.
For several seconds, she didn’t move. She kept her eyes closed and listened, trying to make sense of the low conversation happening nearby. Her head felt heavy, her mouth was dry, and her entire body seemed to be weighed down by an exhaustion that went all the way to her bones.
A sudden wave of fear hit, and her heart started racing. The last time she’d woken up in a strange place, confused and unsure of how she’d gotten there, Chen had been responsible.
Oh God. Had he somehow found me and brought me back?
The thought sent pure terror ripping through her, and Willow’s eyes flew open as she shot upright, the sudden movement making the room tilt violently around her. Her gaze darted wildly from one side of the unfamiliar room to the other, searching for him, searching for a door, anything she could use to protect herself. She had to get out now.
She spotted the IV line taped to the back of her hand and ripped it free without thinking, barely registering the sharp sting or the small bead of blood that immediately welled beneath her skin. None of that mattered. She had to get out before Chen realized she was awake.
A hand touched her arm, and Willow recoiled so hard she nearly fell off the other side of the bed.
“Whoa! Willow, easy there.” The voice was soft and familiar.
She was breathing hard as she jerked her head toward the voice, her entire body still wound tight and ready to fight.
And then she saw Riley standing beside the bed, her familiar face cutting through the panic like a lifeline.
“Riley…”
“Yeah, it’s me. Just look at me, okay?” Riley kept her voice soft. “You’re safe. Nobody here is going to hurt you. Take a few deep breaths.”
Willow kept her eyes on Riley and tried to do what Riley said. It took a few seconds, but eventually her heart stopped trying to pound its way out of her chest, and her breathing settled.
Riley was here. She was safe.
As the panic began to loosen its grip, Willow’s gaze shifted to the person standing beside Riley. For a second, Willow honestly thought her mind was playing tricks on her, because there was no way Mia was standing a few feet away, staring back at her with tears filling her eyes.
“Mia?” Her name came out barely louder than a whisper.
