Page 53 of Stormhold

Only to fucking lose another one?

How long could I fucking keep doing this?

Within minutes, they took him to surgery, and I dropped down on the cold, hard chair, my mind heavy. My phone kept ringing and ringing, but I hardly gave a fuck. My father was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now.

And Grayson wouldn’t stop pacing the hallway like a madman. I still had no clue where Jon was, but I knew he wouldn’t return without Timothy Walters. Good, because I want to kill that motherfucker so badly that I want to bring him back to life and kill him all over again.

I had no idea how long I stayed there as the minutes ticked by, and my head throbbed in sharp stabs.

“Arkane.” A soft hand palmed mine. “Are you okay?”

I was so consumed in my thoughts that I didn’t even feel her presence. “Bella?” She looked dead exhausted but still managed a small smile. “What are you doing here? Go home.”

“I had to come to the hospital anyway.” She gestured to her foot, which was now completely bandaged. “I don’t mind staying.”

I nodded, my thumb grazing her palm of its own accord. She was the softness I needed right now.

“How’s Marcus?”

“They said he’s got a pulse,” I muttered. “It’s weak, but at least he’s still here.”

“Good.”

Hours later, a creak ripped through the air, and in came Dr. Fedrick, our family doctor, along with two other doctors in scrubs behind him.

“Mr. Stormhold.” Dr. Fedrick took the lead, with a pleasant, understanding expression on his face. The same one doctors used for both good and bad news, and I fucking hated it.

I was up on my feet, already making my way to him. “Is he okay?”

“We were able to remove the bullets and repair the damage. But it was extensive, and he lost a lot of blood,” Dr. Fedrick said. “We’ve put him in a medically induced coma. The next twenty hours are crucial.”

Fuck. I nodded stiffly, without saying a word.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him.” He patted my back, offering me a small smile before he walked away.

“I told you we shouldn’t have taken this lightly,” Grayson shouted, the vein in his forehead popping in anger as he got right up in my face, as if I hadn’t already had enough today. “You let this happen.”

I stared down at him blankly, not saying a word.

“And you.” He pointed at Bella, getting in her face. “This never would’ve happened if it weren’t for you. You fucking killed Harvey Walters. And my fucking brother has to pay the price.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I was about to push him away when Bella beat me to it.

“You’re right,” she said softly. “I will take the blame if anything happens to Marcus because of this. I’m sorry, Grayson.”

For a second, my brother looked speechless. He was ready for a fight, but Bella knew how and when to pick hers. I knew all this cascade of events had happened because of her, but I just didn’t have it in me to blame her. She killed for her family. I would’ve done the same thing.

Grayson’s eyes met mine. “It still doesn’t make it right. You said there won’t be another loss in our family.” The fury in his voice rose with each word. I knew he was seconds away from punching my face, and I would let him. Just once, though. His anger was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now.

“And there isn’t. Calm down, brother.” Jon suddenly appeared at our side, his voice brimming with warning as he glared at Grayson. “Now is not the time or the place. It’s not Kane’s fault or Bellerose’s. Use your brain for once.”

It took a second before Grayson nodded with a huff and moved away.

“Good, now that you’re calm. I have good news,” Jon announced with a sinister grin as he met my eyes. “I got him.”

For the first time tonight, I felt alive again.

CHAPTER 16