It was an intimate thing, but I didn't stop him and he didn't mention it.
The hospital staff ushered us through quickly when we entered the emergency room, and I was escorted to a private room where a doctor gave me a more thorough examination.
The whole thing took some time, with the doctor ordering a full CT scan to check for internal damage before he reluctantly cleared me to leave. He badly wanted me to stay overnight for further observation, especially when the bruising all down my back started darkening, but I overruled him.
No way in hell would I chill in a hospital room while someone waged war on my gang.
I wasn't even fully listening to the doctor's warnings about what I could and couldn't do while healing, my attention glued to Zed outside my little window. He paced the corridor, his phone to his ear and his expression rigid.
When the doctor left, Zed stepped back into my room, his arms folded over his chest.
"What?" I snapped, tugging my hospital gown tighter around me. My clothes had been pretty much destroyed, and I was naked under the thin material.
"You should stay for observation," he told me, "at least one night."
"Hell no." I shook my head, wincing when it tugged the tape on my neck over a small burn. Fucking shit, burns hurt to high hell. Even with the painkillers the doctor had provided, I could feel a dull ache in every single one of them.
Zed glared at me, exhaling heavily. "Fine. Then just rest for a few minutes until I can get you some clothes."
I gave a small shrug. "Just give me your jacket, then drive me home."
He glowered. "We're not walking you out of here barefoot in a hospital gown with your bare ass on display for the whole damn world. Just fucking chill; Cass will be here in five."
My jaw dropped. "Cass? Why the fuck is Cass coming here?"
Zed gave me a droll look. "Because I wasn't fucking leaving you here alone, and I didn't think you wanted Seph finding out about all of this just yet."
I grunted. "True."
"Right. So, Cass is bringing you some clean clothes and you can walk out of here as the badass you are and whoever tried to have you killed can go eat a dick." He dragged over a chair and sat down heavily beside my bed, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I think you're prematurely aging me, boss."
With a grin, I reached out and traced my fingertip down the faint line between his brows. "Well, it suits you. I'll be sure to keep stressing you out."
He grabbed my hand, pulling it away from his forehead with a small growl of irritation. "Please don't."
His pale blue eyes met mine, and there was a layer of vulnerability and fear in his gaze that I'd never seen before. Or never taken notice of, at any rate. My hand was still captive in his, and he stroked his thumb up the inside of my wrist, making me shiver.
The door to my room opened with a crash, and Zed released his grip on my hand, sitting back smoothly. I tensed, eyeing the broad-shouldered, bad-tempered man standing in the doorway.
"What the fuck happened?" Cass snarled.
Zed scoffed a laugh, hooking his ankle over his knee all casual as shit. "I told you. There was an attack on 7th Circle. Did I leave anything out?"
Cass's glower intensified as he stepped into the room and kicked the door shut behind him. "You said an attack, but I just drove past and it's completely destroyed. And Hades is in the fucking hospital? Yeah, you left a couple of things out, De Rosa."
Zed parted his lips to reply, probably with something highly sarcastic, and I held up a hand to silence him.
"Quit it, both of you. You're giving me a headache."
Zed shot me a sly look. "I'd say that getting thrown halfway across the parking lot contributed to that headache, but hey, I'm no doctor."
Cass damn near vibrated with tension. "What?"
I stifled a groan. The testosterone was already way too thick for my liking. Madison Kate must be a fucking saint to willingly commit her life to three meathead men; I'd probably rather become a celibate nun than inflict self-torture like that.
"Zed, fuck off for a minute. Get me a coffee or something." I gave him a hard glare, and he just smirked back at me as if he liked pushing Cass's buttons.
"Nah, hospital coffee is awful," he replied with a shrug, making no move to get up. "You'd hate it."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine, then just fuck off in general. I need to get dressed, and I doubt you really wanna see my tits."
His brows shot straight up, but I pointed firmly at the door, not giving him any options to argue with me further.
Zed scowled, getting up reluctantly and eyeballing Cass. "What about—"
"Cass can stay if he wants." I slid off the hospital bed and reached for the clothing store bags in the big Reaper's hand. "He's already made it crystal clear he wants to see my tits, so I doubt it'll make him uncomfortable."
Both men stared at me in speechless shock at that comment, and I snorted a sharp laugh. "Jesus Christ, that was a joke. Both of you fuck off."
Cass released the bags into my care, and I waited for them both to leave my hospital room before making any move to open them. They didn't go far, though. As I closed the blind over the little window, I caught Cass's low rumble.
"When the fuck did she start joking?"
31
The clothes Cass had bought for me fit perfectly, which was impressive, considering he'd chosen skinny jeans. Even the bra he'd selected was the right size, which made me wonder if it was him or Zed who knew all my sizes.
The black leather boots in the shoebox were flat soled, but I was actually relieved he hadn't grabbed heels. Even if they were my usual look, my aching body couldn't have handled stiletto heels.
Once dressed, I checked my face in the little mirror stuck to the wall and tugged my hair free of the loose ponytail I'd tied it up into. At least with it down, it hid some of the bandages on my neck. Otherwise, my wounds were pretty well disguised. The top Cass had bought was black and long sleeved, covering the worst of my bruises and scrapes, but tight enough to look sexy with the fashionably distressed jeans.
When I was satisfied that I looked nothing like a victim, I gathered up all the clothing tags and disposed of them and the boutique bags in the trash beside the bed.
Tugging my door open, I found Cass and Zed leaning against the wall opposite my room with their heads close as they spoke in low voices. Whatever they'd bonded over, apparently I wasn't to know because they immediately fell silent.
"Acceptable?" I asked when neither one of them said a word.
Cass scowled. "Maybe if you didn't have a black eye."
I wrinkled my nose, feeling the dull ache in my cheek. "That actually wasn't from the explosion." It reminded me that I hadn't told Zed about the staged attack on me in the street this morning. Or the fact that Special Agent Hanson was the only one who’d known I would be at 7th Circle at that time.
"What the fuck was it from then?" Cass demanded, folding those thick, inked arms over his chest and standing his ground like he was going to force the answers from me.
I quirked a brow at him, tempted to laugh. Then I shook my head and looked to Zed. "I think we're done here. Let's go."