Page 77 of Torch

Tears slid down my cheeks. “B-but what if⁠—”

“We are not going to think like that. Christian is strong. I know my baby is going to pull through this.”

I let her words seep in. I wanted… no, I needed to believe them. Christian and I hadn’t been together long, but I couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. There was no way this was how our story would end.

“Cara, baby, come sit down,” Viper urged, watching her in concern.

She had been pacing the floor the entire time. Everyone was scared to approach her because she had snapped every single time. I knew from Christian how close he was with his triplets. They had a bond I didn’t think any of us would ever understand. I could only imagine what this had done to her. Especially since she had to watch him seize before losing a pulse. That would be hard on any sibling, let alone a triplet.

Just as Viper was about to stand, the doors of the entrance slid open. Blade stormed in. His eyes were red-rimmed as he scanned the area until his line of vision landed on Cara. She stopped pacing once she saw him. They both took quick steps toward each other, holding on tight. She cried against his chest as he guided her away from the crowd. Everyone seemed to breathe easier as Blade was able to finally get her to take a seat. She had a death grip on his arm, like she was afraid to let him go.

Hours passed, and the tension continued to grow. Eventually, Doc walked into the room, prompting everyone to stand. “He’s going to be fine.” I exhaled in relief as he continued to fill us in. “He had Valium, Viagra, and fentanyl in his system. We were able to pump the drugs out of his system. The nurses are setting him up in his room now. We’re going to keep him for a few days for observation. I can only approve three people at a time to see him.”

Paul and Crystal stood. Crystal held her hand out to me, and my brows scrunched in confusion. “You’re his wife, Brittney. It’s your right to see him before anyone else.”

I glanced around and saw the brothers, along with his siblings, nodding. I got up and followed Doc as he led us away. When I walked into his room, the air left my lungs. He looked so pale. His body was stiff like a mannequin.

I spun around to face Doc. “I thought you said he was okay.”

“He is. His body went through something traumatic, Brittney. He’s going to need lots of rest.”

After checking Christian’s vitals, Doc left, promising to be back in a little while to check on him. His parents sat quietly on one side of the bed, and I sat on the other. Grabbing his hand, I brought it to my lips. Silently, I said a prayer that it wouldn’t be long before I saw his bright amber eyes again.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

TORCH

The consistent sound of a beep woke me from my deep slumber. My mouth felt extremely dry, like I had swallowed a mouthful of cotton balls. My head was hurting as if someone had battered it with a baseball bat. Opening my eyes was a struggle. I took all the strength I could muster to peel them open.

At first, my vision was a little blurry, but once I finally zoned in, I noticed I was lying in a hospital bed. That’s when my memory came rushing back to me.

Morgan.

The last thing I recalled was drinking my beer, and then my body shutting down. I swear it was like I saw the devil in Morgan's eyes when she straddled me. She seemed all too happy to have me weak and at her mercy.

Morgan had been pulling a lot of stunts over the past few months, but this time she had taken things too far. Especially if I was lying in a hospital bed. There would be no coming back from this.

My lips lifted into a grin when I glanced at the three people surrounding my bed. Brit, Blade, and Cara were seated beside my bed with their heads resting on the mattress while they slept.

These were the exact people I needed to see first. Brit was my wife and the love of my life, so she came before anyone. But Cara and Blade were my triplets. When one hurts, we all hurt. It was like three bodies sharing one soul.

As if Brit felt my gaze, her eyelids fluttered open. Her eyes widened before she jumped to her feet. “Christian!” she exclaimed, grabbing my face and raining kisses all over me.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I held her as her body rocked with sobs. All the commotion had woken Cara and Blade up. Blade appeared relieved to see me awake. Cara palmed her face, but not before I saw the tears brimming in her eyes.

Right then, I knew something bad had happened. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Morgan drugging me was fucked up on its own. But if Cara was crying, something way worse had happened. Cara wasn’t heartless, but she didn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve. Only a few people could say they’d seen her vulnerable.

“What happened?” I asked as I started coughing. My throat was dry as hell.

Blade frowned. “You don’t remember anything?”

When I opened my mouth to talk, my voice cracked. Brit grabbed the water cup next to me and brought it to my lips. After a few swallows, my throat felt better. “I remember Morgan coming by. She said your grandmother had sent her there. I didn’t know if something was wrong, so I let her in after checking your location. You were minutes from the clubhouse. Once I let her in, she seemed choked up about something, so I went and grabbed her a bottle of water. After I drank my beer, I lost control of my body. Morgan pushed me against the couch, saying something about being better than you, and then she got on top of me. That’s the last thing I remember.”

Brit looked furious when I finished talking, and so did Blade. Cara still hadn’t looked at me, but she shook her head.

“That’s how I found you. She was on top of you. At first, it looked like something consensual until I got closer. You were out of it, Christian. I didn’t think she noticed until I pushed her off you. Once she saw how bad it was, she took off.” Brit watched me with remorse in her eyes. I hoped she didn’t think I blamed her for this. No one was responsible for Morgan’s actions except her.

Something she said made me frown in confusion. “Wait, what do you mean, how bad it was?”