Traitorous Heart: #7 (The Traitorous Heart Series)
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Authors: Breena Wilde
COPYRIGHT
Traitorous Heart: 7
Copyright © 2014 Breena Wilde
Breena Wilde Books
Kindle Edition
This book in its entirety is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard word of this author.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written consent of the author, Breena Wilde, P.O. Box 1408 Bountiful, UT 84011.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the creation of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover by: Steven Novak www.novakillustration.com
Edited by: MJ Heiser
www.cleanleaf.weebly.com
This book is dedicated to rock star groupies and to those who thought life would turn out one way, but it ended up totally different.
Special thanks to my awesome cover artist, Steven Novak. To my editor at Clean Leaf Editing, Mary Johnson Heiser. To Timi Heiser for the lyrics, and especially to my family. You’re all rock stars to me.
Sex with a rock star
plus a murder
equals Katie Jayne’s life.
TRAITOROUS HEART
Volume 7
Katie
When
I
was fourteen my mom accidentally ran over my foot with our family station wagon. The doctor told me I was lucky I’d been wearing shoes. Ten bones had been broken or crushed. My foot basically had to be held together by pins.
At the time the pain had been worse than anything I’d ever felt. But as I lay in the hospital bed, pain radiated from my shoulder and neck in excruciating waves and I realized that up until that moment I hadn’t known real pain.
More morphine,
my mind cried.
I’d been rushed by ambulance to Mt Sinai Medical Center where they stitched several sections of my neck. Chloe had done a real number on me, including shooting me in the shoulder.
Apparently I was lucky the bullet went straight through. A millimeter to the right and the bullet would’ve torn out my joint. As it was the doctor said I might need surgery down the road for blood vessel damage or loss of motor function. Not good. But he also said he didn’t think there would be any permanent impairment.
It’d surprised me Chloe shot me in the shoulder instead of my head. She’d been adamant that I had to die. The police said her gun had gone off by accident, a reflex that occurred when she was shot.
I’d nodded my understanding, though nothing about the scenario made sense. I still couldn’t believe Chloe had tried to kill me in the first place. And worse still was that she hadn’t been acting alone. She’d been there to kill me on the authority of someone else. It was a man by the sound of the voice on the other end of Chloe’s phone call. And the man was still out there. Waiting. Watching. It freaked me the fuck out.
The one piece of good that’d come from Chloe trying to kill me was her confession. I knew she’d been the one to kill Reid, not Brian and most importantly, not Birdy. At my first opportunity I’d told the police as much. They were verifying my statement, but it looked like Birdy might not have to stand trial.
The whole, awful fucking situation would be rectified.
And Birdy would be free.
Cage had told me he was working with the police and filing the proper paperwork for Birdy’s release. It couldn’t come fast enough.
I’d been in the hospital two or three days. They had me on heavy medication to keep my pain at bay. It worked most of the time, but a side effect was that I couldn’t keep track of what happened around me.
I remembered the ambulance ride, the noise, and the flashing lights. Griffin had been there. He’d held my hand, brought it to his lush lips several times and whispered that he was sorry, so so sorry.
I kept trying to comfort him, telling him it was okay, that he hadn’t been the one to almost kill me, but I didn’t think any of the actual words came out of my mouth. At the hospital I saw him more than once, his concerned expression fading in and out of my consciousness.
When I finally woke enough to be coherent, I asked for Griffin. The nurse told me he’d left and that he hadn’t said whether he was coming back or not. I certainly appreciated him. Somehow he’d brought the police to my apartment. Griffin had saved me, protected me. Without a doubt I knew Chloe would’ve succeeded in her murderous plan if he hadn’t shown. For that I would be eternally grateful to Griffin.
But it was Cage who’d come to the hospital and stayed.
He stayed. That meant so much to me. And he’d done more than stayed. He helped me to the bathroom, got me ice chips, and fed me Jell-O and warm broth. His presence was a kind and handsome force that buoyed me up and helped me feel safe. His blue eyes, deep as the ocean, were ever watchful.
“Cage.” I swallowed. The movement felt like hot glass shards cutting through my throat. I searched for him, noticing for the first time my hospital room. It was plain, white everywhere with taupe window dressings. There were several machines to the left of my bed. One beeped in a rhythmic pattern.
“Hey, Dandelion.” He appeared suddenly, like a totally hot angel.
I faced him, forcing back a sob at my pain.
“Shhhh, it’s okay.” His gorgeous face twisted with worry. “Here’s the button for your pain medicine. Did you want me to push it?”
I nodded.
“Done.”
I waited for the morphine to climb my vein and remove the hurt.
“Take a sip of water. It’ll help your throat,” he said softly. He picked up a large, clear mug filled with water and brought the straw to my lips. I took a drink and realized I was parched. I drank some more.
“Better?” he asked, setting the mug back on the small table next to my bed.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Katie
He smiled
.
“The doctor says you can go home today, if you’re up for it. What do you think about that?”
I returned his infectious smile. “That sounds good.” My words came out scratchy like the inside of my mouth had been caked with sand. I closed my eyes.
“Are you hungry? I can ask them to bring some food?”
I nodded. “A little,” I said though I wondered how I’d be able to eat with my throat so sore. Cage pressed the button attached to my bed to call for the nurse.
A female voice filled my room. “Yes?”
“Can you bring Miss Jayne her breakfast?” As he spoke he pushed a piece of hair off my face.
“Of course, Mr. Devereux.”
It didn’t escape my attention that there was high-pitched giggling in the background. Probably every woman on this floor thought he was gorgeous. He looked a lot like Chris Pine only better (yes, it was possible, the man was hot).
I blinked, admiring his beautiful face. He looked tired and in need of a shave. “Have you left at all?” I didn’t think he had, but asked anyway.
“A few times, but only when I knew you were asleep.” His thumb stroked the skin near my eyebrows.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” I took one of Cage’s hands and twined it with mine.
“Where else would I be?” He smiled sadly, glancing at his other hand. It looked like he was checking his watch.
“I’ve kept you long enough. I’m sure you have loads of work. Why don’t you go handle it? I can manage.” I tried to sit up as I spoke, but Cage pushed me back down.
“Easy there, tiger.”
I lay back and closed my eyes. The pain medication hit me, making it hard to keep them open. “Tiger? Why tiger?” I tried to smile, but I’m not sure it happened on my lips.
He ran a finger along the bandage on my neck.
I flinched, not because it hurt, but at the memory of Chloe pressing the knife against it.
“You’ve got stripes.” His words were meant to be light, but I heard his anguish.
“Hey?” I opened my eyes, strained to keep them that way. “I’m okay.”
“Thanks to Griffin.” Cage squeezed my hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a tender kiss in my palm.
A shiver ran up my arm. “Yes. And the police.”
“Griffin said he saw Chloe after his performance, that he overheard her speaking to someone on the phone about you, about what she intended to do to you. That’s why he contacted the police.”
“Hmmm. Mmmmmm,” I said, trying to remain focused. The images of Griffin fucking Chloe passed across my mind. I turned my head, trying not to see the look on Griffin’s face as well as Chloe’s. Of course it did no good. The images were seared on my brain.
“I owe him big time,” Cage went on.
I swallowed and found Cage’s eyes. “Cage…” Tears pushed against my lashes. I knew part of my emotional frenzy had to do with the medication, but I didn’t care. The man in front of me needed to know how much I appreciated him.
“Hey, why are you crying? Does it hurt?” Cage leaned down and kissed my forehead.
“I’m feeling better. It isn’t that. It’s just…” I swallowed again. “I’m so glad I know you. Without you I’d be…” What? Lost? Sad? A complete wreck? I wasn’t sure how to express all the emotions I held for him.
“Shhhh.” He kissed me gently on the mouth. I responded hungrily, hoping I could show him with my lips how much I cared for him.
When his lips left mine, he took a deep breath. “Tell me how you really feel,” he said with a seductive smile.
Need fluttered between my thighs. “I want to.”
He kissed my cheek. “Soon.”