Finn (12 page)

She watched as he administered a shot. The shaking seemed to subside some.

“He’s going into shock,” the doctor stood. “We need to move quickly.”

Liam burst in the front door, leaving it open wide.

“Ready,” he said to Ryder.

They lifted with ease and carried the hulking man out to the back of the car. She could see they had laid down the back seats and put a blanket down.

Alyssa ran into the living room closet and pulled out the blanket. She raced out to the car and placed the blanket over him. Everything in her ached to make this better for him. He was in so much pain.

Finn pulled her back, so they could close the doors. She watched as they drove away.

Finn stuck out his hand to the doctor who shook it.

“Thanks for being on call,” Finn said.

The doctor shook his head. “I’m only sorry I couldn’t help him more. He’s going to have a long road to recovery and that’s not even looking at his mental health.”

“Well take good care of him,” he said.

The doctor gave a smile. “You always do.” He started to walk away but stopped. “And tell Teagan to give me a call sometime. She’s seeing some new doctor, and I just want to make sure she’s doing well.”

Finn frowned. “I hadn’t heard this. I’ll talk with Conor.”

When they were inside, Alyssa turned to Finn.

“Aren’t we going to the hospital?”

He nodded. “Just need to make a few calls.” He lifted her chin and kissed her forehead. “Go get ready. We can leave here in five.”

Finn walked with determination to his office and closed the door. This was a call he had really hoped to avoid.

“Hey, it’s me,” he said into the phone. “I know we were both trying to avoid going this direction, but I don’t think we’ve got much choice at this point.”

He listened to the man on the other end.

“I know this is hard on you, but if you don’t get involved, it’s going to end badly for everyone. You’re the not just the best man for the job. You’re the only man.”

Finn nodded as he listened. “I’ll get you what you need before then, but things are progressing quickly. Be prepared for it to happen any day.”

Finn pressed end and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. At every turn, there was something slowing them down. He just hoped that, in the end, he could make this all work for the people he cared about. It was going to be hell getting there though.

* * *

Finn sat nervously in the waiting room. They had been in there for hours, and although he wanted to just tear into the room, he kept his calm.

He glanced to his left where Alyssa slept peacefully against his body. She had been so unwell recently, and the crash today hadn’t helped. He just thanked God that she hadn’t been taken as well. Noel was tough, but he’d be lucky if this doesn’t break him. He couldn’t even guess what something like this would do to Alyssa.

Liam sat at on the other side of Finn. They had sent Ryder home and thanked him for his help. He had help rescue his cousin, but this was still a family matter.

“They let us take him,” Liam said after some time.

Finn looked over to him. “What do you mean?”

Liam shrugged. “There’s no way we would have found him so quickly if they hadn’t,” he said. “I think it was a message for you.”

That sounded like the Boris he had heard about. The rotten bastard loved this sort of cat and mouse game. It was all about setting people up to be in certain situations and then pulling the rug out from under them.

The doctor came in the room, and Finn woke up Alyssa.

“He’s doing fine,” the doctor said, and they all let you a relieved sigh. “We’ve got him sedated since some of the wounds are worse and others. Particularly the one on his face.”

Finn nodded. “And what about his hands?”

“The bones were broken but not smashed. We were able to splint each one and wrap them. If he’s a good patient, they should heal just fine.”

The doctor looked between the three of them.

“I don’t suppose I’m going to get a straight answer from any of you as to how this happened.” He stared hard at Finn before sighing. “Fine. We’ll be keeping him here for some time. He’s going to be in quite a bit of pain when he wakes up.”

“He’s tough,” Finn said.

The doctor shook his head. “Maybe, but you’ve never had pain like this. It feels like your skin is on fire. His face was badly damaged. It looks like they used acid.”

Alyssa began to cry and the doctor leaned forward.

“He’s going to live and that’s most important.” He smiled at her. “He’s got good friends that will help him through this.” The doctor looked up to Finn. “And he’s going to need as much support as he can get.”

Finn nodded. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Noel.

“I’ll be back later to check on him,” the doctor said. “Just let him rest for now.” He sighed. “Mr. Kelly. I have to report this to the police. After all, this is obviously not an accident.”

“I know,” Finn said. “You tell the police whatever you’re required to.”

The doctor nodded and left.

Finn turned to Liam and Alyssa. “Take her back to the house,” he said to Liam and then turned to Alyssa. “He’s past the worst. Got get some sleep. He isn’t the only one healing from things.”

She opened her mouth to protest but stopped when he placed a finger to her lips.

“Go rest. For me,” he said quietly.

She looked at him for a moment and nodded.

“I’ll call if there any change,” he said and kissed her forehead.

“Night,” she said quietly and followed Liam out the door.

Chapter Fourteen

Alyssa paced nervously in the locker room. She knew he was going to be pissed, but she really had no choice. Liam had called to tell her he was going to be late taking her to aquatic therapy. She couldn’t miss this one. Not after all the trouble she’d been having.

She really couldn’t call Finn. He was so tired and busy with Noel, she didn’t want to interrupt them. Noel was going to need all the support he could get. She couldn’t do much.

Well, other than lie to the police. They’d questioned her, along with Finn, Noel and a lot of Finn’s men. She didn’t know whether it really was the right thing or not to lie about what she knew, but Finn had asked her to, so she did. If the police had things under control, the Russians wouldn’t be able to operate like they were. Finn was one of the few people keeping them in check.

During the last trouble at Cortex, even Kace Allen, who’d been a cop, realized he had to go beyond the law to protect those he cared about.

So, with Finn and everyone busy, she did the only thing she could. Called a cab and went on her own. It wasn’t idea, but it was a week day and people were busy during the week. Besides, she knew now that the Russians might want to rattle her, but they weren’t going to hurt because of her mysterious benefactor.

Not able to stall any longer, she walked out of the locker room and into the pool room. Steve had reserved the place for them to practice. She had a feeling Finn was footing the bill, but she wasn’t going to complain. Water therapy was the best.

“You’re looking much better,” Steve said with a smile.

She smiled back at him. “I’m feeling much better. I was even thinking about doing away with the sling.”

“That’s good,” he said and helped her walk into the water. “If you can do without it, it will help strengthen the muscles. Just don’t overdo it.”

Alyssa laughed. “I don’t think I could if I wanted to.”

Steve grinned at her. “Yeah, your boyfriend is pretty intense.” He paused for a moment before going on. “His friend waiting outside is also pretty intense.”

“Liam?” she said.

Steve shrugged his shoulders. “Big guy with the Jeep.”

“Yup, that’s Liam.”

Steve flexed her arm. “So does Liam have a boyfriend?”

She nearly sputtered water at his question.

“I think he’s got someone he’s hung up on,” she said. “But he’s nice to look at, that’s for sure.”

She grinned when Steven smiled. “That’s never a bad thing.”

She was glad Steve wasn’t upset.

“Okay.” He clapped. “Let’s put that shoulder to good use.”

* * *

Finn watched her through the glass. She smiled as she did her therapy. He might have been pissed at her, but it was good to see her arm working so well. It ate at him that she might have limited mobility.

He watched as Steve climbed out of the pool and dried off. Did that guy really have to wear such skimpy clothes? He fumed inside as he watched the man. When he went into the men’s locker room, Finn opened the door into the chlorine-filled main pool room.

The door clacked shut, and she turned to look at him. Based on her face, she was surprised.

Alyssa swam over to where he was without much issue.

“You came,” she said, slightly out of breath.

“You left,” he said firmly.

She swam to the steps and climbed out of the water.

“I had to come to therapy,” she said.

He stared at her near-naked form. The black tube bikini barely covered her, and he could feel more than his temperature rising.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he said more gruffly than intended.

She looked down at her black suit.

“I know it shows off my scars, but it doesn’t rub either,” she said.

His eyes fell to her scars, and she lowered the towel over them.

“Why does he have to wear something like that and then see you in something like this?”

Her face turned red for a minute before she spoke.

“I really don’t care what he wears, and I’m fairly certain he doesn’t care what I wear,” she said. “I’m going to get ready. I’ll be out in a minute.”

She stormed off into the women’s locker room.

Alyssa stomped into the empty locker room, annoyed at herself for even getting angry. But it hurt. All she wanted was for him to look at her with hunger. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. The scars were prominent.

“You really shouldn’t walk away when you’re having a conversation with someone,” Finn said.

She gasped and whirled around to find him leaning against a partition.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” she hissed at him. She glanced around. No one else was there.

Finn pushed off the wall and walked toward her until they were so close they were nearly touching.

“I’m finishing our conversation,” he said. She watched as he looked down to the scars. “Do you know what I see when I look at these?” He brushed his fingers across the sensitive skin.

She shook her head.

“I see the look on your face when you went down. The pain in your eyes. Not from the bullets but from me,” he said quietly. She backed up a little and he followed. “I see the good in the world, even for people who don’t deserve it.”

“That’s not true,” she whispered.

“But most of all, I see my fears.” He leaned in, his mouth so close to hers. “I didn’t know what I might be losing until it was almost gone.”

She closed the distance between them, crushing her mouth to his. Her arms came around his neck, and she pulled him tighter to him. Finn gripped her hips and pulled her until his thick erection rubbed against her.

He groaned loudly.

“I’m no good for you, but I don’t know how to be without you,” he whispered in her ear, his voice tortured.

“So don’t,” she whispered back.

With little effort, she pulled off her top and bottoms. She stood in front of him and for the first time, she saw the hunger in his eyes, his hidden passion, bubbling just below the surface.

Finn whipped his shirt off, and she went to him. She placed her palms on his chest and loved the feel of the muscles as she glided over them. Alyssa leaned forward and placed open-mouthed kisses along the ridges of his stomach. She stopped when she got to the top of his pants and looked up at him as she swiped her tongue up along the light dusting of hair.

He growled and yanked her back up to her feet. Finn whirled her around and placed her hands on the mirror in front of her.

“Don’t move them,” he said. His voice low, and the heat of it nearly seared her.

She could see him in the mirror as she knelt behind her. His eyes stared back as he spread her thighs.

She watched as he kissed up the back of one leg and down the other. The cool air adding to her excitement.

“Do you like that Alyssa?” he asked in a hushed tone.

She nodded.

“Say it out loud,” he said.

She swallowed and tried finding her voice. “I like it,” she said breathlessly.

“Good,” he growled.

She could feel his hot breath at her opening. Her inside quivered in anticipation. His thumb brushed her clit, and she cried out.

“So sensitive,” he whispered.

His thumb brushed her clit again but his time she was ready. Finn moved his thumb in a steady rhythm, slowly circling, with just enough pressure to arouse but not enough to build off of.

She turned around to glare at him. He grinned at her and leaned forward. Alyssa gasped when he pushed his tongue inside her. She came as he pushed in deeper, rubbing her clit furiously.

“Finn,” she moaned as her climax subsided.

She turned around and kissed him hard. Her taste still in his mouth. A hand slipped down his body and came to rest on his length. She traced the outline of him through his pants. Not wasting time, she flipped the button and freed him.

He groaned when she gripped him, her hand moving steady up and down over him.

“Alyssa,” he moaned.

She tightened her hand and moved faster, sliding her hand over the slick head.

“No,” he grunted and pulled away.

Alyssa stood there in shock. Two times. She wasn’t certain how this could happen two fucking times.

“I’m taking a shower.” She walked around him, ignoring his protests.

She pulled back the curtain and stepped in the entry. Alyssa dropped her towel over the side and turned on the hot spray. Closing her eyes, she moved under it. The pain of rejection fresh.

“You really need to stop walking away from me,” Finn said in her ear.