I punched him in the back of the head, so hard he lurched forward, his shoulders colliding with the front seats. Grabbing his hair again, I jerked him back and planted my fist in his side, going straight for the kidney. “You shot your own daughter?” I seethed in his ear. “You dared to touch the woman I love? Motherfucker, you touched the wrong female. Because I’m about to be your Angel of Death.”
Badcock nodded to the driver, and the SUV started.
The senator whimpered.
Chapter 26
Kelli
I was floating in sweet oblivion. There was no pain. No scary monsters with the face of my father. No darkness that wanted to swallow me whole.
No Colt.
My eyes snapped open as I gasped. Heart racing, I glanced around frantically, disoriented and unable to decipher where I was. The room was dark, no window to allow light in, and any overhead lighting was turned off. The smell hit me next. The strong sterile smell that was associated with hospitals.
I lifted my arms, felt the sharp tug of something in my left wrist, and once my eyes adjusted, I realized there was an IV in it. Inhaling deeply with relief, I then groaned in pain. My chest and stomach ached, and the memory of Calvin shooting me flashed through my head.
The bastard really did it. He shot me.
He tried to kill me.
I wasn’t sure how I got here, but I was thankful to whoever saved me. Right now, however, all I wanted was Colt.
A door opened, letting in a thin stream of light, and then I heard the click of a switch flipping up, and the soft fluorescent lighting over my bed came on. I blinked, taking in the room. It was a standard private hospital room. A small television was mount
ed to the wall in the left-hand corner. A tray on wheels was pushed against the wall, a portable IV pole beside it.
On the other side of the bed, there was a single plastic chair, but no tattooed biker was there waiting for me.
Tears burned my eyes. Where was he? Why wasn’t he here?
I wanted him here, damn it. I wanted him to be sitting in that fucking chair, holding my hand, more than I could ever remember wanting anything in my entire life.
“Baby, why are you crying?”
My head snapped around at the sound of his voice, the tears falling faster from my eyes as I looked up at Colt. He looked so good standing there. Even with the dark circles under his green eyes, his shoulders slightly slumped in exhaustion, I was sure I’d never seen a better sight than this man.
In a handful of long strides, he was beside my bed. Sitting on the edge, he cupped my face in his hands. “Kell? Baby, are you in pain? Let me get the nurse.”
He started to stand again, but I caught his wrists, urging him to stay. “Don’t leave,” I croaked out.
“Are you hurting? I’ll get them to give you something for the pain.” He seemed anxious, his pulse jumping under my light hold on his wrists.
“I don’t…care about…the pain,” I got out slowly, my eyes eating up the sight of him. It was like I was looking at him for the first time. My eyes traced over all the ink I could see on his neck and hands before going back to his face and memorizing every hard angle.
When I got to his eyes, I realized they were glazed with tears. “What?” I demanded and started to sit up.
Strong hands pushed me back down, and his head followed, kissing the breath out of me in a slow, tender kiss that only made my tears flow faster.
“I thought I lost you,” he groaned against my lips, and I tasted the mixture of both our tears. “I thought you were dead.”
“I thought I died too,” I told him honestly, keeping him close when he would have pulled back. “Calvin…” I shuddered, thinking about the bastard. “He…”
“You don’t ever have to worry about Samson again, babe.”
My breath caught. “Wh-what did you do?”
“Just know that Hank and I took care of it.” He kissed me again, and I began to relax. “He won’t ever hurt you again, Kelli.”