He smiles, pressing play on the movie. He positions me in his arms, and we watch quietly while he rubs my back and occasionally runs his hands through my hair. I don’t get through much of the movie before I pass out, but it’s the most comfortable I’ve been in a while.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Katie
My fucking blood isboiling, my hands are shaking, and red paints my vision as I run down the stairs, praying like hell that bitch ass nurse is still inside this house. I couldn’t believe my fucking ears when Crew told me about what she did.
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, where we sent her not even twenty minutes ago, I’m pleased—and fucking pissed—to find her still here. My hands clench at my sides as I close the distance between us, not stopping until I’m right in front of her.
“Hey, Abby. So glad you’re still here. Quick question for you… were you Crew’s nurse a few years back when he got his football injury?”
The blood drains from her face, her eyes widening in understanding. She doesn’t respond with words, but the way she’s refusing to make eye contact is confirmation enough.
“That’s what I thought.” The laugh that comes out of me is dry, lacking any humor, as my arm raises, open palm connecting with her cheek in a sickening crack. The sound of skin slapping skin fills the kitchen as her head snaps to the side. She takes two steps backward, hand flying to her face and cupping her cheek, her glossy eyes meeting mine.
“What the fuck was that for?”
“Let’s not play dumb, Abby. It’s not a fucking good look for you. You knowexactlywhat that was for.” Crowding her space again, my face inches from hers, so close I can smell the mint on her breath as quick, shallow breaths fan my face. “Do you sleep with all of your patients and feed them extra pain pills,Abby, or was Crew just special?”
“I di—”
“Ah-ah. What did I say about lying? Answer the fucking question or I’ll brighten the left side of your face with my hand to match the right.”
The defeat washes over her face, all fight leaving her eyes. “Just him,” she whispers, head looking down.
“You disgust me, you know that?! There is somewhere on the upside of two million fucking people in the United States alone that have a substance use disorder related to prescription medication, and here you are passing ’em out like candy, spreading your goddamn legs for cuteteenage boyswho flash you a charming smile. You’re how old?”
She blinks at me like a deer caught in headlights but says nothing.
Snapping my fingers, I growl, “Don’t make me ask twice, Abby.”
“Th-thirty-two.”
“Lovely. Let’s say the accident happened, what? Four years ago? That would make you twenty-eight and himseventeenand under your medical care. Do you realize how fucked you are?”
Moisture pools over her eyes, falling down her cheeks, as her lip quivers.
“You don’t get to cry, you dumb fucking bitch. You broke the fucking law on multiple counts, and you bet your fucking ass I’ll be reaching out to your supervisor and the fucking nurses’ board about this. I suggest you leave right fucking now before I decide to call the police, too. I hope you lose your license.”
She grabs her bag, wipes her face, and scurries out of the kitchen so fast, you’d think her tail was on fire. The sound of the front door slamming meets my ears as I spin on my heels toward the stairs.
As quietly as possible, I open Anderson’s bedroom door. They’re piled on the bed together, Crew asleep on Anderson’s chest, while he watches whatever is on his laptop. Not wanting to wake Crew, I sit down on the floor beside his bed as Anderson studies me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, muting the movie he’s watching.
“Has Crew ever told you anything about the nurse that took care of him after his football injury?” My words are barely a whisper. Thankfully, he heard me anyway.
“Not much. Why?”
“The nurse that was just here was the same one from all those years ago,” I start, waiting to see if any recognition flashes in his eyes.
He stares at me blankly. “Okay? Weird coincidence.”
“She fucked Crew when he was seventeenandextra-dosed him pain pills, Anderson. He was injured and under her fucking care, and she abused her fucking power.”
His expression hardens, all color draining from his face. “What?”
“I brought her up here to meet Crew, and he freaked out and kicked her out. When I came back in after bringing her downstairs, I asked him about it. With some coaxing, he finally told me before he puked.”