“Officer, I’m sorry I can’t give you a better description. If I heard their voices again, I know I’d recognize them,” Ivy commented.
She’d moved to sit on the edge of her bed when they’d walked in. Steele had quickly corralled the billowing fabric of her hospital gown to keep her from flashing the officers. Curiously, Ivy hadn’t been embarrassed to have Steele take care of her. She’d felt better when the large man had stood by her side.
“If you remember anything, even something that doesn’t seem important, call us,” the detective requested, handing Ivy his card.
“I will. Promise!”
“We’re concerned about your safety as these guys are still out there,” the other police officer warned.
“She’ll stay with me,” Steele said in a tone that brooked no arguments.
“At the Guardians’ compound?” the first questioned.
“Yes.”
“You can’t get any safer than that,” the second detective assured. “We did stop at the bank and got the video footage.”
“The bank! I haven’t even called them,” Ivy said, raising a hand to whack herself on the forehead for being a dunce.
“None of that, Little girl,” Steele corrected, grabbing her hand before it could reach its target.
“Looks like you’re in excellent hands,” the second officer noted. “We’ll be in touch. We have your purse and phone from the back entrance of the bank. They’ll be held for evidence for a while.”
“Thank you, detectives,” Ivy said quickly as they left. It was a funny feeling to be glad she had Steele in her corner. She had the impression the officers’ hands would be tied in how much they could do.
Peeking up at Steele, she guessed he would operate outside the law. “Why do you want to help me?”
“It’s what we do, Little girl. The Guardians are here to protect the vulnerable in Shadowridge.”
She bristled at that statement. “I’m not vulnerable.”
“Someone has decided you are. Just think of me as your backup. Everyone needs someone to have their back.”
“Is that what the other members do? Are they going to be okay with me staying with you? I don’t want to invade a men-only cave.”
“There are other women there, Ivy—old ladies and daughters are welcome in the compound.”
“Like grandmas?” she asked in fascination.
“Old ladies have nothing to do with age. It’s a wife or a long-term girlfriend of a member of the MC.”
“Oh!”
“Um, Steele?” she added.
“Hmm?” Steele asked, rubbing the muscles in the back of her neck with one hand.
“Do you have an old lady?”
“I don’t. I’ve been looking for someone special. My own Little girl.”
“You have a daughter?” she asked, puzzled.
Steele shook his head before grinning at her. “A Little girl with a capital L for Little. That’s different than a daughter.”
Suddenly, her scrambled brains clicked into place. “Like a submissive?” she whispered.
“Yes. A special kind of one.”
“You’re a Daddy?” she asked, mentally capitalizing the D.
“Ivy! We’ve been so worried about you,” a smooth polished voice announced loudly from the doorway, making her grimace as it echoed inside her skull.
“Talk quietly,” Steele ordered.
The suited gentleman in the doorway looked taken aback for a second before he continued to talk to Ivy in a slightly softer tone. “When the police showed up at the bank this morning to obtain the video footage, we understood why you neglected your duties and didn’t show up this morning.”
The rebuke in his voice was tangible, making Ivy respond immediately, “My apologies, Mr. Harris. I should have called.”
“Mr. Harris, is it? You understand that Ivy was abducted, abused, and her life was in jeopardy because of the lack of security at your bank?” Steele said, the judgement in his tone ringing clearly.
“Well, definitely, Ivy should have followed the security protocols. Nevertheless, I was concerned to hear that you had been injured,” the man answered, sloughing off any responsibility.
“I did nothing wrong, Mr. Harris. I checked the viewfinder before leaving. I didn’t share the new security codes and ended up tied, bagged, and thrown into a dumpster to be crushed,” Ivy said defensively. Her headache flared back into excruciating territory as her blood pressure rose. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand against her forehead as she swayed.
“You need to leave,” Steele said in a tone that made the bank president take a step back. “Ivy’s doctors have banned her from working for at least a week to allow her brain to recover.”
“Be sure to get that in writing, Ivy. We’ll need documentation of the doctor’s orders to allow you to use your sick time.”
“Leave now. You won’t dock her sick leave. You won’t threaten her job status. You will be very supportive,” Steele stated firmly as he walked forward to force the unsympathetic man to back up to the door.
“I don’t know who you are, sir—” Mr. Harris began when Steele interrupted him.
“I can be your worst nightmare if you don’t handle this correctly,” Steele said ominously before closing the door in the man’s face.
He returned to Ivy’s side and lifted her legs up to the bed as he helped her stretch out. When the covers were tucked around her chin, Steele rang the nurse and requested pain medication. Pulling the chair up to the bed, he sat next to her.
Needing comfort as her brain pounded inside her skull, Ivy snuck a hand from under the covers to grab his cut. She clamped her fingers around the material and held on tight. Gratefully taking the tablets when they were held to her mouth, she tumbled into sleep.
“They’re still going to let me go home?” she asked, a couple of hours later when the nurse returned with her discharge papers.
“Yes. At home, you’ll be protected from annoying visitors,” the nurse predicted. “I have a list of your discharge instructions to review with you. There’s just one change from what the doctor said earlier. After hearing the result from your boss visiting, he’s extended your time away from the bank for a full two weeks and warns he may add more time. You need to stay as peaceful as possible to allow your brain to heal.”
“I’m so fired,” Ivy whispered.
“He also sent a copy of his instructions to his golf partner, who sits on the board at the bank,” Annie informed them with a smirk.
“Mr. Harris won’t like that,” Ivy said, trying not to feel triumphant that the doctor had gone over his head.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s done his best to make sure your job is safe for as long as you need to heal,” Annie assured her. “Let me go over these instructions with you, and then we’ll get you ready to go home.”
In a few minutes, the paperwork was complete. Annie removed all the monitors on her skin and the IV. The relief in getting the needle out of her arm made her head feel better, and Ivy giggled at the ridiculousness of that connection. Glancing up, she found Steele watching her with a smile.
Damn. He was attractive, all scowly and protective. But that grin made her heart do flip-flops. She ducked her head down so she wouldn’t give her thoughts away.
“That will make getting dressed easier! I’ll have someone come escort you to the entrance in a few minutes,” Annie said before bustling away.
Holding out the hem of the hospital gown, Ivy commented, “I don’t know what happened to my clothes.”
“They cut them off in the emergency department. They were ruined anyway,” Steele told her, remembering the alcohol and muck-soaked garments he’d found her in.
“I don’t remember a lot about that night,” Ivy admitted. “Just being terrified and their voices.”
“Maybe that’s best. Are you ready to get dressed and go check out the Guardians’ complex?”
“Yes. They’ve been really nice here, but…”
“It’s a hospital. You’ll sleep better when you’re out of here,” he said when her voice trailed away.
She watched him open the sack the nurse had brought in and pull out several items. The gray sweatpants looked so comfortable and warm. They made her instantly wish to get rid of the thin hospital gown. The thoughtful donor had included a T-shirt emblazoned with the same logo on Steele’s cut. Ivy traced the tough cartoon bear with her fingertip.
“Is it okay if I wear this?” she asked.
“If it’s been given to you, of course. You have a tie with us now,” Steele answered, studying her face as he spoke.
Ivy felt a tear roll down her cheek, and she dashed it away. “Thank you for everything.” They’d all been so wonderful.
“No tears. When Carlee heard what had happened, she thought of bringing clothes. She wanted to help. You all are about the same size, so it works well. Let’s get you dressed.”
“Are you going to help me?” Ivy asked, feeling overwhelmed by the simple task, but embarrassed to have him see her naked.
“I am. I’ll close my eyes,” he promised.
“Oh, that will be okay, then.”
She picked up the panties and noted the tags were still on the garment. “Can you take these off? Better do that with your eyes open,” she teased and then gasped as he pulled a large knife from his boot to slice through the thin plastic strips holding onto the tags.
“What do you use that for?” popped out of her mouth before she could stop it.
“There are some things Little girls don’t need to know.” That answer didn’t reassure her, but he distracted her by kneeling at her feet to hold out the panties for her to step into.
“Sorry, my legs are stubbly,” she whispered as he drew them up her calves.
“Stand up, Ivy,” he requested, dismissing her apology as unimportant with a shake of his head and boosting her to her feet.
Bracing herself on his shoulders, Ivy watched him close his eyes deliberately as he drew the panties up under her gown. His fingers smoothed the soft cotton fabric into position over her hips and waist before grabbing the sweatpants and helping her step into them.
Wrapped in the cuddly fabric, Ivy felt more like herself. Less vulnerable. She turned to grab the stretchy sports bra the kind woman had included and followed Steele’s guidance to turn and face the bed for him to untie the strings of her hospital gown. When he let the institutional garment sag away from her body, Ivy pulled the bra over her head and struggled to get it into place, losing her balance. Steele wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her as he gathered her hair from where it dangled behind her and helped her move the back strap into position. Quickly, Ivy shifted her small breasts into place.
“Sit back on the bed, Ivy. Don’t exhaust yourself,” Steele directed, helping her move to that position before draping the T-shirt over her head.
“I don’t suppose they saved my shoes?” she asked.
“You weren’t wearing shoes,” he answered.
“I wasn’t? Maybe the police have those with my things. Think I’ll get them back? I don’t know if I can live without my phone.”
“No electronics for at least a week, Little girl. I’ll get you an emergency phone to use if you need it until you get yours back.”
“I’ll pay you back for everything,” Ivy rushed to tell him, feeling guilty.
“Not happening.”
She couldn’t argue because her aide entered with a wheelchair to escort her to the front entrance of the hospital.
Steele’s hand smoothed over the back of her head. “The guys dropped off my truck. I’ll go get it and meet you at the entrance.”
Ivy nodded.
“You won’t leave her alone?” Steele half asked, half demanded of the aide.
“I’m required to stay with Ivy until you pick her up,” she promised.
Steele raised Ivy’s chin with his callused hand until their gazes met again. “I’ll get there soon. Stay with the aide.”
When he left, Ivy quickly asked the kind woman who had helped her with the shower, “Can I go to the bathroom?”
“Of course.”
When she got back into the wheelchair, Ivy looked around the hospital room as the aide set a few supplies, the teddy bear, and the folder with her orders on Ivy’s lap to take home. It seemed like her whole life had changed here. Ivy wondered if she’d ever get her self-confidence back. Now she was just scared. What else could be waiting to harm her out there?