Her Savior

DANTE

Dante hated hospitals.

Nobody seemed to notice him roaming around, and he wasn’t sure how, given that he was in a three-piece tailored suit. How could they not notice?

“We need blood, stat! Jesus Christ, what happened to her?”

He couldn’t help but follow the voice. What he saw shocked him. On the gurney was a beautiful woman. She was seriously bruised and cut, but she was gorgeous.

“All right, get me an X-ray, and let’s get her cleaned up.”

Dante couldn’t seem to move. Something about her had him mesmerized.

“Harper? Harper, are you with me?”

Even her name sounded beautiful to him.

“Are you her husband?”

“I, I…” He trailed off. Of course he wasn’t her husband, but if he said that, the nurse would send him away. So he said nothing.

The nurse pulled him aside. “Dr. Tanner will be with you as soon as he can.” She stepped back into the room and pulled the curtain, blocking his view.

He found himself sitting in the waiting room, waiting for news.

Finally, the doctor came out. “Are you here for the young lady?”

He nodded. It was a big hospital, but he felt like he was supposed to be here for her. “Dante Black.”

“Is she allergic to anything?”

When Dante didn’t answer, the doctor’s face flattened. He pulled him into a quieter area. “I know who you are, Mr. Black, and you’re not my patient’s husband.”

Dante was many things, but an abuser of women wasn’t one of them, and the world knew it. “How is she?”

“She took quite the beating. Her arm is broken, three ribs are cracked, countless cuts and bruises. It looks like this wasn’t the first time, either. There’s also signs of,” the doctor trailed off.

Dante knew what was being left unsaid. It made him angry to think that this beautiful woman had been violated. “Move her to the VIP floor. I will have men at her door, and only authorized staff will be allowed in.”

Dr. Tanner nodded and walked away.

Dante called his right-hand man, Easton, over. “I want two men at her room at all times.”

“Of course.” Easton didn’t question him. He had seen her, too. “I have Mac out confirming who she is.”

“Have the staff prepare a room for her close to mine on the VIP floor, and tell them to get whatever they think she will need. She’ll be staying for a while.”

“Got it, Don,” Easton had a tiny smile on his face. If anyone was going to see how Dante was feeling, it would have been Easton. He’d been Dante’s friend since they were children. Dante was the first person Easton had told he was gay, back when they were teens. Sure, they protected people all the time, but Dante had never felt this strongly about someone.

Dante’s day was filled with meetings and overseeing shipments. He ran and pretty much owned the entire state of New York. His thoughts kept drifting to Harper throughout the day, and the minute he was done, he ordered his driver to take him to the hospital.

Dr. Tanner saw him coming. “She hasn’t woken yet, but her vitals are stable.”

He already knew that. And he knew that as of yet, no one had called or come to check on her. So where was that husband?

MORRIS

Morris dialed the officer’s number, pretending to be the concerned husband. “What happened to my wife?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out, sir. Would you mind coming down and answering a few questions?”

“I’d like to check on my wife first.”

“Of course, Mr. Porter, why don’t I just meet you at the hospital?”

Morris agreed and turned the car around. He parked and walked up to the receptionist. “What room is Harper Porter in?”

“Sixth floor, room three. Would you like a visitor’s pass?”

“Yes, thank you.” He followed the directions she gave him to the room. The hospital smelled of industrial cleaner, and there was a flashing fluorescent light in the hallway. As soon as he stepped off the elevator, he saw a doctor. “Excuse me, could you tell me how Harper Porter is doing?”

Dr. Tanner looked at him, glancing from Morris’s eyes down to his hands and then back up. “Are you family?”

“I’m her husband.” He put his hands in his pockets, trying to look nonchalant and hide the scrapes and bruises on his knuckles. There were a few men loitering in the hallway, but he didn’t pay them much notice.

“She’s stable. We’re still waiting on her to wake up.”

Morris looked at his phone, reading a message from the officer that was waiting for him. “Thank you, I’ll come back later.”

MORRIS

“Boss.” Easton stepped into the room. “Her husband just asked about her, he’s leaving and Ace is following him.”

“Make sure he keeps tabs on him.” Dante didn’t want to do anything just yet. He needed her to wake up and confirm his suspicions first. He looked at the doctor. “If he comes back, please tell him she’s having a procedure done or something to keep him out. I’d like to move her to another room.”

The doctor nodded and informed the nurses.

Dante moved closer to the bed. “We need you to wake up.” He had ended up staying until late in the night. He just couldn’t bring himself to leave her.

MORRIS

Morris met the officer in the lobby, making sure his face looked worried and sad, or whatever it was a distraught husband should look like. “Doctor said she’s stable, but she hasn’t woken up yet.”

“What time did you leave your house?”

“It was late. I had a flight to catch. Harper was in bed asleep when I left.”

“And you don’t have a security system?”

“No,” Morris shook his head. “We’ve never had any cause to have one.”

The officer eyed Morris’s hands, which were in his pockets again. “Was there anything missing?”

“A few hundred dollars that I had left on the counter and her wedding and engagement rings.”

The officer nodded and tucked his notepad away. “I’ll need to speak with Harper once she wakes up. See if she can remember anything.”

“Of course.” Morris wasn’t worried about her saying anything. She knew better. He was already angry with her for causing all of this. She’d never get hurt, if she would just listen to him. “You’ll learn, darling. One way or another, you’ll learn,” he muttered to himself, smiling as he thought of all the ways he was going to punish her when she got home.

Before he left the hospital, Morris charmed his way into the receptionist’s pants. Her name was Jessica, and after a quickie in the bathroom, she agreed to notify him if she had any visitors. He might have to fuck her a few more times, but he didn’t mind. It wasn’t the first time he used sex to get what he wanted.