✔️ The Arrangement (A Kinky Romance) [1st Draft]

Aftermath

Selene woke up several hours later in a hospital bed in a dark corner of a room. A curtain had been drawn, giving her privacy and cutting her off visually from everyone else. In a chair, just a few feet away, was an exhausted looking Devon. When she moved, his eyes opened and he looked at her, immediately sitting up when he realized she was awake.

"How are you feeling?"

Selene looked around, for a moment confused, then it all came back.

"Where's Nick? Please tell me he's ok," she whispered desperately, turning to get off the bed and to her feet.

Devon sprang into action. "Oh, no you don't," he said sternly. "You've had a strong sedative. Stay on the bed," he ordered, pressing lightly on her shoulder, "and I'll fill you in on everything, ok?"

Selene paused, the relented and lay back down.

"Good. Now, Nick is still in surgery. It was touch and go at first, they said, but the last update was that they stopped the bleeding and had begun repairs on his intestines. The bullet tore through parts of it, so they may have to remove some sections. It looks good, however, they told me, and they're giving him good odds for coming out of surgery ok."

Selene eyed him a moment, her suspicion that he wasn't telling her everything high, but she was still tired and groggy. She nodded slowly.

"The man who broke in is dead. You hit his artery and he bled out. We've identified him as 50-year-old Michael Watts," he informed her. "Did you recognize him?"

Selene shook her head slightly, then wished she hadn't. The room was wobbly for a few moments. Once she could focus again, she turned her gaze back to Devon.

"Who is he?"

Devon shook his head. "We aren't 100% sure yet. The best guess right now is that he's connected with your father."

Selene sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Two of your security team are also dead. Ahmed is in surgery now, as well."

It seemed as if everything around her stopped. Ahmed... Selene looked back at Devon. "How bad is he hurt?"

Devon kept a stone face outside of a slight raise of his eyebrows.

"He took one to the leg, another punctured his left lung. He's a tough one, though. He was the one that radioed us to give us the warning."

Selene sighed and closed her eyes a moment. Four people were dead because they'd een protecting her. Guilt filled her.

"It's all my fault. Everyone that died - "

"Don't you even," Devon said sternly. "This is what we do. We know every day that we could die. We do it anyway, because of people like you. You helped free over a hundred kids from slavery. That's no small thing. That's worth dying for," he finished, giving her a gentle smile. "Trust me – any of us would have taken any of those bullets to keep you safe. So many lives are going to be better because of what you're doing and many others will never be victims that might have been otherwise."

Selene looked at him, both surprised and impressed. The man was usually not the one to offer support, but his words were truly what she needed to hear to put things into perspective. It wasn't just about her safety – it was about the children they saved and that would be saved by them all going away to prison.

"Thank you," she said to him, squeezing his forearm. "I needed that."

Devon flashed a crooked grin. "No problem, kid. You're really brave, you know. Your man, too. It's really been a pleasure to know you both, in spite of the circumstances. You're good people."