Kissing Mr. Bradley

Chapter 34

I woke up in a white room, with an overheard TV, windows covered with pink curtains to darken the room and myself hooked onto monitors.

Ethan sat in the leather armchair beside me, his eyes glued onto me. I could tell he hadn't gotten much sleep.

"Hey," he whispered, sitting upright as he reached over to touch my hand. "You're awake now."

"How long?" I asked, the only two words I could say until my voice gave out on me.

"You were out for a few days," he said. "How's your shoulder?"

I didn't feel the pain until he pointed it out.

"It hurts," I said.

He nodded. "You're lucky to be alive," he pointed out, wiping his eyes. "The bullet missed a major artery just centimeters."

I laid back down, feeling weak all over again at the thought of being close to death.

"I almost died," I said to myself as the words seemed too unreal coming out of my mouth.

"Your body went into shock," he continued. "I thought I had lost you."

"Me?" I asked, pointing at myself like I couldn't believe what he had just said. "I thought you were gone forever, Ethan."

He unbuttoned his blouse, exposing the same bulletproof vest Ezra had on.

"Wait," I said as the monitors began rapidly beeping. "Where's Ezra?"

Ethan laughed, putting his hand on my shoulder to keep me from getting out of the hospital bed.

"Calm down," he said. "Ezra is outside in the car."

"Outside?"

"Yeah," he breathed out. "I forgot how much he hates hospitals."

I looked up at the TV where the news broadcasted Ethan's mansion.

"Where is Donna?" I asked as a flashback of fragmented pieces of what happened days before entered my mind. "Did they find her?"

Ethan looked down at his hands.

"No," he replied. "Her whereabouts are unknown."

"She's still out there," I said, feeling the anxiety creep into me all over again. I was no longer safe. The Bradley boys were no longer safe. Donna was still out there, somewhere.

"When all of this blows over," Ethan started, his voice becoming stronger. "Donna will be back and we will be ready."

He held onto my hand, rubbing his thumb over the diamond ring that was still on my finger.

I sighed.

"Mrs. Saffron Bradley," he said, the words slipping off his tongue so eloquently. "It does sound fitting, don't you think?"

I could tell he was trying to get my mind off of the Donna situation.

"Sure," I said, thinking back to the contract I signed. "For someone who isn't exactly a Bradley."

"One day," he whispered. "It will happen for us but for now, it's purely for the business."

"So, what now?" I asked. "What's the plan now that the business is in my name?"

He let go of my hand.

"I have to leave the city," he said.

"Of course."

"You don't understand."

"You can move anywhere," I told him. "As long as you're safe."

"No," he said. "I have to go into hiding."

The lump formed in my throat. "Hiding?"

"Donna isn't going to stop," he started. "Until I'm dead."