Protecting Rose Read Online Free

head. “You need to wait until morning. Now I just need to check your temperature.”
    She jumped when the nurse placed a cold thermometer in her ear. “Sorry,” she said, although it didn’t sound like she really meant it. She removed the thermometer, glanced at it, and smiled. “Now you need to rest. You’ll get all of your answers in the morning.” She left the room and shut the door behind her.
    No, that wasn’t true. A tear rolled down her cheek. They didn’t know who she was.
    She forced herself to settle back on the pillow and relax. This was a nearly impossible feat. She felt as though she was adrift in a stormy sea and Nate was her only lifeline. Lost in her thoughts, she tried to make sense of what was happening. The night dragged on.
    A man in an orderly’s uniform entered the room. Someone she hadn’t seen earlier. He met her gaze and gave her a creepy smile that sent shivers of apprehension through her.
    “Who are you?” She didn’t recognize the man, but something about him made her skin crawl, and she instinctively did not like him.
    He shut the door behind him.
    “I’m here to check on you,” he whispered in a gravelly voice.
    The sedative had worn off, and she’d been awake for a few hours, trying to make sense of things. She eyed him cautiously as he silently moved toward her. Something didn’t feel right. He looked odd. His hair was askew, as if it didn’t sit just right on his head. It was a wig. He was wearing a really bad wig. Large black glasses hid his eyes when the bright florescent lights glared on them, and his hands were covered with black leather gloves.
    Her entire body tensed, and her instincts told her to be wary of this man as he crept closer.
    Something glinted in his hand when he neared. Was that a knife ? The furious beat of her heart roared in her ears. She lifted her eyes and met his hard angry glare. She froze. He reached the side of her bed and loomed over her. She gasped when he raised his arm to strike. The sharp serrated edge of the knife gleamed bright under the harsh hospital lights. She opened her mouth to scream. He slammed his other hand over it and silenced her cries.
    She grabbed the arm that held the knife and tried to stop its descent. He maintained his cruel grip over her mouth. Chattering voices from the hall covered the sounds of the life and death struggle in the room. Her heart held hope when footsteps neared her door, only to be shattered when they faded away, leaving her in the hands of a killer.
    She was no match against him. Her body ached. What little strength she had seeped away. The knowledge that she was going to die increased her panic. She moaned in fear and frustration.
    “Die, bitch,” he snarled.
    An image of Nate flashed through her mind and gave her strength. A blast of adrenaline shot through her. Lifting her knees with determination, she was able to plant one foot on her attacker’s chest, and shoved with the last bit of energy she had propelling him backward. She cried out from the sharp pain of the knife as it slashed through her hands when he fell.
    She let out a bloodcurdling scream.
    She screamed again and rolled off the other side of the bed. Over the cords and monitors that were attached to her. The needle inserted in her hand torn out. The clatter of falling equipment and the urgent beep of the monitor alarm filled the room.
    She felt every bruise and every wound on her already battered body. Hitting the floor amid the tangled equipment, she rolled under the hospital bed.
    The man swore vehemently and glared at her before pushing himself off the floor to run from the room. Screams sounded from the hallway.
    Tears streamed down her face as she held her bloody hands against her chest. The sound of chaos broke out in the hospital.
     
    Nate woke up to the sound of George Thorogood’s Bad to the Bone on his cell phone. He shook off the final cobwebs of sleep that still lingered. With a groan, he cracked an eyelid to look at