Savage Things (Chaos & Ruin Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

deprivation.” Mason stops there. He swivels his head so he’s looking right at me now. “Is there anything else, Dr. Romera, or have I got everything?”
    Damn. He’s on the verge of snapping. I’ve seen it on so many people. There’s a flicker people get in their eyes, a visible fracture in their temper that could either splinter them open or shut them down at a moment’s notice. “You obviously have a very good understanding of your sister’s condition, Mason. I’m impressed at the level of care you’ve been giving her. Let me ask you, though…do you think you can give her the same level of care at home that we can give her here at the hospital?”
    He clenches his jaw. “I’m not fucking stupid, okay? I know I’m fucking up. I know she deserves better than I can give to her, but I’m trying. I’m doing my best. Of course she’d be better off here, but I can’t afford to keep her here longer than she absolutely has to be. This wasn’t her worst seizure. There are plenty more to come, and I need to make sure I can afford those five-star visits to the wonderful St. Peter’s of Mercy hospital.”
    Gracie shoots me a complicated look. It contains many mixed emotions: worry; anxiety; stoicism; and lastly, guilt. The last flash of remorse is undoubtedly because of what she did a few months ago. She told the DEA she’d seen me sneaking out of the hospital, carrying bags of blood I needed to save Zeth’s life. Lowell tried to threaten me with the fact that I’d been caught stealing from St. Peter’s. I nearly lost my job. I nearly lost everything . To say things have been awkward between us since I came back to work is an understatement. I don’t blame her, though. Denise Lowell is a conniving cunt who will always get her way. Gracie has a kid to take care of. Her own job to think about. I’m sure Lowell implied she’d lose both if she didn’t tell her everything about me when she came calling at the hospital.  
    “So can I take her? Or shall I call the police?” Mason folds his arms across his chest, huffing heavily down his nose.  
    Exasperated, I scramble to think of a way to keep him here. He hasn’t been unreasonable. He hasn’t said anything that isn’t true. The seizure Millie just had was bad, yes, but given the nature of her condition it really won’t be her worst. The worst is yet to come. LSG might not kill her, but in the same vein it could. Mason’s essentially saving for his sister’s funeral. I wonder if he realizes that. I squeeze the pen I’m clenching in my hand, digging my fingernail into the hard plastic. “Look. Just give me an hour, Mason. Give me one last chance to look her over. If she really is stable enough, I’ll let you take her.”
    His eyes flash. “And if she’s not stable enough?”
    “Then…then I don’t know. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” It’s a pretty poor answer to his question, but it’s all I’ve got at the moment. I’m a doctor, though. A problem solver. Give me a pair of stockings and a rubber band and I’ll figure out how to stop someone bleeding out. Give me an hour and a cell phone, and I’ll figure out how to make sure Millie Reeves receives the care she needs and deserves. Mason doesn’t believe in me yet, but he will. He blinks, the muscles in his jaw working overtime.  
    “I’m—I’m supposed to be at work,” he says. “I don’t have an hour.”
    “Then give me eight . Go to work. Come back later on this evening and I’ll have this figured out, I swear I will.”
    Mason doesn’t say anything. He shifts from one foot to the other, his right shoulder lifting up and down as he looks from me to Gracie and back again. “She’ll look after her,” Gracie says softly. “She’s an excellent doctor. We’ll call the second anything changes with your sister, Mr. Reeves.” She already has her hand on his arm, ushering him out of the reception; she doesn’t give him the option of refusing the suggestion. The