The truck pulled ahead. A flare of hope ignited. Was he leaving? No. Fuck. He pulled over. Parked.
The restaurant was closer than the hospital. Could I make it? No.
He was getting out of the truck ahead of me, in between me and the restaurant. And he was huge.
Pain disappeared as adrenaline flowed through my veins. I spun and ran back towards the hospital. This would be so much worse than Kayla’s attack.
Footsteps followed behind me. “Juliette, stop!”
What? He knew my name? I couldn’t think through the panic.
I glanced over my shoulder. Fuck. I was running too fast to do that. I felt myself cartwheeling forward, but I couldn’t stop it. I threw my arms out, bracing for the impact, but big hands grabbed me around the waist, jerking me to a stop, yanking me back into a hard chest.
“Let go!” I screamed. I was trapped in a band of steel, arms pinned to my sides. I kicked and wriggled with all I had.
“Juliette, don’t fight me. It’s Driftwood.”
Driftwood. From Station 7. Quinn’s husband. I sagged.
“Easy, Juliette. I’m going to put you down, alright?”
I nodded, and Driftwood eased me down, keeping hold of my arms. Was he worried about me bolting or falling?
“Are you okay?”
I nodded again, too shaken up to talk.
Driftwood walked towards his truck, pulling me along with a firm grasp. He clearly wasn’t giving me a choice, but he didn’t need to worry. After the terror of the last few minutes, I had no desire to keep walking.
I gave him my address, but he just turned the truck around. Back towards the hospital.
“Please? I just need some time.”
“No, Juliette. You can’t let an asshole like Pratt get to you. It wasn’t your fault, not at all. No one thinks it was.”
“It’s not just that. I can’t do this again. It’s better if I walk away now and have him hate me for that, than if I stay with him and have him hate me for holding him back from being the hero he’s meant to be.”
“That’s not how he sees it. Being a firefighter is just our job. Loving and caring for our women, that’s everything.”
“I shouldn’t be his everything! He should find a better woman, one who is as strong and capable as he is.”
“Dylan loves you, exactly the way you are. The same things that make you feel like less, also make you special. Trust what Dylan sees in you. If you can’t see it yet, trust Dylan enough for the both of you.”
49
Dylan
“Go wait for Driftwood and Juliette in the lobby. Make sure she doesn’t bolt.”
“It’ll be okay, man, she’ll come to her senses,” Liam said.
I wasn’t taking any chances. “Walk up with them, then stay outside the room in case she leaves again. And text everyone else. Tell them we have her but to give us time before coming back. And tell everyone I said thank you.”
Liam and Ryan left with nods and sympathetic looks.
I elevated the head of the bed so I was sitting up, and I had a cup of water ready on the bedside table. My oxygen mask was on, but I’d take it off when I heard them coming. There was nothing else I could do to make this easier for Juliette.
I convinced my family to go home as soon as I got Driftwood’s text. I trusted the guys to give us privacy but to be ready in case Juliette walked out again. I couldn’t make her stay,but this time I could make sure she was taken care of. My heart hurt thinking about what she’d been through. The only small solace was that in the hours she’d been gone, I’d gotten stronger, so she didn’t have to see me at my worst.