A Warrior Wedding (The Protectors #7)(41)

“It doesn’t matter how you treat me, ma’am.” Slade looked down at the woman. “Jill’s my concern and how she’s treated.”

“Fair enough, but I still apologize.” She grabbed Seth’s hand. “And please, call me Ruth.”

Slade stepped to the side so she and Seth could pass. He then headed directly for Jill.

“Why are you here?” she asked and then grinned at his cocked eyebrow. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded, Shade,” she teased with the name Seth gave him.

“I’m here because Jax texted me worried about you.” Slade frowned. He reached up, touching her cheek then forehead. “How are you feeling?”

Jill started to lie, but knew he would know so she sighed. “I’m okay, just really shaky and weak. You know, the usual.” She tried to tease, but fell way short of being funny. “Do you think you can try the transfusion on...?”

“No!” There was absolutely no give in his voice. With that single answer, the subject was closed. “I would change you first.”

“Not if it gets you put in jail, or makes you lose your VC status and medical license you won’t,” Jill replied with a no give tone to her own voice, but Slade didn’t seem impressed. Instead, he glared before looking around her room.

“So, this is Jillian Nichols’ room.” Slade walked over to the wall looking at her drawings. “You are very talented.”

“Thanks.” Jill smiled with pride. “This is probably one of my favorites, other than the one I drew of you.” She pointed to one of Sable and Bebe.

“Are you sorry?” Slade asked without looking at her; he continued to look at the pictures.

“About what?” Jill frowned, hearing the emotion he was trying to hide in his voice. When he didn’t answer, she grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. “Sorry about what?”

“That you were turned.” His eyes searched hers, looking for the truth.

“If you would have asked me that after it happened, then yes.” Jill wrapped her arms around his waist. “But the day you showed up and shoved Jeff’s face in the concrete changed that completely. So no, Slade, I’m not sorry because I would have never met you.”

CHAPTER 18

Once again, Jill found herself sitting alone in the kitchen. It had been three days since she had been at her parents’ house and the miracle of all miracles had happened with her mother. They had actually exchanged cell phone numbers and to her surprise her mother was a huge texter. She didn’t know if her sickness had changed her mom’s feelings, but she didn’t care. Life was too short. Even though, ironically for her it was supposed to be long, but that didn’t seem to be the case now.

Some would see her acceptance of her mom’s apology as something she should decline, but Jill loved and had always loved her mother, and this was a new beginning for them. In a weird kind of way, she understood her mother’s fear, and that was all that mattered. No one else’s opinion, other than Slade’s, mattered to her.

So far everything seemed to be going smoothly, and she smiled taking another bite of a cracker, the smile disappearing in a disgusted grimace.

“Taste like shit, don’t they?” Adam sat down across from her at the table. He grabbed a cracker shoving it in his mouth. “Why couldn’t we be able to stomach steak instead of f*cking crackers?”

“Or blood.” Jill sighed, taking a sip of warm Pepsi.

“God, I’m so thirsty.” Adam grabbed her Pepsi and took a swig. “But not for this shit. I feel like I’m slowly starving, Jill.”

“I know.” Jill’s heart flipped and not in a good way. What he said was absolutely true. They were slowly starving to death. Without blood, they wouldn’t survive.

“Angelina is so afraid and I don’t know what to do, what to tell her.” Adam’s voice shook with emotion to the point where he cleared his throat. “Has Slade found out anything at all?”

“No.” Jill wished she could tell him something different, but she wasn’t going to lie. “I think he’s just waiting to turn me, but I’m not letting that happen unless the laws change.”

“So you’d rather die than let Slade change you?” Adam stared at her as if trying to understand.

“Slade’s a doctor, a VC Warrior, it would ruin him to change me,” Jill responded firmly. “I can’t live with knowing I was his downfall.”

Adam started to say something but Sloan walked in the room holding something in his hand. “Been looking for you.” He handed her a check. “Sorry it took me so long, that should cover whatever’s needed.”

Jill looked at the check and about choked on the cracker she had just put in her mouth. “This is too much.” Jill handed it back to him, but then pulled it back looking at it. “Exactly how much do I get paid anyway?”

Sloan’s lips curved up in a half grin. “Only part of that is your pay advance. The guys pitched in to pay for their part.”

“That wasn’t the deal.” Jill frowned again, handing the check back, which he wouldn’t take.

“They figured you’d say that and said to tell you that this is the deal, and if you didn’t accept it, then the weddings were off.” Sloan replied, then walked out before Jill could argue further.