Chapter 229: THE SECOND ATTACK

Author’s POV

Rhett had been standing outside Nadia’s hospital room for hours.

The hallway had gone quiet as the night came, cloaking the pack in darkness, with only the occasional movement of a nurse or doctor breaking the still.

Doctors passed, giving him a worried glance but he paid them no heed.

He had been there for a while and he knew what they were probably wondering — when was he going to leave.

Truth was, he wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to leave.

Rhett remained near the door, watching anyone who approached before allowing them closer to the room.

He had been told by the doctor that Nadia was still unconscious and that there had been no major change in her condition, but he still felt on edge.

After a long debate in his head, he decided to just do what he had in mind.

See her again and make sure she was okay.

The whole day, he couldn’t bring himself to do it again. Because if he saw her in that state, he would blame himself again. He could have been there to have stopped this from happening, but he wasn’t.

It felt like he had failed her. The thought of losing her scared him more than he wanted to admit.

Eventually, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Nadia hadn’t moved as Rhett walked over to her bedside and looked down at her for several seconds before gently touching her hand. "You need to wake up soon," he said quietly. "You’ve already scared everyone enough."

He pulled the chair closer and sat down, keeping his eyes on her. "I hate seeing you like this. I just saw you yesterday, and now everyone’s standing around waiting for you to open your eyes. So hurry up and wake up."

He leaned closer, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead before settling back into the chair. "You hear me? Don’t make us wait forever."

He continued speaking to her, telling her about everything happening outside the room and how worried everyone was, unaware that someone had entered the hallway.

The figure moved silently toward the door and Rhett’s eyes shifted toward the entrance.

What was that?

He noticed the movement almost immediately and he rushed to his feet just as the door burst open.

Someone stood in the door, a mask covering their face, but before the masked person could reach Nadia, Rhett was already moving, his eyes wide.

The attack came quickly, forcing Rhett away from the bed. He blocked the first attempt and immediately recognized the way the attacker moved.

It made sense. The black cloak and the way they fought.

He had been taught to fight the same way. He had once belonged to the same organization.

"The Creed," Rhett muttered. "You’re from the Creed."

The masked person didn’t answer.

Rhett understood immediately why they were there.

Nadia was the target.

He moved between the attacker and the bed, refusing to give them a clear path toward her.

The fight continued around the room, and Rhett took several serious injuries in the process, but he kept forcing the attacker away from Nadia.

He knew he couldn’t allow the person to get close to her.

He wouldn’t let anyone harm her if he was here. He would never be able to live with himself if that happened.

He had come here with a weapon that was tucked in his holster, but the attacker seemed to know and was doing everything he could to keep Rhett from reaching it.

Rhett cursed under his breath as he swung a fist, catching them under the jaw. The attacker recovered quickly, tackling him to the ground as he tried to strangle him.

Rhett eventually managed to overpower the attacker and force them down. He restrained them long enough for him to reach the emergency alarm, intending to keep the assassin alive so they could finally get answers about the organization.

But the assassin had other plans and they refused to accept failure.

Before Rhett could stop them, they kneed him in the groin and he groaned, doubling over and gasping.

The attacker wasted no time, reaching for his blade and drove it into his own neck, collapsing to the floor.

Rhett stared at them for a moment, breathing heavily as he tried to process what had happened. Another member of the Creed had come for Nadia, and as always when they were caught, they had given their lives.

The door suddenly opened and Callum rushed inside.

His eyes immediately moved from Nadia to Rhett and then to the person on the floor. "What happened?"

Rhett tried to answer, but the exhaustion and injuries finally caught up with him. His legs gave way, and he collapsed.

"Rhett!" Callum rushed toward him and caught him before he could hit the floor properly. He looked toward Nadia, then back at Rhett, his expression filled with shock.

"Call for reinforcements!" he ordered the guards outside. "Now. And get a doctor in here immediately."

The hospital quickly filled with hurried movements as guards rushed into the room and medical staff came running. Callum stayed nearby while Rhett was taken away for treatment, but his eyes kept returning to Nadia’s bed.

Someone had tried to get into her room when Rhett was there. The person had to be have been aiming for Nadia.

By sunrise, the news had already reached Keisha.

She was still asleep when someone came to inform her, but the moment she heard what had happened, she was out of bed and on her way to the hospital.

She arrived in a panic and the first thing she did was rush into Nadia’s room. "Nadia."

Keisha went straight to her bedside, taking her into her arms as carefully as she could. Nadia remained unconscious, just as she had been before.

Keisha’s tears came immediately. "How can this keep happening?" she whispered, holding her tightly. "You were already poisoned, and now someone tried to kill you too."

She looked at Nadia’s face, struggling to understand how things had gotten this bad.

What did they want with Nadia?