Norman's POV
The sterile scent of disinfectant, usually just an irritating background note, today felt like a grim reminder of life and death. I walked down the quiet hospital corridor, my footsteps echoing faintly, the worry for Riley a constant, suffocating pressure in my chest. But today, that familiar anxiety was layered with fresh anger and concern for another person I cared deeply about: Kane. Someone had tried to kill him. Again.
I pushed open the door to Kane’s private room. He was sitting up in bed, looking tired but alert. His arm, usually strong and muscled, was bandaged near the elbow, and there was a faint bruise on his jaw. Seeing him conscious, alive, was a relief that made my shoulders sag slightly. My personal security detail, two burly men, had discreetly taken up posi
