Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 140: A Girl Could Dream

Chapter 140: A Girl Could Dream

Randolph Isaac Peterson III had always prided himself on his self-control. After taking over the Firm when he was just 18 years old, he carved a bloody path through the United Kingdom’s underworld until no one was left standing.

And even then, he did it with cold calculation.

But after hearing that this man was looking for his woman... he saw red.

"Ah," smirked Alpha, and Rip could see the plan forming in his eyes. His enemy could take out his other enemy, and he would be left standing alone at the top of the mountain. "Rip is the one with the sole access to the healer. If you are looking to get to her, you will have to go through him first."

The man, Hu Wen Cheng, just smiled brighter when he heard those words, but Rip snorted.

Alpha didn’t understand the game he was playing, but that was fine. He would learn the hard way not to fuck with Rip.

Hu Wen Cheng cocked his head to the side and simply looked at Rip. He understood that whoever spoke first would be the loser. However, he had expected the Reavers to have a much bigger reaction to him wanting the healer than what he got.

Rip turned around and walked away, not bothering to play the same mind games he had for almost two decades. There was no point. What he needed to do was get back to his Little Bird and keep her in sight until the threat disappeared.

There was some relief to know that she could look after herself if necessary, but just because she could didn’t mean that she always needed to.

That was his role. To stand between her and the rest of the world.

----

I heard the door unlock and looked between the bed and the cage, wondering if I had enough time to get in it before whoever walked in the door saw me lying on the bed with a book in my hand.

Then again, I could use a bit of a pick me up, so even if someone caught me, it didn’t mean that they would be able to tell anyone else about what they saw.

I put down the book and took the blankets off of me. I had learned my lesson the hard way, and I wasn’t about to do it a second time. But it wasn’t until Rip strolled into the cabin and locked the door behind him that I finally relaxed enough to pick up the book again.

"For once, that fucker was right," grumbled Rip as he flung himself down onto the couch. I narrowed my eyes to study him. He was clearly agitated, more so than I had seen in a while, and I wanted to know how to make it better.

"We have a long list of people whose names could be substituted for ’fucker’. Do you mind narrowing it down a bit?" I asked as I got out of bed and walked toward Rip.

I was slowly getting my movement back, but I still had a long way to go when it came to strengthening my muscles. In fact, the ten steps it took me to get from the bedroom to where Rip was sitting zapped all of my energy.

But my plan worked because as soon as he saw my legs wobble, Rip was on his feet and gripping my arms. He held me steady as I took two more steps until I was standing in front of the couch, and then, with my ’exercise’ complete, he brought me into his lap and dropped his head onto mine.

"Alpha," grunted Rip. "In this case, fucker means Alpha."

"We really should get more creative with the nicknames... or at least add a number or something to them. Maybe call him the Supreme Fucker?" I wrinkled my nose as soon as the words had left my lips. No. I wasn’t calling that fucker supreme anything.

"Yeah, no," grunted Rip as he leaned back on the couch and took me with him. "But we’ll have plenty of time to come up with something that works better."

"So, what was he right about?" I asked, sinking into Rip’s chest as his right hand started to gently glide up and down my arm. It was like he wasn’t even thinking about what he was doing; he just needed to touch me as he worked through whatever had set him off.

And if it meant him touching me, then I was all for that.

"One of the men who came today specifically asked to see you," he started, his hand never stopping.

"Asked to see me? Or asked to see the Healer?" It was an important distinction to make in my mind because there was no one left in this world who knew my real name... well, outside of Rip. So, if he had asked for me by name, it was because he knew who I was before all of this.

And I wasn’t willing to meet anyone who knew that.

Camp Hell might be shitty, but it was my fresh start, and I was going to take it.

"No, only knew that we had a healer on hand, and he wanted to meet them," assured Rip. His hand stopped moving, and he stared down at me intently. "But if you don’t want to see him, just say the word, and I will make sure he never comes close to you."

I smiled at him and quickly kissed his cheek. Rip was nothing short of perfection. I knew he would burn the world down if I asked him to, and for me, that was everything.

I lost too much when the men in my life left me to save the world, and I wasn’t about to put myself through that again.

"It’s fine," I assured him. I might not have a great life, but if I were going to unleash my monster, it would be on my terms, not because someone else forced our hand. "Next time you see him, you can invite him over. Who knows, maybe you and I could get something out of the interaction."

"If he so much as looks at you the wrong way, I am ripping off his head and giving you his eyes," growled Rip low in his chest.

"I would expect nothing less," I assured him. He grunted his reply before turning his attention back to the kitchen. "It’s almost time for dinner. I’ll make you something."

Nodding my head, I let Rip carry me over to the bed and tuck me back in.

This stranger would come no matter what Rip or I wanted, so we might as well use the situation to our advantage. Maybe we could fuck Alpha over in some small way, shape, or form.

Hey, a girl could dream.