The Debt Collector: An Underground Bad Boys Romance Read online

  An Underground Bad Boys Romance

  by India Kells

  License Notes

  Copyright © 2018 by India Kells

  Editing and proofreading by Black Opal Editing

  Cover Art by CT Cover Creations

  All rights reserved

  ISBN: 978-1-989354-00-1

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  www.indiakells.com

  A big thank you to Nadine who challenged me to write this story and Myriam who was courageous enough to read it. Sometimes, the only way to grow is to step out of your comfort zone. Thank you!

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Her back hurt, her head pounded, her feet begged for her to sit, and if Dr. Morton dumped any more patients on her overflowing plate, Tessa would shove his stethoscope up his ass.

  She didn’t mind the demands and sacrifices of being a doctor, but she knew that underneath the lab coat, the diploma, and the wealth of information processing through her brain every minute, lay a weary body and a worried heart. Separating her personal and professional lives was becoming more and more difficult, taking a toll she couldn’t afford to show.

  Passing the nurses’ station, she stopped and grabbed another file.

  “Doctor Freeman, I thought you had left.”

  Tessa looked up and smiled at Mabel, one of the RNs assigned to the night shift and a dear friend. The black woman was the epitome of efficiency, no-nonsense, and warmth, and was an incredible support as the night shift often had new and inexperienced staff in the emergency ward.

  “I wish I had. But Dr. Morton has disappeared again, so I’m taking his shift.”

  The nurse rolled her eyes with a grimace that made Tessa smile. “I swear that man is flighty. There must be a woman again. It’s always a new one that makes him disappear like Houdini. He can’t keep it in his pants.”

  “As long as he keeps it in his pants at the hospital, I don’t care where else he slings it.”

  Mabel laughed and shook her head. “If I ever see it, I’m calling the police.”

  Tessa bit her lip and couldn’t help but wink at her. “If you do, please tell me. I want to watch him being taken away, and never return.”

  “Yeah … but you’re trying to divert my attention … when are you planning on taking a real vacation?”

  Tessa sighed. “To do what?”

  The nurse frowned. “To do what? What kind of question is that? To sleep, to rest, to eat way better food than what you can find in the cafeteria and maybe have a man rub you all in all the right places?”

  “For that, I need a man to come with me.”

  “There are men everywhere … you work too much, you’re not thinking straight. Hell, you frequently take too many shifts! That’s not a life.”

  “I have time for all that other stuff.”

  Mabel crossed her arms. “We all say that, honey, until we wake up old and alone in a cold bed.”

  “Are you warning me of something you’ve experienced?” Tess found it difficult to keep a straight face as she teased her friend, and a half-smile slowly appeared.

  A menacing finger was waved in her face. “Stop being so stubborn, woman, and listen to me before it’s too late.”

  Lifting her hands in surrender, Tessa poked her tongue out at her. “If I say yes, can you tell me who my next patient is?”

  Mumbling, Mabel sifted through a pile of folders and handed her another file. “Everything is under control so far. There’s only one you need to see. Cuts that may need stitches and a blow to the head. Waiting in number six.”

  “Good! Anything that keeps me awake until I can go home.”

  “I’ll schedule you some time for a nap after.”

  It was Tessa’s turn to point a menacing finger at Mabel. “Now you’ve said that, I’ll be hopping all night. I’m blaming you when we get busy.”

  Mabel smiled in appeasement. “Blame me for that, but the rest is on you.”

  With a burst of energy thanks to Mabel, Tessa made her way to her patient.

  The emergency room was eerily calm at this hour which never boded well. It was like a curse that would soon explode in your face.

  Pushing aside the bland blue curtains, she looked at the man sitting on the stretcher. Thanks to her extensive training and high professionalism, she was able to keep her surprise from showing on her face. Half-naked, and despite the bloody dressing hiding most of his side and part of his head, he was pure female fantasy. Muscles ripping under golden skin, dark chocolate hair and the face of a fallen angel. And when the man turned his attention on her as she entered, it was as if she hit a wall. Pale sea-green eyes focused on her and shimmered. It wasn’t just surprise on his face but assessment, annoyance, and immediate detachment. White and slightly sweating, he was in obvious pain despite trying to not let it show on his face. A man used to pain by the way he kept himself in check.

  Taking a quick look at his file, Tessa noticed the name. When patients didn’t want to divulge their true identity, they often reverted to ridiculous substitutions.

  “Well, Mr. Morrow. I’m Doctor Freeman. I’ll take care of you tonight.”

  The man looked at her, as if trying to dig deeper inside her soul, most probably trying to decide if she was friend or foe. It saddened her that he had to be on his guard like that. Not that she was naive enough to think that all was fluff and sugar in this world—being a doctor proved the contrary day after day—but not being able to find peace or solace must be difficult. Maybe untenable.

  “Please lie down, Mr. Morrow.”

  Something shifted in his eyes. “Please, Doctor, call me Tom.”

  Helping him on his back, Tessa arched an eyebrow. “Well, you had parents with a great sense of humor, Mr. Tom Morrow.”

  “I seriously doubt it, Doctor.”

  He clearly didn’t want to get personal, and that suited her just fine. First point of order, the blow to his head.

  Bringing the instrument tray closer, she cut the bandage and removed the ice pack to examine the wound. It definitely hadn’t been done by a fist.

  “Did you lose consciousness following the blow?”

  “No.”

  Gently touching the purple and blue distended skin, Tessa saw him hold back, but his breath hitched nonetheless.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Tessa didn’t think she had spoken out loud, but when the man turned his head his lip
quivered slightly. Instead of responding, he lifted his hand and touched a stray curl of her hair. She’d always hated her locks, the brown mess of corkscrews that never stayed in place and took forever to dry. People made comments all the time and many were curious, wanting to touch it.

  “You look tired, Doctor.”

  Gently, he placed it behind her ear and looked at her face again with his light eyes. Kicking herself, Tessa resumed her examination, and again, only her training kept her on track. How could she be sidetracked so easily? He wasn’t the first handsome man she had seen in her life!

  Making a note to kick herself after getting enough sleep, she finished her examination and added a few notes.

  “I’ll send you for an MRI, just to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Ignoring him, she sent the request and dragged over a small stool, so she was eye level with the dressing on his left side.

  Ever so slowly, she started peeling it away and saw two slashes going from his waist to just below his armpit. Upward slashes that were most probably from a knife fight. The cuts were clean but would require a couple of stitches. He had been lucky.

  Gathering what she needed, Tessa felt his attention on her every movement, as if she was about to attack him with a stashed weapon. A side effect from his previous attack most probably. What surprised her about him was his lack of tattoos. Normally, someone who was part of a gang or a criminal organization had a large number of symbolic ink all over their skin. There were scars though, some small and a couple quite large—cuts and one from a bullet. As she set the sterile stitching tray beside her and put latex gloves on, her eyes went to his legs, clad in dark wash denim. Strong legs. The man trained, and it showed in the most delicious way.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else, apart from your side and head?”

  The man, his fascinating eyes never wavering, shook his head. “Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.” His voice was deep and steady.

  Tessa put the dressing aside and started preparing the area. “I know from experience that emergency stretchers are not conducive to a good night’s sleep. But when I get the scan results, and if nothing is abnormal, I can give you something to relax.”

  “I have to stay here?”

  “Yes. You have a nasty hit to the head. It’s better to keep you under observation for the night. You’re probably suffering from a concussion, and I want to make sure before you leave.”

  Tessa took a syringe and was about to inject him with a mild painkiller when his hand circled her wrist. At his touch, her body reacted, heat spreading inside her at a surprising speed.

  “What are you doing?” The contact was gentle, but his voice was low and suspicious.

  “It’s only a painkiller, Mr. Morrow. What I’m about to do will cause you a serious amount of pain. I just want you to avoid suffering unnecessarily.”

  Opening his hand, resignation passed in the pale eyes. “It’s too late for that. I’m used to pain. No painkillers, no numbing of any kind, Doctor. Just do your work.”

  There was no point in trying to get him to change his mind. His words sounded as if he was used to discomfort. She got the feeling that his words had a deeper meaning and he wasn’t talking just about physical pain.

  Tessa never liked to see a patient in pain if it could be helped, but in this case, she knew instinctively that arguing would lead to nothing and to administer anything without his consent would make him react badly.

  So, she decided she needed to work quickly. Stitching had always been easy for her. Often her teachers told her that she should consider surgery with her talent for such delicate work, but once she had a taste of the emergency room, there was no going back for her. She liked the high-adrenaline environment, the way decisions had to be made quickly, and how she could help people as soon as they arrived. Stress wasn’t a problem for her. It was as if her mind floated separate from her body, making her efficient and detached. However, when the emergency was over, her heart was immediately touched by the human underneath the tragedy. From the bottom of her heart, she hoped she was a good doctor.

  She didn’t need to turn her head to know the sea-green eyes alternated between her face and hands, watching at everything she did, with a hint of distrust.

  When she started working on the second gash, he finally relaxed. Hormones were working as his body battled the pain. His arm extended, he moved a little, so his hand hovered over her tray. From the corner of her eye, she saw him play with her tools. No, not play, rearrange was more appropriate. He realigned her tools and gathered all the bloody gauze in a neat pile. Once he was done, he relaxed even more.

  Curious, Tessa took another square of gauze and dabbed the little trickle of blood on his side before throwing it on her tray again, making sure she disturbed the neat arrangement.

  Returning to the task at hand, it took less than a minute before she saw his fingers twitch again as he put the tray in order once more.

  Tessa felt amused by his OCD and repeated her actions two more times. And both times, the stranger fixed the tray. She was about to do it one last time, when a low growl came from him, and she looked up.

  The man glared at her, but there was definitely amusement mingling in his stare. “Aren’t we playful, Doctor.” And once more, he twirled a stray hair, before putting it back in place, this time, his finger traced the shell of her ear.

  Tessa bit her lip before succumbing to a smile, her heart speeding up. “Aren’t we a little obsessed, Mr. Morrow?”

  The smile he gave her was wry, but before he could answer, a nurse arrived, ready to escort him to his MRI.

  Pushing the tray aside, Tessa removed her gloves and put them in the bin. “We’ll continue this interesting conversation when you return from the scan, Mr. Morrow. I’ve stitched you up and applied surgical glue, so no need for bandages. In a couple of days, you should be good as new.”

  She saw him open his mouth when a loud ruckus came from the emergency room.

  Tessa’s heart sank a little as she was enjoying flirting with him, even if he was her patient. But again, work reminded her that the life she had chosen took precedence over her raging hormones.

  However, when she finally had time off, she would lose herself in the memory of the sea-colored eyes of the fascinating stranger.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Tessa carefully turned on her little cot, trying to find a position comfortable enough for her to drift to sleep. Sleep eluded her when her body’s energy reserves were empty, and she had been running on fumes for a long time now. Way too long.

  Twisting again, she wrapped herself in the blanket, and tried to empty her mind. The last emergency had been a car crash. The victims were a family of four. The father died on arrival, as well as one of the kids. Hope was fading for the mother and the little girl, and that broke her heart. Even with her many years of experience, even with the many people she hadn’t been able to save, it was never easy. It took an incredible toll, one she knew was the reason for her sleepless nights.

  It was impossible to settle her mind, so instead she conjured up her mysterious patient’s face. Once she’d finally been able to return to him, the MRI results had come back clear, and as she thought he would, he had left.

  How she wished she could have had the opportunity to see him again. In her mind, she pictured his face, intense gaze and ripped body, and warmth spread deep in her belly. Her mind pictured him standing up as she finished stitching him. He was tall, towering over her, and his powerful body was now within her reach. In her fantasy, she didn’t hesitate to grip the waistband of his jeans and pull him to her. This time, he didn’t twirl a finger around a rebellious lock of hair, but instead closed his fist in her mane, bringing her mouth to his smirking lips.

  “Doctor Freeman?”

  Biting back a curse, Tessa flung her blanket aside and started to put her shoes on, as the intruder turned the light on.

  “What’s going on?”

&n
bsp; Tessa recognized the nurse as Marian. Young and willing, but she tended to be a bit dramatic. For her, every case was an emergency.

  “A girl was brought in with severe bruising, possible fractured ribs. She’s hysterical. We’re trying to calm her down, but she’s hurting herself.”

  With a deep breath, Tessa nodded and followed Marian. They had installed the poor girl in a separate room, and even with the door closed, her screams came through.

  Inside, three nurses were trying to contain the flailing arms and writhing body of a girl that was no more than sixteen.

  Her dress was torn. Tessa did a double take when she noticed the few scraps of satin still hanging on her body and the heavy make-up on her tear-streaked face but recovered quickly. It wasn’t new, sadly.

  When the girl saw her, she appeared to calm a bit. Acting on instinct, Tessa pushed the orderlies aside and signaled for them to leave the room. The effect was instantaneous, and the girl turned from hysterical banshee to a crumbling crying child. The sobs must have hurt her ribs, but Tessa sat by her side and gently touched her shoulder. It took several minutes, but it was worth the wait. The girl now lay on the bed, her attention on Tessa, but still clearly overwhelmed by fear, as her eyes darted to the door with each breath she took.

  “I need to examine you. You’re in pain.”

  The girl’s attention turned to her so fast, panic rising like a tidal wave. “They’re coming after me. I won’t get caught again. I’d rather die!”

  Sensing her fear was getting out of hand, Tessa took the girl’s hand in hers and sat on the side of the bed. “Nobody’s going to get you. You’re safe here.”