The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 182

It looked like a crime scene.

My father had been taken to the hospital eight minutes ago with a bullet in his side.

Conscious and arguing with the paramedics.

So, probably fine.

Mom was already on her way to meet him.

I was worried about the bastard. More than I wanted to admit.

But I couldn’t seem to concentrate on that worry for longer than a few seconds before checking Astra again.

“Any dizziness?” the paramedic asked.

“A little.”

I looked down immediately.

Astra caught me staring. “What?”

“You didn’t tell me you were dizzy.”

“Zane, I was kidnapped for four days. I think I’m allowed to be a little dizzy,” she said softly, her fingers tightening around the hem of his shirt.

The paramedic almost smiled.

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Thu, Aug 13

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

I didn’t.

“When did it start?” he asked.

“I don’t know. A while ago?”

“Headache?”

“Yeah, but it’s not bad.”

“Nausea?”

“Not really.”

“Did you lose consciousness at any point while you were being held?”

“No.”

“Were you hit in the head?”

“No.”

“Anywhere else?”

Astra paused.

Everything inside me went quiet.

The paramedic noticed too.

Her lips parted, but no answer came immediately.

“No,” she eventually said “Silas never…”

She glanced at me.

“He didn’t touch me like that.”

I breathed out through my nose.

Okay.

The paramedic nodded without making a big deal of it and went back to checking her wrists.

Beside us, another medic was cleaning my knuckles.

“Hold still.”

“I am.”

“You keep moving.”

“Then hurry up.”

“Zane.”

Astra didn’t even need to raise her voice and my hand went still.

The medic looked at her. “Thank you.”

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12:02 Thu, Aug 13

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

“She’s the only one I listen to.”

Astra’s lips twitched, so faintly I might have missed it if I hadn’t been watching her so closely.

For the first time since I’d found her, she almost smiled.

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I would’ve happily let the medic pour the entire fucking bottle of antiseptic over my hands if it made her do it again.

Then someone shouted across the yard.

“YOU!”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

Astra looked over my shoulder.

I already knew.

Detective Riggs was marching toward us with Hayes close behind him. A lump was swelling near his temple, which admittedly wasn’t doing much for his mood.

Hayes caught his arm before he could reach me. “Not now.

“That fucking psychopath knocked me unconscious with a fucking log!”

Astra slowly lifted her head to look at me, confusion giving way to disbelief.

“You hit a detective?”

“He was in the way.”

The medic paused halfway through cleaning my hand while Astra continued staring at me like she was waiting for the part that made that explanation reasonable.

“With a log, Zane?”

“It was the closest thing available.”

Her mouth dropped open, and before she could say anything, Riggs’s furious voice exploded from behind me.

“HE COULD’VE KILLED ME!”

I glanced over my shoulder.

He really needed to let that go.

“But I didn’t.”

“THAT IS NOT THE FUCKING POINT!”

“Riggs,” Hayes warned, sounding exhausted. “You’re conscious. Save the homicide for after the paramedics clear you.”

“I want him arrested.”

Hayes caught him by the arm when he tried to come closer.

“Not tonight.”

“He assaulted a police officer.”

Aug 13

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

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“And tonight we recovered Astra alive. You can deal with the assault after everyone here has received medical attention.”

Riggs pointed past him at me.

“You’re not getting away with this, Ashton.”

I finally looked over.

The lump really was impressive.

Probably shouldn’t say that.

Hayes caught my eye.

“Zane. Whatever you’re thinking, keep it inside your head.”

I shrugged and turned back to Astra.

Riggs stared at me.

“Is he seriously ignoring me?”

Hayes sighed. “Riggs, I’ve spent the last hour trying to keep that boy from getting himself or someone else killed. If he wants to ignore you, let him.”

Astra rested her head against my shoulder.

Whatever Riggs was saying became background noise.

I tugged the emergency blanket higher around her shoulders where it had slipped. “You cold?”

“A little.”

I shrugged out of what was left of my jacket. The shoulder was half-torn from where I’d ripped free of Riggs earlier, but I draped it over her anyway.

She stared at it, then at me. “Zane, this is practically destroyed.”

“Still warm.”

She didn’t argue.

A fucking miracle.

Behind us, Riggs was still demanding my arrest. He could get in line.

Hayes eventually appeared beside the ambulance looking like he’d aged a decade since sunset. His eyes went first to Astra.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, thank you, sir.” She gave him a tired smile. “And thank you for coming for me.”

Then his attention shifted to me. “And you.”

Here we fucking go.

“You disobeyed a direct police instruction, breached an active hostage perimeter, assaulted Detective Riggs, entered a secured residence alone, and nearly compromised an operation involving an armed suspect and a hostage.”

12:02 Thu, Aug 13

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

I waited.

Hayes looked at me like he was deciding which of my crimes to address first.

I let him take his time.

“Do you understand how spectacularly stupid that was?”

“Yes.”

His brows rose. Astra looked up at me too.

I shrugged. “I’d do it again.”

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Hayes closed his eyes for a second. Somewhere behind him, Riggs shouted, “THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING!”

Astra made a tiny, almost strangled sound.

I looked down. Her hand had come up over her mouth.

“Are you laughing?”

“No.”

“You are.”

“I am not.”

She absolutely fucking was.

And after days of wondering whether I’d ever hear that sound again, Detective Riggs could scream about attempted murder for the rest of the night for all I cared.

Then Astra’s gaze drifted past my shoulder.

The almost-smile vanished.

I followed her eyes.