Page 103 of Gray Area

“I’m walking out of here!” Matthews shouts at him.

“Drop the weapon from Mr. Falco, or you will be shot,” another order comes.

“Not unless you let me out of here!”

“This is your final warning.”

I see Matthews’s finger twitch and I close my eyes. He’s a desperate man. He’s going to do it. I hear the sound of the gun firing, Matthews jerks into my body, and I feel the gun fall away from my chin.

But I feel no pain. Have I been shot? Maybe I am dying and that’s why there is no feeling.

Suddenly, the black-dressed Falco guards come into my view, but I’m still unsure of what is happening. When Vivian’s face fill my view, I know I am okay.

“Declan,” she says faintly as tears run down her face. She turns to the others around her. “Can someone get him down! Now! Please! He needs to get to the hospital!”

“Vivian,” I say, leaning my face into her hand.

“I’m here, baby,” she says to me. “Stay with me, okay?”

“I’m fine,” I murmur, finding her hands a very comfortable place for my head to rest. So I lean my head into her, take a deep breath of her scent, and go to sleep.

Chapter 63

DECLAN

My entire body hurts. It’s annoyingly stiff and painful, and it feels like with each breath I take, I endure agony from a new spot. And whatever I am wearing is scratchy and cheap. Not the custom-designed Italian suit I remembered having on.

I feel something in my hand and flex my fingers around it, trying to figure out what it is. Whatever it is squeezes me back.

“Declan?” the most beautiful voice says to me, and I push through my foggy haze to open my eyes and find Vivian sitting in a chair beside me. Her eyes are reddened, and she gives me a small smile as tears fall down her cheeks. I furrow my brow. “Don’t cry. Aaah!” I call out as I go to move and pain flashes strongly throughout my body.

Vivian jumps up as I cry out. “Don’t move, don’t move,” she fusses over me, never releasing my hand. A beeping sound andan alarm bell go off somewhere close, but I don’t dare turn to look at it.

“Where am I?” I ask her as she comes closer to my face, brushing my hair back.

“You’re in the hospital,” she tells me, more tears falling and her breath catching.

“What happened?” I ask, digging into my memory, the effort of just thinking causing me to close my eyes from exhaustion.

“You got hurt,” she whispers. “But you’re better now, so get some sleep, okay?”

“Stay,” I say, or I think I do. But I’m not sure if I just think it or say it out loud, and Vivian doesn’t say anything back.

So I say it again and again. I push against the exhaustion that is trying to take over me. Until I can’t hold back, and that’s when I hear her say, “I’m not going anywhere, Declan.”

Then I can finally relax.

Chapter 64

DECLAN

Idon’t know how long I sleep, but when I wake up I see Vivian in a chair at the foot of my hospital bed, her body contorted into a seemingly uncomfortable position, but she is fast asleep. I watch her, her chest rising and falling and her fidgeting a little before I allow myself to believe she is actually there.

I remember vaguely how uncomfortable moving had been the last time I was awake, so I remain still and scope out the room with my eyes. It’s a pretty general-looking hospital room. I see a window that looks out to a large nursing station outside of it, as well as two black-suited men by the door. My guards.

I scan to the other side, seeing Vivian again, and then my eyes land on my brother Roman, sitting on the side of my bed.

He raises his eyebrows as our eyes connect. “I was wondering if you were going to acknowledge my presence sometime thisdecade,” he says. I huff out a laugh. The kid is still such a wiseass, and still used to being the center of attention. My hospitalization must have ruined that vibe for him.

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