Page 129 of Tactically Acquired

I took a deep breath and calmed down. That made sense. All of it did, and I trusted Slider with my life. In fact, I trusted everyone. They’d kept me alive this long, so if they told me Spencer needed to ride separately, I’d trust them.

I could have sworn I saw vans flying past us, but I ignored it all, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about being back in a vehicle after having survived two accidents. Luckily, this accident hadn’t done much damage. I’d barely hit my head and I had no broken bones. Yes, I was sore and probably needed a little Valium to calm down, but other than that, it was nothing a good night of sleep couldn’t fix.

“Still want to jump out of a plane?” Slider asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I chuckled, remembering how just yesterday…or was it this morning? God, I couldn’t even keep my days straight anymore. I wanted to jump out of a plane and enjoy the free fall and excitement, but that was then. Now, I just hoped I lived to see tomorrow.

“I think my adrenaline junkie days are over.”

“They don’t have to be,” he said quietly.

Ever since my vision started diminishing, Spencer and I had been doing everything possible to squeeze every ounce of excitement into my life. Lately, I really felt the clock ticking like a time bomb. Just as we started this last movie, the blank spots in my left eye grew worse, and I knew the end was coming. My action movie days were no longer counting down. They were at an end.

“We’re here.”

I had no idea how much time had passed. I must have dozed or something because when we pulled up to the house, the sun was coming up. I blinked away the tiredness, knowing that wasn’t enough. I needed at least another twelve hours of sleep. I was tired as hell.

The door opened and Slider was there, gripping my arm and guiding me toward the house. Was this the way it was going to be from now on? Was he going to lead me around like a dog wherever we went? At least Spencer held my hand or let me slide my hand through his arm.

“I’ll take you to your room,” he grumbled, leading me through the two-story house. He started to head for the stairs, but then seemed to change his mind. “I’ll put you in the bedroom downstairs.”

“Why?”

“Because you could fall down the stairs.”

I tore my arm out of his grasp and stepped back. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what? Take your condition into account?”

“Baby me,” I seethed. “I’m not an invalid. I won’t fall down the stairs.”

“You don’t know that,” he argued.

“Show me where to go and tell me where the stairs are. I’ll be fine,” I argued, not wanting to be a burden.

“Like you were when you were in the kitchen and you put your hand on the fucking burner?” he snapped.

My nostrils flared in anger. I couldn’t believe he just said that to me. “That was an accident.”

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath. “I know. I’m sorry. This is just…it’s a lot to take in.”

I laughed sardonically at that. “Yeah, well, you should have been there for the first three years after I found out. It wasn’t exactly a joy to live through.”

I felt him move forward more than I saw. I was so exhausted that everything was blurring. My head was pounding and my body ached. I just wanted to lay down and get some sleep.

“Come on. I’ll take you upstairs,” he whispered, sliding his hand around mine. I followed him up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to fall into his arms and have him hold me. But he was so angry with me, I wasn’t sure he would let that happen.

My feet dragged on the stairs and every step made my muscles protest the movement.

“I’m gonna put you in the bedroom at the other end so you’re not right by the stairs.”

“‘Kay.”

As he led me to the room, I held out my hand, feeling for anything that might be in the way. I only met the wall, but I was pretty sure that after a good night’s sleep, I’d be able to see better and could easily map out my way around.

“Over here.” He guided me to the bed and sank down with me, sighing as he ran his hand along my cheek. “Are you really okay?”

“Sore. Tired,” I told him. “Irritated that I wasn’t the one who told you. I did intend to tell you. I just wanted to discuss things with my lawyer first.”

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