Page 67 of Tick Tock, Boom!

"Tick, wait!"

I headed to Hoax's disaster area and found the notes on his desk. They'd been keeping tabs on her since that night at the hospital. Hoax had done his homework, and I found her home address scrawled in his notes.Myhome address.

Knuckles walked in followed by Hoax who was still holding his jaw.

I grunted, staring at him. "What the fuck is all this? And stop whining like a little bitch, Hoax. I barely touched you. Toughen up."

"Leave the kid alone, Tick. He was only helping me out."

"Just get out of my way."

"There's more that you don't know..."

"I'd rathershetell me!" I roared heading out of the clubhouse and sliding onto my bike. The engine roared to life and within seconds my tires were sliding off dirt and onto the road.

As I rode, the reality of it all hit me like a bucket of cold water and I sped up the bike because it was taking too fucking long to get to her.

My kitten was alive, and all I wanted to do was to hold her again.

* * *

I arrivedat half past midnight. Pulling up to the house I noticed the lights go out and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement along the back part of the house. I tried making out whether it was an animal, but I couldn't make it out.

I strode to the porch, knocking over a pot, catching it right before it shattered. I gave out a soft curse and made my way around the back of the house.

When I didn't see anyone around, I turned back to the house. I remembered the key I kept hidden in the gutters and sure enough, as I reached up, it was still there. It wasn’t a break-in. Not really. I just wanted to see for myself. See if she was really there. Still breathing. Still mine.

I wasn’t thinking as I slid the key into the lock. Nor was I thinking as I slowly entered the house, sneaking in. I don't know what the hell my plan was, but it was stopped instantly by the fire that exploded through my damaged shoulder and chest.

From around the counter came a set of familiar, gleaming dark eyes and the metal of a Glock pointed right at my face. She was older and even more beautiful than I remembered. She'd gotten fuller in all the right places and my body instantly reacted to the sight of her.

“You are alive,” I grunted, trying to roll onto my other side. The pain just got worse.

“Why wouldn't I be,” she responded, moving closer.

“I'm dying,” I spit out blood as I tried another movement. Blink on top of existing pain was slightly overwhelming.

She crouched down beside me and stuck the barrel of the gun to the side of the wound. I grimaced in pain, but she didn't care, simply shook her head.

“You’ll live,” she said coldly.

“Natalia,” I say softly, reaching out to touch a strand of her hair.

She moved away, and I quickly grabbed her wrist, noticing her hands were shaking, and so did she. “I deserve this. I know I do.”

“You deserve worse. I just missed,” she said coldly.

She yanked her hand away, leaned down and took my phone from my back pocket. Her scent wrapped around me. Honey and flowers, and even through the pain she made my body react.

Only she’d be able to do that.

She stepped over me and paced the expanse of the kitchen as she waited for the call to go through. It was answered on the second ring.

“Where the hell are you?” I heard Knuckles’ familiar voice on the other end.

“I suggest you come get your man, he's bleeding out in my kitchen. “I grunted, half amused and half in awe of how cold she’d become.

“Who is this?”

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