Page 8 of The Villain

“It was only one photograph.” I interrupted. “When she wakes up, we’ll ask her about Ivans. Explain who he is—what he’s done. Figure out what she knows. And then take her back home.”

“Take her back?” He gaped, and I could practically feel the way his brows lifted like a hold around my throat. “She was almost blown up.”

“And we’ll find the person responsible,” I clipped, shifting my weight. “The police can protect her. Hell, Covington Security can protect her. We don’t do protection.” I said it like it wasn’t total BS. Harm had been hired to protect Daria, and Rhys had protected Merritt when she was being targeted by criminals in her past. Buttypically,we didn’t deal in private security; we were hunters, not guardians.

“Then why did you bring her here instead of a hospital?”

Dammit. Air hissed through my lips.

“Because I wasn’t thinking,” I said, grabbing for whatever excuse I could find. “The explosion happened, and I acted on instinct—save her. Bring her here. Have Rorik look at her. But you’re right, I should’ve taken her to the hospital instead.”

My brother made a low noise that I was all too familiar with after thirty-six years.His rumble of disbelief.

“You were the one who said Ivans was most likely the target,”I offered just as the door swung open, drawing both our attention to Rorik.

“Harm.” He greeted my brother with a deferential nod and a firmhandshake.

“Is she going to be okay?” I didn’t have time for their pleasantries.

“Other than the cuts and bruises, she has a concussion and some swelling in her brain, so she’ll need to rest for a few days—physically and mentally. She may have some amnesia about the blast, but we won’t know until she wakes up. If she does have some short-term memory issues, it’s nothing that shouldn’t clear up with a little time.”

I let out a long breath.

“You said you got her attention right before the bomb went off?” Rorik probed.

I nodded.

“If she’d been any closer to the car when it exploded, we’d be having a different discussion right now,” he said low, banding his arms over his chest.

Any closer…She’d stopped because I’d called to her. If I hadn’t, she probably would’ve been at the car when it?—

“I’ll see if Ty can pull any home security feeds from the development. In the chance it was remote detonated, we may be able to find a lead.” Harm thought out loud as he pulled out his phone, sending off that message to Ty.

I didn’t care about the bomb right now; I cared about her.

“When will she wake up?” I demanded, hating how my voice cracked.

Rorik stared like I shouldn’t be asking that question. “I don’t see any reason she won’t wake up soon,” he said tightly. “But when she does, her brain needs to rest. You can’t jump right in to interrogating her?—”

“You think that’s what I’m going to do?” I demanded, moving toward him as anger lashed through me. “After someone tried to blow her up?”

“Dare.” Harm grabbed my arm, his hand like an anchor, stabilizing me through the surge of emotion.

I’d do anything to spare this woman pain. Hell, I’d broken her heart and mine to keep her safe, and in the end, she’d ended up entangled with Ivans. I couldn’t stand it. I’d fix it—tell her the truth and protect her. It wasn’t like I could give her any more reason to hate me than she already did.

I started to apologize, but a soft noise from behind me derailed my good intentions. A whimper.She was awake.

My heart slammed into the front of my chest, air exploding from my lungs. Suddenly, I forgot all the things I’d planned to say—all the explanations and apologies I’d worked up in my head. All the ways to start a conversation with the woman I’d abandoned.

“Athena…”Fuck, why was my voice so fucking hoarse?In an instant, I was beside her, Rorik and my brother forgotten in the background.“You’re okay. You’re safe.”

It was instinct to reach for her and torture all the same. I took her hand, heat rushing through my veins like lava. Her skin was warmer and softer than I remembered—than I imagined. Memories, desire, desperation—they all consumed me. Like an earthquake, a massive fire, and the swell of a tsunami ravaging me all at once. I forced a breath through my lips and squeezed my eyes shut for a beat, afraid if I didn’t, I’d come apart at the seams.

“You’re okay,” I repeated, lower this time. “I’m here.”

She whimpered again, her lips breaking apart for the sound as her brow scrunched.

“Athena…” I braced myself for what would come next. That recognition. The remembering. The hurt I’d caused.

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