Page 36 of Property of Bones

“She’s stable for now,” one of them says, checking her vitals. “We’ve got her.”

“You better,” I say, my voice like sandpaper soaked in gasoline.

I don’t let go of her until they physically pull her from my arms.

“I’m right behind you,” I tell them.

“Someone’s gonna die,” Spike says as we follow the ambulance back to the hospital.

“Very fucking painfully,” I agree.

Chapter Thirteen

Sunny

“You’re telling me someone drugged the cookies?” I ask Riley, who’s perched on the edge of my hospital bed.

“Yes,” she says with a sigh. “But apparently, there haven’t been any other overdose reports tonight.”

“So… justourcookies?”

“Apparently,” Spike says from his spot near the door.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” I pout.

Riley lets out a tired laugh…more exhaustion than humor. “No, Sunny. It really wasn’t.”

“I mean, if you’re gonna try and kill someone,” I mutter, sinking back into the pillows carefully, “at least don’t disguise it as dessert. That’s just rude.”

“Don’t make light of this,” Spike snaps, but not cruelly. “Someone tried tokillyou and Riley.”

“But the cookies were meant for me, right?” I glance at Riley, guilt sitting heavy in my chest. “They didn’t know I was going to share them. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“No, it isn’t,” Riley says, leaning in to give me a quick hug. A sharp pain shoots through my chest, but I bite it back. “Besides, Spike was the one who ordered the food. They probably thought it was for him.”

“It’s still my fault,” I whisper.

“If you’d eaten both cookies,” Spike says, voice low and grim, “you’d be dead right now. As horrible as it was, sharing that cookie is the only reason you’re still breathing.”

“And it’s a good thing Bones knows how to break into an apartment without a key,” Riley adds with a weak smile.

“Iamthe key,” a deep voice mutters from the hallway.

My heart jumps. “Jack?”

He steps into view, and yeah, he looks like hell. Hair a mess, eyes bloodshot, shirt wrinkled. But he’s here. I’m alive. And suddenly, nothing else matters.

“You okay, baby?” he asks, voice rough.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “Aside from the stabbing pain in my chest, I feel fine.”

“What?” Riley yelps. “Why didn’t you say something? Ijust hugged you!Like, aggressively!”

“I broke two of your ribs doing CPR,” Jack says, stepping closer to the bed. Riley steps aside, retreating into Spike’s arms. “I’m sorry, baby. I never wanted to hurt you. Makes me sick just thinking about it.”

“It’s okay,” I whisper, reaching out for him. “I’d rather be sore and breathing than… the alternative.”

He takes my hand like it’s something precious. Like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he blinks too long. “When I found you… you weren’t breathing, Sunny. Your heart wasn’t beating. Your skin was cold. Lips were blue. I thought I was too late. Hell, I was too late. You were dead.”

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