Page 31 of Kade

None of it was his fault, but she could see he’d shouldered the blame.

Kade wheeled her off the elevator and back to her room. Nikoli was there, Lily sitting in his lap. His arms were around her so tight, he might soon cut off her air, but Lily didn’t look like she minded one bit.

“There’s our girl.” Nik smiled at her while Kade lifted her onto the bed and tucked the blanket around her.

She saw everything around her, heard their words, and understood them, but she might as well be having an out-of-body experience. She wanted to shout, to scream, to tell them her child was in danger.

“The doctor said she’s in shock.” Kade scooted her over and climbed into bed beside her. “After what she saw, I’m not surprised.”

“What happened?” Lily snuggled into Nik.

“The cartel got a man inside, we think. The nurse who escorted her to radiology was shot and killed. Angel saw it. The doc says she should start talking as soon as some of the shock wears off.”

“And that’s not going to be happening with you in bed with her.” Nurse Marcy stood in the doorway, frowning. “She needs rest more than anything, so everyone but her husband is banned from the room.”

Kade jumped up, and everyone told her goodbye, but she didn’t respond. It was like her vocal cords had seized up. She had no idea shock could do this to a person.

Nurse Marcy propped Angel’s feet up and told Kade if she caught him in bed with her patient again, he’d be banned from the room as well. Angel wanted to laugh when she saw the outrage on his face. Here this tiny, petite nurse was telling her husband, who stood a good foot taller, that he had to walk the line or get the hell out. It was comical.

A giggle slipped out, and both Nurse Marcy and Kade froze, looking at her.

“Well, I guess laughter really is the best medicine in the world.” Marcy came back over to her bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“I…” Angel cleared her throat, surprised her voice was working. All it took was a little laughter. The nurse was onto something there. “I…don’t know.”

“That’s perfectly normal. I would love to be able to give you something to sleep, honey, but that concussion requires me waking you up every two hours.”

Her head still ached something fierce, but the light didn’t bother her eyes anymore. That was something, at least.

Kade sat in the chair beside the bed and thanked the nurse before she left them alone. Kade took her hand and kissed it almost reverently. “Why do you insist on scaring the fuck out of me,moye serdste?”

“You and that mouth.” She let her fingertips glide over his lips. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“Don’t do it again.” He splayed one hand over her stomach. “Neither of us can lose you.”

“Kade, I need to tell you something.” She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down.

“Don’t try to move around. You’ve been through enough for one day.”

“Emilio was here.”

“Who?” Kade cocked his head—his thinking stance.

“He’s fromLos Muertos. I remembered him. He used to hang out at the house a lot. Peter warned me to stay away from him.”

“I’m not sure I met him.” Kade sat back but kept a tight grip on her hand.

“He’s hard to forget.” Angel could still see him, staring into her eyes, gun aimed at her head. “Gorgeous, with a scar that runs from his temple to his cheek.”

“Gorgeous?” Kade quirked a brow at her.

“Yes.” Gorgeous wasn’t the right word for him. Kade was handsome, but Emilio was in an entire league of his own. “That’s not the point, Kade. He showed me pictures of the little boy I saw yesterday. He said he was ours, that Matthew didn’t die.”

She expected Kade to be shocked, to deny it, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked down at their linked hands, refusing to meet her eyes.

“Kade?”

“I know.”

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