Page 79 of When He Fights
“There’s…there’s something on your shirt, Ana.”His voice felt distorted.Hefelt distorted.
“It’s blood.”Her head tilted back.“Where were you?”
Kane shook his head.“What?”
“You didn’t save me.”She began to play again, and blood seemed to drip from her fingers, turning the strings red.“And now I’m dead.”
No.No.No.No.No!
He leapt for Ana.Grabbed her hands and pulled her up from the stool, but there were bullet holes in Ana’s body.Blood covered her.
“You weren’t here,” Ana said softly.“Not when I needed you.Where were you, Kane?”
He pressed his hands to her wounds.The blood just soaked through his fingers.
“Where were you?”Ana asked again.
“I’m here, Ana.”He pressed down harder.The blood soaked him.“I’m here.I’m here.I’ll protect you, Ana.Ana!”
Kane thrashed in the bed.Ana grabbed him.“Kane!”
He shot upright.“Ana!”A bellow.
Aloudbellow.Jeez, had the Feds heard him outside?Were they about to break down the door?
“I’m okay.”Her hand flew over his arm.His shoulder.“I think you were having a nightmare.”
His head whipped toward her.He blinked.Seemed to be trying to see her in the shadows.Light trickled through the blinds, but it was a faint glow.His hand flew out, and he turned on the lamp.His gaze locked on her fingers.“You’re bleeding.”Horror whispered in his rough voice.
“No, you are.”She turned her hand over.Showed him the blood on her fingertips.“Those stitches.They definitely tore.I warned you about that.”
He hauled her against him.Held her in a crushing grip.
“Kane?”
He tightened his hold.Seemed as if he would never, ever let go.“I’ll protect you.”
“What?”She tapped him lightly.“You’ve got to ease up so I can breathe.”A squeak.
He eased up, barely.Then he shuddered and let her go a bit more.Enough so that he could stare down at her.“I will always protect you.I will stand between you and any threat.”
“Kane?”A shiver skated down her spine.“You were thrashing around in the bed.”
He blinked.
“Did you have a bad dream about me?”
Another blink.His expression shut down.
“What happened to me in the dream?”Ana pushed.
Kane swallowed.“We should go back to sleep.”
“Kane.”
She heard pounding in the distance.Had to be at the suite’s main door.Someone needed to go reassure the Feds before they broke down that door.
“I wasn’t there, Ana.The bullets hit you.”He exhaled on a ragged breath.“I will protect you.”A vow.“If Logan wants to hurt you, he truly will have to go throughme.”
