Page 65 of Atone in Darkness
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The sweet taste of Marisol’s lips converted all of Chase’s anger into an entirely different kind of energy. When he thrust his tongue into her mouth, she hesitated briefly before kissing him again with a great deal more enthusiasm. When she finally broke it off, they were both breathing hard.
He grinned up at her. “That’s some bedside manner you’ve got there, Doc.”
“Ahem.”
Okay, so theyweren’t exactly alone right now. No wonder Marisol looked so flustered. Judging from the twinkle in Dr. Young’s eyes, she was amused by Marisol’s unorthodox effort to drag him back to normal.
“Sorry about that, Laurel. It was all I could think of to try.”
The other doctor laughed. “No apologies necessary, although I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention what just happened to any of the others.Devlin wouldn’t appreciate it if the guys started demanding I kiss them to jump-start their healing.”
She made a quick check on his vitals. “Having said that, you’re definitely responding well to Dr. Riggs’s care. Your latest bloodwork shows a marked improvement, and you snapped out of the craziness incredibly fast this time.”
Laurel nodded toward an instrument tray sitting on a nearby counter.“The good news is that I can put that syringe away for now.”
Marisol looked confused. “What syringe is that?”
Chase didn’t want to be the one to tell her, but Laurel had already picked up the tray and walked away. “The one with the toxins that would put me out of my misery. You know, permanently.”
Her faced paled as his meaning soaked in. “Don’t blame her, Doc. It’s the way things are for usand for good reason.”
She shuddered. “Devlin said it would be a mercy.”
How to explain? All of the Paladins had a ticking time bomb hardwired into their DNA. There was nothing they could do to change that. On rare occasions, someone like Edgar broke under the strain and ran, but most picked up their sword and did their job day after day.
“I can’t change what I am, Marisol, and I wouldn’t ifI could. All I can say is that I’m proud to stand next to men like Devlin and Jarvis to protect this world. You still don’t know the truth about what we do and why this organization even exists.”
She sighed softly. “You’ll understand that I’ve learned to be leery of supersecret organizations full of heavily armed men.”
Yeah, he got that. “Will you be here when I wake up?”
“Yes.”
She didn’tsound too happy about that. He struggled to keep his eyes open long enough to tell her one last thing. “I need to talk to Devlin first, but then I’ll tell you everything. I promise.”
He squeezed her hand to further affirm his vow. After a second, she squeezed his in return. His gut feeling was that slight hesitation meant something, but right now he couldn’t hold on to consciousness long enoughto figure it out. Still, she’d promised to be there when he woke up. They could talk more then.
•••
MARISOL STIRRED ANDstretched. She’d remained by Chase’s side through the long hours of the night. As some point, someone brought in the suitcase she’d packed back at the compound, and Laurel showed her where she could shower and change into clean clothes. Meals had been delivered on a regularbasis, and one of the orderlies had finally dragged in a cot where she could stretch out while Chase slept.
It had been hard to shut off her brain long enough to fall asleep. Too many spinning thoughts about what the future held for her—and what it didn’t. She’d need to find a job, a place to live, maybe even a new identity. At least Chase would get his life back. His wasn’t an easy world tolive in, but clearly it meant everything to him. She was happy for him.
Really.
She checked her watch. This time, she’d managed tosleep for almost two hours.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, I wondered when you were going to wake up.”
Beauty, her foot. She probably looked like hell after everything that had happened over the past few days, but then Chase looked pretty scruffy, too. On the other hand,his blue eyes were bright, clear, and alert.
She threw back the thin blanket and stood up. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Definitely better, and Dr. Young says I’m officially back.”
“That he is.” Laurel came around the end of the curtain twirling a key ring on her finger. “Dr. Riggs, would you like to do the honors?”
