Page 69 of Killer's Obsession
“I came to get the keys to my truck,” I admit.
Her brows snap together. “What—Why?”
“I needed to find you.”
Her face softens, the worried lines smoothing out. “I was packing a change of clothes and coming back to the hospital.”
“Back to the hospital?” My brow furrows. Nobody mentioned that she would be coming back. I hadn’t exactly been patient about getting out of that place, either.
She lifts a hand and touches my arm gently, her fingers warm against my skin. “I only came home to shower.”
Home. My eyes close briefly at the word.
“I’ve been at the hospital every day,” she continues softly. “I’ve been camping out in the waiting room since they wouldn’t let anyone stay for longer than a few hours in yours.”
She’d been there. I wasn’t sure what that meant for us, but I needed her to know how sorry I am. How I wish I could turn back time and fix everything I’ve broken. “Memphis...” I start, my voice rough with emotion. “I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head as the dam holding back the tears breaks and they start to spill over. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left. If I had just stayed and talked things through?—”
“No, baby.” I cup her face in my hands, careful of the bruise. “None of this is on you. I fucked up. You had every right to be angry with me. I should have told you everything from the beginning.”
“I understand why you didn’t,” she states softly, leaning into my touch. “You were trying to protect me.” I was, but my girl is no wilting violet. She’s proven how strong she is. She doesn’t need anyone to fight her battles. She’s strong enough on her own. But as the Gods as my witness, I want to be with her as she conquers them all.
“That’s no excuse,” I insist, shaking my head. “I should have trusted you with the truth. I was wrong.”
A tear slides down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb. “When I saw you get shot, I thought...” Her voice breaks, and the tears fall too fast for me to catch them all. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Never. You’ll never lose me, Pet. I’ll take out the Devil himself if it means getting back to you,” I vow, my voice thick with all the love I feel for this woman.
She laughs through her tears, then reaches up to trace my face with her fingertips, like she’s making sure I’m really here. “You scared the hell out of me, Manu.”
The sound of my name on her lips sends a jolt through me, and I wince from the pain.Shit.
“Say it again,” I beg of her.
“Manu,” she repeats softly.
“How’d you find out what my name is?”
“Nikolai said it on the plane.” Her eyes go blank at the memory. She shakes her head as if the motion can shake it all out of her head. “And then the doctor said it when he let us know you were alive.” Her voice cracks on the last word.
I nod, swaying slightly on my feet as the adrenaline that’s been keeping me upright starts to fade.
Memphis notices immediately. Her thin arm goes around my waist to steady me. It’s cute that she thinks she could keep me upright. I’m more than twice her size. “Killer!” she cries out my name. “You need to lie down. You shouldn’t even be out of the hospital.”
I don’t argue as she guides me to the bed. The truth is, I’m fucking exhausted. She helps me over to the bed, and I drop down heavily on the edge of the mattress, wincing when the movement pulls at my stitches.
“Let me see?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I grunt when she grabs the hem of my shirt and raises it to just under my neck.
Tears well up in her eyes when she sees the bruising around the bandage taped over the left side of my chest.
“Don’t cry, Pet. I’m okay. It looks worse than it is,” I say, telling her the same lie she tried to sell me.
She quirks a dark, perfectly arched brow. The look conveys that she’s not buying my bullshit for a second. She taps my right shoulder. “Lift this arm.”
I comply, letting her pull the shirt until my arm is free. She then easily pulls it over my head and off the other arm without me having to move it much. Her touch is gentle as she traces the surgical tape holding the bandage to my chest. “You’re the most stubborn man I’ve ever met,” she insists softly, her eyes lifting to meet mine. “Why couldn’t you just wait for me to come back to the hospital?”
