Page 48 of Dr. Do-Right
“Humor me, Kitten,” Mal pressed a kiss to the top of my head, seemingly unbothered by how we were standing in the elevator with security personnel and not going anywhere. My hand dropped away from the button panel.
“I feel scared. What if being back up there makes everything come rushing back?” I whispered, looking at our reflection in the mirrored doors as they slid shut. Thankfully, no one called the elevator. We were frozen in place on my floor.
“I’m scared, too. What happened the last time we were inside those walls was horrifying. I’m terrified to relive it.”
I blew out a breath. His confession made me feel a little less manic, like I wasn’t totally in this alone. “And I’m sad. I loved that penthouse, and I’m worried now that it’s ruined.”
He grunted, pulling me closer into his chest, resting his chin on my head. “I loved it, too. I understand your concern. It might be hard to live there, after all this has happened.”
We hadn’t talked yet about what we would do. Part of me wanted to break my lease, run to the other side of town, and never look at this building ever again. Another part of me wanted to kick and scream at the idea. This place, that penthouse, was the first place I’d really calledhomefor a long time. We’d only had a week there, but it had felt like we’d lived our whole lives in those walls. Being together, making coffee, ordering curtains…it already felt like a crucial part of my life with Mal.
“I’m angry,” I whispered, tilting my head to look up at him. “I’m so pissed that she violated our space. That place was…isspecial. I hate that she might have taken it away from us.”
“I know.” Mal’s jaw clenched. I saw the same heartbreaking mixture of grief, guilt, and rage that had haunted his face for the last two days. “I feel the same. I hate that this happened to us. To you.” He hauled me closer, circling his arms around me and pressing soft kisses to my face. “The only thing we can do is try. One step at a time. For now, let’s go look and see if a fresh start feels possible.”
“I want a fresh start,” I muttered into his chest. His fingers stroked through my hair.
“I want that, too,” he sighed. “If it’s a no, it’s a no. I can break the lease today and have us in a new place by next week. Hell, my dad probably qualifies as a Chicago real estate expert by now.”
I snorted, giving him one last squeeze before letting him go. “He has been very focused, these last few days.”
“Eh, gives him something to take his mind off everything. He hides it well, but he’s freaked out.”
“Join the club, Richard,” I murmured, looking up at Mal. He winced, and I knew he was thinking about apologizing again.He and Grayson had to cut that out. “Nope, stop that. I don’t wanna hear it,” I spoke over him before he had a chance to open his mouth, leaning over to key in the new security code for the penthouse. “Save that guilt for your own therapist. We’re not blaming ourselves for her attacking us.”
“Fair. Thank you.” Mal leaned against the back wall of the elevator as we whooshed upwards. I eyed him once more in the shiny metal doors. In the other corner, Grayson leaned quietly, staring unobtrusively ahead.
“Sorry. I just needed a minute there. You probably think I’m ridiculous,” I told him, watching his eyes find mine in our reflection. A smile softened his mouth from its usual hard line.
“Not at all. I was thinking how easy you two make it look. Must be nice to have someone who understands you so well.”
“It is,” I said simply, reaching back to where I knew Mal’s hand would meet mine. My other half. My Malachi. “Do you have anyone like that in your life, Grayson?”
His brow furrowed, gaze suddenly far away as the elevator dinged and the doors rolled open. “No, ma’am. Not…right now.”
It was bizarre, walking back into the penthouse. We’d only been gone for two days, and it seemed like forever. Everything was exactly the same, but it allfeltdifferent. Like a very real simulation that felt all too surreal. The smell of lemon cleaning products and fresh paint hung in the air. The crew hadn’t just fixed the hallway, they’d scrubbed the whole place, top to bottom. As I passed by, I ran my fingers over a cashmere throw they’d meticulously folded over the back of the sectional.
Mal paced me as I moved through the space, my steps slowing the further I got. Any second now, I’d look down on the kitchen floor and see the blood stain where Asher had passed out after getting shot, before he’d roused himself to save us. I gulped, steeling myself as I rounded the island.
There was nothing there. The tiles were shiny, grout scrubbed clean. I stared, feeling a little crazy. My brain was telling me that a massive pool of blood should be right there, where I’d seen it last, even though logically I knew it would be gone.
“Ri,” Malachi held his hand out from where he stood at the entry to the hallway. Tothehallway. I took his hand and let him pull me in. It was pristine. New paint, scrubbed floors. It looked better than the day Mal had moved in. The fumes felt like they were choking me. I ran my fingers across the wall, the paint dry, but still vaguely tacky beneath my fingers. No one would ever know there was a bullet lodged in the stud here. No one but us.
Mal kept hold of my hand. When I looked around again, it was like I had those blue-and-red 3D glasses on. I could see the blood. The bullet holes. And then I couldn’t. They’d removed the coverings from the windows. Beyond our patio, Chicago bustled along like usual.
“We’ve made a few upgrades, too,” Grayson murmured quietly, like he was hesitant to disturb our silent inspection. He showed us the new trash chute door he’d personally installed, with a metal plate welded to the back to stop anyone from shimmying down it again.
“Industrial grade, stainless steel frames and screws. No one’s getting in the vents, either.” He pointed. I didn’t see anything different about the vents, but I believed him. He showed us the new alarm system, upgraded door, and window locks. “What do you think?”
He looked between Mal and I. I couldn’t hold his gaze. I loved the penthouse more than I could say. They’d done a perfect job, truly incredible. But my chest hurt. Could I really keep living here, in a space that had been so utterly violated? Would I be able to move on, knowing every time I passed that spot in the hallway, the sound of a gun going off would probably ring in my ears?
“Kitten?” Mal looped his arm around my waist. “What do you think? Go or stay?”
“I’m…not sure. What do you think?”
He shrugged, looking around. “I think this feels like home to me. But I’m worried it’s a little haunted.”
I laughed despite the weirdness fluttering around in my stomach. That was one way to put it, yeah.Haunted.
