Page 46 of Slayin Villain
I flinched.Not from the wound.
“That’s a fucking lie.I never said I didn’t care.You know how much I care about the club, about you…”
“Sure as hell acted like it.”
Before I could answer, the door opened.
Ember walked in.
Her curls were pulled up, face pale.But her eyes… her eyes locked on mine like they were looking for something only I could give.
She stopped dead when she saw Rachel.
Rachel turned.“Of course.”
Ember’s voice was calm, but tight.“I came to check on him.”
“Join the club.”Rachel grabbed her purse.“I’m leaving.”
“Wait,” I croaked.
Rachel paused, halfway out the door.
My voice was rough, but I forced it out.“You both came.”
Rachel’s lip trembled.“Don’t read too much into it.”
Then she was gone.
Ember stayed frozen for a beat, then slowly approached the bed.“You scared the hell out of me.”
“I’m hard to kill.”
“Not from where I’m standing.”She looked down at my arm, the IV taped to my skin.“Villain… I’m sorry.For everything.I didn’t mean for it to get this far.”
“It always gets this far.”
She reached out and brushed hair from my face, gentle and intimate.“You don’t always have to be the one who bleeds.”
I closed my eyes.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t have the strength to be him, the cold bastard, the untouchable.I just felt tired.Fractured.
“What happens now?”I asked.
She didn’t answer.
Just sat beside me, curled her hand in mine, and whispered, “We wait.”
Chapter 19
Rachel
I didn’t go back to the hospital to see Villain the next morning.
I told myself it was because I needed rest after everything that went down that night, screaming, gunfire, blood on the gravel.Kingpin called me after he killed his enemies, saving Villain’s life.But Villain had already saved his.Guess he needed to know if he had to visit the hospital, or if he could keep the fight under wraps.I did all I could, but Villain was bleeding out.
It took all I had to keep my cool and try to keep him stable as he about died.And then once he opens his eyes, Ember shows up.
