Page 84 of Reacher
“Hey.” My voice sounded as flat and dead as I wished I was.
He approached my bed, stopping beside me, his hands slipping into his pockets.
“I know I’m not who you hoped to see right now.”
I felt tears filling my eyes again. The only person I wanted to see was the one person I’d never see again. How could life be this fucking cruel?
“Oh hell, I’m sorry, Ally. It has to be me for now, but as soon as we can move-”
“Stop. I… I know I’m not a priority for your club, especially now… especially with… Oh god…” I bit back a sob, and squeezed my eyes shut.
“Hey, come on now. You know how pissed Reacher will be if he thinks I upset you.”
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently.
“I… Oh god, I wish he was here.”
Stitch patted my hand awkwardly.
“He would be. You know he would, if they’d just let him move. Torch is trying to keep him where he is right now, the stubborn bastard.”What?
My eyes popped open, as hope started to fill my chest, my heart racing faster.
“He what?”
Stitch frowned. “You didn’t hear what happened? Jesus, how could you have heard… I’m such a dick, sorry. He collapsed.”
I stared at him numbly.
“Collapsed.”
He nodded. “Scared the hell out of us.”
“He’s… he’s not dead?”Reacher’s alive?
He laughed, and the sound filled me with joy, because he didn’t die!
“Takes more than a near heart attack to get rid of a stubborn bastard like him, Ally. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. He’s more worried about you. Damn near lost his shit over you though, when he heard you were hurt. Those fuckers stabbed you?”
I was still caught up in the fact that Reacher wasn’t dead. He was alive. The man I loved was still alive! Raoul lied!
“He’s really not dead?”
Stitch looked more confused by the moment.
“I was just in with him, Ally. He’s, well, not fine, but doing better by the hour.”
“He told me he was dead.”
Raoul, that bastard. He’d taunted me with that, used it to make me give up hope, so that he could break me down.
“Who did? That cartel bastard?”
I nodded, blinking back the tears that wouldn’t stop coming.
“I was… he’s really alive?”
Stitch grinned. “I promise. He’s gonna be pissed as hell that you woke up without him here waiting, but the main thing is that you’re both alive.”
