Page 69 of Broken Surrender
Then Desmond collapsed.
CHAPTER 24
Desmond
The lights blinded me. I closed my eyes again, groaning. The beeping rhythm filled my brain, and I shifted, the furniture creaking underneath me. A square-paneled ceiling. Scratchy blankets. A needle stabbing my arm. I opened my eyes wide. I was in a hospital bed. I was—
“Hey,” a soft voice said. Lena leaned forward, grabbing my hand. She was okay. “How are you feeling?”
“Where are we?” I asked.
“One of your—”
My eyes darted around until I found the Universal Medical Industries logo. I let out a sigh. “What happened to Vaughn?”
“Well, you did put a bullet through his head, so,” she lifted her shoulders, lowering her eyes, “you know.”
My mind flashed back to Lena wrapped around him. Like she needed him, like she needed—
“Did he—”
“Screw me?” she asked. I held my breath. “He missed.” I relaxed my fists. “I know who I belong to.”
My heart pounded in my chest. She blushed at those words, then fiddled with the buttons on her shirt.
A nurse passed in front of the open doorway. I grabbed her attention, motioning at the IVs.
“Get these off of me.”
“Are you sure, Mr. Callen?” she asked. “The doctor recommends that you—”
“Remove them,” I said in a low voice. I wasn’t going to wait here all day.
Lena put a hand on my arm, making eye contact with the nurse. “I’ll make sure he takes it easy,” Lena said.
The nurse nodded, then removed the IVs. After she left, I grabbed my clothes and dressed, while Lena watched, her eyes bright, like she had been waiting for this.
“Did the Eros wear off?” I asked.
“It lasted a day.”
How much time had passed? “How long have I been out?”
“Two days.”
“Was I unconscious the whole time?”
“You were in and out, but you were never fully awake, you know? Had to wait for everything to work its way out of your body too.”
For a moment, I stood there, unsure of what to do. With all of them dead, the only task I had left was to focus on fulfilling my promise to Corinne, getting her that private beach that she had always wanted. And while I fully intended on keeping that promise, something was missing.
Lena’s brown hair was in loose waves on her shoulders, her eyes tired, but open, looking at me. Unafraid. Waiting for whatever I said next. I wasn’t sure what we were doing anymore, but I grabbed her hand, pulling her closer.
“You’re coming with me,” I said. I stated it like a demand, but then I stopped, glancing at her. She nodded, agreeing with me, knowing that it wasn’t a demand anymore, but a question. I couldn’t force her to stay with me. It had to be her own desire. Because I wasn’t going to ignore her feelings like the other men had.
A flurry of dark hair scurried into the room.
“So I got you hot chocolate. And for me, I got a slush—” Her eyes widened, settling on me, a red drop of syrup falling down her wrist. For a second, a wave of adrenaline pulsed through my limbs, but then I relaxed. All of them were gone. It was over.
