Chapter 48
Kat
Iopened my eyes to a dim, unfamiliar room.
Not a hospital room. Or not exactly. Some kind of hybrid room.
I was having that weird sensation where you forget everything; not just where you are, but who you are.
Or maybe that was just my jacked-up, stress-rattled brain. Me, running away from myself. Who knew.
Then I felt the warm weight on my shoulder. It was Holly, fast asleep. Her tousled head was cradled in the crook of my arm. That explained how numb it was, but it was worth it, for the soft rush of tenderness that rose up in me.
It all rushed back, in a torrent. That brave, tough little sweetheart.
Looking at her made the truth of who I was spring to the front of my consciousness with a vengeance.
I was Kat Banner, formerly Francesca Lovero, and I would go to any lengths to punish and destroy slime-sucking assholes who preyed on women and kids. For Gabri’s and Raffi’s sakes.
That was who I was. It was good to know it, and embrace it. It steadied me.
The flood of emotion practically drowned me as I looked at her.
The tenderness, the anger, the wonder. That kid was a freaking miracle, and she had been so badly used, I wanted to kill someone to compensate for it.
But I had absolutely failed to do so. Holly had been forced to take matters into her own hands. Damn, what a brave, excellent kid.
I hated how she looked so pinched and ashy pale. The scrapes and bruises on her little face stood out in sharp relief. Her forehead was bandaged, from when Nicole had hit her head before shoving her into the escape car. But that could not keep Holly down.
None of the wounds I saw were serious, but no one knew better than me about damage on the inside.
Wounds no one could see, that never really healed.
They just ended up making people impatient and frustrated with you.
Wounds that left you lonely and bewildered.
Nightmares, stress flashbacks, permanently hiked up stress levels.
Anxiety, depression, and God knows what all else. It hurt to think of it.
I wished I could suffer it for her. I was already an expert. I could take it.
A hurt, terrified nine-year-old girl had found the nerve to bash that monstrous harpy on the head with a chunk of rebar. She was a freaking boss, and yet, it was so wrong that Holly had been the one forced to deal that blow.
I looked around the room, struggling to remember what had happened, and in what sequence. The recent past was a blur, after the painkilling drugs, but the time before that was disordered and fragmented too. Like a pile of broken glass shards.
I wondered, in a detached way, if I would have problems with the law, after all the awful stuff Nicole had pinned on me when she made me her fall guy. But whatever. My conscience was clear, and I didn’t have the energy to worry about it. Later for that.
The room had some hospital equipment, but it had more the air of a luxury hotel. Probably some high-end clinic for the super-rich. They got sick, too, I supposed.
That thought reminded me of Ethan, and that bleeding cut across his throat. Someone had given me a shot that scrambled my brains before I could follow up on his status. I couldn’t bully info out of anybody in that soft, floating state.
But I was awake now, and I had to see how he was doing. The man had walked into that hellhole for Holly and me, without hesitation, alone, unarmed. Which was ass-for-brains stupid of him, but full of heart. And I loved him for it.
No, I just loved him, period. Every minute that passed, I was more aware of this new state of being.
So unshielded. Like my heart was just running around buck naked outside my body, uncontrolled, unprotected.
It felt so risky, so dangerous, but it wasn’t as if I had any choice.
I was destined to love him. Helpless to stop.
Same went for Holly. I’d be stuck to that kid like glue from here on out.
I took exquisite care in extricating my arm from under Holly’s head.
I nestled her up in the pillows, tucking the blanket tight around her.
I’d just check on Ethan and hurry right back.
I did not want my girl to wake up all alone in a strange place after this shitshow.
I had on a knee length, soft jersey night shirt, thank God, not an ass-baring hospital gown, but I had no memory of putting it on, or having it put on me.
I crept down the hall, silent on my bare feet, and opened up the first door.
It was Amos, his shoulder and arm heavily bandaged, with an IV drip next to him.
I was grateful to see him alive. I was grateful to the cavalry, for charging in and saving us, against all hope.
Even Mick had come through in the end. Amazingly.
Oh, shit. Jed. What had he and Mick done with the bomb?
Where had they taken it? The fear that Jed had been in that van when it blew shook me to the bone.
He and Mick had been so valiant, sweeping in to take that terrible burden from me.
Jed was a good guy, brave and selfless, and I did not want Freya to be a widow. She’d just now found love.
In the next room I found Ethan, and my heart swelled and thudded with joyful excitement to see him.
I crept forward and gazed down, drinking him in.
He was alive. His throat was bandaged, and he showed some general superficial damage, but he looked intact, thank God.
He was gorgeous to me, even all fucked up.
His beautiful, strong hand lay on the blanket. I had to make sure he was real, so I laid my own over his. It was icy cold, so I slid my other hand underneath to warm it.
His dark eyes opened, startling me.
“Oh crap,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I woke you. I know you need to rest. I just had to make sure you were okay. That you were actually here.”
He formed words with his mouth, but made no sound. I leaned down and put my ear to his mouth. “Can’t talk out loud right now,” he whispered. “But I’m fine. Or I will be, when this heals up.”
“I woke up with Holly in my bed.” I dragged a chair over next to the bed.
He smiled at Holly’s name. “You’re her idol,” he mouthed.
“The feeling is mutual,” I said fervently. “That kid is unstoppable.”
He gestured for me to lean closer again. “You okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” I assured him. “Perfectly fine. Sore, and tired, that’s all. Hey, I hate to make you talk, but what about Jed?”
“Good,” Ethan whispered. “Fine.”
I let out a heaving sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God.”
“Mick locked Jed out of the van and drove it off a tugboat dock, into the Willamette River,” Ethan whispered. “Blew the shit out of the dock. Tons of water, blown up into the air. Pure dumb luck nobody else was there. No casualties but one.”
“Ah.” I was silent for a moment. “So…that means Mick …”
“Yes,” he said. “Gone.”
“Oh.” I tried, without much success, to process that. “I was so angry at him for setting me up. And sacrificing Holly in favor of his uncle. But I’m sorry he had to go that way. Maybe…maybe he made up for it. Partly. With that gesture.”
“I say maybe he did,” Ethan murmured. “Almost, anyway. No other losses. Some injuries, nothing life-threatening. Vincent, dead. Nicole, dead.”
“Good,” I said, with grim satisfaction. “Excellent. Wiped out of existence. You don’t even have to worry about putting them in jail. Or keeping them there.”
“Nope,” he mouthed. “No one to question, either. We’re no closer to Shane. The goons they hired don’t know anything. The ones left alive, anyhow.”
Ouch. “Shit,” I said. “I’m so sorry about that. Hey, Nicole had convulsions, after Holly hit her in the head. She was actually foaming at the mouth. I wonder what that was all about. It wasn’t anything Holly did.”
He gestured for me to lean closer again. “Poison tooth,” he murmured into my ear. “Vincent wore something that monitored his vitals. When he died, it sent a signal to her tooth. Burst it open.”
“Holy cow.” I was genuinely shocked. “That is some twisted shit.”
I read his fervent agreement in his eyes.
“Well, then,” I said. “I expect we have our work cut out for us now. Explaining this convoluted crap to the Man will not be fun. They won’t like the way you took action on your own. Though I will always maintain that you had no choice.”
“That’s for sure.” Ethan’s lips twitched. “Yes, the police will disapprove of my choices. But I can face anything if you’re with me.”
My hand tightened on his. “Wait,” I said.
“About that. Are you still sure you still want to take on all my problems, after what just happened? Once the press comes down on us, my enemies will spot me. It’s a mathematical certainty.
There’s no way to hide from the media blitz about to hit.
Haven’t you had a belly full of this shit?
Aren’t you afraid of your family being in danger?
I’d understand it, if you were. For real. ”
His eyes burned with intensity. “It’s my problems that put you in danger, Kat. Not the other way around.” His whisper was intense. “You crushed them. You’re a goddess. We’d be dead without you. Holly would be gone. We’d still be in hell.”
“Oh, get real,” I said. “All I did was get my ass captured and stuck in a cage.”
“No. You had Holly’s back. You stayed at her side. You drove that van to the hotel for her. You came back to save her. You always put her first. Thank you for that.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” I said. “I did it for Holly’s sake.
That kid is my hero. She saved me, too. You all did.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been in a fiery-pits-of-hell kind of situation, but the last time, no one came to my rescue, and the devil won that round.
I survived, but only just. This time, a whole army of brave, strong, excellent people swooped down and kicked the devil’s ass. And that is so, so much better.”
His hand tugged, and I leaned to listen. “This thing on my neck is really cramping my style,” he whispered. “I want to sweep you off your feet. Kiss you madly. Fuck you all night long. But they told me I can’t move yet. Told me very sternly.”
I leaned down and dropped a feather-light kiss on his scratched, bruised cheekbone. “I’ll wait,” I said simply. “That scenario is worth sticking around for.”
We just gazed at each other, our eyes doing all the talking.
I wanted to leap on him and cover him with kisses, but I wasn’t messing with that oh-so-carefully patched up wound, so I kissed his hand, pressing it to my cheek.
My sopping-wet cheek. Damn it. Enough with the tears, already.
I spotted a box of tissues, and grabbed a few.
“Sorry,” I muttered, sniffling. “I billed myself as a real tough broad, but I’ve gone sappy lately.
Everything makes me cry. That’s your fault, you know. You made me all emotional.”
“Lay it on me. I’m emotional, too. I love when you’re a tough broad, and I love the sappy emotional stuff, too. I love all of you, Kat. So you’ll stick with me? Forever?”
“Hell, yeah,” I told him, sniffling. “Buckle up, buddy. You’re in for a wild ride.”
His smile spread into a grin. “Sounds like pure heaven to me.”