Chapter 32
BASTIAN
Gritting my teeth, I tried to block out the pain. The bolt hurt like a motherfucker.
Lark was right. Dean was a coward. He attacked people he knew couldn’t fight back, and with me, he didn’t want to get too close so he’d resorted to this.
I felt the blood pooling under me.
“Hold on, Bastian.” Lark leaned over me, putting pressure on the wound.
My gaze locked on her pale face. Her mouth was pinched, her eyes turbulent. I really hated that she wasn’t wearing a shirt. I didn’t want anyone to see those pretty breasts cupped by lace except for me.
“Hey.” I cupped her cheek.
“Landon and the others are coming.” Her voice hitched. “Don’t die.”
“Baby, I’ve been hurt far worse than this.”
That didn’t seem to reassure her.
“Little bird, I’ll be fine. I’m tough and I have no plans to die. You know that.”
She swallowed, then pressed her free hand over mine. “Everyone I’ve ever…cared about has died. Maybe I’m cursed.”
My chest tightened. I tugged her down for a quick kiss. “I’m not dying. I’m not going anywhere. Tonight, I’m going to make love to you in my bed. Slowly. I’m going to take my time. And tomorrow, we can hunt Dean down and kill him.”
She didn’t need to know that I’d never used the term “make love” before in my life.
Emotion moved over her face. “Bastian…”
I hated that she was so worried. I pulled her hand to my neck. To my pulse.
Her fingers clenched on my skin, rubbing over when my pulse ticked. I saw some of the tension in her ease.
There was the bang of a door. I turned my head and saw Landon, Cole, and Nash stalking into the ballroom.
Nash took us in with a brief glance. “Fuck.” His face hardened. “Did she do this?”
I watched Lark’s face shut down. “No. It was the asshole Red Ribbon Killer.”
“You found him,” Nash said.
“Asshole pranced into the Avernus and taunted us,” Bastian said. “His name is David Thomas Dean.”
All business, Landon knelt beside me and set a black bag down. I vaguely noted Cole stalking around the ballroom, no doubt checking that Dean had really left.
“I’ll call the security team and have them check the security feed,” Nash said.
Landon gently nudged Lark’s hands away from the bolt. “Let me see.”
She dropped back, and Landon made an unhappy sound. He probed the wound, and I hissed.
Lark frowned. “Can you give him something for the pain?”
“Yes. Although usually Bastian complains bitterly about taking any drugs.”
“Hate them.” I’d seen too many drug addicts on the street. Too many people out of control, out of their heads, or dead from an overdose. I had no desire to ever experience that.
“You’ll take a painkiller,” Lark snapped. “Then let Landon fix you.”
My gaze ran over her tense face. “All right.”
Landon’s brows rose in surprise. He filled a syringe. “Don’t worry, he’s too arrogant to die, Lark.” He injected me, and I grunted. “Now, we need to stop the bleeding.”
“Whoever this dickhead is, he’s gone,” Cole said.
Landon snapped on gloves and studied the bolt. “It looks like the head of the bolt is designed to cause a nasty mess.”
“Just get it out, Landon. I’d like to stop bleeding everywhere.”
“Are the drugs kicking in?”
“No.” I was starting to feel the effects. A lassitude seeping through my muscles. I looked at Lark and reached for her hand. “Hey there, beautiful.”
She shot Landon a look. “Sounds like the drugs are working.”
“Hold my hand?” I asked.
Her face softened and her fingers curled around mine. “You’re going to be fine.”
“I know.” I felt tugging as Landon worked. I fought back a grimace. “Remember, I have plans to get your fit, little body naked.”
“Bastian.” She glanced at Landon.
“Darling, Landon and the others are well aware of what I’ve been doing to you in my penthouse.”
She huffed out a breath. “Clearly, he isn’t that hurt.”
“No, he’s not.” Landon pulled the bolt out.
I groaned, and Lark clutched my hand.
“It’s out.” Landon set it aside, then grabbed some items from his bag. “Now, I’ll stitch you up.” He set to work sealing the wound. “You’re lucky it wasn’t any deeper. It could have done a lot of damage.”
“Now I have matching shoulder wounds.”
Lark snorted. “Mine was barely a scratch.”
I kissed the tips of her fingers and realized her hand was coated in my blood. “I know. You’d never actually hurt me.” My gaze flicked to Nash, and I sent my friend a silent message.
She smiled. “Only if you really get on my nerves.” She leaned over, watching as Landon finished a neat row of stitches. He placed a pristine white bandage over the injury.
“He’s really okay?” she asked.
“Yes, but he needs to take it easy.” Landon made a sound. “He isn’t very good at that.”
I sat up. “I’m perfectly fine—”
Lark pressed a hand to my arm. “I’ll make sure he rests.” She said that in a defiant tone.
“Nash, I want Dean found,” I ordered. “Flush him out. He was a rogue CIA agent. Find out everything you can on him. I want to know where he is, where he’s staying, what makes him tick.”
“He said a foreign nation contracted him to kill my parents, to stop my dad’s project.”
“Hell,” Nash said.
“Dean’s…jealous,” she added.
I frowned at her, trying to think clearly through the fog of the painkillers. “What?”
“He talked about Ed not noticing him, and being invisible at the CIA. He wasn’t noticed until he killed.
He talked about how Ed bragged about you and me.
I think in some twisted way, he’s angry at the attention Ed gave us.
” She shook her head. “He lured Ed into killing. That’s on Ed, but clearly, it was a way for Dean to get his attention.
” Her shoulders sagged. “And now he wants me dead.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” I clipped. “He’s not touching you.” Not a single hair on her head.
She lifted her chin. “And he’s not touching you.”
“Right, no one is touching anyone,” Landon said. “Now, how about we get you up to your penthouse so you can rest. Then you can plan how to takedown the unhinged serial killer tomorrow.” He gestured to Cole and Nash.
My friends helped me to my feet.
“Lark, I expect you to make him rest,” Landon said.
She nodded. “I will.”