29. Chapter 29
Chapter twenty-nine
— PEACE BY TAYLOR SWIFT
As I sit beside Vince in his room, Nico offers me some food, but I decline, just like I have the past ten times he offered.
I can't find it in myself to eat, not when Vince is in this hospital bed because of me.
The doctors told us that whatever was thrown at him was laced with fentanyl—a fuck ton of it. Enough of it must've been inhaled through his nose, and that caused the seizures.
They told us if we had gotten here minutes later, Vince might have died.
He might’ve died, and his death would have been on my hands.
“Princess, Vince will kill me if he finds out you haven't eaten. It’s been hours. Just take something, please.”
“I’m fine, Nico.”
He sits down on the armrest of my chair as I continue to stare at Vince. I’ve never seen him so vulnerable before, and tonight will forever be ingrained in my mind.
Vince is here because of me.
He’s hurt, and this is all my fault.
Ralph is trying and succeeding at taking out everyone I love.
It’s all my fault .
“Bree, stop beating yourself up. We don’t know what happened yet. I’m downloading the footage from the ballroom. I’ll have it soon, and we’ll—”
“It’s my fucking fault, Nico. How am I not supposed to beat myself up?” I say as I get out of the chair, wanting to shrink into the walls of the hospital.
“For starters, Vince knows the risks. He chose to come back and do his job, which is to protect you. And we don't know for certain that Ralph had anything to do with this.”
I can only manage a scoff at him as I throw my phone in his face. “Read that and then tell me it’s not my fucking fault, Nico.”
His face scans the text I got earlier, and I see his eyes narrow at my screen as he finishes it. “Fucking hell.”
“He wasn't even aiming at me. He was going for Vince because I made him a target! I was the one who did this to him, Nico! Even if I didn't throw the fucking fentanyl at his face, I’m sure as hell at fault!”
“Bree, don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself for this.”
“He was protecting me, Nico! He was ahead of me, and Ralph knew that, and he almost died! Vince almost died because of me,” I say as I collapse, my head between my hands. “I know it’s his job, and I know Vince would kill me for feeling like this, but I can't help it.”
Nico comes over to where I am on the floor and grabs my face. “Listen to me, Bree. Vince came back for you because he cares about you. I’ve seen how he looks at you, how you look at him. I know you two mean more to each other than being a client and bodyguard. He’s going to be okay, Bree, and when he wakes up, he’ll tell you the same thing I am—that it’s not and will never be your fault.”
“The darkness always seems to follow me. If I was you, Nico, I’d leave the room. Who knows what could happen to you while I’m around.”
“Bree, don’t. ”
My chest heaves as I barely get the words out. “Nico, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t—”
“You’re enough just as you are, Bree. It’s going to work out, but you have to trust us.”
I’m fucking terrified. What if Vince never wakes up? What if I leave the hospital and something happens? What if his sister never sees him again because of this?
Oh, fuck. His sister .
“Someone needs to call Aria and tell her what happened,” I tell Nico through tears.
“I talked to her an hour ago. She’s trying to get a flight, but the next one doesn't leave for a few hours.”
“What about Nellie? Is someone at the house with her—”
Nico cuts me off with a hug, my tears leaking down my face as the exhaustion from the past few hours starts to hit. I don't even know what time it is, and part of me doesn't care. All I want to know is that Vince is going to be alright. I’ll sleep when I know that for certain. “Nellie is fine. Aria is coming, and Vince is going to be okay, too. Now, please, eat something before you’re the one who ends up in one of these hospital beds. I don't want to face Vince if he wakes up and you’re down the hall in a hospital room.”
I sigh as I take one of the sandwiches and sit back on the chair. It’s tough to get down, but I do it, and by the end of the sandwich, I feel a bit stronger already.
“The doctor told me he probably won’t wake up tonight, so if you want me to take you home, I can.”
“I’m not leaving his side, Nico.”
“I figured as much. I’ll go get us some cots to sleep on. And here,” he says as he throws a bag at me. Where did he get this? “I asked Emerson to run home and get Vince a change of clothes for when he wakes up. There’s also pajamas in there for me and you. ”
“Thanks, Nico.”
“Anything for you, princess. I’ll knock before I come back,” he tells me as I grab one of Vince’s shirts and throw the pair of shorts in here on. I don't hear Nico come back, because as I sit down in the chair beside Vince’s bed, exhaustion takes over, and I fall asleep.
Two Days Later
My eyes feel as heavy as rocks when I try to open them. Where the fuck am I?
“Jesus, it’s fucking bright in here,” I mumble as I bring my hand to my head. My body feels so fucking heavy, as if I’m being weighed down by a freight train.
“Vince?” I hear a familiar voice say beside me.
“He’s awake. I’ll go get the doctor,” I hear Aria say. Aria? What the fuck is she doing here? Am I hallucinating?
I feel a hand slip into mine, and even though my grip is loose, I sure as hell won’t be letting her go.
Bree’s face comes into my line of sight, and I notice how puffy and red her eyes are. “Were you crying over me, angel? You should know I’m harder to take down than that.”
She practically laughs through her fresh tears. “You scared the shit out of me, Vince Evans. ”
“You scared all of us, Mr. Evans. We’re glad you’re back,” a doctor says as Aria comes back into the room and heads toward the edge of my bed. I notice Nico on the other side with Bree, and he smiles when he looks at me.
“Glad you’re okay, buddy.”
“You didn't give me CPR, did you?” I ask him, and he just laughs.
“No, but that can be arranged,” Nico jokes back.
“Can you guys stop joking around?” my sister threatens, but I know she’s just as glad to see me awake.
“No thanks,” I say as I look at the doctor. “What happened?”
“You absorbed fentanyl through your nose when that pie got thrown in your face. It was laced in whipped cream. Around five milligrams, which is almost twice the lethal dose.”
I hear Bree sniffle as she wipes her eyes. “Excuse me,” she says as she leaves the room. My sister's eyes follow her out of the room, and when she looks back at me, her eyes sadden.
“Is she okay?” I ask Nico.
“Not really. I’ll explain later,” Nico says, turning his attention back to the doctor.
“We’re going to keep you for a few days. We’ll be giving you lots of fluids, and taking more blood soon to get an accurate reading of how much entered your body. I’ll be back later on my rounds.”
My sister follows the doctor out, no doubt to ask a thousand questions, and as the door clicks behind them, I turn to Nico. “What’s going on?”
“Bree’s blaming herself for what happened to you.”
Fuck. “Why? I’m her bodyguard, for fuck’s sake. It’s my job to—”
“I told her all that, but Ralph sent her a text about what happened last night. He did this. It’s confirmed. He’s escalating, and he’s not just going after her anymore. He’s going after everyone she cares about because he knows it hurts her just as bad.” Nico swipes through his phone for something, and then he shows me a screenshot of the message Ralph sent.
Unknown: I guess I’ve moved onto your inner circle now, Bree. It’s so delightfully fun to see you all up in arms over your loved ones getting hurt. You’re such a caring person, sweetheart. It’s one of the things I love most about you.
Unknown: But they’re keeping you from me, and I cannot have that. So, I can do this one by one, or I can try to get them all at the same time before I whisk you off into the sunset, never to be heard from again. We can finally be together, Bree. Isn't that something? It’s all I’ve wanted for years, and we’re so close to having it.
Unknown: Tell that bodyguard of yours to stop touching what’s mine; if he survives, that is. R.
Fucking hell, this guy is batshit crazy.
If I had the strength, I’d throw Nico’s phone across the room, but I can only manage to toss it across my bed. “How did you get that?”
“I took Bree’s phone while she was asleep and screenshotted it. I also emailed it to myself, just in case.”
“That’s an invasion of privacy, Nico.”
He runs his tattooed hand through his hair, the bags under his eyes telling me he hasn't slept. “What did you want me to do, Vince? The girl was breaking down on the floor of this room, blaming herself, and I did what I do best. I tried to trace the signal from his phone, but it was another burner, another fucking dead end,” he shouts, running a hand through his hair. “You’re not the only one who cares about her. I was willing to do anything I could to help, so I hacked her phone. Her password was way too fucking easy to guess.”
“I understand that, but—” The door opening has the two of us pausing, and Bree comes back into the room, her eyes still puffy and her face wet with tears.
She’s still blaming herself, and nothing I say will help her realize I’d do it all over again the same way if it meant she wasn't the one getting hurt.
“Did you tell him?” she asks Nico, and he nods. “Good.”
“I’ll leave you two for a bit. I have to head to the office and see if they’ve made any progress. I’ll be back later.”
“Thanks, Nico. For everything,” I tell him as he leaves, and when I turn to face Bree, I can’t tell what she’s thinking. Normally, I can read her like a children's book, but right now, she has closed herself off, and I have a feeling I’m not going to like what she’s going to say.
“Vince, I—”
“Come here, angel. Come lay next to me,” I say as I pat the side of my bed.
“No, I—”
“Please, Bree. I just want to hold you while I explain how none of this is your fault.”
That causes her tears to fall harder. “How can you say that, Vince? How can you sit there after what happened and still try to make me feel better? You saw what he said. You saw what he’s doing, and you still want to say none of this is my fault?” Her blonde hair is cascading down in front of her eyes, as if she’s using it as a shield.
“That’s exactly what I want to do, because it’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself for simply existing, Bree. Ralph is the one doing this to you . It’s not the other way around. ”
Her head falls to her hands, and even before the words are out of her mouth, I know what she’s going to say. “If you want off my case, I understand.”
“Don't pull away from me, angel. Don’t do this. Not now. Not after all we’ve been through.” I move my hand to cup her face, and she leans into my touch. All hope might not be lost because of that tiny movement. “I’ve had this insane urge to protect you ever since I’ve met you. You remember that day, don't you?”
“Yeah, I do. You let me write notes to you so I could protect my voice.”
“Even through those notes, I could tell you were a spitfire.”
That earns me a small laugh. “I don't recognize that version of myself anymore.”
“I don't either. But do you remember the day I left?” I ask her, because every single second of that day is ingrained in my head.
“Every moment,” she tells me.
“I wanted to turn back so many times. I fought with myself on the drive because I knew I couldn't go back to you. I knew there was no reason for me to go back, but I wanted to anyway. I feel pulled in your direction, even when we were apart, Bree.”
“I wanted to ask you to stay, but I didn't. There were a lot of things I wanted to say to you that day, but I didn't, because I figured you wouldn't have stayed.”
“Since the day I met you, I’ve wanted to shield you from anything bad that could hit you. It’s the strangest thing. With all my other clients, it was normal. I would take a case, complete it, and that was that. But with you, my mind was constantly going. I was taking more precautions than necessary, and I couldn't tell why. When I came back, the urge was ten times stronger.”
“But when you’re around me, all you are is in danger, and if you didn't wake up from this, I would’ve blamed myself for the rest of my life.” She sniffles, and I reach over to the tissue box to hand one to her. “Thanks.”
“I know the risks of being around you, Bree. I don't give a fuck if I’m in danger, because as long as I’m around you, I have all I need.”
“Vince, don't. I’ve told you before that my life isn't peaceful. It’s not calm. It’s…crazy and insane, and we’ll always be under a lens, and—”
I cut her off, because nothing she could say could change my mind. It was always meant to be me and her, and I’ll spend however long I need showing her that I’m not going anywhere. “I’m not going to regret choosing you, Bree. I don't know why you think you’re not worth it, that being with you isn't worth it, because the feelings I have for you are real, and they’re strong as fuck. That might scare the fucking shit out of me, but when I think about choosing you and having a life together, all those scary feelings diminish, and all that’s left is peace. That’s what you do for me, and all I want is for you to choose me back so I can prove to you that you’re easy to love.”
She just shakes her head at me. “What if it’s not enough? What if choosing one another isn't enough? I can’t ask you to throw yourself in the deep end because you can’t predict what will happen.”
“Baby, none of us can. But you deserve to be loved and chosen, not almost. Let me prove to you that I’m choosing this—us. You can’t push me away before we even have a chance to try.”
Her head tilts down, and her face looks puzzled as she stares back at me.
“Where have I heard that before?” She touches her bracelet, and the memory must come back, because a few seconds later, her eyes pierce mine, shock lacing her features.
“What’s going on, Bree?”