Page 97 of The Broken Keys

Not good enough.

Across the room, Cash’s voice rises slightly. “I know, Guns. I know. But she’s stable, and they’re monitoring her. You just need to get here as soon as you can.”

A pause.

“No, I’m not leaving. I’ll be here when you get here.”

Another pause.

“Yeah, mate. I promise.”

He ends the call and stands there for a moment. His forehead is pressed against the window, his phone still clutched in his hand. When he finally turns back to me, his eyes are tired and full of worry.

“Guns said they’ll charter a plane. They’ll be here by tomorrow afternoon.” Cash crosses the room and drops into a chair two seats away from me. Close enough for conversation, but maintaining distance.

“Perfect. She’ll need them.”

The silence stretches between us. The muted television flickers with images of today’s events that don’t matter. Behind the huge metal-locked door where the ICU rooms are, Livianna lies.

She’s probably an emotional mess. She needs me, and once again, I’m not there for her.

A fleeting thought passes through me. Maybe it’s better this way. I’m putting her life at risk by having her in my life and that was made obvious today.

My enemies are getting closer. It’s becoming clear I should walk away, but I can’t. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved, and I’ll burn the world down to keep her safe in my arms.

Cash leans forward. His hands clasp together between his legs. He stares at the floor for a few moments before speaking.

“I need to tell you something.” His voice is rough. “About Livianna. About something that happened between us.”

My stomach knots. “What?”

“When she was fifteen, and we were together…” He scrapes his teeth over his bottom lip. “She got pregnant. We were young, stupid, and unprepared. But we were gonna keep it.”

The admission rips through me and steals my breath. Livianna was pregnant before. With Cash’s child. And she never said a word to me about it.

Why?

“What happened?” My voice comes out flat even though everything inside me is breaking apart.

“She lost it. My Uncle…” Cash’s hands curl into fists. “It destroyed her, Jaxon. That loss threw her into a deep depression. She spiraled into this dark place I couldn’t pull her out of. Her cutting got worse, she was using opioids, cocaine, anxiety pills?—”

“I knew she used drugs, but I thought it was because she was heartbroken over her ex.” I run my palms down my thighs. “There was so much we didn’t tell each other.”

“Livianna’s not known for talking about things that hurt.”

My chest constricts. Were we even as close as I believed we were?

“Why are you telling me this, Cash?”

“Because she almost died and I’m terrified it’s gonna happen again.” He raises his gaze, his eyes filled with genuine fear.

“Why?”

“She just lost another baby, Jaxon. Your child this time. And I’m scared that when she wakes up and finds out, she’s gonna collapse the same way she did before. Maybe worse.”

Jesus Christ. The true terror on his face is factual. This isn’t a strategic move or a power play. This is a man who’s watched the woman he loves crumble right before his eyes and is worried about it happening again.

“She never told me.” The harsh admission slices at my soul. “In over two years, she never mentioned any of this.”