We don’t even look back.
Chapter 42
Maddox
“Is Nathan okay?” I ask Mason, when he meets us at the hospital.
He nods, running a hand over his chin. “Yeah. The same can’t be said for one David Grafton, though.”
“Who the fuck is David Grafton?”
Mason chuckles. “He’s Fallon’s other partner. Not a perverted fuck like the other one, just your average criminal asshole. His job was to hide in the bushes, watch for you, then collect the bag. It didn’t quite work out like that.”
I raise an eyebrow and ask him what happened instead, because he’s clearly deeply amused by it.
“When he realized he’d been tricked, he tried to run. And then he kicked Mikey Ryan in the balls.”
Ouch. For both of them. I can’t imagine Dave is able to walk or even speak after that stunt. But I ask no more questions. It’s another thing I decide I don’t want the answer to.
“How’s our girl? Can I see her?” he asks, gesturing to the private room where Ellie is resting.
I smile. “She’s good, all things considered. Her scans all came back clear, no permanent damage. She’s going to be fine. But no,Mase, you can’t see her. Not yet. There’s something I’ve got to do first. A question I’ve got to ask her.”
He grins and punches me in the shoulder. I pretend he’s hurt me and grin back. “Am I doing the right thing?”
“I think so, bro. But ask me again in ten minutes.” He flashes me a wink. “Good luck.”
I knock quietly on her door, just in case she’s asleep. She’s not. Her curly hair is wild on the pillows, and her cuts and bruises have been treated with stitches and tape. Her eyes are still magical as she turns them on me, though, and her smile fills my heart. “Hey,” she says, her voice still croaky.
“Hey yourself, baby. How are you feeling?”
She tries to sit up, and I rush over to help her, settling her on her pillows and making sure she’s comfortable. “I’m okay, Mad. And I’m not sad he’s gone. Keres has wanted to deal with him for years, as you can imagine. I always…I don’t know. I guess part of me just thought ‘he’s my dad’ and wanted to move past it? Forgive him even? I don’t like to give up hope on anybody.”
Tears shine in her eyes. I take hold of her hand, turn it over, and kiss her palm. “I know baby. And that’s one of the things I love about you. Your generous spirit. But sometimes…”
She lets out a little laugh. “Yeah. I know. Sometimes, it seems, the only solution to a problem is ripping it to shreds. Literally. I couldn’t live with him being in our world, Mad. Especially after he threatened you.”
“About that, baby?—”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I love you, Maddox, and I would do anything to protect you. I know what I did was a little reckless…”
I arch an eyebrow. “A little?”
Her cheeks flush with color, and it’s fucking adorable. “Okay, a lot. But don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing if it were me at risk?”
I absolutely cannot tell her that because I would die to keep her safe. “I get your instinct to protect me, and I love that you do, but I want you to promise that you willneverput yourself at risk like that again for me.”
She presses her lips together.
“Baby?”
Still nothing.
“Fallon had nothing on me, El. And even if he had, we would have handled it.”
“I couldn’t take that risk, Maddox. I don’t think you realize that I couldn’t live without you.”
“The feeling is mutual, baby.” I lean over and kiss her right cheek. It’s one of the only parts of her face that isn’t battered.
