Taylor pushed Kam away."What were you thinking?"
Kam moved to Taylor's ankles and worked on loosening the knots. "I was thinking that I couldn't leave you like this and I needed to get free."
Taylor swung her legs over the edge of the cot so that she sat facing him. "You could have died." Her hand trailed down his side until she reached the gash Katarina gave him. He winced.
"I'll live. We need to make a plan to get out of here." Kam took Taylor's hand and started a perimeter of the room. He tried to recall the details from when the lights were on.
Taylor pulled them to a stop. "I need to treat your injuries."
"I'll be fine. We need to find a way to get off this ship."
"Kambre James King. You won't be dying on my watch." She used his whole name and it only made him smile.
"Let's first find the lights so that you can see to torture me." She smacked his arm. "Too soon?" He laughed then regretted it.
"You think?" She reached forward and the room filled with light. Kam blinked rapidly, taking survey of the room again. "Hold still," Taylor scolded.
She ripped the shirt the rest of the way, wadding it and wrapping it tightly around his waist. "If you wanted to take my shirt off, you could have just asked."
She twisted the knot tighter which forced a grunt from him. "That should keep you from bleeding out, but we need to get you to a hospital."
"No hospitals." He pulled her to stand in front of him. "Taylor, promise me, no hospitals."
She nodded her head as her eyes searched his. "No hospitals."
His heart rate began to lower. He didn't think twice in taking on an assassin, but going back to a hospital made his vision start to narrow and breaths become short. He never wanted to be back in a place like that, broken and alone.
Taylor touched his face. "I'm here this time."
He wrapped her hand in his and he placed it over his heart avoiding the cut on his chest. "I know and as soon as we clear your name, if you're willing to be with a broken man, we can figure out life…together."
Kam sounded like a bumbling teen talking to his crush. Taylor gave him a small smile. "Kam King, are you proposing? Again?"
Kam swallowed then cleared his throat. "I'm not the same person you once knew. That man died in a hospital room three years ago."
"You're right. But the man who you are at your core hasn't changed. You haven't let the darkness consume you. You'venever stopped fighting." Her words broke away more of the ties on his heart.
"I only did what I had to to survive."
She shook her head. "No. You still have your faith in God. You haven't forgotten whose you are."
A peace rushed through him and cracked more of the binds. He still needed to tell her everything. "I was so angry at first. I did things that I'm not proud of. There are people whose lives I ruined. People who died because of me."
Kam closed his eyes, not wanting to see the look of disappointment she gave him. Taylor unwound their hands. The rejection hurt. He knew that she'd have a hard time with who he had to be, but part of him wanted to hope that she'd realize he regretted those first months with Spartak and had worked to redeem himself ever since.
"Kam, look at me." She didn't sound upset, but how could she not? Kam slowly opened his eyes. Taylor stood with her arms folded across her chest. "Did you work it out with God?"
That wasn't the question he thought she would ask. He had opted for the bury it deep and not try to think about it option when it came to those dark days.
When Kam didn't respond, Taylor's hands moved to her hips and her eyes narrowed. She got even more beautiful when the fire lit her eyes. "No matter what you did, God will forgive you. The question is, can you forgive yourself?"
The anger burst from him faster than he could shove it away. "How can I forgive myself for taking everything away from Max? He lost everything because of me." Kam jammed his finger at his chest.
Taylor didn't flinch at his outburst, but her arms fell to her sides. "Were you the one who killed his wife and child?"
"No, but…"
Taylor held up her hand. "Does Max blame you for what happened?" Memories of all the times Max had helped and in some cases saved him this past year flooded his mind. "If Max forgave you, don't you think it's time to forgive yourself?"
