“Amelia.”
“It’s my fault everything happened.” My voice breaks hard enough to hurt. “It’s my fault Livy got hurt. It’s my fault your brother got shot.”
His face changes. I see the pain in his eyes.
“He must hate me,” I whisper.
Maverick catches my face between his hands.
Even with blood on his knuckles and death still waiting behind his eyes, he touches me like I’m something precious.
“Listen to me.”
I shake my head. “Maverick.”
“No. Listen to me.”
His voice is quiet, but there’s no room to disobey it.
“Stefano doesn’t hate you. He loves you and is very worried about you.”
A sob catches in my throat.
“He almost died because of me.”
“Rory was most likely watching the estate and waiting for you to leave. Stefano was shot trying to protect you. It’s not your fault. You didn’t pull that trigger.”
“But I left.”
“You were not wrong to help.”
“I took Livy out of the estate.”
His thumb brushes beneath my eye. “She snuck into the car because she is stubborn, brave, and has apparently learned terrible habits from every adult in our family.”
A broken laugh slips through my tears.
It hurts.
Everything hurts.
Maverick leans closer.
“Stefano chose to go with you because that is who he is. He protects what he loves. He protected you. He protected Olivia. And if you try to apologize to him for that, he will be deeply offended and probably dramatic enough to need a second hospital stay.”
I cover my mouth with one shaking hand.
My fingers burn when they bend.
Maverick notices immediately.
“Oh, baby,” he says, reaching for my hand.
I shake my head, lowering my hands.
“I can’t feel my toes,” I admit. “And if you try to warm my fingers too fast, it’s going to hurt terribly.”
His face tightens, but he simply unties the rope and easily pulls it away.
