Twenty
VIOLET
Fuck, I ache. I feel like I got hit by a train and it didn’t have the decency to just kill me.
I can’t help but whimper as I roll over in the bed and my rib cage sings with pain. My face feels not just swollen but like it’s on fire, and my hands hurt.
There’s no way I can work this week with my hands like this. No one wants their ink fucked up because the artist is injured.
I crack an eye open as much as I can and glance around the dim bedroom. The sun is out, but the heavy curtains are pulled closed to keep it as dark as possible. Mateo isn’t here, but I can still smell him, and it comforts me.
When it finally sank in last night that he’snotpart of the group that took Rosie and that he and his brothers would help me, it felt like the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I canfinallytrust someone. Not just with my body and my feelings, but with my sister.
And that hasn’t been the case in areallylong time.
I manage to move to the side of the bed, every motion of my body so damn slow, you’d think I was a sloth, but I just can’t move any faster. When I see that it’s past noon, I blow out a breath.
It shouldn’t surprise me that I slept for such a long time. I’m still exhausted. And after I use the bathroom and find some water for my dry mouth, I’m going back to sleep.
I carefully make my way to the bathroom, but sitting down on the toilet is absolute torture. Standing back up when I’m done is worse.
And when I’m at the sink, washing my hands, I glance up in the mirror and just about pass out from the jolt of seeing myself for the first time.
Christ, I’m a fucking mess.
Not only do I feel like I was hit by a train, Ilooklike it, too, with puffy lips and one eye almost swollen shut. I have bruises all over my face and torso. It’s no wonder that I’m moving so slowly.
I find the T-shirt and sweats that I borrowed last night and manage to slip them on, then make my way down the stairs to the kitchen.
With the brightness shining through the windows, I’m not quite as sleepy as I was before. It’s not time for more medicine yet, and I’m only taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen because I refuse to take anything that I could become dependent on. I don’t need that habit.
I fill a glass with water and walk over to the windows, sipping as I take in the chaos of the Strip. People bustle about, traffic is stop and go, and for the millionth time since I moved here, I can’t help but wonder if Rosie is out there, and if she is, is she at leastsafe?
Because I can’t bear the thought of her hurt and hungry.
You’re not alone in this anymore. Mateo and the others are going to help.
And I have to believe that, with them at my back, my sister will be by my side soon.
When I turn from the windows, I find Mateo standing about twenty feet away, his hands in his pockets, watching me silently. His hair is wet, like he just took a shower, and his eyes move over me, as if he’s cataloging my injuries.
“I didn’t hear you,” I tell him.
“You were deep in thought, Savage.” He tilts his head to the side. “I want to kiss you so bad, I ache with it, but I’m so fucking afraid of hurting you.”
“Maybe a gentle kiss,” I suggest, and he crosses to me in less than two seconds. He’s so achingly tender as he brushes his fingers through my hair and lightly ghosts his lips over mine.
He kisses my cheeks, my jawline, and next to my eye. He’s literally kissing all my hurts.
“I’m so sorry that I misjudged you.”
He shakes his head and takes the glass from my hand and sets it aside. “The thing is, you didn’t. Aside from what you suspected, Iamthe bad guy. I do a lot of really shitty things, Savage.”
“Yeah, well. So do a lot of people.” I lift a shoulder and drag my hands down his arms. “The people who were supposed toprotect and serve, who were supposed to be thegoodguys, were also the villains. So at the end of the day, you’ve done more for me than any of them ever did. I know you’re dangerous. I can feel it every time I touch you. But I’ve never been afraid of you. Not even for a heartbeat.”
“And you’ll never need to be.” He kisses my forehead, and I feel it all the way to my toes. “What do you want to do today?”
“Well, it’s my normal day off, but I’ll need to call the shop and let them know I’ll be out for a while and reschedule my clients. Which really sucks because I could use that money.”
