Page 9 of Fractured Hearts

“The car is waiting in the player lot to take us back to the hotel,” Belle says, grabbing my purse and Maverick’s shoes. When the hell did he take off his shoes?

The luxury boxes have a separate elevator so we’re able to get down to the parking lot with little trouble. Unless you count the snail’s pace we’re moving at since two of us are half dragging Maverick. With Patrick still out there somewhere, it really wasn’t smart to drink the amount Maverick did, and I’m silently scolding myself for not stopping him. He’s a grown man and makes his own choices, but he usually listens to my advice, and I think he would’ve taken it easy. Not that any of that matters right now. I just can’t get out of my head tonight.

Thankfully, the ride home is short since the game was on home ice. Maverick fell asleep almost immediately and spent the ride snoring while Kai, Belle, and I sat in anxious silence.

“I’m worried,” Belle says as she stands with me while Kai gets Maverick out of his jacket and onto the couch. He’s practically dead weight at this point, and none of us wanted to struggle getting him up the stairs.

“No matter what happens, we’re going to figure this out. No one is giving up on finding Ezra or protecting Maverick,” I say with more confidence than I feel.

“Do you want me to stay?” Kai asks, coming to stand with us. “I can take the other couch.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sure he’ll sleep it off and be miserable in the morning.”

“Call us if you need us,” Belle says, hugging me quickly before leaving. Kai nods and follows her out.

I watch Maverick sleep for a moment, his face so relaxed and peaceful it’s hard to look away. That usual pinch in his brow and stiffness in his shoulders is missing. I wish he could feel this at peace more often and without the help of expensive whiskey. Grabbing the soft blue blanket from the back of the couch, I throw it over him.

“Angel?” Maverick asks in a groggy voice.

“Not an angel. It’s just Jo, Maverick. Get some sleep,” I whisper.

“You’re my angel, Jo,” he says as his eyes slowly close. “You save me from the edge of darkness.”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I just brush the hair away from his face. As I turn to leave, he snags my wrist and holds on tightly.

“Stay with me,” he says, his eyes still closed as he rides the border of sleep. “Please, angel. Stay with me.”

“Okay,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper with how difficult the word was to get out around the lump in my throat. I kick my shoes off quickly and squeeze in next to him on the couch. He pulls me firmly against his chest and rests his chin on the top of my head.

He doesn’t know what he’s doing to me, holding me like this. Maverick has no idea he makes my heart race as it breaks. But I’d take that pain over and over again just to feel his arms around me and the sweet way he whispers ‘angel’ in my ear before he drifts off to sleep.

seven

EZRA

Sometimes it’s easy to feel when the end is coming. Other times it smacks you in the face out of the blue and leaves you reeling. I’m sitting somewhere in between those two as I ride the elevator up to Declan’s hospital room.

He almost died. He almost fucking died because of me. Patrick slit his throat and left him to bleed out in front of his wife. Willa has been one of my closest friends for most of my life, and Declan became my best friend before I knew it was happening and could stop it. Yet I almost ruined their lives because of my selfishness.

I know what I need to do. I already bartered the promise of information to Anderson Sinclair in exchange for help to save my friends’ lives. He kept his promise, telling me Eva was no longer a problem, and I know it’s only a matter of time before he comes for payment. I can’t hide anymore. I don’t want to hide anymore.

“Willa,” I whisper as I enter Declan’s room. Her head swings around, puffy red eyes meeting mine. “Why don’t you go grab a coffee? I’ll sit with him.”

“Thanks, Ben, but I need to be here when he wakes up.”

“I swear I’ll call you the minute he twitches. You look like you need a break.” I know I’m being pushy, but I want a minute alone with Declan so I can reassure myself he’s safe. I’ve avoided spending any amount of time with Willa and the others, worried they would recognize me. I grew my hair and beard out, bulked up, and wore brown contacts, but I could never be sure that was enough.

“Okay,” she sighs, standing slowly from the seat next to Declan’s bed. “Thanks, Ben. For everything.”

I nod, keeping my expression neutral. Ezra was always happy, optimistic. So Ben is grumpy and stoic. Or maybe that’s just how I am after years of running and always looking over my shoulder. Maybe I should add resentful to my glowing list of personality traits after all the running and hiding meant jack shit. The people I love most in the world were still hurt, and I missed out on all these years with them.

I take the seat Willa vacated and stare at Declan. His face is almost as pale as the sheets he’s lying on. The amount of blood I saw coming out of him explains that, and it’s an image I’ll never be able to scrub from my brain. It’s guilt I’ll never be able to make up for.

“Back already?” I ask, hearing the door to the room open. I turn to see Anderson Sinclair standing there, not Willa. “Oh.”

“I came to check on Declan, but you being here is fortuitous.” Anderson saunters up next to the bed, looks Declan over and then turns his gaze to me. His brown eyes aren’t cold, but they’re not warm either. He has the look of someone who gets what he wants no matter the cost. And what he wants is what I offered freely in a moment of pure desperation.

I stand slowly, pulling the USB drive from the front pocket of my jeans. I grabbed it before coming here, knowing Sinclair would seek me out. He takes it from my outstretched hand, brow furrowing in confusion. His brows draw even closer together as he watches me remove my contacts.