Page 71 of Cash

Stella gave Cara a weak smile. “It’s a real, I’ll think about it.”

As much as I knew Cara needed to see Stella was okay, it was time for Stella to get a pain pill in her and rest.

“Sweetheart, do me a favor and go get me a bottle of water out of the fridge.”

“Sure,” Cara chirped and bounced out of the room.

I watched her go, wondering if I’d ever been a carefree seven-year-old, even though it was a fool’s thought because I knew better. I’d never been a carefree anything—not a single day in my miserable childhood did I feel safe enough to bound from a room with a skip in my step.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Sore all over.” Her admission surprised me. I figured I’d have to pull the truth out of her. “I don’t remember…” She trailed off, using her limited line of sight to take in the room. “Is this…are we…how’d…” She didn’t finish her thought.

I’d never seen or heard Stella be anything but strong and capable. Seeing and hearing her unsure and confused was like acid in my veins. It was only the underlying trust—not only that I’d take care of Cara but also her, that made it possible to endure the poison.

“For now, all you need to know is, you and Cara are safe,” I told her. Her eyes narrowed, and I was happy to see some of her normal fire sparking to life. “If you’re still awake after I get Cara to bed, I’ll tell you everything. But saying that, you need a pain pill. So, we’ll talk in the morning.”

“Got it!” Cara announced as she skipped back into my room. “If I hold my breath, so I don’t breathe in icky tummy germs, can I give Lolo a kiss?”

Jesus.

I couldn’t decide if it was Cara’s question or the warmth that suffused Stella’s face that made the left side of my chest get tight.

My contemplation was cut short when Stella answered, “How about if I hold my breath so I don’t breathe yucky germs on you when you come give me a kiss?”

Cara bopped over, handed me the bottle of water, leaned down, and kissed Stella’s cheek.

When Cara straightened, Stella’s face was tender and full of love.

And my first thought after witnessing that beauty was how badly I wanted that look aimed at me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

I was awake when Cash came to bed. I’d refused the narcotics he’d tried to talk me into taking and opted for over-the-counter pain relief. This was a mistake; my back was on fire. But I’d rather the haze of pain than the blitzed-out consequence of the heavier stuff.

It was bad enough I’d lost hours. I vaguely remembered my brother’s goon removing my bra before he tossed me on a mattress. I vividly remembered alcohol being poured on my back. The pain of that blurring my vision until dark spots crowded in. After that I only had flashes. One of them was the asshole trying to get me, now braless, back on the hook. For obvious reasons I wasn’t going to allow that to happen. One of those reasons was my brother whipping me after he’d torn my blood-soaked shirt off was bad enough—totally bare up top was disturbing on a whole new level.

“Did I kill him?” I whispered my question.

I felt the bed move but I stayed lying on my side facing him with my eyes closed. It was one thing to know Cash was lying next to me, it was another to see his handsome face sharing a bed with me. I already had enough memories of the man to torture me—the last thing I needed was to court more.

In a couple of days, he’d be out of my life again. Hell, maybe by morning he’d kick me and Cara out.

“Yeah, Stella, you did. We came in just as you snapped his neck.”

Snapped his neck.

That should’ve made me feel something. But it didn’t.

“Who is we?”

“Me and Zane.”

I pinched my eyelids tighter.

I should’ve been grateful it had only been Zane and Cash and not the whole team. Yet, I couldn’t find gratitude through my shame.

“Do you know who he was?”