Page 70 of Venomous Games

They continue to work on him, and his eyes remain closed as they shout a bunch of stuff at each other. I chew my nails as I sit and watch, completely helpless.

My phone keeps ringing, and I turn it off as we pull up to the hospital. I follow him in, and the paramedics turn to me as Boston is wheeled away. They’re asking me if I’m hurt, and all I can do is shake my head as I watch him disappear.

“You’re covered in blood. Is it all his?” one asks. I nod, my stomach tight and my heart heavy.

One of them shows me to the waiting room and tells me I’ll get an update when there’s information to share with me.

I sit, bouncing my leg and chewing my nails for what feels like an eternity before a doctor enters. They look around the waiting room until their gaze lands on me.

“Are you the detective’s family?” the doctor asks.

“No—” I stop myself and shake my head. “I’m his wife,” I whisper. The words echo in my head, over and over again. Tears I didn’t know had formed run down my cheeks, and I angrily swipe them away.

I’m his wife.

“We were able to remove the bullet.” I hang on to every single word that leaves the doctor’s mouth until he finally says the last words, which somehow completely dissolve the stiffness in my body. “He should make a full recovery. He’ll be out of it for a while and will need rest.”

I nod and smile at him. “Can I see him?”

“Yes. This way.” He takes me into a room where I find Boston lying in a bed. There’s a tube in his mouth, and he’s hooked up to so many machines that I don’t know where I can touch him. I pull a chair closer to his bed, sit down, and reach for his hand.

The door is suddenly pushed open, revealing two police officers. They ask if they can talk to me, and I stand, letting go of his hand as I make my way over to them.

“Sorry, but this is urgent. We want to find whoever did this,” the first one says. “We all care about Detective⁠—”

I cut her off. “It was his partner. He shot him, then ran,” I tell them, and their eyes go wide like they can’t believe what I’m saying.

“Rolland?” the other asks.

“Yes. He also shot at me. Go back to the scene, and you’ll find a bullet in the tree near where my motorcycle is parked. I was running toward them when he tried to shoot at me.”

They exchange a skeptical look. They better fucking believe me because I’m not fucking lying. And if they don’t catch him, I fucking will. And if I do catch him, I’ll be sure to play with him a little bit before I hand him over. If I hand him over, that is.

“You can leave now,” a dark voice booms.

The officers turn to see Soren standing behind them. I walk back into the room, not wanting any part of whatever game it is they play, and take hold of Boston’s hand. I’m quietly watching him when I feel Soren enter the room.

“The doctor said he’ll recover,” he says, and it takes everything in me not to turn around and snap at him. Not that he’s done anything wrong, but just because he holds so much power. His presence commands a room. I think he assumes he has more rights here than others do. I don’t pay him any attention, and he sits in the room with me in silence.

Laying my head on the bed next to our joined hands, I must pass out at some point, but then I’m suddenly woken by other voices.

“He’s okay, but I need you to do something for me.” I sit up, and Victor is the first person I see. He’s standing in the doorway speaking to Soren. His eyes find mine, and he simply gives me a nod and then looks back to Soren, who glances over at me. It’s at that moment that Cressida pushes her way into the room, holding a tray of coffees. She walks past Soren and straight to me, offering me one.

“She prefers strawberry milkshakes,” a voice grumbles from the bed, and I jump to my feet to see that they must have taken his breathing tube out when I was asleep, but he still has a bunch of wires connected to him.

“You’re awake,” I say, smiling, and my eyes feel wet again. I angrily swipe at the tears as the smile remains on my face. His eyes, which I very much love, meet mine.

“Yes. Are you hurt?” he asks.

“No. He ran off.”

He nods, and his hand moves toward mine. I reach for his, grab hold, and slide my fingers through his.

“Boston,” Soren says as he comes up on the other side of the bed. I wait for him to speak more, but he just lays a hand on Boston’s shoulder and tells him that he’s glad to see he’s still alive. Maybe I didn’t give him enough credit. I just assumed he was only here because he had to tie up some loose ends, but maybe they do care for each other outside of their stupid fucking secret society. Do they not realize they are grown-ass men, and they don’t need a fucking society to kill people? They can just get paid for it, as I do.

“How about we go and get some food, let them talk,” Cressida says to me. I glance at Victor, then Soren, before I look back to the man in the bed, the one I would have gladly killed for. The only person I would kill for before now is my sister, but I’ve somehow added him to that list—a list I never wanted to add another person to.

“You’re okay?” I ask him.