Page 111 of Barinov

I nod slowly. “Who’s all out there?”

“Just Roman and Rez,” he answers. “Sabine and Knox flew back with Tex yesterday morning after they took Marisol home. They wanted to get a jumpstart on the collars now that we have one of them on hand.”

“Good,” I mutter, a phantom shock tingling my neck.

Cade leans down, placing one more kiss on my forehead before turning toward the door.

“I’ll be right back,” he says. “Don’t move.”

I scoff. “Not like I could if I wanted to.”

He’s gone all of three minutes before there is another knock at the door.

“It’s open,” I mutter.

Roman steps in and strides over to me. “How are you doing?”

“I’ll live.”

“Never doubted that,” he says, folding his arms. His voice is quieter than usual. A little less steel and a little more sincerity. It’s weird. I don’t like it.

“Thanks,” I say after a beat. “For jumping in there so fast and helping me.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t mention it. You shoved your hands in my bleeding chest to save my ass. The least I could do was return the favor.”

I huff a laugh and immediately get a fuck you, Lex from my shoulder. “Shit. Don’t make me laugh, it hurts like hell.”

“Sorry,” he says but his mouth twitches.

He moves to the window and is silent for a second. “How are you doing with everything?”

“Fuckin’ hurt,” I mutter, squinting at him through the haze of the painkillers. “I already said that.”

“I don’t mean the pain, Lex.” He turns, his eyes locking on me with a weight that makes me want to look away. “I mean, how are you doing?”

“You mean how am I doing now that I had to kill my cousins?”

The words land hard in the silence. But he doesn’t back down. His gaze sharpens on me, just waiting for an answer.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “At the time adrenaline sort of took over.” I breathe in slowly. “But now I don’t really want to face my family.”

“That’s fair.” He nods.

“And it’s not even really my family I’m worried about.” My voice drops. “It’s Cade.”

He doesn’t interrupt.

“He’s always known I’ve… well… that I’m,” I ramble. “I mean he’s seen me with blood on my hands before but never like this.”

Roman walks over and drops into the chair beside my bed. “Cade’s stronger than you think.”

I blink at him. “You say that like you know him.”

“I know him enough,” he deadpans. “Now, anyways.”

I sigh. “How’d you do it?”

“Do what?”