Page 126 of Trigger Happy Ending

I snap my head up to find Raine staring at me through half-opened, swollen, bloodshot eyes.

“Yeah,” I rasp. “I’m here.”

She swallows and asks, “What did you save me for? You’re free.”

Is she for real?

“You’d be dead if I didn’t.”

“Good,” she slurs, voice broken in a million different ways. “Death is my way out of this shitty life.”

My throat closes up. Like a tennis ball is lodged in my throat. This is not who I am. I’m a regimented black ops soldier for fuck’s sake, not some weeping lovesick fool. But she sees it, sees me stumbling and not coping very well. Her fingers twitch towards mine. I grab her hand with both of mine and clasp onto her.

“You can’t die.”

Her skin shudders underneath my touch.

“Because if you die? I die.”

She exhales like I've knocked the air clean out of her.

“You hear me?”

She nods softly as her eyes shut and falls into a deep, sedated sleep.

Chapter 52

Soren

I'm convinced this strange house is some sort of clandestine medical center for people who don’t want the attention of the authorities. Typical underworld shit. They really do have access to anything at any time of day. John, and what I can only assume are registered nurses, are talking quietly in Raine’s room. Her condition is still critical, but thankfully, they were able get Raine stable.

Carson and I are hovering outside the door, standing up straighter as John emerges from the room.

He pulls a small cloth from his pocket, removes his glasses, and wipes the lenses clean before sliding them back on and nudging them high on the bridge of his nose.

“We need to get her to a hospital,” he states. “I suspect a punctured lung, fractures, possibly internal damage, but we won’t know without scans. There’s only so much we can do here.”

My hearing dulls and air escapes me in a broken rush. My girl’s insides are all torn up.

“For now, we’ve stabilized her and placed her in an induced coma. But she needs a hospital.”

I glance over his shoulder at her and nod, giving my permission. Whatever she needs, she gets. I'll make sure of it.

“What’s her name?” John asks.

I keep my mouth shut as I weigh the options of telling the truth. There's no point in lying anymore, not when Raine's life hangs in the balance.

“Angel,” Carson answers on my behalf. There goes the truth, I guess.

“Okay. Angel.” John looks at Carson flatly. “I’ll make the call. I’ll be outside until the paramedics arrive. Usual drill?”

Interesting choice of words from Johnny boy. Obviously Carson is a regular here. I already know he’s neck-deep up in shady shit, but the surveillance, the personal security, the weapons, and now this little medical black site? It raises a hell of a lot more questions than it answers.

“Yes,” Carson responds. “They aren’t to ask any questions. Tell them there was an ambush at the Golden Claw, and Angel was collateral damage in the brawl.”

John nods in agreement. “Understood.”

It’s a good cover story. One my tired and heartbroken ass couldn’t have formed. I scrub my face with my hands, feeling completely drained. There’s a vibration in my jean pocket, and I realize it’s my phone. I slide it from my pocket, glancing at it quickly.