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“How are you feeling? Did they get the bullet out?”
“I’m fine, it’s better now. The prick doctor shoved it in deeper by accident, which made me concerned about the competency of the staff here and the care you’d get, so I got pissed off. Rian had to take me outside to calm down after they slapped the bandage on,” he says, with an irritated frown.
“You and Rian, huh? Besties now?” I smile at the thought of Greyson getting along with the guys.
“Yeah, I’m not sure about that. He still looks at me like he wants to murder me, but I think he hates me a little less.”
“Thiago told me what you did for Lya—how you took the bullet to save her. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for saving her life. I just wish you didn’t get hurt in the process.” Tears well in my eyes at the thought that I could’ve lost either of them.
He pulls me in closer to his body, still remaining cautious not to squeeze too hard. “I’d never let her get hurt like that—I know how much she means to you. I know the guys would’ve done the same if it were you.”
“Still, it was very brave of you to do that. And to think you call yourself the devil.” I can hear his heart beating faster beneath my chest, like he’s nervous to tell me something. “Grey, what’s wrong?” I tilt my head up to look into his captivating blue eyes. They’re filled with so much anguish, it makes my head spin over what could be wrong.
"Angel, we need to talk about what happened. I need to know that you’re okay. I need to know what I can do for you.” His voice is shaky and it feels like his heart rate picked up even more, if that’s possible.
“I’m okay—a little banged up, but nothing that won’t heal. I’ll be alright.” I give him a soft smile to try and reassure him.
“Lainey... please tell me what happened? I need to know. I need to feel your pain and help you through it. I don’t want you to feel like you have to go through this alone. Did he touch you?” He’s quietly furious now.
Rubbing circles on his bare chest, I try to calm him. I know he’s beating himself up, but he doesn’t need to. “He... He tried, but one of his men stopped him to tell him there was something going on. I’m guessing that’s when you guys showed up. He was close... so close, but he didn’t get that far. After he ripped my jeans down, he rubbed and pressed himself against my ass, but he didn’t get any further.”
His grip on me tightens. His chest rises and falls quickly, and anger radiates off of him. I don’t know if that anger is with Harvey or with himself.
“Look at me, Grey.” I lift my hand and place it on his cheek, turning his face toward me. “I’m okay. You’re okay, we’re okay. You couldn’t have done anything to protect me in that situation, so stop feeling guilty about that.”
“It’s not okay, angel. It willneverbe okay. Fuck. I told you I’d always protect you, and I failed. I broke my promise to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for all of my failures, just to be a man who deserves even a second of your time.” Tears begin to form in his eyes, and I’m sure he’s going to let them loose. It breaks my heart to see my ruthless man so hurt and vulnerable.
“You do deserve me. No one is perfect, Grey. You can’t always be so hard on yourself.” I lean up and press my lips to his, to remind him that what we have is real.
What we have is undying chemistry and love—nothing will change that.
“How do you do that, Lainey? How can you make everything seem like it’ll be okay in the end? Like we have no problems or worries?”
“Because itwillbe okay. No matter what, we'll work through it together, side by side. You had my back at twelve years old, and I know you always will.” My smile grows. Greyson and I will get our chance to right our wrongs, and grow together.
A moment of silence passes between us; I can tell he’s thinking way too hard about something. I try to pry it out of him. “Just say it. It’ll be okay.”
"Angel, what I did to him... What I did in that room was worse than anything I’ve ever done. I became the monster my father always wanted me to be. I had to end Sutton for all he did to you.”
“Wait. He’s dead?” Relief floods my body, realizing that psychotic asshole is gone. They’d said they took care of him, but I assumed that just meant they were holding him somewhere. Not going to lie, a tiny bit of disappointment courses through me that I couldn’t end his life myself, but I can understand they didn’t have much time, so I’m glad it was done.
“Thiago didn’t tell you?”
“No. He didn’t really tell me anything. He just said that Lya and Zep went to go deal with the Snakes, and that Rian was trying to calm you down. What did you do to Harvey?”
"Angel.” His eyes are hard.
“Hey, it’s okay. Even the darkest parts of your soul don’t scare me.” He needs me to remind him that no matter what he did, it won’t push me away. “I know through that hazy storm of emptiness, you always have a guiding light pushing you through the worst of it in the right direction, for the right reasons.”
“Jesus, Lainey. I hope you still love me after all this.”
I rub my thumb across his cheek. “Always.”
He gulps, causing his Adam's apple to bob. “I paid him back for all the pain he caused you. It’s like I left my body in that moment and didn’t have any control. I couldn’t stop. I had to do it for you. It felt so good to crush his throat with my bare hands, but that wasn’t enough. Not for all that he put you through. I…” He pauses for a moment before he continues, trying to gauge my reaction. “He told me that he touched you, that he raped you. I couldn’t handle that. All I saw was red. I took my knife and cut off his dick before I killed him. His screams were just about the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. Fuck, I know you wanted to kill him yourself. I took that from you and I get that, but he had to die. Everything he said about you... There was no stopping after hearing that.”
For once, I’m stunned. He did warn me that what he’d done was dark, but I hadn’t imagined that. Regardless, Harvey deserved what he got, and I don’t feel bad for even thinking that. He was a despicable man who did despicable things. I just hope that this doesn’t cause Greyson to crawl into a hole of darkness that he can’t come back from. I’ll do anything to keep him from that.
“You had to do what you had to do in the moment. As long as he’s gone, I’m okay with that. You did it to save me, to save the other girls. You might’ve had underlying rage behind your actions, but your intentions were good. Please just don’t leave me. Don’t go to that dark place again and leave me behind. I need you to be my light, just as you need me to be yours.”
