AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He should hopefully wake up on his own soon.”
Hopefully? My legs were going to give out again, and Maurizio caught my back with his hand as if realizing I needed the support.
“They’ll need to monitor Ryan for another forty-eight hours before they consider him totally out of the woods, but they’re optimistic,” Noah went on.
Forty-eight more hours of worrying?
“He’ll be okay,” Maurizio said in a tight voice, sending me strength with a determined, although obviously distressed, glance.
Noah cleared his throat, most likely shoving down his own emotions, then jerked a thumb toward someone else now on their feet in the room.
“This is Asher, the one who dragged Owen and Ryan out, with Anthony’s help.” Noah pointed to a guy who could’ve been Aquaman’s stunt double.
I did my best not to launch myself into his arms next. “Thank you,” I said with a nod as the blonde woman next to him rose, offering her hand.
“My wife, Jessica.” Asher tipped his head toward her.
“Hi.” God, my voice was still strangled by emotion. And it’d be that way until Ryan opened his eyes and I knew he was okay, his memory intact.
“Owen’s in the room next to Ryan. He wanted to be nearby when Ryan woke up so he could chew him out for going Superman on him, covering him with his body like that,” Asher shared in a deep, gruff tone.
Superman? Of course, you did that. “Knowing Owen is okay will be the first thing Ryan wants to hear when he wakes up.”
“Fortunately, we can give him that good news,” Jessica confirmed, and her worried blue eyes pointed my way. “Anthony’s in Ryan’s room right now, just so you know.”
“Once they dealt with Anthony’s burns from going into that fire, and patched him up from the beating he took before we got there . . . well, we’ve been unable to get him to leave Ryan’s side,” Noah continued, a tremble of anger in his tone.
My hands tightened at my sides at the mention of Anthony. He may have run into a fire to help save Ryan, but Ryan was in that hospital bed because of him in the first place. And if anything happened to Ryan, there’d be no forgiveness. No mercy.
A moment later, a tall, blond guy in the room snagged my focus and introduced himself as Luke. “We’ve been in this situation before.” He jerked his chin toward one of the other men, who was sitting next to someone I’d swear was President Bennett’s son. That’d be impossible, though. But the man pulled at the brim of his ball cap as if worried I might recognize him, so . . . “My friend here had to be induced into a coma after a blast, and—”
“I’m here and fine.” The guy winked. “So, no worries, okay? Ryan’s a tough bloke. He’ll be fine, too.” Was that an Aussie accent?
Who were these people?
I wasn’t sure if I was all that comforted by the fact these guys were used to such blasts, but I’d do my best not to panic any more than I already was.
“I’d like to see my nephews after you, if you don’t mind?” Maurizio sought my eyes for permission.
“Of course.” I nodded, then peered at Noah. “Will you take me to Ryan’s room?” I couldn’t wait any longer to see him.
“Sure.” Noah swapped places with Maurizio, his hand going to my back in a silent gesture of support and strength.
I looked around the waiting room at the others. “I’m sorry Anthony put you in this position. I hope you were able to get the, um, bad guy who took Anthony, though.”
“We always get our mark,” Luke said in a firm tone, letting me know in a semi-cryptic way the bad guy was down. That was more good news, at least.
“Well, thank you for being there for Ryan. Looks like he has amazing friends.” I forced a smile, worried I’d do the opposite and cry in front of them again if I tried to say anything more.
Luke stepped forward and pulled a folded piece of paper that looked like it’d seen better days from his pocket. Crumpled. A burnt edge or two. He eyed it solemnly before raising his eyes to mine. “I didn’t want him going in there. Tried to keep him out of there, in fact. I wish we hadn’t needed his help, but—”
“Never out of the fight, though, right? That’s what Ryan always says to me,” I interrupted, knowing Luke, who I now assumed was in charge of whatever went down, was weighed down by guilt. “Ryan’s Ryan,” I said, and Luke sent me a tight nod as if in agreement.
“This has your name on it. Pretty sure he wrote it for you before the op.” Luke handed it to me.
An if-something-happens-to-me letter? My hand trembled as I studied the piece of yellow paper Ryan had probably torn from a legal pad aboard his uncle’s jet.
“Are you saying I should read it?” I whispered, tears filling my eyes.
