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He squeezes my shoulder. “We’ve got your back. Tobias will take some getting used to, but he clearly loves you.”
“God, I hope you’re right. Because I love him so damn much.”
The elevator dings and slides open on the fourth floor, cutting our conversation short. I step out and sprint down the hall, eager to get to the two men who have captured all of me.
When I turn a corner, my heart skitters as I catch sight of Owen standing in the hallway, his hands shoved in his pockets. He straightens and holds his arms out to me. I race into them, holding on for dear life.
“Is Tobias in there? I want to see him,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady.
Owen kisses my forehead. “Nurses are in there with him. They kicked me out.”
His hand slides down my hip and cups my ass, then he smacks me once, but makes sure it’s hard enough to sting.
“You are in so much fucking trouble, love.”
“Are you really letting Luke spank me?” I ask, looking over my shoulder to see if the tall Irishman is listening. He must have stayed back, because I don’t see him anywhere.
“I ought to. But I’m also pissed at him for leaving you at the house unprotected.”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes, knowing it will only lead to a worse fate than whatever Owen is currently planning. “He left two bodyguards.”
“Fat lot of good that did, considering that you got away on your motorcycle without anyone noticing.”
He does have a point.
The door to Tobias’s room opens, and three nurses come out. “You can go back in, but please don’t stay too long. Mr. Thorne needs his rest.”
I lift an eyebrow at Owen. “Thorne?”
He squeezes me again and turns me so we can walk into the room together. “Just go with it, love. We don’t want it getting out to his family that he’s here.”
My heart breaks at the sight of Tobias hooked up to machines and an IV drip. I want to launch myself at him, and hold him tight, but I imagine that would be painful, so I wait.
“I love you,” I blurt as soon as I’m next to his bed.
He lifts his hand and motions for me to bend down so I can get closer to his face. His lips brush my forehead, and he settles his hand at the base of my neck.
“I love you, too, vixen. Don’t think for a second that’s going to get you out of the punishment you have coming. What the hell were you doing?”
His voice sounds like his throat hurts, and I put a finger to his lips. “Shhh. You should rest. We can talk about how much trouble I’m in when you’re better.”
He keeps his hand on the back of my head, holding me in place. “I’m sorry we scared you, vixen.”
“Who shot you?” I ask, putting my forehead to his. Owen comes to stand next to me, putting a hand on my back, and the other on the bed next to Tobias.
“Might as well tell us now, mate. Unless you’re not up to it.”
He lifts a hand to pick up his water, and I straighten to get it for him, but Owen beats me to it, leaning in to hold the straw to Tobias’s lips.
When he’s done, he closes his eyes, and for a moment I think he’s falling asleep.
“It was Bryce. I was supposed to be meeting someone on Lorenzo’s crew to strike a deal, and Bryce showed up instead. He started rambling about taking down the Sin City Suits, but I didn’t know enough to realize that he was truly dangerous.”
“How the hell did you get away?” Owen asks, pulling me close to him.
“My meeting point wasn’t far from the club. When he shot me, I hid for a minute, and when he went the wrong way looking for me, adrenaline gave me the strength to run as far as the High Card.”
Bryce being involved still doesn’t make any sense to me. He grew up in Las Vegas and was Matteo’s best friend when they were growing up, but they drifted during college. When we moved to Las Vegas to open the High Card, Matteo reached out and reconnected, and Bryce started working for us.
