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"Forgot about what?" Tension knots in my shoulders, climbing up my neck.
“There was a man there,” she says. “I never really got a good look at his face, and he had no problem beating on me, but I’m pretty sure he was never as harsh as the others. He came the night I left and told me Titan was going to kill me and that I needed to run. He slipped your number into my pocket and told me how to get out. Even let me stab him to do so.”
My mind reels as she talks. Who the hell is this man, and why would he do anything to help me? I don’t know, but I’m going to fucking find out. I don’t know a single person on Titan’s crew, and this makes me feel as if Olivia getting free is a trap we might not be prepared for.
I squeeze her hand tighter, doing my best not to show my darker thoughts when I should just be grateful that she’s not dead. Not worried about further attacks. Not for today, at least.
“I’ll kill them all, regardless,” I say, then glance down at her ribs. “How is your breathing?”
“A bit of a struggle, but I don’t feel like I’m dying.” She laughs darkly. “At least, not anymore. I was pretty sure someone was going to find my corpse on that golf course for a minute there. And if that lady hadn’t been at the train stop…I don’t know that I would have found my way back to you.”
“I never would have stopped looking for you,” I say, my tone more aggressive than I intend, but the thought of never seeing her blue eyes again drives me to near madness.
Her face softens, and she reaches a hand up, cupping my cheek. “And that’s one of the reasons I’m still here and not running away screaming. As insane as all this is, having hope that you were out there looking for me is what kept me from giving up some moments.”
The need to wrap my arms around her and squeeze is strong, but I ignore the desire, knowing I’m more apt to hurt her than anything else.
She tries to sit up higher in the bed and winces. I stand to move behind her and help just as Theo walks back in without knocking. I’m tempted to fire him out of spite, but I don’t know what I would have done without his help. He might not get the politeness he deserves from me, but he’ll at least be paid handsomely.
He goes straight for Olivia, smiling as he seems to be inspecting her face. “Do you mind if I check your vitals, Olivia?”
She shakes her head. “Do whatever you need, and then maybe I can get out of this bed?”
“Sure,” Theo replies as he grabs her wrist. “Walking in moderation will be essential to your recovery over the next few days, but nothing beyond this apartment until it doesn’t take all of your energy to cross the room.”
The doc finishes his examination, and I stay out of his way as much as I’m capable of given the situation. He doesn’t say much as he listens to her heart and lungs, then pokes around the ribs, then, when he’s done, he steps back and smiles.
“I think my job here is done,” he announces. “As long as you promise to take it easy, I’ll leave the two of you to take care of each other. Luca shouldn’t be doing much of anything, either, until that bullet wound heals properly. Whatever you did to make it worse tripled your healing time.”
The consequences of searching for Olivia mean nothing to me. I would do it all over again if I had to.
Theo shakes my hand and nods at the equipment scattered through my living room. “I’ll have people here sometime this evening to pick everything up. If you feel like you need the hospital bed a while longer, then keep it. That’s easier to replace than the rest of this stuff.”
I glance at Olivia, but she’s already shaking her head. “He can lift me in and out of the bed just fine. I need a real mattress after sleeping on the ground for however long I was gone.”
My teeth grind together at the image of her on the floor, beaten and bloody. I might have locked her in a cage, but I at least gave her a mattress and never laid a finger on her. Well, mostly.
A few days locked away, healing with Olivia, and then I’d be back on the streets, hunting my prey. Well, as long as Damon, Jaxon, and Markus don’t find Titan first, based on what Olivia remembers.
Though, something tells me that fucker fled the moment he realized his leverage had slipped away.
10
OLIVIA
Once Theo leaves, I suggest to Luca that we move to the bedroom. The allure of a comfortable bed, surrounded by warm blankets, is irresistible. And, if I'm honest, the thought of resting in Luca's arms, cocooned in his protective embrace, seems pretty damn perfect.
Luca lifts me with the utmost care, his movements practiced and gentle, avoiding any jarring as he navigates the doorframe. As he places me on the bed, I grasp his shirt, tugging him closer until our gazes lock in a charged moment.
I won't soon forget that first kiss, and while I have no intention of pressuring him for more than he's willing to give, I won't pass up an opportunity for closeness if he's open to it.
"Raven," he growls, a note of warning that contrasts with the twitch at the corner of his mouth, revealing his softer side that he often hides.
"Yes?" I reply, fluttering my lashes with feigned innocence.
"You need to rest," he insists.
While his concern is valid, I counter with, “I need you. I need to know that I’m safe, and having you right here will do that.”
