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Luka’s unblinking stare gazes at Antonio, the tension working in his jaw. Antonio stiffens next to me.
“Stop right there or I’ll—”
The gunshot deafens my ears and blood splatters across my face. It’s warm, seeping into my dress and trickling down my chest. Antonio’s body plummets to the ground, a hole between his open, devilish eyes. Two more shots echo against the metal, and Luka is standing over Antonio’s body, gun still gripped toward him.
I can’t move, my legs are numb. Luka’s face appears in front of mine, his mouth moving, but it’s masked by the ringing in my ears. His words are underwater, but they float to the surface a word at a time.
“Kate …” Luka’s good arm jostles me on the shoulder. His words are clearer now. “Kate, we need to get you to the hospital.” My trembling hands come up to my face, and I swipe more blood away.
“Luka,” I sputter. Tears don’t come, they’ve been spent, but his hand comes up to cup my face, his forehead connecting with mine. He lets go of a sigh.
“I’ve got you, Kate. I’ve got you.”
Warmth floods my chest, but black shapes spread in the corners of my vision, and it goes dark.
* * *
Beeping dragsme back to consciousness. I work to open my eyes, the bright room hazy. The soothing hum and distant chatter pull at me and my eyes flutter open to stay. The fluorescent lights overhead are disorienting. I attempt to bring my hand up, but it is snagged by tubes connected to my arm. I wrestle the cool sheets, willing my stiff body to move. The sterile smell of antiseptic is strong I can almost taste it. My gaze drifts to the windows, blinds halfway down, the city peeking out underneath. I push against the crunchy bed, lifting to sitting, a wave of lightheadedness making me pause to grip my head.
“You’re awake.”
The voice makes me jump, and the sheets crumple into a ball. I meet Nik’s smirk and he gives me a wink. He shifts in the chair pushing to stand. His hair is tussled and dark circles line underneath his eyes. He strides toward me, his suit pants wrinkled from his stint in the chair.How long has he been here? Where’s—
“Luka ...” I croak, my mouth like dry sawdust. Nik chuckles and moves to a nearby tray.
“Here.” He holds a plastic cup of water with a straw to my mouth. I take a sip before trying again.
“Is Luka, okay?” I ask. Nik sighs and I grit my teeth.Please be okay.
“Not really, he keeps trying to get up to come see you. I put men at the door, but he’s threatening to shoot them. He needs to stay put though. However, I’m assuming you want to know if he is going to live? Yep. Has a couple of bruised ribs and a messed up shoulder, but the rest is surface level.” He grins, that dimple making it impossible not to smile back. “He made me come down and wait with you. Didn’t want you to be alone when you woke up. He wasn’t banking on your mom showing up and clawing her way in here …”
My eyes lift. “My mom is here?”
“Yes. Went down for coffee about a minute ago. She should be back in a bit. Been sitting right over there.” He points to a chair pulled up next to the bed on the window side.
“Is—is Antonio—”
“Dead?” Nik fills in for me. “Yep. Thankfully.”
“How did you find us?” I grip the side of the hospital bed, pulling myself further up.
Nik smirks. “That would be a highly sophisticated tracking device in Luka’s shoe.”
I blink, replaying his words in my head. “Does Luka know this?”
He snorts. “Before or after we rescued you?”
I let out a laugh, and lightness floats in my chest. It’s invigorating.
A knock on the door sounds, and a nurse pops her head in. “Time for vitals,” she sings in a perky voice. Her eyes linger on Nik for a couple of seconds before she swishes over to me.
“Under your tongue.”
The nurse completes her check and asks if I need to use the restroom. I nod and she helps me get out of bed, Nik stepping outside the room, as I make my way to the ensuite. After relieving a waterfall, I wash up and shuffle back out of the room.
“All good?” the nurse asks, “Nothing too painful?” I shake my head. “Okay. The doctor will be in to go over a couple of things and get you slated for discharge.”
She offers me a smile and darts out of the room. I’m left standing there in the hospital gown, and I make several slow passes back and forth across the room, loosening my tight muscles. I run a hand through my hair but freeze when I reach a patch of fabric. I pad back to the bathroom, leaning against the sink as I inspect myself. A thin line runs down my cheek, and I have a large bruise seeping out underneath the bandage. Curiosity gets the better of me and pull the gauze to the side. A couple of stitches blend into my hairline, and the bruise is dark, but it’s all cleaned up, erasing the blood.
