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“Have you researched them? If you give me their names…” And what? Mid-surgery you’re going to swap surgeons?
“I promise you, we got the best. Ryan and Jack wouldn’t have it any other way.” She pulls back the blanket.
She guides me like I might fall. Like I’m the one in the hospital.
Knox is safe. For that, I’m grateful. One good thing from today. But they didn’t find Sloane. I didn’t ask questions, but I overheard snippets of conversations. The facility they suspected held her is shady. Local police are investigating to ensure no one is being held there against their will. But the men they hired to search for Sloane jumped to conclusions without doing proper diligence.
They don’t know where to look next. But the fact someone’s after me leads them to believe she’s out there.
What if it’s not Sloane at all? What if it’s something Sam is involved in? But that makes little sense. Sloane would never go weeks without calling me. Unless they came for her, like they came for me, and Sloane didn’t get away…
The ache in my chest intensifies. I can’t…there’s no way. I can’t think like that. It can’t be. If Sloane wasn’t alive, I’d feel it. My siblings and I, we have a connection. My fingers tremble and I close my eyes, seeking the intangible bond.
A warm, thick comforter surrounds me. I’m in Ava’s silky pajamas and cocooned in plush warmth. She brushes my hair with her fingers. The tenderness stirs a memory…Mom.
* * *
Cerulean silk curtains, shades lighter than the deep blue sea beyond the picture window, shimmer in the morning light.
Where am I?
The ceiling height is much taller than in my home, and the elegant crown molding, while painted the same color as the walls, bears a permanence. The luxurious blue-gray velvet chair is oddly familiar.
Is this a dream?
The weight of a gun. The lift of the barrel. A man’s eyes, widening. Felix. Holding his side. A bloody river. Move. Your. Legs.
It all comes back to me in a rushed blur. I close my eyes, curve my shoulders inward, and press against my sternum, wishing it away.
“Shh. You’re okay.” A soft touch accompanies the deep voice.
“Knox!” He’s lying on the bed, over the comforter. The blanket I’d had wrapped around me now covers his legs. “You’re back.”
He cups my jaw and caresses my face. I’ve pushed up off the bed, and he’s still lying back on a pillow, looking up at me with tenderness. His facial hair has grown longer, even thickened. The strands on his scalp go every which way. But it’s those eyes, nearly ebony in this dim light, that catch me and hold me. There’s pure warmth in those eyes.
“Came straight back. The entire flight, all I could think was…what would I have done…”
I slowly lower back down to the pillow, facing him. His fingers twist through my hair.
“Felix? Is he?—”
Knox’s lips tense, his gaze falters.
Oh, my god.
“They did everything they could. It was close range. Too much damage. It’s a miracle he made it to surgery. Got to see Maria before… Hey. Shh.”
Tears spill over. My heart hurts. Aches. It’s…I did this. I’m as much responsible for his death as if I pulled the trigger myself. If I hadn’t come here…
Knox pulls me into his chest. My nose smashes against his neck. Strong arms wrap around me, like he’s trying to save me. But he can’t.
After a few minutes, he pushes off the bed and returns with a box of tissues in a silver container with an ornate base and offers me one.
Knox’s touch roams from my face, along my throat, and over my shoulder. He’s concerned. For me. But… “He was your friend.”
“Yes. A good man.” He nods, and I watch as his Adam’s apple shifts with his swallow. “A good family man.”
“I’m so sorry.” A fresh round of tears spills over. I should’ve never come here.
