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I put a hand to my side and nearly double over at the intense pain. I hear Matthew curse, and then darkness swallows me whole as I pass out.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
ROSE
I wake up to a familiar beeping sound. Only this time, I’m not afraid. I open my eyes and search him out. I smile when I see him sitting at my bedside in the same chair he occupied all those weeks ago. He’s asleep, but based on the dark circles under his eyes, I’m guessing he hasn’t slept much.
I move to sit up, and gasp as pain radiates from my side. The sound wakes Matthew and he looks relieved. Though that relief quickly turns to frustration when he realizes that I was trying to move.
“Don’t move, sweetheart. You’ll rip out your stitches.”
“What happened?”
A worry flashes through his eyes. “You were hurt…”
I roll my eyes. “I know that. I want to know why I’m not in handcuffs for… for…” I swallow as I struggle to say what I did. Nelson Grant was an awful person, but that doesn’t change the fact that I killed a man. He deserved to die, but I never thought I was capable of something like that.
“For killing someone,” Matthew finishes for me.
I bite my lip and nod. I feel like I should feel bad for what I’ve done. There should be some level of guilt or remorse, but I feel nothing. I’m completely indifferent to the fact that I killed someone in cold blood. I shudder as I remember all the blood. I look down at my hands, expecting them to be permanently stained by what I’ve done, but they are clean.
“You’re not going to be arrested, love. Gunner and Kisten took care of it.” He says it as if it’s a common occurrence and no big deal to dispose of dead bodies.
“And Nancy?”
Matthew sighs. “She’s been taken care of too. After what she did to Hannah, she’s damn lucky Nelson got to her before Slade had a chance.”
“Is Hannah okay?” I ask panicked that my friend was hurt because of me.
“Calm down, love. She’s fine. Just a bump on the head. Though with how Slade is being, you would think she was practically decapitated.”
“Where is she?” I move to get up, wanting to see for myself that she’s fine.
Matthew puts a hand on my shoulder and keeps me in place. “She’s right next door. If I get her, will you stay put?”
“Yes.”
With a shake of his head, he leaves. My side aches, and I wonder just how badly I’m hurt. I push the covers down and pull up the gown I’m dressed in. There is a white bandage covering the wound. I pick at the tape and pull the bandage away. I’m surprised that the wound is only about three inches long. It feels so much bigger.
“Amara Rose Thompson,” Matthew snaps. “I leave you for one minute, and you’re pulling your bandage off.”
“I just wanted to see.” I look down at the small wound with disgust. “It feels so much bigger than it is. Why does it hurt so bad?”
“The wound is deep. You’re lucky he didn’t hit any vital organs.”
“Oh,” I say dumbly. I didn’t even think about that. I killed him, but he very well could have killed me too.
I don’t have time to dwell on it because Hannah and Slade walk in. Well, more specifically, Slade strides in with a very put out looking Hannah in his arms.
I give Matthew a dirty look. “You said she was fine!”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything.
“I am fine,” Hannah says petulantly.
“You are not fine,” Slade barks. “You could have been killed.”
Hannah sighs and pats him on the chest. “But I wasn’t, and I am fine.”
