What is he talking about? I’m right here. I open my mouth to say that, but no words come out—just a broken, gasping sound.
Concern mars Luca’s beautiful, bloody features, his brows pulling together. “It’s okay.” He trails his fingers over my jaw, stroking me gently. “Everything’s okay.”
His voice is so soft and so calm. The only words I can think to say are, “I love you.”
A small smile graces his lips, but that doesn’t make any sense. “I love you too. EMS wants to check us out, baby. Can you focus on my voice?”
I nod.
“Good. That’s good. You saved me, Austin. You fucking savedme.”
Did I?
I must have said the words out loud because Luca nods. “Yes, baby. You saved me. God.”
Some primal part of me takes over, and my arms come up on instinct, crushing Luca to me. He lets out a groan. A pained groan, and I let him go just as quick. Damien hurt him again. I wasn’t here, and Damien hurt him again.
“Shhh,” he murmurs close to my ear. “I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.”
He wraps his arms around me, holding me close as I rest my head over his heart. It’s slow and calm. Soothing. He’s calm. That’s good, right?
I focus on the sound of his heartbeat.Thump, thump, thump.Strong and steady under my ear. Each beat brings me closer to him. Each thump echoes in my chest and calms my racing heart until it matches his.
“You’re okay?” I whisper.
Luca hums, rubbing a hand up my back before burying his face in my hair. He inhales a deep breath, shuddering against me.
“I’m okay, baby. Thanks to you.”
Chapter 36
Luca
“Ialreadytoldyouall I know,” I say for the fifth time. “He was choking me. He told me he was going to kill me. Austin came in. Shoved him off me, and then Damien hit Austin. Austin had no choice. Damienwouldhave killed me.”
And honestly, Hunter—the deputy sitting beside my hospital bed and asking me questions—should alreadyknowthat. He went to school with Austin and me, and he knows what kind of person Austin is. He knows he’s incapable of hurting someone without due cause.
“I know, Luca,” Hunter says gently. “I just need to make sure. I’ll leave you my card, and if you have questions or if you need anything,you can call me.”
I wave a hand toward the small table. “Just there is fine.”
He places the card on the table, then stands to leave without another word. Thank God. I swallow hard, my throat raw and aching. Jesus.Damien. That motherfucker. When I first came back home, I was terrified of living in a body without pain. I didn’t know how to go about my days without bruises and agony, but now? Now my two cracked ribs feel like I’m being stabbed in the side, and the pulsing, rhythmic pain in my head from yet another concussion is killing me.
Turns out, I don’t enjoy living in a body made of pain, but here I am again anyway.
There’s a soft knock on the hospital room door, and my heart lodges in my throat. Fuck, I hope it’s Austin. EMS wrapped his hands in bandages, then loaded me up before I could even say goodbye to him.
Flashes of Damien’s blood spraying across the floor of the diner dance behind my eyes, but I force them away.
“Come in.”
Disappointment settles in my gut when the door opens and Arlo and Jasper step through.
I sit up, carefully cradling my ribs. “Where’s Austin?”
Jasper and Arlo share a look. “Austin’s at the sheriff’s department,” Jasper says, folding his hands in front of him.
The world falls out from under my feet. “What do you mean, he’s at the sheriff’s department?”
