Jimmy stretched out on the bed, sated but still quite sore, grunting as he felt his muscles complain. Ow, and his nose. His nose really hurt, but every kiss had been so worth it. He smiled when Cold came back with a washcloth in hand, damp and warm, and began to wipe him down.
“How are you feeling?” Cold asked.
“Like my nose is broken,” Jimmy said with a soft snort. “I’m okay, really. Dr. Queen said I should heal up in a few weeks.”
Cold gently touched Jimmy’s cheek, surveying his nose skeptically.
“Am I really still beautiful?” Jimmy asked jokingly.
“Always,” Cold said, shifting Jimmy’s legs so he could pull the covers up over him and slide in beside him. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“Not unless you wanna go for round two,” Jimmy teased, laughing when Cold rolled his eyes.
“What you will do now is take your medicine from Dr. Queen and get some rest,” Cold ordered firmly.
“See, when you get all bossy like that, it has the opposite effect of what you’re trying to accomplish,” Jimmy fussed as Cold handed him a pill and a glass of water. He gulped it down, muttering, “Or should I say, not accomplish.”
“Go to sleep, Jimmy.”
“I’ve been sleeping all day!” Jimmy groaned. “Besides, I’m hungry.”
“Hmmph. What would you like?”
“Could Jerry make me a Philly cheesesteak?” Jimmy paused. “But uh, hold the onions, please. Definitely no onions.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jimmy gauged the passingdays by measuring the decreased swelling of his nose and the fading of his bruises. It took over a week for him to feel comfortable facing his own reflection. His nose remained tender and his ribs hitched if he moved the wrong way, but he was thankful he looked like himself again.
The furniture on the patio by the pool was all replaced, and Cold had the concrete refinished to hide all evidence of the firefight. Jimmy still hadn’t been out there since, and he wasn’t sure when he’d feel up to it.
He avoided the news as much as he could, although it was impossible to ignore what was going on with his father and Maury constantly checking in on him. There was so much happening in Strassen Springs, and they were both very worried about him.
The city was still left reeling by the awful fire and the basement massacre that was discovered the following day. As Cold predicted, all fingers were pointing at the Luchesi family, and the Gentlemen were never mentioned in the investigation.
As previously predicted, Marco Luchesi’s body was cremated accidentally, and the funeral home responsible was facing a terrible lawsuit. There was also another fire at the medical examiner’s office and an unexplained break-in at the SSPD. A ton of evidence was stolen, including the murder weapon and all the DNA samples for Cold’s case.
