I cut my eyes to the lifeless body behind him, and once again I regretted how easily he’d gotten off.
“He deserved a more painful end than that,” Theo said, mirroring my thoughts as he glanced over his shoulder.
“He would’ve gotten it too. If it’d been up to me, he’d be writhing in pain for what he did to you—but I didn’t have a choice. Not when your life was at stake.”
“Aww.” Theo’s eyes came back to find mine, a spark of mischief glinting in them. “That might be the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me, Shep.”
I shook my head, reaching out to run my fingers down his blood-smeared cheek. “How can you be joking at a time like this?”
“I don’t know.” He turned his head to kiss the palm of my hand. “Probably because I never thought I’dgetanother time like this?”
Jesus.The idea that he’d resigned himself to death made a shooting pain stab through my heart.
I couldn’t imagine a world without Theo in it. Couldn’t imaginemyworld without him. The idea that I’d almost lost him before I could tell him any of that made my stomach twist around on itself until it was tied into a knot.
“Hey?” Theo reached for my face and ran a thumb over my tight lips. “I’m still here, still alive, and that’s thanks to you.”
I blinked several times, trying to banish the visual of Theo on his knees with a gun to his head. But no matter how hard I tried, it kept playing on a loop.
“I should’ve gotten to you quicker.”
“I’m just glad you got to me when you did. Those cave accommodations were subpar.”
“But if I’d been here sooner?—”
“I never would’ve learned some new information.”
That stopped me in my tracks. “New information?”
“Mhmm. And if you’d come in all guns blazing and killing him dead, that never would’ve happened.”
“Are you seriously scolding me about saving your life?”
“No… I’m very appreciative of that fact,butit would be remiss of me if I didn’t point out that it’s hard to question a dead person. Isn’t that what you told me back in Cardiff? So it was good you showed up after I got some intel. It’s obvious nothing was going to stop you from playing my hero.”
He was out of his damn mind. Whatever he’d been hit with must’ve knocked a few brain cells loose from his head, becauseif I hadn’t done what I’d done when I showed up then he would be?—
Theo grinned at me.
You cunning, knowing shit.
He’d just said all that on purpose. He was trying to get me out of my head, past my guilt and worry from earlier, and damn if it hadn’t worked.
“Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”
“Non.”Theo shrugged.“I just know you, and I know exactly what you’re thinking. But if you don’t mind, could we please get the fuck out of this jungle?”
I got to my feet and reached for his hand, gently cupping his elbow as I helped him to stand. “That we can do.”
I aimed my flashlight in the direction I’d come, showing the cleared path I’d carved out of the vines. It was a difficult trek during the day, but in the starless night under the dense canopy of leaves with Theo’s injuries, it was going to be quite the trip back.
“Do you need me to find something for you to lean on? A branch, maybe?”
“I’m fine. Any damage he did was from the waist up.”
I grunted at that, not wanting to think about what I’d find when I got Theo back to the safe house and checked him for injuries. But right now I just needed to get him there. With the amount of blood he’d lost and lack of food and water, it was a miracle he could stand on his own two feet.
Which reminded me…
