“Holdstill,” he says, when I try to turn my face away. “This is for your own good.”
“Doubt that,” I say, my voice hoarse, but I let him daub me with gunk. “Thirsty.”
He lets me have a few more measly sips of water. I watch him while I suck on the straw. If I felt a little better I’d make some joke about preferring to suckhim—but everything hurts and my head is still fuzzy. But our previous conversation comes back to me. “You said…Frank?”
Finch sighs. “Brother Frank is here in New York, and already got himself banned from the hospital once, but he’s been allowed back in after I promised another sizable donation to the hospital.”
I can’t help but grin at that news. It’s so Frankie.
“I’ll bring him in as soon as I can,” Finch goes on. “But I want to talk to you about something before I do.”
I stop grinning. Finch has his serious face on. That never ends well. “What?” I cough out, suspicious. He lets me have a little more water.
“We need to get out of here.”
“Yeah, we do. I hate it here, and it’s too hard to keep secure; we found that out when Connie Taylor was in here.” I pause. Mentioning Tino’s lover has triggered a faint memory, but it won’t quite come into my consciousness. “I’m asking to be released as soon as I can walk, baby bird. Don’t you worry about that.”
“No,” he says, and he touches my face. “No, Luca. I don’t mean from the hospital. I mean—from the city.”
I take it in, frowning. “Has someone threatened you?”
“Are you kidding me right now? This is aboutyou, Luca.Youneed protection.”
I can see the sense in his words. If I’m in danger, he is, too. Last time things got this tight I took him to Vegas…which didn’t turn out all that well. “Boston?” I croak. At least we have allies there, and they’ll have learned from the last attack.
“I was thinking a little further away.”
“Hm. Miami?”
“Further.”
“Hawaii?”
With a pained expression, he gives me another sip of water, and says, “I’m talking out of thecountry.” He watches me closely as though he expects me to choke.
I swallow down carefully, deliberately, and then say, “Last time I suggested disappearing into the wilds of Canada, you hated the idea.” He hesitates, trying to hide it by setting the water down on the nightstand. “We’re not going to Mexico, angel,” I warn him. “Far too complicated.”
He lifts my hand and nestles his cheek into my palm. I can feel the prickling of what must be about a two-day growth. It doesn’t suit him. I prefer him smooth-shaven, personally. But we can discuss that,andhis obvious lack of sleep, once I can stay awake for longer than a half-hour at a time. I’m already feeling my eyelids droop.
But then Finch says something that makes them snap wide open again.
“I’m thinking Italy,” he says, completely casual. But I can tell from the way he’s watching me from beneath his lashes that he’s worried about how I’ll take it.
He should be.
“Absolutely not,” I snap, pulling my hand away from his face, and trying to swallow my involuntary grunt of pain at the sudden movement.NowI see what Finch was doing—trying to seduce me with those gold-green eyes before getting me to agree to outlandish suggestions.
“Listento me,” he begs, trying to take my hand again. I yank it away, and agony shoots through me, making me gasp.
Finch freezes, his eyes wide and afraid.
“Baby,please,” he says, and I realize the reason his eyes look so much like deep limpid pools: he’s tearing up. “Please,” he says again, his lips trembling. “You’re not safe here, not right now. And Frank thinks it’s a great idea that we go stay with him and Cee and Marcy for a while.”
“Frank thinks so, does he? Well, no one ever accused my brother of beingintelligent,” I snarl. The discomfort is still rippling through me. Finch reaches over to get the pain relief button, placing it into my hand, but I let it drop out of my fingers.
Finch’s lips pull back from his teeth in frustration. “Will you stop being such a macho asshole and just take your damn medicine?”
“No. And we’re not going to Italy.”
