Tears cascade down my cheeks as I take his hand in mine, holding it firm. I use my free hand tap my fingertips against my mouth, indicating that he needs to watch my lips because I still can’t fully speak. “This. Is. Not. Your. Fault.”
He opens his mouth to argue, but Blair is quick to slap his palm over it, shutting him up. “Use your big boy ears and listen to her, Asher.”
To my utter surprise, he listens.
I mean, he rolls his eyes at Blair’s choice of words, but he listens. It makes me curious about how deep the connection actually runs between them, but that’s a sisterly harassment discussion for another day. I give Blair a grateful smile and look back to my brother.
“I know you want to deny it, the truth. It’s something I’m struggling with myself. It’s because of me that Riley was taken, too.”Ash starts to shake his head again, but I press on, hoping that maybe I can take my own advice. “We have to tell ourselves that we are not superhuman. We are not all-knowing beings. There are people out there with malicious intentions, who are nothing short of pure evil–something I’m sure you’re familiar with in your line of work. Nobody could’ve predicted just how sly or powerful Guy could be. He was a coward and had hired someone to infiltrate the security to do his dirty work for him, leaving a bloody trail of bodies in his wake.”
I take a deep breath, my ribs protesting at the action, but I continue,“Guy is a sick, obsessed man. He always has been. I don’t know why or how he was ever allowed to become a caretaker, but it was clear from the start that he never had good intentions toward me, nor his wife for that matter. His obsession fueled him, and as much as I never wanted to see him again, I had this feeling it would all come to a head eventually. I just hoped it would’ve been with me as the victor, and not as the captive. So please, Ash,pleasedon’t blame yourself. You andCreed? Yousavedme. You saved Riley. I’m here. Riley and I survived, and Guy is–”
The blood drains from my face. “Guy is…”
Oh, fuck.
Asher squeezes my fingers lightly when my mind starts to drift, and my eyes lock onto him again. His face hardens and his voice is firm when he speaks. “Guy is no longer a problem.” The words sound so soldier-like and not at all like the big brother who was speaking to me just moments ago.
It takes my brain a moment to process what he’s saying. “Not a problem as in…”
“Dead.” He says, and all of the air whooshes from my lungs. “No one will come looking for him. Nobody will miss him. I swear to you that you are safe, Bug.”
The words should be comforting, but knowing that Guy’s blackened heart no longer beats within his chest, I still feel on edge. I thought I was safe once, and he managed to get to me anyway. I’ve never wished death upon anyone, but for so long I wanted him dead. Gone. Burned into the ground. I want his ashes launched from a fucking rocket into space so that there is no part of him that exists on this goddamned planet.
“You want the motherfucker’s body set on fire? We’ll give you the match and watch it all burn with you.” Asher practically growls.
I guess I’d accidentally voiced that thought out loud.
“Shit, we could make it a whole party. I’ll bring the marshmallows, yeah?” Blair chimes with an entirely too disturbing grin on his face, his mismatched eyes alight with mischief. Asher just shakes his head, and I stare at him wide-eyed, lips parted in shock, which he just cackles at. “I’mkidding,Baby Doll,” he quips, before dropping his forehead to Asher’s shoulder, muttering into the fabric of his t-shirt, “Sort of.”
My brother just shakes his head before clearing his throat. “I mean it, though, Collins. Just say when, and it’s done. We’ll burn it all.”
“I’ll tell you when I’m ready to light it up. Until then…”
Asher and Blair share a knowing look before turning their attention back to me with dark smirks pulling at their mouths. “Until then.”
Nothing more needs to be said. A big brother always knows.
His phone starts ringing from across the room, breaking up the intense moment. He kisses my forehead before rising and crossing the room to answer it, Blair tracking his every move.
“It’s Callan. I have to take it, but I’ll be right outside the door, Bug.”He looks to Blair, “You got her?”
“Yes,” Blair chastises playfully. “We’re not going any-fucking-where so calm your tits and answer the phone.”
“Fucking hell,” Asher mutters, shaking his head as he walks away. “I’ll be right back” he calls over his shoulder before pressing the phone to his ear and leaves the room, closing the door with a softclick.
Blair turns back to me, a shit-eating grin on his face. My brows furrow. “What?”
He takes me in for a full thirty seconds and I start to squirm. I want to slap him for being weird. Before I can get anything out of him, the nurse comes in to record my vitals and checks my wounds that I have yet to actually see—I’d zoned out while Dr. Munn was addressing them.
“You doing okay? How’s your pain level on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst?”
I shrug before holding up four fingers, nodding at the pain pump. “That helps.”
It takes her a minute to read my lips, then it’s like a lightbulb goes off in her head. “I snagged this from the nurse’s station, it’ll help until speech can get you some better communicationdevices,” she says, handing me a small dry-erase board and a marker.
I take it and quickly write:THANK YOU. You’re a lifesaver.Ending it with a little smiley face to show my gratitude. “Of course! That’s what I’m here for.” She smiles warmly and finishes charting. “You need anything else before I go? Shift change will be happening soon, so I don’t want you to feel like you’re being ignored while I give report.”
I start to shake my head, but Blair pipes up, pulling out all the charm. “Actually, can I get a bucket or wash basin to help wash her hair?” he asks, and I’d be appalled by the suggestion if I didn’t feel like a dirty pile of trash. “I saw the note on the board about waiting for PT before getting her up, but I’m sure she’d feel better if she got to at least freshen up with a mini sponge bath and hair washing, right?”
