Heath quickly filled him in on what we knew about the others, before taking the bags he was holding and thanking him. “We appreciate the quick turnaround. I don’t know about the others, but I really don’t think hospital chic suits me. What’s the news coverage look like so far?”
“Yeah, you’re right. It really doesn’t suit you,” Bud agreed, sneaking a look downward at the comically short hospital gown. “Law enforcement is playing things close to their chest so far, but the FBI is involved. They’re reporting it as an explosion of unknown origin, last I heard.”
“Right,” Heath replied dryly. “Because the roof blowing off like that could’ve beenanything. Happens all the time.”
Bud shrugged. “It’s early days yet. Give ’em time. I’ll check in a bit later in case you need food that doesn’t come from a hospital cafeteria.” He turned, only to pause. “Oh, look! It’s the kid. Hello, Tony.”
I rushed forward to peer out the door past Heath, my discomfort forgotten. Sure enough, a nurse was wheeling Tony toward us in a wheelchair.
Bud stood aside and patted Tony on the shoulder as he rolled past. “Guess I’ll leave you folks to it. Tell the boss there’s been no word yet about which hospital that little asshole Paolo ended up at.”
“Right...” Heath said absently. “I’ll tell him.”
All his attention was on Tony, who looked pale and exhausted. Then again, didn’t we all?
“You’re both okay,” Tony said with relief. “Thank god. They wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“Gage is in surgery for broken bones,” I told him. “Knox is in the shower. We were so scared for you, Tony.”
My voice wobbled, and I swallowed hard against tears.
“Here, Mr. Scalise. Let’s get you settled in,” the nurse said briskly, wheeling Tony over to the large bed at the center of the room. He cast a glance at Heath. “He should be fine with plenty of rest and some time to heal. We’re short-staffed tonight, as you might imagine, but someone will be by to talk to all of you in a few hours. In the meantime, just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t become unresponsive. Otherwise, let him sleep. He needs it.”
I hugged myself as Heath and the nurse got Tony settled on the bed. My hands and feet still throbbed unhappily, even after Heath had covered the worst of the scrapes with bandages while we were in the bathroom.
The moment the nurse left, so did the last shreds of my self-control. Not sure where the impulse had come from, I climbed onto the bed and wrapped my body around Tony, holding him close. He caught his breath, going still with surprise.
I knew I was supposed to ask him first if this was okay, but all I could do was cling. After a moment, Heath’s weight dipped the mattress on Tony’s other side. His long arm snaked around both of us, and Tony’s tension broke. He relaxed between us with a small noise, like a whimper of surrender.
“She’s right, you know,” Heath murmured. “We were so worried.”
“Gage saved my life,” Tony said in a tiny voice.
“And Jez saved his,” Heath said. “I’ve got you, Tony. Both of you. It’s going to be all right.”
I curled into them, Tony’s steady heartbeat thudding against one ear, and the muted sound of the shower running in the other.
FORTY-FIVE
Knox
THE HOT STING OF THEhospital shower made me feel slightly less like a fugitive statue from Medusa’s cave of petrified Greek warriors, and more like a functioning human being. Gray dust turned a muddy brown as it circled down the drain, but it still felt like I had a pound of that shit grinding against my eyeballs. I tilted my face into the spray, trying to rinse as much as possible from my lashes and eyelids without accidentally doing more damage by scrubbing at them.
Something inside my right knee was fucked up, and I was running on fumes. For the first time in years, I found myself second-guessing the life I’d chosen to lead. It was one thing to crash my own ship against the jagged rocks. But these days, I’d started dragging people I cared about along with me.
