“What did you do, Winston?” Her voice was deadly quiet.
“Same thing you did for me. Called the person you’re crazy in love with since you were too chicken shit to do it yourself.”
On cue, Wolf’s wide shoulders filled the doorway. The instant Chrissy’s gaze landed on him, she wanted to shout with joy. Or burst into tears. She couldn’t say which. Maybe both.
He was even more handsome than she remembered. Leaner. Meaner. Taller?
No, she told herself.That’s not possible.
“Thanks for coming, Wolf.” Winston bobbed his chin. “Now, how about you and Chrissy go take a walk. I’ve heard from the nurses it’s a beautiful day outside, and the two of you have some things to discuss.”
Wolf glanced from Winston to Chrissy but didn’t say a word. He simply raised one sleek eyebrow in question.
Chrissy’s mind felt like an internet browser on sketchy Wi-Fi. Twenty tabs were open, five were frozen, and she couldn’t figure out how to turn off the flippin’ popup ads.
“Go on,” Winston urged, and legs mutinied. Without her conscious consent, she was on her feet.
“One last thing before you go though.” He snagged her wrist and pulled her down so he could whisper in her ear. “You’ve been fighting this thing with Wolf because he scares the crap out of you. Because for the first time ever, you’ve met a man who can touch your heart. You’re holding yourself back from him because you’re afraid something will happen that’ll mess up your happily-ever-after. But here’s the thing, my sweet friend, there are no guarantees in love. That’s what makes it so precious. And what makes itworthit.”
Chapter 37
3:04 PM…
The day was balmy and breezy. The wind smelled like freshly cut grass. And the birds in the nearby palm trees belted out a chorus of tunes that competed with the road noise.
Wolf registered none of it.
Firstly, because his gaze kept sliding down Chrissy’s body as she walked beside him on the shady sidewalk. She wore a red sundress with big white hibiscus flowers printed on it, and as far as he could tell, there wasn’t a straight line on her. Well, except for her mouth, which was formed into a ruler’s edge. And secondly, because his brain kept replaying Winston’s words inside his head.“Called the person you’re crazy in love with since you’re too chicken shit to do it yourself.”
Was that true? Or had Wolf completely misconstrued Winston’s words because that’s what hisheartwanted to hear?
Chrissy’s anxious, slightly sick-looking expression gave him no clue.
“How are you feelin’?” he asked, and her ocean eyes darted to his face.
He hitched his chin toward her shoulder. The bandage was long gone and in its place was a thin scar.
“Oh.” Her expression cleared. “I’m fine. It’s still sore when I lift my arm too high. But other than that, I forget it’s there. How about you?” She pointed to the gash on his shoulder, the one hidden under the sleeve of his T-shirt.
His bullet wound wasn’t nearly as well-healed as hers. It still sported a thin scab and he knew the tattoo was completely ruined. But the pain was minimal.
He said as much while pointing to the puckered flesh at his temple. “Compared to this thing, what happened to my shoulder is nothin’ more than a mosquito bite.”
Her eyes grew misty. “I wish people I l—” She stopped herself, but Wolf felt everything inside him grow very,verystill. “People I care about would stop having to spend weeks in the hospital. I’m tired of bleach and antiseptic and terrible coffee.”
She almost said ‘love,’he thought.
As quickly as everything inside him had screeched to a halt, that’s how quickly it all started moving again. His heart raced. His blood roared. He lungs thought he was running a race.
“And what about Jill and her goons?” His voice was more gravelly than usual when he forced himself to carry on with the small talk, but Chrissy didn’t seem to notice.
“According to Dixon, they’ve all cut deals.” When he scowled, she clarified. “Oh, they’ll still serve time. I’ve been assured of that. But their sentences will belessbecause they’re naming names and giving up cartel secrets to the DEA.”
He sighed. “Sucks to find out that even in situations like this, it’s all about the quid pro quo. The last thing justice should be is transactional.”
“Oh!” She snapped her fingers. “And come to find out, it was Hernandez who was behind the wheel of Cliff Barnes’s Celica in the hospital parking lot.Also,Hernandez and Williams both confessed that they snuck into my house through the back door thatJillleft open to turn on my gas and light the candle. Which, as horrible as that is to contemplate, is also sort of good news since it means I wasn’t crazy or hopped up on too many pain meds.”
“So it was them all along, huh?” He shook his head, almost as relieved as she was to discover the paranoia he’d suffered hadn’t really been paranoia at all. “What a couple of bastards.”
