Rose charges. I drop to the ground and roll out of his reach.
He turns to charge at me again. I run toward him, extending my right arm to clothesline him. He’s a few inches taller, but maybe if I leap at the last second, I’ll be able to take him down.
Why I think I’m suddenly a ninja, I have no idea.
Ryker must be rubbing off on me.
I brace myself for the hit, but it’s no use when Rose runs right into my arm, knocking us both back to the ground.
This time, he feels heavier. My right hand is soaking wet with something warm. I push, but Rose doesn’t move. I lean to the side a bit. Jeffrey Rose’s eyes are rolled back in his head.
What the fuck?
A figure emerges from the darkness and stands over Rose and me. “You got yourself quite the Charlie Foxtrot here.”
“What?” I blink at Ryker.
“Charlie Foxtrot -Clusterfuck?”
A familiar memory knocks on the door of my mind trying to break out. “What?”
Ryker nods as he pulls Rose off of me. Blood pours from the wound in Rose’s chest. I forgot I was holding the knife when I tried to closeline the killer.
Ryker kneels and checks for a pulse. He looks back at me and shakes his head.
Rose is gone.
Ryker looks at my left shoulder, which is now completely numb. “When we get home, you’re going to rest for at least a week until that heals better. Then, we’re going to talk about the rest of our lives.”
I blink. “What?”
“I can see you’re in shock,” Ryker smiles as he presses direct pressure onto my shoulder wound. “So, I’ll tell you one thing.”
I hear sirens and loud blasts from a fire engine horn in the distance. I relax a little. Backup is on the way.
My ability to hold a conversation is still missing, however.
“What?” I repeat.
Ryker leans down. “In case you haven’t figured it out, I’ve been waiting my entire life for you. I love you.”
I smile. “That’s nice.”
That’s also the last thing I remember as I drift off to sleep.
Chapter 45
“The whole time.”
-Cat
For the first time in a long time, I sleep through the night. Maybe it was solving the case. Maybe it was the drugs they gave me at the hospital. Or maybe it was finding my forever on the battlefield.
Battlefield.
I sit straight up in the hospital bed, gasping for air.
A pair of eyes similar to mine is in my face. “Easy, sis.”
