"This is going to be a mess," I say weakly.
"Yeah, it is." Dime takes my uninjured hand and squeezes it gently. "But we'll deal with it together. All of it."
I lean back against the stretcher and close my eyes. The adrenaline is starting to wear off, and I'm beginning to understand just how close I came to dying today. How close Logan came to destroying his entire life.
"Dime?"
"Yeah, baby?"
"When this is all over, when the media circus dies down – I want to talk. About us. About what Dani told me. About everything."
He's quiet for a long moment. "Okay."
"I mean it. No more secrets. No more half-truths. If we're going to make this work, I need to know who you really are."
"Even if you don't like what you find out?"
I open my eyes and look at him. Really look at him. This man who dropped everything and raced across town to save me. This man who stayed on the phone and helped me stay calm when I was staring down the barrel of a gun. This man who's holding my hand like I'm the most precious thing in the world.
"Especially then," I say quietly.
The ambulance hits a pothole, and pain shoots through my shoulder. I bite back a curse, and Dime's hand tightens on mine.
"We're almost there," he says. "Just hold on."
But as the hospital comes into view, I can't shake the feeling that this is just the beginning. That whatever secrets Dime has been keeping, whatever darkness surrounds his involvement with Saint's Outlaws MC, it's all about to come crashing down on us.
And I have no idea if our relationship is strong enough to survive it.
Two
Dime
It's hard to get comfortable on this little cot of a bed they've given me to sleep on while I'm here. Other the past couple of days friends have come in, but none of Allison's family. Which reiterates what she told me about not being close with them. Rolling over, I grab my phone and look at the time.
It's three hours since the last time I looked. There's no way I'm going to be able to get anymore sleep tonight.
Groaning, I sit up and put my feet on the floor. Bracing them, I reach up, and wince when my back cracks. This isn't the first time I've slept in a place like this where it's just too small for my frame, but it's the first time in a while.
Glancing over at the bed, I wait to see if Allison is going to stir at all. Last night wasn't restful for her, and at one point I'd had to get in bed with her. The only thing that had calmed her down was me holding her, and it's not as though I'd change any of that, but I fucking hate we're here right now.
My phone rings, and I make a noise in the back of my throat as I see Devil's name. He's going to keep calling until I answer, so I might as well get it over with.
"Hey," I whisper, before turning to leave the room. "What's going on?"
"Same shit, different day. I'm calling to check on Allison. I've been keeping Dani here, but she's not going to last much longer. Just needing to find out what y'all want and need."
Devil and I didn't know one another before we'd been tapped to go undercover for Laurel Springs Police Department. In the middle of all of that, we've become friends, and brothers. Truth be told he's the best friend I've ever had, and the members of The Saint's Outlaws MC have become the family I always wanted and never had. "She's still asleep," I sigh as I scrub my hand over my chin. "Last night was slightly rough, but I'm going to see if she'll wake up when I go back in. I've gotten a message from Principal Harrison, too. I'm only going to be able to hold people off for so long."
"Yeah, the cops were out there for a long while yesterday evening, into the night. You're going to hear about it."
Listening between the lines, he's letting me know that Chief Harrison, our boss, will be contacting me sooner rather than later. "I'll deal with that when the time comes. Have you heard anything?"
He makes a noise of affirmation. "They arrested the kid. He's been bailed out, and Lee is following him at a safe distance," he mentions our Prospect. "Trust me, that kid isn't going to know a moment of peace."
While that does make me feel better, I really do want to be the person who isn't giving that moment of peace. "Thanks, I'm gonna head back in. I'll let you know when she wakes up."
"Y'all be safe, and if you need something, please let me know."
