"Try to relax, okay?" Silver puts his sock-covered foot near my armpit and slowly guides my arm away from my body.
I pinch my eyes shut and wait for it to be over.
"Breathe, Angel, breathe." He continues moving my arm until the thing snaps back into place.
I gasp and open my eyes to find him smiling at me.
"You did so well." He helps me to sit up and guides my arm across my stomach. "You should probably try to keep it immobilized and ice it. I think I have a sling."
"Damn Cora," London says as she comes into my line of sight. "You're a baddie."
I chuckle dryly and stand from the couch. "Not hardly."
Silver returns a moment later and fixes me up with a sling that's clearly too big for me. "I had shoulder surgery once," he tells me and meets my gaze. "You're going to need to take it easy, Angel."
"I'm fine, really." The pain has dulled to a subtle ache and isn't anything I can't handle now that I know my arm isn't more severely injured than I had worried it was. Whatever fate Ricardo has in store for me now that Miller fucking shot him is way worse than a measly dislocated shoulder.
"Alec will be here in a few minutes," Miller announces to the rest of us, his gun still casually resting in his hand.
"You plan on using that thing or did you maybe want to put it away?" I saunter into the kitchen and return to the stool I was sitting in before Silver doctored me up.
"I'll keep it out for the time being." Miller comes over and places his hand on the counter in front of me, his stature towering over me. He lowers his voice. "I need you to tell me what's going on, Cora."
"We'll talk when Alec gets here." I tilt my head toward Silver. "Can you take a look at her head? I think she needs stitches."
"Yeah." He waves London over. "Better lighting in my bathroom."
I hate the idea of them being alone but come to terms with the reality that Silver is not mine, and I have no claim over him. If he wants to fuck London on the bathroom counter the same way he did with me last night, that's his prerogative. How dare the thought even cross my mind to be jealous when I'm messing around with Miller and Alec. I'm being selfish, especially considering I can't keep any of them.
Whatever future I thought I had after Ricardo is surely over after what happened today.
A buzzer in Silver’s apartment goes off and Miller slips away to push the call button near the door.
"Who is it?" he asks through the receiver.
"It's Alec. Let me in."
Miller grants his access, a moment later opening the door for him with his gun tucked behind his back. He doesn't relax in the slightest until the door is shut behind them.
Alec's sights quickly land on me, his face contorting from a smile to a frown. "Cora, babe, what happened?" He rushes over and takes my face in his hands. "Who hurt you?"
"I'm fine," I lie.
"Ricardo Gardella," Miller answers him. "That's who fucking hurt her."
Alec glances from Miller to me. "Is that true?"
"Yeah, but it's okay. I have it under control." I wonder how many lies I can keep up with before every word out of my mouth becomes one.
"So did you tell him?" Alec keeps his voice low, but it isn't low enough.
"Tell me what?" Miller steps forward and all but slams the gun down on the counter.
"Dude, seriously? Put the gun away." Alec turns around and throws his arm in front of me. "There's a lady in your presence, have some tact."
Miller exhales dramatically and holsters his weapon. "There. Happy?"
"No, not really." Alec plants his hands on the edge of the counter. "Where's Silver?"
