“We’ll be keeping her here another eight hours, just to be sure her lungs are clear,” the doctor says. “It would be smart to keep an eye on her for a few days after that.”
“She’ll be staying with us,” Viviana says before I can even open my mouth.
I want to tell her I can find a hotel, that I’ll be fine, but the look she gives shuts me right up.
The doctor explains a few things about the next days, symptoms to watch for, precautions. He talks directly to Viviana, as if I’m not even there. I feel like a child, invisible under the blanket while adults decide what’s best for me.
Flynn steps closer, and I see Declan quietly step back.
“Your entire apartment went up in flames,” Flynn says, his voice low, steady. “Did you hear anything before it started?”
I shake my head. “It was probably a candle, right? Or maybe I left the stove on?” My voice wavers.
Flynn glances at Declan, and something about that look makes my stomach tighten. I sit up straighter.
“What?” I ask, eyes flicking between them. “You’re hiding something.”
Viviana turns around quickly, her smile a little too fast. “There’s nothing to hide. There was a big fire, but thankfully no one was seriously injured. That’s all.”
That’s all. Right.
I watch their faces closely, the way they avoid each other’s eyes.
A nurse walks in with a small tray. Pills. Water. She barely glances at any of them, but her cheeks flush deep red. There’s something in her expression, not just nerves.
Fear.
Is she scared of them?
My throat tightens again.
What the hell is going on?
Chapter Eleven
Flynn
Istand outside, watching the rain cut through the night. The wind’s picking up, and the cold bites against the ache in my chest, not just from the new tattoo, but something heavier. A pressure I can’t shake.
She could’ve died tonight, and for some reason, that thought doesn’t just unsettle me.
It pisses me the fuck off.
A type of anger I don’t think I’ve ever felt. Not clean rage. This is messy, twisted, gut-level fury.
I wish I could bring her home with me to care for her, but I know I couldn’t stay away. I know that will bring even more danger towards her.
“Viviana wants to stay until she’s released,” Declan says, stepping up beside me.
I nod once. That’s all he gets.
“I know what you’re thinking, mate,” he says, cracking open a small bottle of water.
“And what’s that?” I ask, trying to keep the bite out of my voice but failing.
“That this was a hit. Because of us. Because of you.” He moves to stand in front of me. We’re nearly the same size; I’m six-six, he’s six-five. Viviana likes to joke we’re two towers of anger and ink.
She’s not wrong.
