“Later when?”
“When you’re better.”
My chest tightens a little at the thought. “You can’t just sit here forever.”
“Watch me,” he replies, the stubbornness in his voice making a tiny smile tug at my lips.
Just then, a knock sounds quietly on the door, breaking the moment. Hawk’s head lifts. “Yeah?”
The door opens slowly, and Ghost steps inside. He pauses when he sees me awake, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “Well,” he mutters, “look who decided not to die tonight.”
I blink at him, a mixture of relief and sarcasm bubbling up. “Comforting.”
Ghost snorts softly, a smirk playing on his lips. “How you feelin’, kid?”
“Sore,” I admit, wincing slightly as I shift.
“Yeah,” he says, nodding sagely. “Doc said that’d happen.”
My eyes flick between him and Hawk, the weight of recent events pressing heavily on my mind. “The guy… at my house.”
Ghost’s expression shifts slightly, sharpening with concern. “What about him?”
I swallow carefully, my throat still aching from the memory. “I think he was working alone.”
Hawk and Ghost both look at me, their expressions turning serious. “What makes you say that?” Hawk asks quietly.
I take a slow breath to gather my thoughts. “He said some things… before he attacked me.”
Ghost steps a little further into the room, his interest piqued. “Like what?”
My fingers tighten slightly around Hawk’s hand, seeking comfort. “He kept saying I embarrassed him,” I explain softly. “That he got kicked out of his club because of what happened in the parking lot.”
The two men exchange a look, a silent conversation passing between them.
“He was pissed,” I continue, my voice steady. “Like… really pissed. It didn’t sound like someone sent him. It sounded like he came after me because he got cut.”
The room is quiet for a moment, absorbing the weight of my words. Then Ghost nods slowly. “That actually tracks.”
Hawk’s jaw tightens at the implication. “Steel Vipers don’t take humiliation well,” he mutters.
“So he came after me himself,” I say quietly, the realization settling heavily in the air.
Ghost nods again, his expression serious. “Looks that way.”
Hawk’s thumb brushes slowly over my knuckles again, a comforting gesture. “Then he made the biggest mistake of his life,” he says softly, his tone filled with quiet determination.
Ghost glances between us, sensing the tension. “I’ll still keep digging,” he says. “Just in case.”
Hawk nods once, his expression resolute. “Good.”
Ghost looks back at me, his expression softening slightly. “Get some rest, Emma.”
With that, he slips out of the room, the door closing softly behind him, leaving us in the comforting silence once more.
The exhaustion creeps back in slowly, a heavy blanket settling over me. My body feels heavy again, and my eyelids droop, fighting against the pull of sleep.
“Hawk?” I murmur quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.
