“Is that for me?” he asked,his voice tiny.
I nodded, sniffing and thencoughing as blood ran down the back of my throat.
“You need ice,” he said,glancing warily at John. For a moment I thought he’d back away, but then hestepped over the other man’s body and in one movement wrapped his arms aroundme.
I felt tears seeping throughmy shirt before I heard him sob. His whole body shook with it a moment later,hands tensing and relaxing under my jacket, as though he would have liked tocrawl inside and hide there.
If I’d had a big enough pocket,I would have put him in it and zipped the whole thing up around him. All Iwanted was to be sure he was safe.
After a moment, I gatheredthe courage to put a hand on his back, feeling the warmth of his skin seep intomy palm. Feeling his body rise and fall as he breathed loosened something in mychest. For the first time since I’d gotten his text, I felt likeIcould breathe,too.
“I love you,” I murmured,words I’d been desperate to say for a while now. Words I thought Miles mightfinally be ready to hear.
When he looked up at me, myheart soared. He didn’t need to say anything. I could read it all on hisface.
“But I am gonna bleed on youif I don’t clean up,” I added. Not thatIminded bleedingon him, but I figured he’d have something to say about it.
Miles glanced at John, whowas just starting to stir. He probably needed some kind of medical attention,but I wasn’tinclined to provide it too quickly. He’d live.
“I’ll call Sergeant Moreno,”I said. “You head inside.”
To my surprise, Miles pulledhis thin t-shirt off over his head and passed it to me.
“For your nose. I’ll getice.”
“Stay in there until youhear police,” I warned. “Not risking you.”
A broad grin broke acrossMiles’face. I wanted to see him smile like that every single day from now on.
I was starting to think thatmaybe I’dget the chance.
“For the record,” Miles began,ducking into the apartment and holding the door half-open. “I love you, too.”
The urge to laugh bloomed inmy chest. Pure, easy joy, my gut clenching at the thought that I had the onething I’dwanted so much.
Nothing else mattered. Noteven the slowly-waking asshole on the floor who was going to get his ribsbroken if he tried anything.
“Close the door,” I said,knowing that I had a big, dumb grin plastered across my blood-covered face.
If he could still love melike this, then it was real. Which was all I cared about right now.
Everything else, we couldfigure out later.
***
“You gonna tell me he fell?”Sergeant Moreno asked, nodding to John, who was sitting up against the wall bynow, eyeing me warily.
I shrugged. “I’m gonna tellyou he hit me first and he’s real lucky I’m capable ofappropriateforce.”
Sergeant Moreno smirked. “Not bad, Iguess. For a Ranger.”
I rolled my eyes, but tookthe compliment for what it was. Reassurance that she was on my side in this.
“When I got here, he wasthreatening Miles through the door,” I explained. “I’m happy to make astatement to that effect.”
“And we’ll need one,” Morenoconfirmed.
“We’ve also got evidence toshow that he’s been engaged in… a number of other shady things. Not sure itrises to the level of criminal, but…”
