I almost died tonight and all I wanted was you.
Three dots appear instantly as my breathing catches. Then it disappears. Nothing. Tears sting my eyes unexpectedly. Fine.
Me:
Please come hold me before I completely fall apart.
Silence. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes.
Then suddenly, headlights sweep through the warehouse windows and my heart stops as a motorcycle engine rumbles outside.
Hayden.
The warehouse doors swing open roughly and there he is.
Black hoodie. Green eyes and danger wrapped in six feet of heartbreak and terrible decisions.
The second he sees me sitting here bruised and covered in blood… something inside his expression cracks and I break completely. I get to my knees, wincing as I use the couch to stand while tears stream down my face. I stare at his face for just one devastating moment then I run straight into his arms, and he catches me instantly while I bury my face against his chest sobbing harder than I wanted too. His arms lock around me so tightly it almost hurts, but for the first time tonight… I finally feel safe.
Hayden
“As Long As You Love Me- Justin Bieber”
The second her text comes through, nothing else matters. Not the Dungeon. Not the money sitting half counted on my desk. Not Braxton screaming at some idiot fighter. Just her.
Firefly:
I almost died tonight and all I wanted was you.
My entire chest caves in reading it. Then the second text hits. “Please come hold me before I completely fall apart.”
I’m already moving before my brain catches up.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Braxton yells after me as I shove past him toward the back exit.
“Busy.”
“Hayden we’re literally in the middle of—”
The door slams behind me before he finishes. The ride to the warehouse is pure insanity. I blow through lights. Cut between traffic. Almost wipe out twice because my head keeps replaying those words.I almost died tonight.
Something ugly twists inside my ribs every time I think about it because if something happened to Ophelia…No. I can’t even fucking think it.
Then I walk into the warehouse and see her.Beautiful. Devastatingly beautiful. My Firefly.
Bruised. Bloody. Shaking. And Jesus Christ. The sight hits me like a punch straight to the chest. Rage and worry collide so hard inside me I almost lose my damn mind.Who touched her? Who hurt her? Who do I need to kill?I don’t care what this means. I just need to touch her. But then she looks at me and runs straight into my arms.
The impact nearly knocks the air from my lungs while her arms wrap tightly around my neck. And fuck. I close my eyes immediately because this is what home feels like. I hold her against me just as tight while burying my face in her hair.Coconut and sea salt. My Firefly.She buries herself against my chest, sobbing. Her body trembles in my hold and for a long moment neither of us moves. We just stand here holding onto each other like the world might rip us apart again if we loosen our grip even slightly.
“Hey,” I whisper roughly into her hair. “Hey, Firefly… I got you.”
She clings harder instead, and fuck—I don’t want to let her go again. Not after this. Not after almost losing her without even knowing it.
Finally, I pull back enough to look at her. “You okay?” I ask, cupping her face. Her lips split slightly. Bruises already darkening beneath her eyes. Dirt and dried blood streaking her skin. I know it's a stupid question. She obviously isn’t but she nods anyway.Liar.I brush my thumb beneath her eyes, gently catching leftover tears there. Then bring it to my mouth, sucking the liquid away. Her eyes widen and blow with lust as I take a deep breath.
“What happened?”
“Drug run went bad,” Bianca answers quietly nearby. “Stone got shot.”
