Diem’s face crumpled. “Are you kidding? You’re the sexiest man alive.”
“I think that honor went to Jonathan Bailey.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“He’s an actor. Have I taught you nothing?”
Diem cradled my head against his chest. His heart beat a tattoo beneath my ear. “I was so worried about you.”
“You’re the reason Luke didn’t get away. Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with my cunning skills as a PI.”
“What do you mean?”
“You called the police. You told me not to, then you went and did it anyway. They arrived as I was chasing him, and they saw him hit me. He put me flat out. Fucking hurt like a bitch. You know what’s weird? I didn’t see birds like in the cartoons. Sparkles and fireworks, yes, but no birds. I always thought there would be birds. What a rip-off.”
“I’m signing you up for self-defense.”
“It wouldn’t have helped. He surprised me. Lay in wait around a corner. Thenbam. Sneaky asshole.”
I closed my eyes, exhaustion hitting like a truck. Whatever they’d given me for pain had made me sleepy. My thoughts swam. My headache became a dull pulse behind my eyes, no longer ailing.
Diem threaded his fingers through my hair, continuously kissing my head over and over, whispering that he loved me, that I was an idiot, that I was never allowed out of his sight again. No more crazy plans. Desk work from here on out. And I love you, Tallus. I love you, I love you, I love you.
I smiled and soaked up the attention, even as I drifted on a cloud.
“I didn’t think the police would believe me when I told them what Luke was up to,” I murmured, hardly able to form sentences any longer. “But they arrested him for assault and said it would give them time to look into things. I sent them after Aaron. Said he had proof.”
“You did good.”
“Are you mad?”
“No. Scared, Tallus. I was scared.”
“I’m okay, D. Kind of sleepy.”
He squeezed me tighter.
“Aaron? What happened to Aaron?”
“They took him in. I gave him a line of bullshit, and he believed me. He had no idea that without those files, the police probably wouldn’thave been able to press charges. I convinced him to flip on Luke. I told him it was his only way out.”
I chuckled. “He believed you?”
“Yep.”
A sudden thought hit, and I jolted into a panic. “Darcy?” The world tilted and wobbled, and I clung to Diem to steady myself. “Where’s the kid? Is he okay?”
“I’m here. I’m okay,” said a voice from outside my line of sight.
I squinted at the opening in the curtain but saw only a blurry, indistinguishable impression of a person. “Darcy?”
“Yeah. You’ve got blood on your fancy shirt.” He stepped forward, but his image wasn’t any clearer.
I whimpered, examining the stain I’d discovered earlier, then fingered the fresh hole in my trousers. “My pants are ruined too. I fell in my stupid shoes when that asshole made me run on gravel.” I peered at Diem, whose expression remained pinched with worry. “I’m a failure as a PI.”
He brushed his knuckles delicately over my cheek, avoiding my busted nose. “You’re an amazing PI, but I suggest buying yourself proper running shoes for the future. The job is physical at times and requires random bouts of cardio.”
“I can’t run for shit. Shoes won’t help.”
