Page 63 of Art of Love

He motioned to the other side of the bed, where there was more space, away from his bad knee. “Climb up here.” He shifted as she crawled up gently next to him. When she laid her head on his shoulder, he held in a groan and winced.

Okay, more than just the knee was hurt.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he lied and shifted again until the pain disappeared. “Rest,” he said. He drifted off listening to the sound of her breathing.

The following morning, after he’d downed the breakfast that had been delivered, he and Dylan talked to Aiden Brogan and Tom Reyes, Pride’s local police, who were investigating the crash.

“Tony Carson was in LA last night at the premiere of one of his client’s movies,” Aiden said, looking at his notes. “There are pictures and videos of him there all throughout the night.”

He saw Dylan’s shoulders sink. “Okay, if it wasn’t him, then…” She turned towards him.

“What are the chances it was just an accident?” Abe asked.

“If they would have left your car on the road, a high chance, but the tire marks show that they purposely pushed you off the cliff. Right through the guardrail,” Tom answered. “The two of you are very lucky. Not a lot of people would have survived a thirty-foot drop. The mechanic said it was thanks to the older car. Some of those things are built like tanks.”

“I’ve never been so glad that I didn’t trade her in,” Dylan whispered.

“Any idea on the vehicle that hit us? The make, model?” he asked the officers.

“We’re working on it. We’ll let you know when we find out something ourselves. They told us that you’ll be in here for about a week,” Aiden said. He handed Dylan a card. “My cell phone number is on the back. Technically, you’re currently in Edgeview’s jurisdiction until you return to Pride, but if you need anything…” He nodded to the card. “Night or day.”

“Thanks.” Dylan slid the card into the pocket of her jeans, which Lucy had delivered earlier that morning. Apparently, her old friend had sat with her the entire time he was in surgery and had promised to bring her fresh clothes in the morning.

After Dylan had showered that morning, Lucy had shown up with a bag of clothes, and they had gone down to the cafeteria and had coffee and chatted while he ate his breakfast.

After the two officers left, she sat next to him on the bed and they watched television.

He was slightly surprised when a report on their accident appeared on the news. An overhead video of Dylan’s car lying upside down on the rocky beach flashed on the screen.

“Oh my god,” she said, sitting up slightly. “How did we make it?” The image shifted, like it had been taken from a drone or a helicopter.

He took her hand in his and squeezed lightly. “Luck.”

She glanced at him. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to drive that stretch of road again.”

“You will.” He smiled. “After we catch the bastard that did this to us.”

She nodded. “My laptop was destroyed, but I uploaded all my data last night to my new secure server.” She smiled. “Josh has promised to drop off a new laptop here to me today. Then we can start from scratch. If it wasn’t Tony, who else lived in those townhouses?”

He tried to think, but thanks to the full meal and the pain meds, his head was numb.

“I’m too tired to think,” he admitted after trying to remember anything from all those years ago.

“Sleep.” She planted a kiss on his lips. “I’ll be right here.”

“Who’s taking care of the horses?” he asked groggily.

“I called Nate. He’s staying there watching over the house and the horses until they release you. Rest. Everything is taken care of.”

“I love you,” he said, and he drifted off.