Lib Novel Page 70
“You’re alright?” he asked. His voice was so weak she could barely hear it above the monitors. She stepped closer but kept her distance.
“Yes. A few bruises, nothing big.”
He swallowed. “And Sean? And Randy?”
“Sean has broken ribs, some other issues, but nothing big. Randy’s got a few scrapes here and there.”
He nodded. “I didn’t have a choice, not at the end. Letov threatened you. He knew about our connection.”
“Oh, Royce.” And then, she couldn’t hold back. The anguish she heard in his voice broke her heart. “It’s okay. Everything turned out alright in the end.”
“I should have just let him kill me. Sean didn’t need to be captured like that.”
That thought had her blood running cold. “Royce Lassiter, don’t you ever say that again.”
He gave her a weak smile. “I promise.”
She walked over to the bed and took his hand. “I don’t know where we go from here. We have a lot of work to do.”
He nodded. “I have a feeling you’re going to stay in Hawaii.”
“For the time being.”
“Then, I guess I need to spend some time in the sun.”
She sighed. “I can’t promise anything.”
His smile faded and his grip tightened on her hand. “A chance is all I ask for.”
“Okay. I need to go check on Sean.”
“You do that.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow, probably late, but I will come see you.”
“Sounds good.”
She hesitated, and then leaned down to brush her lips over his cheek. “I’m so glad you are okay.”
He was asleep before she reached the door. She stood there, looking at him, realizing that they both had wasted so much time. She had almost lost him tonight, and until that moment, she hadn’t understood how important he was to her.
He was staying Hawaii, at least for a little while. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
Over an hour later, Sean sat in the bed waiting for everyone to show up. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Tonight was another clusterfuck. It seemed that any time he was involved with Jaime and Randy, he ruined everything. When he realized they had both been in the building…he’d closed his eyes. He would never have been able to live with their deaths. And it would have been his fault.
He sat up and grabbed the scrubs shirt they’d given him. He cussed as pain radiated through his body.
“That’s not very nice,” he heard Randy say from the doorway. With a sigh, Randy walked forward and helped Sean tug the shirt down over his head.
Emma was standing there, her eyes shadowed. “You said the plan was good.”
“It was. It just got a little more…violent than I expected.”
He held out his arm, and she hurried over to hug him. “I thought I was going to lose you,” she whispered. She said it as if she were ashamed of her feelings. He had a lot of work to do there. He knew she wasn’t ready to tell him everything, but she needed him. And he needed her.
She pulled back, and Randy leaned down to kiss him. Sean relished the feel of Randy’s mouth over his; because he knew it would be one of the last times. When he pulled back, he noticed Jaime was in the room.
“Hey, how’s Royce?” Sean asked, knowing that any injuries her father had were his fault as well.