“Two days?” I gasped, looking at the men.
Wells nodded, swallowing, and accepted Monroe’s plea to not pretend it wasn’t serious. When Monroe walked closer, he grabbed Wells’ other hand. Atticus took that as his cue, kissing my head before walking out of the room, the door closing quietly behind him, leaving the three of us alone.
“So, two days and Sax texted you?”
“Yeah, he really needs to work on his communication,” Monroe grumbled, and for some reason, it struck me as funny, eliciting a laugh from me. The sound set off Monroe, followed by Wells, who grunted out in pain.
“Hey, no fair. Gunshot wound, practically died, remember?”
“Oh, so now you admit it? I see how it’s going to be. You know you can only use this to get your way for a limited time, right?”
“I’ll milk it for as long as I can.”
Grinning, I wiped the tear that fell, leaning forward to kiss him. I rested my head on him, breathing the same air for a moment.
“I’ve never been more scared in my life. Thank you for keeping your word to not leave me.”
“I’d never leave you by choice, Kitten. And even then, I’d fight tooth and nail to get back to you two. I love you. Can I say that now?”
I laughed, the sound watery as my tears mixed with it. “Shut up, you fool. I love you too.”
“You hear that, Roe? Kitten said she loved me first. I think that earns me something.”
Monroe groaned dramatically, smiling, relieved we could have this conversation. We fell into an easy rhythm, talking about random things, keeping the topic light, until I noticed Wells starting to tire, and my stomach no longer willing to be left without food.
“We should let you get some rest.”
“Not yet,” he yawned, fighting to keep his eyes open.
“Wells, it’s fine. You need sleep.”
“I’m not disagreeing, but first, we need to decide what we’re going to do about the shooter.”
“You saw who shot you?” Monroe asked, causing Wells to look at me in shock.
“You didn’t tell him?”
I shook my head. “In my defense, they apparently drugged me to sleep for two days. I only just woke up. I wasn’t exactly in the best state right when you told me.” Monroe grimaced sheepishly, but I squeezed his hand, not angry they’d done it. From what I could recall, it had been needed.
“So, no one knows?”
“No,” I admitted, biting my lip. I looked up, meeting Monroe’s eyes. They were sad, and I think he knew, but he nodded.
“I’ll grab the others.”
Exhaling, I ducked my head, gathering myself for the confrontation. I didn’t know why I was worried. I hadn’t kept it from them intentionally. I’d been in shock and then asleep. If anything, they should be upset with themselves. Resolving my guilt, I straightened my spine, pushing my shoulders back. Wells squeezed my hand, and I nodded, kissing him. We were in this together.
Standing, I waited next to the bed, not wanting to sit when we talked. Monroe returned with Nicco, Sax, and Atticus. When the door shut, Atticus looked between Wells and me, his boss mask firmly in place.
“You have something to share?”
Nodding, I looked at Wells. “I saw who shot me, or at least who was in the car.”
“Interesting. The cameras had been turned off. The only thing we’d gotten was a black Mercedes.”
“Yeah, that’s the one. I’d just let the dogs out, walking over to the area where there was some grass. It was away from the road, probably to my benefit, as they didn’t get as great of a shot. When I stepped there, lights flicked on, blinding me. I raised my arm to block the light, trying to see who it was. The dogs were doing their business, so I turned when the car moved. It happened so quickly, I’m not sure of the correct sequence. One second I was standing, the next the car approached with the window lowering and I saw her face. It was Fort who saved me, pulling on the leash and causing me to fall forward out of the original pathway.”
“Her?” Atticus asked, his jaw tightening.