I breathed a sigh of relief. One less thing I had to worry about.
There was a knock on the door, followed by Knight popping his head in. He looked at me in concern. I nodded for him to enter. He walked through the door and held it for Zip and Boxer who moved toward the exit. Boxer grasped my big toe and gave it a tweak before leaving.
Knight came all the way into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. He examined me for a long moment and then said, “Christ.”
“I’m okay.”
He shook his head. “You’re not the one who’s supposed to be reassuring me. I’m supposed to do that for you. I sat with Colt, you know. When they brought you back from surgery. The both of us sat by your bed waiting for you to come out of anesthesia. Your boy was a real wreck.”
“And you?”
He sighed. “Same. Boxer and Zip…did they tell you about Colt?”
“About how he’s gone? Yeah. They said he went for a ride to clear his head.”
“I don’t know you well,” Knight said slowly. “So I’m gonna need you to be honest with me.”
I looked at him in confusion. “Okay.”
“What’s your mental state? I mean, how fragile is too fragile?”
“You know where he went, don’t you?”
After a moment, he nodded. “I followed him to the parking lot. We had some…words.”
“You had some fists, you mean?”
He smiled slightly. “It might’ve come to that. I got protective over you. He landed a punch. I hit him back. Then I made him tell me where he was going.”
“Where did he go?”
His eyes met mine. “To get your revenge for you.”
I dreamed the devil climbed into bed with me.
He held me in his arms, kissed my lips, tasting of violence and seduction. He smelled like gunpowder and leather, woodsmoke and man.
He felt solid and real, but I knew he was a figment of my morphine-induced imagination. I cried tears of bereavement because I knew once I opened my eyes, he’d be gone and I’d be alone again.
So for the time being, I gave into his touch, I gave into the feeling of not being so alone.
And when I came in my sleep, his lips were there to steal my cries.
I cracked an eyelid, taking a moment to get my bearings. My head was not resting on a pillow, but on a warm male chest.
“Colt?” I whispered.
“Hmm.” His fingers played with my hair.
“Where did you go?”
He paused. “I thought Knight told you.”
“He did.” We were silent a moment and then I asked, “How?”
“I asked Flynn for his help. Cost me a bit. To be there at the end.”
“What did it cost you?”