“Addie? Can you hear me?”
A hand squeezed mine as some part of me recognized Beckett’s voice. I tried to open my eyes, but they didn’t seem to want to cooperate. As I fought to get my lids to flutter, the pain set in. It felt as if someone had tossed me down a very steep hill with a lot of rocks.
I squeezed the hand wrapped around mine as panic started.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe. Just open those eyes. I need to know you’re okay.”
Something about the raw emotion in Beckett’s voice had me fighting harder. Light came in flashes. I had to blink for what felt like forever until Beckett’s face came into view. It took even longer for that face to come into focus. Thick scruff covered his jaw, and dark circles rimmed his eyes.
“Beckett?” His name came out cracked and hoarse.
“Here. They said you could have little sips if you woke up. Not too much, though. You could get sick, and we don’t want you ripping your stitches.”
Stitches. Everything came back slowly and all at once. Cora. Brandon. Allen.
I pushed the straw away. “Cora?”
“She’s okay. Still in the hospital, but she’ll make a full recovery.”
The heart monitor slowed audibly at Beckett’s words. Tears stung my eyes. “I didn’t think there was any way she’d make it.”
Beckett took my hand, placing it against his cheek. “She’s strong. Almost as strong as you are.”
“Allen?” I could barely get his name past my lips.
“Gone.”
“For good?”
“Never taking another breath.”
“Good.” Maybe it made me a bad person, but I’d lost too many hours of sleep over that man. I didn’t want to have to look over my shoulder anymore. For the first time in forever, I was truly free.
“I’m so sorry, Addie.”
There was so much pain in those four words. A level of grief I’d never heard from Beckett before. Not even when he talked about Shy’s kidnapping or the shooting in Venezuela. Never.
I rubbed my thumb back and forth across his cheek. “None of this is your fault.”
“I should’ve gone with you—”
“So Brandon could’ve killed you? Because that’s what he would’ve done the second he walked through the door. He thought Cora and I were weak, but he would’ve put a bullet in your brain.” The image had my stomach roiling and my heart racing.
“Hey, I’m okay. I’m right here. With you.” Beckett bent, nuzzling the side of my face. “I almost wasn’t. Allen had you for three days. I died a million little deaths in those seventy-two hours.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for him.”
“I’m not. But I am sorry you were hurting.” I brushed my lips over the top of Beckett’s hair. He’d had it so much worse than I had. “Did they find Brandon?” I was almost afraid to ask.
“At a truck stop in Montana, making his way to Canada. He’s in lockup now.”
“We’ll be okay then.”
“We will.” Beckett lifted his gaze to mine. “How do you feel?”
“Fine.”