“Holy shit. I broke his ribs,” I rasped.
“And his spirit, undoubtedly,” Grayson tacked on, rising again. He held out his hand to me and helped me to my feet. “Come on, the fire department and local PD need to do their thing.”
There was a large-sounding crash from somewhere in the house, and I stumbled back, gaping at the ceiling. Hayes’ strong hands were at my waist then. “Steady,” he cooed at the shell of my ear.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, chest heaving as I looked at all of them.
Ash smirked at me. “If I had to guess, that was the front porch collapsing.”
Dominic shook his head and put his mask back down. “You’re banned from explosives,” he declared, leaving the room.
Grayson looked at Hayes and me over his shoulder, silently checking in.
“I’ve got her,” Hayes confirmed, his voice gruff. When I looked back up at him, his mask was back on his face.
“I want a mask,” I mumbled.
“Jake can make you one,” Ash said, reloading his gun as Grayson left the room.
“Really?”
Sometime later, I was standing at the end of Jake’s hospital bed, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. He had a giant patch over his shoulder and multiple IVs, his cheek bruised. My arms were wrapped around my midsection, and when I looked up to the blood bag hanging by his head, I tightened my hold, a shiver going through me. The guys were outside in the hall, talking with the doctor, but I didn’t have the energy to listen about all the suffering Jake had gone through. I needed to lay eyes on him.
“Hey, Jake,” I whispered, my voice weak.
All I got in response were the beeps from his heart monitor. I curled my right pointer finger inward, pressing the nail into myskin, my eyes stinging. I’d managed to dry my tears before we drove away from what was left of Gordon’s mansion. I had no idea what it looked like prior to Ash bombing it, but from what I could tell, it was the prettiest cage I’d ever been in.
“We got Gordon,” I told my friend, shifting my weight. “He’s with the FBI right now.”
The low murmurs of the rest of Red Snake’s voices grew louder, and I knew I didn’t have much time. With a steady breath, I rounded the bed and bent over Jake. “Do you remember that part in book two where the main character finally faced the villain? In the cave?”
He didn’t answer, but his eyelids shifted.
“Rothamack wasn’t afraid when he finally confronted his worst fear. I thought I would be the same,” I continued, “but I wasn’t. I was petrified.”
“Petrified?”
I shot up, gasping as my hand flew to my mouth. Hayes was standing at the edge of the bed, studying me with a furrowed brow.
“I thought you were outside,” I breathed.
“I was and now I’m here.” He glanced at his friend. “He should be awake in a few hours.”
“Okay.”
Hayes stared at me, tilting his head to the side. “Baby?”
“Hmm?”
“Please get into my arms before I lose my shit.”
My face crumpled, a horrid, broken sob leaving me as I collided with his chest. My arms locked around his neck as I planted my face against his heart and cried, my body jerking with sobs. His arms were around me, secure, the promise of their safety everlasting. “You want another truth, my love?” he rasped, pressing a harsh kiss on my forehead. “That was the scariest three hours and thirty-six minutes of my life.”
I put my cheek on his shoulder, gasping through my sobs. “I love you. I love you so much, Hayes.”
He was silent, but his arms tightened around me as he gave me another kiss.
There was a knock on the door and the doctor walked in with the rest of the Red Snake team following close behind. “Good evening,” the doctor greeted with kind eyes.