Heart Beats (Joker's Sin #3) - Davidson King Page 0,64

the next half hour.” The doctor finished his exam and walked over to Shane. “We’ll leave you two be.” When he and the two nurses left, it was just Shane and me.

“I have never, ever, ever been more scared than I was when you were shot.” Tears flowed freely down his pale cheeks as he sat beside me on the bed. “I was so mad at you. Why would you do that? Why would you jump in front of a bullet for me?”

I wanted to speak so badly. To wipe the tears from his eyes, hug him until he didn’t know what fear was. I could feel my body start to wake up more but not enough to interrupt him.

“I thought you were going to die on me. I thought I’d never get to tell you I would move in with you or that you turned out to be the opposite of everything I thought you were. I thought I’d never get to tell you how sorry I was to ever doubt you.” He sniffled and when his shoulders started to shake, it just about killed me.

“I thought I was never going to be able to tell you I loved you, Ledger. That through all this madness and chaos, I fell in love with you.”

I willed my hand to move. It felt like I was swimming in molasses, but Shane was crying and I couldn’t take it; I needed to touch him. When my fingers touched something and Shane jolted, I knew he felt me.

He took my hand in his and pressed his lips to my palm. I swore I felt that kiss swim through my veins and dive into my heart. His head looked so much better. There was a large square Band-Aid on it, but it wasn’t swollen and there was no blood. I closed my eyes and thought about what I wanted to say. I knew I could speak; I just needed to push it out there.

“I…” Opening my eyes I saw Shane blink, a tear sliding along his cheek. “I am so in love with you.” I did it. I said it. Shane sat stock still. Staring at me with the kind of love I’d never seen anyone show me.

“You are?”

I was able to give him a small nod.

“I’d like less adventure in our lives, if that’s okay?”

“Agreed.”

I wanted to ask Shane about Charles and what happened. He said Lion was great but when I blacked out that was it. I needed to know what happened. As if sensing my distress, Shane told me.

“Riordan’s men were able to subdue Charles until Ciro and Detective Glass arrived. Apparently, you didn’t text Ciro, you called him and kept the phone on in your pocket.” He smiled. “Very smart.” Shane kissed my hand again, and I wanted those lips on my mouth. “Charles was arrested. I don’t know how the investigation is going or anything, but he’s locked up. Ciro said Glass was able to find out that Charles was once a patient in the Farm Point Mental Center up north for close to a decade. As a teenager, he burned down the house of one of his teachers. No one died, but I’m guessing infatuation is something Charles isn’t new to.”

So he’d done this before. Maybe if they’d kept him there, Trinity would still be alive, and neither I nor Ziggy would be in a hospital bed.

“Lion is doing good. I FaceTimed with him a little while ago…yes, he likes to FaceTime. Toby is actually there with Atlas. They’re keeping him company. He likes them.”

I had to figure out a way to thank my friends. Especially Ciro. I was curious about him more than ever now, but I wouldn’t pry. A man like that had secrets that buried people. I was just grateful he was on my side.

“Thank you,” I said and was glad when it came out stronger.

“Thank me by getting better.”

Then, finally, he kissed my lips. And I knew I’d never kiss anyone else ever again.

Epilogue

One Month Later

Shane

“I don’t see how this is at all fair,” I whined as I carried a huge tray of popcorn and sodas to the sofa in the living room. Ziggy was on one end and Ledger on the other. Both were recovering from Charles’s reign of terror, and I was their nurse, it seemed.

“You make popcorn the best.” Ziggy’s smile was irresistible.

“Uh-huh, yeah, whatever. I have boxes of stuff I need to unpack, and you two want me to sit