in Atlantic City, Kyle.”
Atlantic City?
“I don’t get it. You’re all healed. I’m the one hurt and…I’m so tired.”
It was more than just tiredness that hit me; it felt like a heavy blanket of warmth was sinking me into this bed and about to close out all the light.
“I’ll explain everything to you when you wake up. Just shut your eyes, and get some rest.”
His hand tightened on mine. Somehow, it made me feel safe. It gave me the encouragement I needed to close my lids again.
“But I just woke up…”
There was that darkness that I remembered. Not the kind I felt in the cell. This was different. This wasn’t frightening. My body didn’t tremble in fear. It didn’t make me search for a way out. In the strangest of ways, it was comforting.
“Relax, Kyle.”
I did as he said, and each of my muscles loosened.
“Breathe, Kyle.”
My breathing slowed.
Those words…they were so familiar. So was his tone.
So was the dream behind my lids.
Twenty-Seven
Kyle
“She’s awake.”
There was that voice again. The one I’d heard in my head when I was prisoned, the one I’d just fallen asleep to. It was Garin. But, this time, it wasn’t in my mind. It wasn’t right next to me. It sounded like it was coming from several feet away.
My eyes opened slowly, my lids rising much easier than before. Unlike last time, I looked around the room, taking in the window, the two chairs—one of which had been pulled next to my bed—the TV, bathroom, and closet. I really was in a hospital…but in Atlantic City? That part didn’t make any sense. Maybe Breath had flown us back to the States, and an ambulance had picked us up from the airport.
“I haven’t told her,” Garin said.
I glanced toward the open door, the voice sounding like it came from the hallway.
“I know, I know,” he continued. “You have nothing to worry about. Trust me.” He looked into the doorway, and our eyes connected. “I’ll call you later.” He shoved the phone into his pocket and came over to the bed. “Feeling any better?”
As he sat, I noticed he was in different clothes again. Darker jeans, a black button-down shirt. His scruff had grown a little, the black hairs casting a shadow across his cheeks.
“A little, I think. I’m still so tired and so confused.”
“The doctor said that’s normal. It’s going to take your body some time to recover.”
“When can I go home? Unless…” My voice drifted off as I thought about the prison.
Were Beard and Breath waiting for me outside the hospital? Would they take me the second I healed?
“Home is an option, right?”
Garin laughed, which confused me more. “Yeah, it’s an option. Just a few more days, and you’ll be able to go. Your doctor wants to make sure you’re stable enough to fly. Your lung is healing well, and so is your head. Your drain should be coming out tomorrow. Then, I’ll fly you back to Florida to make sure you get home safely.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“It is. Don’t fight me on it. Because last time”—he grabbed the armrests, the tips of his fingers turning white—“I didn’t keep you safe.”
Last time.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What happened to my head? And my lung?”
When he shifted in his chair, I picked up a whiff of his cologne. It was spicy, enticing. It would have turned me on if my whole body didn’t hurt, if I wasn’t so confused about why he was so healed and I was so battered.
I looked at his hands again. There wasn’t any dirt on his fingers or nails. No cuts. Not the least bit of redness. How was that possible?
“Do you remember Billy’s funeral?”
I recalled being at the funeral home, seeing Garin near Billy’s casket. Garin had come by the table where I was getting a drink.
“Yes,” I finally answered, “and I remember going to the bar with you.”
He had kissed me outside the restroom. Squeezed my neck. His touch had brought out more of the guilt. But it was the sexiest kiss I’d ever had, enough to make my skin flush in this hospital bed.
“We left the bar to go to your hotel, I think…”
That was where things became fuzzy. I didn’t have a full memory of the car ride, just random flashes of it. I saw the interior, the black leather seats. His hand on my thigh. A green light. Dark…something so dark and hard.
“We never made it back to the hotel, Kyle.”
That must have been because of Breath. He’d