wounds leaving scars. He looked down in surprise, seeing the blood and shaking his head.
“Just a graze,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”
I picked up the lab coat from where he’d dropped it, tore a piece off of it, and wrapped it around his arm with fingers that trembled so badly I could barely tie it. Sirens lit up the night around us.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he said, voice gruff and deep with a fear and relief that matched my own.
“What?” I asked.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped my chest because how could I have prevented it when I’d been terrified myself?
Then, his lips were on mine, kissing me as if it were the last chance we’d ever have to do so. As if we’d never done it before. As if the tides were trying to pull us apart when they were really bringing us together.
“I love you,” I murmured against his lips. “I love you more than chemistry and atoms and saving the world. Don’t leave me. Don’t walk away trying to save me, because I don’t know if I could survive it.”
“I couldn’t if I wanted to, Vi. I belong to you. I always have.”
And then, we were kissing again, devouring each other in the middle of the park in the glow of the moonlight as paramedics and police and bodies filled the empty space around us.
When Malone showed up demanding answers, he still didn’t let me go. The shaking in my body slowly ebbed. My breathing returned to a somewhat normal pace, and the tired ache I’d felt before filled me once more.
I tried not to watch as they hauled the body of Ken’Ichi onto a stretcher that would only take him to the morgue.
“You should have that seen,” Malone said, pointing his phone at Dawson’s arm.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “I just want to take Vi home.”
“Go. I’ll call if we need more,” Malone nodded brusquely.
We turned and slowly walked back up the road to the Victorian with our arms and hands tangled together. His Aston Martin was parked askew at the edge of the driveway with the driver’s door flung open.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Tami and Saul heard a gunshot. Saw you taking off. I was already on my way back. Thank God, I was.”
“What happened…” I swallowed, looking at the plain sedan sitting across the street.
“He’s okay. Knocked out.”
Relief flooded me.
Dawson grimaced as he went to shut the car door with his wounded arm. I pulled away from him and stopped the door from shutting.
“Get in,” I said, waving my hand toward the passenger door.
“What?”
“I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“Vi. I’m fine,” he said.
I shook my head. “Humor me. I know how fast bacteria can grow, don’t I?”
He eyed my stance by the driver’s door.
“You want to drive?” he said doubtfully.
“Don’t be a baby. I can drive better than you at the moment.”
“I don’t know, Vi. You just went through a lot.” His lips quirked.
“Either I take you, or we walk back down to the ambulance, and you go with Ken’Ichi’s body. You choose.”
“Don’t ruin the clutch,” he said and sank into the passenger seat.
I smiled, got in, moved the seat up closer to the dash, and turned the key. As I zipped out onto the street, he closed his eyes and swore softly. I laughed.
“You aren’t the only one who likes to go fast, Dawson Langley.”
“I keep telling you slow isn’t a bad thing,” he said.
“Call Saul and Tami. Let them know we’re okay. I’m sure they’ve called Mandy and Leena already, so you probably need to call them as well.”
“Jesus. I haven’t even told Truck the truth yet.”
He rested his head on the back of the seat, closing his eyes.
“Dawson,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t care for the real-life version of The Saint we’ve been playing…so, can you promise me something?” He smirked, and I kept going. “Don’t ever do that again.”
His lips turned into a full smile as he asked, “What?”
“Scare me like that.”
He gave a soft laugh.
“I promise. It’s all over.”
Dawson
HOME
“The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you,
But your love it makes true.”
Performed by Daughtry
Written by Christopher Daughtry
The doctor was tying off the last stitch in the flesh wound in my bicep when Truck’s face lit up my phone. Violet and I shared a look before she answered the phone, putting it on speaker.