Blacklisted (Loveless, Texas #3) - Jay Crownover Page 0,102
her life right now.”
Case sighed and I heard his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. “I actually owe you an apology. I hate that Presley walked in on you with that woman. I think there are a lot of things wrong with how you live your life and go about your business, but I know you aren’t a disloyal man. I know my sister can trust you. I also know you would never purposely hurt her the way she was hurt today. I think we were short-sighted, and maybe keeping things from her for her own good wasn’t the right call. When she wakes up, when she’s ready to listen, I swear I’ll clear everything up between the two of you. Trust me to fix this.”
I groaned a little as a sharp, stabbing pain lanced through my head. “Right now all I care about is her waking up. The rest can wait.” But I did appreciate what he said. It was almost a compliment.
We lapsed into a heavy silence, worry and helplessness thick in the air around us. It was a battle not to pass out or throw up the entire ride, so I stayed as still as possible and tried not to let my imagination run wild. I couldn’t fathom losing her. I couldn’t picture my life moving forward without her. Even though we hadn’t quite figured out how to fit together seamlessly, I knew if I lost her, there would be a gaping hole in my heart that would never heal.
I must’ve dozed off, which was incredibly dangerous considering I had a complex concussion. When I peeled my eyes open as Case shook my shoulder, I realized we’d traded the sleepy streets of Loveless for the much more hectic pace of Austin. I practically had to crawl out of the car. My head was swimming, and any little movement I made felt like someone was poking my brain with an icepick. Also, the army of stitches holding my temple together had started to itch and tingle. I knew painkillers were off the table because of the head injury, so I was just going to have to tough it out.
Again, I needed to use Case as a crutch until I found a wall to lean against. It was a long, painful walk to the ICU. Once we hit the waiting room the tension was so thick and heavy it was suffocating. Hill was on his feet pacing back and forth like a caged tiger. Della and Aspen were huddled around Kody like a protective shield. Crew was slumped on the floor with his back to the wall, looking every bit as anxious as his little sister. It was easy to see she was the most distraught of the bunch. When she caught sight of me, she got to her feet and rushed over to me. I braced myself for another smack across my face, even though my head was half concealed in white bandages.
Instead, she hit me with the force of a linebacker and wrapped her arms around my waist as she sobbed. I gently put a hand on the back of her head and whispered that everything would be all right.
She lifted her tear-stained face to look at me, and the sorrow in those familiar green eyes hit me in the gut like a punch.
“I’m sorry, Shot. I never think before I act. I should’ve known you wouldn’t cheat on Presley. That’s not who you are. She would’ve never been in that parking lot if it wasn’t for me.” Her sobs shook her whole body. I patted her uselessly on the back and sent Hill a pleading look to help me out.
“It was all a mess, Kody. It was bound to go badly from the start. I should have just been honest with Presley about what we were planning. I was trying to protect her, and instead I led her right into the line of fire. Let’s keep the blame where it belongs, on the bad guys who don’t care about anyone.”
She nodded lightly and rubbed her damp cheeks furiously. I gratefully handed her off to the Texas Ranger when he reached for her. I was looking for a place to sit down before I fell over when a woman in a pair of scrubs suddenly entered the small space where we were gathered.
She offered a kind smile, her eyes skirting over the assembled family and me.
“We rushed the tests through and got a positive result with one