can piece together, he’d been following you last night.”
“And I ran off alone,” I said with a groan. “Giving him the perfect opportunity.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Blade said. “What matters is that you’re okay. And that Priest and the enforcers were there.”
“The rest of the guys are texting a lot,” Heath said, glancing down at his phone. “How are you feeling? Up for visitors?”
“Yeah,” I said immediately. Even though I was exhausted, seeing the club members would reinvigorate me.
Priest stood up. “I’ll go meet them in the lobby. Show them up to the room.”
Before I could protest, he was gone. Heath and Blade both turned to their phones, giving Dante and me a moment of privacy. Dante scooted a little closer, then folded his hand over mine. He looked exhausted, his face pallid and eyes red-rimmed. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all—he probably hadn’t.
“You’re really okay?” he asked.
“I am,” I said. Even though I was exhausted, and hurting, and anxious about Priest’s strange behavior—I was alive. Just a hair of difference in where the bullet had landed, and I wouldn’t be here talking to my son at all.
It made me feel like someone was looking out for me. Like Ankh had known I still had more left to do—he’d protected me. The same way he’d always protected the club. Tears prickled behind my eyes, and I swallowed around the sudden knot in my throat. I squeezed Dante’s hand.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have gone off on my own. Not after everything Xavier had done.”
“It’s all right,” Dante said. “It was a mistake, but I think you’ve more than paid for it.” He smiled weakly. “And you clearly needed… something.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. Priest stepped back into the room with a handful of anxious-looking members in tow. I met his eyes, and Priest offered me a small smile before he looked away again. “I think I still do.”
Okay, well, it was more than a handful of members. Coop and Siren were there, of course, both looking as pallid as Dante did—clearly, they hadn’t slept either. That made sense—they were the ones who’d been there when I’d been shot. They’d probably seen the whole thing.
“Mal,” Siren said, hurrying to my side. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” I said.
“Sounds about right,” Coop said. He patted my leg, looking immensely relieved. “You scared us pretty bad there, Prez.”
“Sorry, guys,” I said. “I’m all right. Really.”
After that, it was a rotating cast of members coming in with well wishes and, of course, food: Mav and Jonah with a card signed with a scribble by Grace, Tex and Jazz with takeout from Pepper’s, Nix, Dawson, Brennan, Joker, Tru, Beau, Gunnar with relieved grins, and Raven with a tablet loaded with movies ready to watch—everyone. There were so many of us, no one could stay for long, because the nurse kept sticking her head in and telling us we were breaking the visitation rules.
“All right, all right,” I said after the third time the nurse came in and gave me a stern look. “Y’all get going. I’ll text if I need anything.”
With a noisy chorus of well wishes, the members filed reluctantly out the door. Priest turned to leave, too. “Wait,” I said.
He stopped.
“Priest, can I—can we talk?”
Dante glanced over his shoulder, the last one to leave. He nodded at me, eyes soft, and gently closed the door behind him.
Priest stiffened. For a moment I thought he might ignore me and walk out the door with the rest of the club, leaving me alone in the hospital room. But, to my relief, he sighed and turned around, then pulled a chair close to the side of my bed.
For the first time since I’d awoken in the hospital, I felt like I had his full attention.
“You know why I was at the cemetery in the first place?” I asked.
Priest sighed. I reached for his hand, and after a moment of hesitation, he took it and smoothed his thumb over my knuckles. The contact soothed some of my nerves. Maybe now that we were alone, we could—sort this out. Whatever it was.
“You said you needed some advice,” Priest said. “That’s where I go, too.”
I swallowed. The prospect of talking to Priest about the way I felt—confessing to him—still filled me with anxiety, but after everything I’d been through, I was done beating around the bush.
“I was scared after we made love last night,” I said.
Priest’s expression softened, but then he pressed his lips into a hard