Page 88 of Best Laid Plans

The darkness swallows me whole before I can reply.

* * *

I crack my eyes open and wince. “Bright,” I whisper, trying to sit up so I can reach the lamp.

“Lil?” I look over and see Kruger sitting at the foot of my bed. I frown, my mind taking a while to catch up.

I’m not home. I’m in the hospital—and that’s when everything rushes in like a tsunami of horror unfolding in my mind. I fist my hands. One of them is encased in the first of another. I look over at Powers asleep with his head on the side of the bed, his hand wrapped tightly around mine, refusing to let me go, even in his sleep.

I swallow my tears before I look back at Kruger, who moves closer, taking the seat on the other side of me. He reaches for my free hand.

“Conan?” I whisper, scared to ask.

“He’s gonna be fine. He lost a lot of blood, but miraculously, the bullets hit nothing vital. You kept him alive until we got there to take over. Hell, you ended up being closer to death than he was. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I was done. No more losing people, no more running and hiding, no more other girls paying the price for me evading him.” I swallow, the rest coming out as a whisper. “I was thinking there was no way I was going to let him take Delphi away from Theo and you.”

He gets to his feet and leans over me, his lips pressing against my forehead. “Thank you. I’ve thought of a million different ways to say that to you, but none of them come close to being enough. What you did…I’ll never be able to repay you for that. Right now, because of you, my boy is wrapped in my woman’s arm, and Becca is fast asleep with her head in his lap.”

“Anyone—”

“No. Absolutely the fuck not. If you’re about to tell me that anyone would have done the same, then you need a reality check. Only you would cut your own fucking throat to save someone else.”

“And we’ll be having fucking words about that.” I hear from beside me.

I whip my head around to face Powers. “Lucy?”

“She’s gonna be okay too.”

And at that, I burst into tears.

He curses before he climbs onto the bed and pulls me into his arms. “I got you, baby. I’ve got you. I swear I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

I sob into his cut as I hear Kruger murmur that he’ll leave us to it.

“You’ve gotta stop crying. You’re killing me,” he whispers as he tips my head back and dries the tears from my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to get another chance with you.”

“You don’t think I’d let you go that easily, do you?”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Oh, I’m fucking furious. But you’ll have a lifetime to make it up to me, starting with marrying me the second you get out of here. You want a big party afterward, or proper service later, then I’m down, but I’m not going a second longer without you being mine.”

I open my mouth in shock. “You want to marry me?” I knew I was in deep. I can’t seem to get my head around him feeling the same way.

“The only thing I want more than your lips wrapped around my cock is my ring wrapped around your finger.”

A startled laugh bursts out of me, making me grab my throat as the dressing pulls a little.

“Shit, sorry.”

“No, it’s good to laugh. I’m sad about Tina, Rose, and Glory, but I can’t help but feel happy that it’s over. That James is dead, and I’m finally free. He is dead, right?”

“Oh yeah. I don’t know what the fuck was in that syringe. But Delphi gave the cops a story saying James brought it with him. And when he tried to use it on you, you managed to get it from him while he was cutting you, and stabbed him with it. She’ll be in soon to make sure you have your stories straight.”

“Okay, good. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain what I gave him without incriminating Hannibal.”