Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
“I know the feeling,” Lu said, her knee bouncing.
“What the hell happened?” I asked, looking around the exhausted group.
Lu scoffed. “Well, it all started yesterday when Eli said it was going to be an easy job.”
He reached for her and she laughed roughly, dodging. “I’m fucking with you, dude.”
“When we got to the venue,” Forrest said quietly, ignoring them. “We’d just gotten out of the rig and someone started shootin’. I was closest to the client, so I got her inside. Mark came in behind me.”
“He walked inside?”
“Adrenaline’s a funny thing,” Ephraim murmured. “I was at the doors, stepped out at the first shot. Lu was makin’ her way around the front of the Tahoe and Eli had moved toward the back.”
“I drove,” Lu clarified. “I’d just stepped out.”
“I saw him,” Eli added. “He was only about a hundred yards from us. Took the shot while he was tryin’ to figure out which of us was the easiest target.”
“You did good,” Forrest murmured.
“Didn’t even fuckin’ see him before he started shootin’,” Eli scoffed. “Losin’ my edge, clearly.”
“Mark went down inside,” Forrest said, his eyes on me. “I got the client to a safe spot and went right to him. Did what I could at the scene before the medics got there.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, reaching out to squeeze his hand.
“You need to take care of that,” a raspy voice announced as Poet came up beside my chair. “I’ve got a first aid kit in Amy’s clown car.” He nodded. “I’ll get it for ya.”
“I’ll get it, gramps,” Leo called, jogging toward us. He looked at me. “Out of surgery, huh? Good fuckin’ news.”
“Really good news,” I agreed.
I spent the next hour making my way through the crowd that had followed me all the way from Eugene to Portland. They hadn’t expected anything, not even a word from me, but they’d come anyway in silent support. Ten years ago, when I’d been pretty much estranged from them, I couldn’t have even imagined it. Now, I wasn’t surprised but I was extremely grateful.
The Aces had been a really big part of my life since the day I was born and they’d practically raised Mark. No matter how much they’d annoyed me and pissed me off over the years, they always, always came through for us when we needed them. That’s what family did.
I drug it out as long as I could, but by the time I said the last thank you for coming, I was practically vibrating with impatience. I wanted to see my husband. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to smell his skin. I needed to run my fingers through his hair and lace my fingers with his.
A little over an hour after the doctor had been out to see us, the same doctor came to the swinging double doors and gestured for me to come.
“We’ll stay right here,” my mom said as I shot to my feet. “Molly just texted and said all the kids are passed out and Forrest took a bottle just fine. Tell Mark we love him.”
I nodded, but I was already on the move.
“You can come back now,” the doctor said as I reached her. She glanced behind me. “Two visitors at a time and immediate family members only, sorry.”
“Forrest,” I called, gesturing for him to come with me. I turned back to the doctor. “His brother.”
She didn’t question it.
“Don’t you have minions to do this,” Forrest joked halfheartedly, breaking the silence as we walked toward Mark’s room.
“Usually a nurse would bring you back, but I’d never refer to them as minions,” she said lightly, smiling. “But, since me and this guy went through some stuff together, I wanted to do the honors.” The door was already open, but there were curtains around his bed. She brushed them aside, and then there he was.
He looked like absolute garbage.
He was the most beautiful sight.
“Hey baby,” I called, my voice hitching. I hurried to his side and reached out to gently brush his hair back from his face.
“He’s still pretty out of it from the anesthesia,” the doctor said softly, walking over to check his IVs. “But that’s a good thing. Rest is good. He’s been awake a couple of times. Asking for his wife.”
“Bet he wasn’t pleased when you told him he had to wait,” Forrest said hoarsely, standing at the end of the bed with his hand on Mark’s foot.
“Thankfully, he fell asleep pretty quickly afterward,” the doctor replied. She looked at me. “Cecilia?”
“Yes?” I looked up and met her eyes.
“I thought so,” she murmured. “The tattoo.”
“Doc, he’s gonna be pissed if you fucked up that tattoo,” Forrest said with a chuckle.
“Just missed it,” she said with a smile. “The tattoo is fine.”
“Why the hell did you think it was okay to get shot?” I whispered, pressing my forehead carefully against his temple. “I’m going to kill you when you’re all better.”