Page 86 of Rami

He went to the keypad on the wall and quickly entered a code then removed his shoes. She did the same and he took her hand. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

“Ugh, it’s already morning.” As she said the words, a yawn leaked from her lips. She barely had the chance to take in the wide-plank hardwood floors and cream-colored walls before he steered her down the hallway.

Rami switched on more lights as he passed a couple of bedrooms and led her into the bedroom at the end of the hall. A king-sized bed ate up the center of the room. The two giant windows surely let in a ton of sunlight.

“Don’t worry,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I’ve got black-out blinds.” He picked up a remote from a nightstand and hit a button. Shades rolled down and covered the glass. “Bathroom’s over there. Closet’s there. Use whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” She sat heavily on the bed and tugged off her wet socks then stood to push down her still-damp pants and underwear. Her body craved a warm bath and fresh clothes, but she was just too tired. She had Rami’s nice warm hoodie—now all she needed was to be horizontal.

Rami peeled back the blankets and Ivy crawled underneath. He tucked her in, but she lifted her head before letting it hit the pillow. “Aren’t you staying with me?” God, she hated the needy note in her voice. But had something changed? He’d professed his love only hours before. Maybe he’d spoken with haste and now—

“Soon.” His hand went to her hair, gently stroking. “There’s a couple things I need to do and then I’ll come to bed.”

“Okay,” she drawled. Her head sank to the pillow when his warm palm moved to her cheek. “Don’t be long,” she said sleepily.

He bent down and placed a kiss to her forehead. “Be back in a bit.” A few seconds later the door creaked. Her brain shut off before the light did.

***

Rami rubbed the fatigue from his eyes with the heels of his palms. The crash of adrenaline was almost as jarring as being home. After everything that’d happened, being under his own roof with Ivy in his bed felt far from reality.

His body ached, and he’d give anything for a steaming shower, but he wasn’t going to risk waking Ivy, or worse, having her wake up and not be able to find him.

He pulled off his shirt and tossed it in the laundry room. His muscles protested and he grunted at the aches all over his body. He’d have bruises, maybe a few ribs out, but at least no bullets had entered his body. His skull pounded as if someone were chopping wood on his head. Breezing to the kitchen, he shook out two ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet and downed them with water.

Then, after taking his phone from his pocket, he opened the last text he’d received from Gigi. He hadn’t told Ivy her sister was on her way home because he hadn’t wanted to make her anxious when she needed rest. He hadn’t even realized Gigi had sent a message, but he’d been pretty preoccupied the last several hours.

We got a flight leaving Colorado at 8:00a.m.

Should be home midafternoon.

Please call me with any news.

He glanced at the time. Gigi would likely be boarding soon. He hit call and brought the phone to his ear.

Gigi answered on the first ring. “Hello?” She sounded haggard and breathless, and for the first time, he heard how similar her voice was to Ivy’s.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Ivy... is she okay?” her voice broke, ripping out his heart.

“Yeah, she’s okay.” His answer was weak. Physically, Ivy was stable. Mentally and emotionally, well, fuck. But he didn’t have the energy to go into all that. He’d let Ivy tell her sister what she wanted to when she was ready. “I’d have had her call you, but she’s got a concussion.”

Gigi inhaled sharply. “Are you at the hospital?”

“No, we just left. We’re at my place now and she’s sleeping.”

“And the men after her? Tell me they’re caught and this is all over.”

He let out a sigh and raked his hand through his hair. “Some—most—of the men are dead. The leader is still roaming free, but we’re looking for him.”

Gigi sniffed. “I won’t rest until he’s caught.”

“I know. Look, I’m beat. Let me know when you land and we’ll come see you, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. That sounds good. Rami?”

“Hmm?”

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