Page 58 of Hidden While In Sight

Some of the darkness faded, and he blinked as the room brightened. It was normal brightness, but too much at the same time.

Emma was curled up against her mother, sleeping, her thumb in her mouth. She didn’t suck on her thumb often, and guilt curled in his stomach at the self-soothing gesture.

“Stronger than you look,” he rasped out, coughing at the ache in his throat.

“I carried you here, you jackass,” Ramiro snapped from the doorway.

Diego’s gaze shifted toward him with a slow drag, as if he was still under water. He noted Connor curled up, sleeping, down by the wall at Ramiro’s feet before looking up at his friend.

Ramiro looked more pissed than he’d ever seen him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Ramiro’s arms tightened over his chest. “You’d better be sorry! You scared the shit out of me and out of your family.”

His family. The ownership felt good. Way too good.

His friend’s shout had woken Connor. The boy cringed into his wrapped arms with a soft cry.

Emma slept right through it.

“Lower your fucking voice, Ram.” Diego’s own voice was too raspy to threaten him properly.

Hannah’s hand trembled around his before she pulled away, laying Emma beside him before crouching near where Connor shook.

Ramiro took in Hannah and her child. His arms loosened as he shuffled his feet.

“He’s angry at me, Connor, not you,” Diego told the boy, feeling like he’d run a whole fucking marathon when Hannah’s son looked at him, even though he sure as hell wasn’t up to running. “He’s a giant teddy bear, even if he looks scary.”

“I’m not—” Ramiro sighed as he ran a hand over his beard. “Fuck, it’s been a day.”

“I should put them to bed,” Hannah said, helping Connor up. “It’s late.”

It had been afternoon when Diego had last been conscious. More guilt slid through him as he realized he’d been catatonic for hours.

He slid a finger over Emma’s soft hair before Hannah lifted her in her arms. Connor looked back at him, and he wished the boy a good night as Hannah took them both out of the room.

“I’m not a teddy bear, Diego,” Ramiro said when they were alone. “I kill people.”

“Not kids,” Diego said, still staring at the door.

“Maybe not. But it’s not like I like them or anything.” He sighed, some of his tension fading as his eyes traced Diego’s face. “You and that fucking pool.”

“I wanted to make Hannah happy.” Diego had already hated looking at the thing. After what had happened, even the thought of how it could have been worse made him break out in a clammy sweat. “Can you look at childproofing the door or something?”

“I’ll take care of it.” Ramiro frowned as if his mind was already on it. “You should at least have a security bar on it or something.”

Diego studied his friend. He really was big, bulkier than Diego would ever be. His bulk had come in handy a time or two, but he could see why it would make Hannah nervous.

“Sorry for making you come here.”

Ramiro’s gaze focused on him again. “All I could hear was kids crying through the phone. The sound of that…” His eyes closed, remembering. “Fuck, I don’t know. Don’t put me through that shit again.”

“Now who’s soft?”

Ramiro snorted. “I’ll stick around tonight, watch the cameras for you. You look like shit.”

“Feel like it, too,” Diego admitted.

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