Page 139 of Cruel Steps

Holden and I followed a nurse down the hallway. Chills ran over my spine, and I glanced back, but nothing was there. Holden tugged me to follow, so I picked up my steps.

“You have about twenty minutes before his room is ready.”

“Thank you.”

Holden stood frozen at the door, his eyes wide as he swallowed. Squeezing his hand, I pushed it open and stepped into the room. Two other patients lay in beds, but I only had eyes for the man lying in the last one.

“Hey,” he rasped. Colter gave us a soft smile. He sat up, still covered in soot and in the clothes he’d worn earlier. They were charred black in spots and cut away in others where gauze now showed. His dark blond hair was flattened on one side and stuck out in every direction on the other.

I wanted to wrap him in a hug but held myself back from running to him so I didn’t injure him further. Carefully, I rested my head on his chest as he cupped the back of my head.

“I’m so sorry,” I cried.

“Shh, it’s not your fault, Mer.”

“It was him, Col. It is my fault.”

He lifted his hand and nudged me back. His eyes were hard, and he gripped my chin with his good hand. “Stop. The only one responsible is him.”

My lip trembled, and I admitted the fear I’d been carrying. “It should’ve been me.”

“Fuck that. He was watching, Mer. I don’t remember much, but he was there. He stood over me. I don’t know if he would’ve detonated it if you were driving or if he would’ve done it at school after you got out of the car. He wouldn’t have done it with you in it because he wants you. Killing you doesn’t serve his purpose.”

“I don’t know why he wants me.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. I was so sick of crying.

“You heard the detective, Wildcat. His reasoning isn’t founded in logic.”

I nodded, wiping my cheeks. “Why can’t I have good things?”

“You can. He can’t take that away from us,” Colter said.

“I’m sorry. You’re the one in a hospital bed, and I’m making it about me.”

“Exactly. I deserve some first-class care here. Will you wear a sexy nurse outfit and nurse me back to health?” Colter laughed, wiggling his eyebrows. I giggled, and he smiled.

“My dad wants us to move into our house. It has better security.”

“Wait. Me too?” he asked, his eyes bouncing between me and Holden.

“Yep. I’ll pack you some clothes. Anything else you might need?” Holden answered. He sat on the end of the bed, his eyes focused on his best friend.

“Just my computer and textbooks for now. Shit, I need to call Sandy.” He patted his body. “I don’t know where my phone is.”

I placed my hand over his. “I already told her, emailed your professors, and let the team know.” Colter sighed in relief. “The only people I didn’t tell were your parents. Holden said to wait.”

This time, he grimaced. “Yeah, let’s not.” I nodded in understanding.

“Mr. Donovan, your room is ready.” The nurse stepped into the room. “We’ll be in room 439. Once we have him situated, you can head there in twenty minutes.”

I nodded and stood from the bed, kissing Colter on the cheek. Holden squeezed Colter’s leg, and they stared at one another. It seemed like a whole conversation had passed between them. Holden nodded and took my hand, ignoring the nurses as they stared at the three of us. When we stepped into the waiting room, we froze at the sight before us.

“Peanut! Is Colter okay? Your poor car!” Cody jumped up and rushed over to us. It looked like the entire football team filled the waiting room seats.

“Um, yeah. I mean, no, but he’ll be okay. They’re moving rooms.” The team sighed in relief. I noticed a few glances between Holden and me, our hands still entwined. If Holden noticed, he didn’t care, because he only pulled me closer to him. Coach Moore walked over, his face grim.

“What’s the verdict, Captain?”

Shit. I hadn’t even thought about whether Colter could play. Would he lose his scholarship if he couldn’t?

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