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Before either of us can answer, the hospital door bursts inward.

The men tense, but the woman striding up to my hospital bed isn’t a threat to anything but my ribs. She’s the last member of my new tribe, a fact Inara demonstrates as she throws herself into my arms. Inara hugs me much too tightly for a woman reacquainting herself with consciousness. I groan, and my friend pulls back with a tearful chuckle.

“Sorry, chica.” She fans her still-tearing eyes with one hand as if she can will the water away. “I get really handsy when I’m nervous.”

I grin. Inara is a bond I formed all on my own, and it feels good to have her there with the rest of the people who are dear to me. “Well, almost dying can be worrisome.”

She perches daintily on the edge of my hospital bed, near Tony and Lucas. “It’s the absolute worst. You have to give a bitch a head’s up about this kind of thing. I feel like I would be more emotionally prepared for all of this if I’d known ahead of time that people were trying to kill you. Ya dig?”

I bite back a smile.

“I dig.” Tony angles a little closer, a grin on his face, and his eyes assessing.

Inara looks at him from the corner of her eye, and her upper lip curls in prim disapproval. “¡Escucha!Take two steps back, or you’ll be ending that sentence with ‘my own grave.’”

“I like you,” Marge says.

Bear shakes his head. “Of course, you do.”

Inara stands up and walks over toward Tony, her gaze dancing between Jim and me. “How much damage did he do?”

Jim’s face tightens as he pales. He takes a second to clear his throat before he speaks. “He stabbed her three times in the back. She lost a lot of blood. She also has some broken ribs, a concussion, cuts on her feet, and a fractured eye socket.”

“God, chica, you must be in a lot of pain.”

My lips turn up into a lopsided smile. “Only when I laugh. I think they must have me on some really good drugs.”

I turn to Jim and rest my hand on the side of his face, swiping away a stray tear that has fallen. I didn’t realize how severe my situation was, but the anguish on my husband’s face tells me there’s more he isn’t saying—that he can’t say right now.

He nuzzles into my palm and squeezes my hand. “Taya?”

The rest of the room seems to fade away, my focus shifting from my husband’s green irises to the slight tremble of his lips. “Yes?”

“You lost something, but I got it back for you.” He reaches into his pocket and withdraws my engagement ring. The one that Marco ripped off my finger.

I frown when an old anxiety wiggles its way into my head.

Jim pales. “Did you change your mind?”

“No. It’s just... what about the committee? What happens when they find out about all this?” I gesture to my bedridden body. “And that I didn’t tell them about Santoro and Marco?”

Jim’s already shaking his head. “You just focus on healing. I’m taking care of the rest.”

I lean back against the pillow, allowing his reassurance to wash away the bulk of my concern. “Then, yes, I’ll still marry you. Nothing would make me happier.”

Epilogue

Taya

“Thanks for allof this, Taya.” Lyons smiles as he grips a copy of the DVD. “This should help.”

“Will it put him away?” I want to hope but don’t dare. I won’t feel truly safe until Santoro is behind bars.

He pats my arm, one of the few uninjured places on my body. There’s a warning grunt, and I glance along the length of the bar at Shaken & Stirred to frown at Tony. Lucas is sitting next to him, talking to the bartender. Bear, Tony, and Lucas have been working in shifts to keep an eye on me when I’m not with Jim. I’m grateful for the precaution. Until Santoro’s organization is dismantled, there’s still a chance the crime boss may try to retaliate.

Seeing the look on Tony’s face, Lyons pulls away.

Fiddling with my hands, I glance up at Lyons. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I couldn’t bear to lose you too.” I grip the hard wood of the table. “I can’t believe my father didn’t warn me.”

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