Page 139 of Falling Too Late

I was so tired, but every time a doctor or nurse came by and asked me if I wanted a break, I declined.

I promised heaven and hell I would never leave her side again. I’d be damned if I broke that promise on day one.

“Do you love her?” The words left my throat in a croak. I didn’t know what I would do if he did. Did it really matter? I wasn’t going to walk away from her. I wasn’t going to let her go to him just because he hadn’t made the mistake I did.

Mario at least gave me the dignity to not look at me like I was stupid.

“I do, but not in the way you think.” His voice was resolute. Like he had resigned himself to losing her. “My sister died when I was seventeen. She was in a similar situation to Wren’s. Committed suicide when she was fourteen.” I watched as his throat bobbed up and down. “I’d like to think my sister would have turned out like Wren, if she could have gotten out sooner.”

With his words, the jealousy evaporated.

The curtain behind me opened, and then a hand clasped me on the shoulder.

I could smell Ezekiel’s cologne. It cut through the antiseptic smell of the hospital room like a knife. I brought my hand up and patted his.

“Whatever you need, brother, you just say the words.”

That voice wasn’t Ezekiel’s though. I looked up to see Nikolas’s face, concern in his eyes. More emotion was in them now than I had seen in all the years I’d spent in prison with him.

I stood and he clasped me on the back before holding me at arm’s length. “It’s good to see you. I’m sorry that this is the situation.”

“I didn’t know you were getting out so soon.”

He shrugged his shoulders, eyes flicking over my shoulder. “I know a guy who knows a guy.”

I took my seat again and placed Wren’s hand back in mine.

“Alright, gentlemen, visiting hours are over. It’s time to go.” The head nurse made her way into the room, eyes taking a good look at each man that stood. They all stood about a foot taller than her. The brothers were equal in height. About four inches taller than Mario. She was older, with short curly hair and a wide frame. I thought her name was Connie.

She pumped some hand sanitizer on her hand, rubbing it together as she checked the monitors and wrote things down on her chart before leaving again. I looked at Mario, who was staring at Niko and Ezekiel.

“What do you need from us?” Niko asked.

“I want a complete security system installed at Wren’s place. I don’t want one square inch of that place to be without monitoring.” I hadn’t even started working for them, and I was already requesting things. Favors I had no business requesting. I didn’t care.

Anything to protect her.

Niko and Ezekiel looked at each other. “I’ll call Emery and get that started.”

They left.

“I’ll be by before my shift in the morning,” Mario said, and started to leave.

“Mario.” I got his attention. He shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to me. He knew what I was going to ask. I had been waiting for him to pull out his cuffs, take me in.

The suspense was killing me, and so was the guilt.

I was going back to jail, just as Wren and I were finally figuring things out.

She was going to lose me for a second time.

“It’s been taken care of,” Mario said.

My brows rose.

Mario pointed to Wren. “You just take care of her." Then he left.

I moved around the bed, crawling in and pulling Wren into my arms. She felt cold. I cradled her to my chest the best I could on the small bed. It was bigger than what we grew up sharing, but so was I.

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