Page 81 of The Lies We Believe

“I’m just hereto take your vitals,” a nurse I didn’t recognize whispered as I stirred awake. She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around my arm with quiet efficiency. Taking her at her word, I closed my eyes and pretended to drift back to sleep. But then it hit me—this was her. Kirsty.

My mind raced, tension ratcheting higher with every passing second. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but after Bane had kissed away my ability to think and the painkillers had kicked in, exhaustion had overtaken me.

Streetlights framed the edges of the window, casting a ribbon of light that danced with the shadows in my room. When the door snicked shut, I let out a weighted breath. Fear pricked atmy skin, cold and sharp. It felt strange knowing I wasn’t really alone. Bane, Montoya, and Jordan were lying in wait nearby, ready. The only company I had at the moment was the steady thudding of my heart in my ears and the waves of nausea rolling through my gut.

The piercing wail of an alarm shattered the stillness, sending my heart rocketing into my throat. Instinctively, I knew this was it. They were here. Bane had warned me they’d likely create a diversion to draw everyone away from this part of the ward. Judging by what sounded like a herd of elephants storming down the corridor, he was right.

Every muscle in my body twitched and coiled tight as adrenaline flooded my veins. I stayed perfectly still, feigning sleep. Playing the part had never been hard for me before; faking it came second nature after years of survival. My chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, but inside, I was drowning.

Low male voices murmured outside my door, and I knew—this was the moment. Sink or swim. Live or die. One monster was dead, another behind bars. These three were the last ones haunting my life.

The plan was simple: stay still, pretend to be asleep, and don’t engage. Easier said than done. When the door clicked open, my mind went blank, every memory of their touch rushing over me like a tsunami. The cold air hit me as they entered, and I caught their reflections in the windowpane. The Mitchells. They wore white coats, and had their heads lowered as they moved silently into the room, surrounding my bed. It was an echo of the last time they came for me.

The one closest to the door pulled a syringe from his pocket, flicking it like in the movies. My breath caught as he grabbed an IV line and injected the liquid. I held back a laugh that threatened to bubble up and give my ruse away. Little did they know, none of the lines were attached directly to me.

I would not die at their hands.

When they finished, they turned as one to watch the heart monitor, waiting for it to flatline. But it wouldn’t. It never would. Before suspicion could creep in, chaos erupted.

Bane burst from the bathroom like an avenging angel. Jordan and Montoya swept in from the corridor. Wherever they’d been hidden, they moved fast, precise. Each of my assailants were apprehended in less time than it took to blink.

Bane took down the one nearest me with brutal efficiency, kicking the back of his knees in and driving him to the ground. The violent swiftness of it stirred something in me—something my body had no right feeling right now. His knee pinned the man to the floor as he cuffed him and began reading him his Miranda rights.

Jordan and Montoya hauled the others up and dragged them out, leaving no room for escape.

“Well done, angel. I’ll be back in a minute,” Bane said, his eyes meeting mine as calm settled back into the room. His lips twitched into a grin that made my heart stop. He was glowing. “I love you.”

A true smile lifted my lips as they left. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel, but the tears that slid down my cheeks were different this time. They weren’t from pain, despair, or fear. They were cleansing, a baptism of hope.

I was finally free, and it was all because of Bane.

My safe place.

My protector.

My home.

My heart.

EPILOGUE

RIVER

Two Years Later

“Are you almost ready?” Montoya asked as she swept the box at my feet off the ground. “Jesus, what’s in this thing? It weighs a goddamn ton.”

I snickered. “Books.” Her eye roll was audible. “H-hey,” I held my hands up, “Blame Bane.” My brow furrowed, and I picked at the rough skin by my thumb nail. “He wanted me t-to have a hobby.”

“So you chose books?” she asked incredulously.

“Oh, yeah.” A smirk lifted my lips. “T-trust me, you’d love them. It’s all boom, boom, bang and the villain gets his dick?—”

“Oh my god, you’re a smut fan?”

I shrugged and stared out at the yard of the rental, watching as Shadow chased off some birds that had just landed to eat the worms. “What can I-I say? It’s like therapy. The really bad guys end up d-dead and the main character ends up in love with s-someone who would burn the world down for them. What’s not to love?”

Montoya snorted and adjusted the box in her arms. “Whatever makes you happy, River. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

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