Page 21 of Brutal Empire

A cup of water was in my peripheral vision to my left. I angled my head so I could see better. My heart began to beat faster, and I took that as a sign that I would be okay—that it was still as strong as ever.

I observed the hand that was outstretched my way. Nails were chipped from biting, the fingers slender but not too small.

Her long-sleeve wasn’t all the way to her wrists, and I saw the scar that went around it. It had to be from rubbing her wrists raw against a rope for a long period of time.

My throat burned.

Her dark hair was down, as it had been when she walked in looking for me. In our line of work, that was an issue.

You never wanted to leave DNA behind.

Her hair was like dark honey, and those eyes shone like caramel. She looked nothing like she had the first time I saw her. Her cheeks were hollow, her nose dainty, her lips full. She cocked her head, aware that I was staring at her, and I saw the scar on her cheek. It was about two inches long, and even if it looked like it had been cut with a jagged edge and never healed right, it did not take away from her beauty.

I put both my hands on either side of my waist. My arms felt like Jell-O. Damn, how long was I out for? A low growl escaped me as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. If I hadn’t been a bitch to Roman, he would have helped me up.

My hand shook as I reached for the cup. My chest tightened in surprise as the rim of the cup touched my lips. My mouth parted, and she slowly started to tip the glass so I could drink. I took the sips slow and controlled. The first time I had been near dehydration, I chugged the water only to throw it back up because my body couldn’t handle it.

The water felt cold, like trying to swallow fucking ice. The way it glided down my throat was uncomfortable. Roman better be making me something to help me get on my feet.

It wasn’t until the fifth sip that I leaned back.

“Thank you,” I told her, not meeting her eyes even though I really fucking wanted to.

“I figured it was the least I could do after digging into your wound to remove the bullet.”

A part of me expected her to ignore me. I turned my head, and even though her face was directed at me, I knew her eyesight wasn’t. I could tell from the moment she picked me up that even though she looked at me, she wasn’t seeing me.

“Damn, I usually like to do the fingering.”

The words slipped out without me even thinking it through. I was about to turn to look at her and apologize when my head lolled to the side.

“Fuck,” I grunted.

Roman was giving me a cold stare, and I knew it was because of what I had said. In his mouth, he had a lollipop. I thought they helped mellow him out. He was always trying to give us his weed candy, but the only one who took them was Gideon. After what happened to Katia, I couldn’t stand the sight of drugs.

Then my gaze turned to Cam, who was looking at us as if we had grown two heads.

“Would you have rather been pulling bullets out of me?” Her brows scrunched in confusion, and my stomach sank.

Fuck, I felt like a dick.

“Thank you for saving me,” I told her instead.

She looked confused, and neither Roman nor I bothered to explain. My hands itched, and even if I was in a world of pain, my body felt alive. How many days had I spent looking through a screen to see how she was doing?

She seemed to be doing better—healthy.

“I didn’t do anything. You seemed to have it all under control,” she replied.

I detected a hint of bitterness in her words. The last time I had seen her was through my computer in the castle. The next day, Daphne had changed the feed and forbade me from seeking her out. Then Damian kept me busy, and I kept my distance from Daphne. For Daphne to send her this way, she was putting too much trust in Cam, or in me, and she probably realized that my situation was more fucked-up than I could see at the moment.

“If it wasn’t for you showing up when you did, I would have died,” I let her know. “You were the perfect distraction. An angel sent to save me.”

She didn’t know just how true those words rang. I forced my head toward Roman’s side. His head was cocked, and his eyebrow raised. I bet my left nut sack that Daphne had briefed him on my little obsession.

“I need to make my way to Rivera,” I said, and Roman glared. “I need to know what is going on, and I am counting on Damian tailing my ass and leaving me for dead.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Roman said unapologetically.

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