Page 56 of Manny

“I’ll go grab another hoodie, be right back.” He takes off upstairs, leaving me for a few seconds to pace and panic a little more. Charles is my touchstone. The man who has been a pivotal point in my healing since I was twelve.

I hug myself, afraid that if I don’t, my heart might just fall right out of my chest on the floor.

Manny is back in a flash, taking me by the hand as he grabs his keys and we head out on his motorcycle. He pulls on my helmet and I wrap myself around his body as I climb on. Pressing up against him feels warm and safe.Hemakes me feel that way.

A shot of guilt runs through me over what we just did, but I remind myself that I’m not doing anything wrong. Bandit is aware there’s someone else, he’s just too chicken shit to go after what he wants. I warred with myself because I know I need to tell them both, and I was about to confess to Manny before Riot rang. Now it’ll have to wait.

I close my eyes, pressing my head against Manny’s back as we weave through the city. I’d normally be living in the moment, enjoying every second of being on the back of his Harley, but this is hardly the time to be pleased about anything. When we see Riot and Halo out front as we pull up, I jump off and throw myself into Riot’s arms before I even tug off my helmet. He helps me out of it and Halo hugs me, too.

“Have you heard any more?” I blurt.

“He’s had an MRI and they can’t see any blunt force trauma or otherwise. They just wanted to be sure and tick every box. He broke his pelvis and fractured his arm.”

“Holy shit.”

Halo puts an arm around me as Manny parks and then jogs over. He gives Riot a pound hug and Halo a chin lift.

“But the good news is he’s going to be fine,” Halo echoes.

“When can we see him?” I glance from Halo to Riot.

“They said soon, when he’s in recovery. They’re watching his blood pressure.”

“Is Peggy here?” I glance around. Charles has a lady friend, and while it’s new, I know she’ll be taking good care of him.

He nods. “She’s inside. We can go grab a coffee while we wait.”

“Okay,” I whisper. Halo still has her arm around me as go inside, find Peggy, and all take a seat.

When we finally get to see Charles, he’s more banged up than I thought. A sob escapes me as I fold into his arms. He’s groggy, but semi-coherent. “You silly fool!” I chastise. “You know you’re not supposed to get on ladders or climb roofs with your dizzy spells!”

He coughs and I cringe, looking across to Riot, who’s sitting on the other side of the bed.

“Give an old man a break before you bust his balls,” Charles croaks.

Riot snickers. “See, told ya he was gonna pull through.”

“I’m so mad at you!” I try not to sound as mad as I feel, but this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this, and it probably won’t be the last. “You’re not a spring chicken anymore, Dad.”

I’ve called him that for years. Plus, I hate using his real name because it feels impersonal.

He glances at my brother. “Is she gonna keep bustin’ my chops, Myles?”

Riot shrugs. “I guess she has a point, old boy. You know you can call me to do that shit anyway, I’m only a phone call away.”

He rolls his eyes. “The two of you are ganging up on me.”

My voice softens. “It’s only because we care about you.”

He pats my hand. “I know that. In future, I’ll call your brother, but he’s gonna get pretty sick of me every time I need something done.”

“If it’ll keep Lace off both our backs, it’ll be worth it,” Riot snickers.

I lean over and punch him on the arm.

Charles laughs, which in turn makes him cough again.

Peggy went to make a phone call, but I’m glad he has a lady friend in his life. He’s been by himself for so long. At first Iteased the shit out of him for it, but then I saw she brought the soft side out in him, and it warmed my heart. It also makes me feel a whole lot better knowing Peggy is only a block away in case there’s an emergency.

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