Page 145 of Frisco

I crumbled, falling to my knees and bent over. The blood was on the ground too.

It was caked to my hands. My arms.

The blood was on me. It was all on me.

“Yep. Totally losing her shit. Someone call Ghost.”

46

SHANE

She was the first person I saw.

I was trying to tell myself I could breathe easier, but there was no light breathing after this. But still. She was here. She was curled up in a ball, in a corner, with a blanket pulled around her. Her chin was propped up on her other arm and she was watching them as they were trying not to watch her back, to make her feel less uneasy.

The second I cleared the door, she saw me too and she took off running for me.

She launched herself in the air and I caught her. Her legs went around my hips. Her arms were hugging me fiercely, and her mouth was on mine. She was hungry, but I grunted, because holy–I was just as hungry right back. My dick was rock hard, sticking up into her ass.

I heard laughing from behind me, but flipped them off as I lifted my head a second. “Room?”

Roanoke had been approaching, but he was fighting back a grin and gestured to the hallway. “Down there. Third door on the left. It’s all yours for the night if you need it.”

I carried her right into it, but as soon as we cleared the door, Kali was off me. She jumped down, and shoved me back. Hard.

Once wasn’t enough, she did it again.

And again.

I barely moved, but I saw the tears and she just kept shoving at me until her hands weren’t leaving my chest and her head was down and her shoulders were shaking.

“Babe,” I whispered, my insides searing from the emotion pouring out of her now.

“You left me!” Her head tipped back, big fat tears streaming down her face, leaving trails but she backed up. Shaking her head. “You left me, and they took my friends. My sister. They could’ve taken you. They could’ve–you left me.”

“Kali.” Jesus, she was broken inside.

I did that. Me. Not her asshole ex.

I broke her.

Never again, I vowed.

Moving in, gently, cautiously, I reached for her and when she didn’t hit at me, or shove away, I pulled her into my arms. I needed to do this the right way. Everything had to be the right way from now on. “Kali, I am so sorry.”

She started to shake her head.

“I am.” My own voice broke. Damn. Damn! I had so much shit to make up for. “I thought you were safe, and I wanted to get your family back as soon as possible. I wanted to keep my guys alive. I wanted to–there’s so much shit I wanted to do and I messed it up, and it gave them an opening to get you. And they did. They got you.” On my watch. My watch.

Never.

Fucking.

Again.

“I’m sorry.”

“They didn’t get me. They almost got me.”