Page 10 of Final Vendetta

“You’re my brother, even if not by blood. You’d do the same for me.”

“Without a doubt. But I can’t keep going down this path now that I finally know the cost.” I glanced down the hallway in the direction of Imogene’s room.

“I don’t know what she’ll want when she wakes up, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to prove myself worthy of her. I have a second chance with the woman of my dreams. At least IhopeI do. I’m not going to let anything stand in my way.”

Henry narrowed his gaze. “If you’re certain.”

“I am.” I held his gaze for a beat. “Just do me one last favor before you head back to your fortress of solitude.”

He laughed slightly at my reference to his imposing home on the outskirts of Atlanta. “What’s that?”

“Find me a house. A small place by the beach for Imogene. Something quiet, a little shack even. Somewhere she can breathe again. Where we can both breathe again. Somewhere untainted by all of this.” I waved my hand around.

“Consider it done.”

With a squeeze of my arm, he stood and disappeared from view, his phone already pressed to his ear.

I slunk back into my chair, my mind consumed with thoughts of James and Liam. Was I being foolish by not going after him? Or, at the very least, by not asking Henry to use his resources and expertise to locate him?

I had to remind myself I was done with that part of my life. I knew the cost now.

No more.

No matter how tempting it was to fall back on my old habits.

A movement caught my attention, and I snapped my head up to see Julia and Lachlan emerge from the hallway.

I jumped to my feet, my eyes brimming with hope. “Is she awake?”

“Not yet,” Lachlan replied evenly.

“It’s just a waiting game at this point,” Julia added. “Nothing else we can do.”

I nodded, hating this feeling of helplessness. I knew Imogene was okay and that the doctors were keeping her relatively sedated because of her pain, but I just wanted her to wake up.

“We’re going to grab some lunch,” Lachlan stated. “Would you like to come with us?”

I shook my head. “Thank you, but I’d rather stay here with her.”

“Of course.” Julia squeezed my hand. “We’ll be back soon. You’ll call if she wakes up?”

“Absolutely.”

Once they left, I headed down the hallway and slipped inside Imogene’s room, taking a seat beside her bed.

My gaze traveled over her still form, taking in every bruise, every bandage. The monitors beeped softly, a steady rhythm that reassured me with each beat.

Reaching for her hand, I gently traced my thumb over her knuckles, finding comfort in the feel of her skin as I thought back to everything we’d been through.

“Do you remember that trip to Hilton Head when we took Ollie to the beach?” I paused, letting the memory take shape, softening the ache in my chest. “You’d convinced me to go running along the shore with you. Ollie thought it was the greatest game ever, him chasing us, us chasing each other. He got so worked up that he was tearing back and forth like a maniac.”

A faint smile tugged at my lips, a tightness squeezing my chest. “After about an hour, we finally wore him out enough to sit down. It was perfect. Just us on the beach, watching as the sky turned every shade of pink and orange as we talked about all the places we wanted to go one day.”

I tightened my grasp on her hand, my voice softer now. “I remember thinking that if I could freeze time and keep us in that moment forever, I’d do it. No worries. No secrets. Just you and me.”

A small laugh escaped, quiet and bittersweet. “Then Ollie charged at us out of nowhere, barking his head off and dragging me back into the waves. You said?—”

“Maybe next time you want to get laid on the beach, leave the dog at home.”

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