Page 118 of Raging Inferno

“Sure. I’ll bring a cot for her.”

“Thanks.”

With a nod, she left.

“I can stay if you need to take her home,” Kayne offered.

“I’m not leaving. Same offer, though, if you need to rest.”

“Same answer,” Kayne repeated.

The nurse returned with a rollaway bed. She set it up with a blanket and pillow. Dom placed Gia on it, and she instantly fell asleep.

It was late, but he texted Amber to see if she could pick Gia up in the morning and take her to their house. Amber texted back and said she could pick her up now and spend the night. He thanked her and arranged to meet her outside the lobby.

He hated leaving Presley’s side for a minute, but he had to ensure Gia was cared for. She mumbled when he picked her up and came awake when he carried her outside.

“I want to stay with you and Presley,” she whined. “Please, Daddy?”

“I’m sorry, honey. I need you to take care of Major. Amber is staying with you tonight. Okay?”

“Okay.”

He kissed her head. She was such a sweet girl despite what her mother had put her through.

Amber pulled up to a stop. Dominic opened the back door and settled Gia in the booster seat Amber kept in her car.

“Thanks for doing this.”

“Not a problem at all.”

Dom closed the door and waved when Amber drove away.

Kayne had nodded off but came instantly awake when he returned to Presley’s room. It reminded Dominic of Presley. She slept lightly too . . . unless he wore her out. That thought caused his groin to tighten.

“Why don’t you sleep on the cot,” Dominic offered. “It’s here. No sense in letting it go to waste.”

“You don’t want to use it?”

“I won’t be able to sleep.” Until Presley woke up, he didn’t plan on closing his eyes.

“Maybe for a little while,” Kayne said, plopping down and instantly falling asleep.

Dominic held Presley’s hand and willed her to wake up.

#

Presley realized she was conscious when an ache in her chest throbbed. It was dulled, likely by medication, but it was there, nonetheless. Breathing deeply was painful, so she concentrated on the air pumping into her lungs from a face mask.

She knew she was in a hospital from the ambient sounds around her. Her brain was fuzzy, but images punched through. For a moment, she thought she’d suffered through a nightmare where Jessie and the other Cheerios had been responsible for Gwen’s death. Then she realized it was real. Everything she’d believed for the last eighteen years was a lie.

“Hey, babe, you’re awake . . . why are you crying?”

Dominic wiped a thumb beneath her eyes to catch tears she didn’t realize she’d shed. Seeing his handsome face made all the pain go away.

“You’re going to be fine. You have a punctured lung but no other damage.”

She recalled Rena Robbins’s feral scream after she had shot her in the knee, as well as the excruciating pain of a knife slicing into her chest. That paled compared to the terror she’d seen in Dominic’s eyes as he held her and murmured comforting words. She’d wanted to tell him she would be okay, but talking had been impossible. Then he’d told her he loved her. Oh, how she’d wanted to say the words back. She moved the face mask to do that now.

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