Page 66 of A Fine Line

“I’m not making any fucking promises. I am who I am, and at the end of the day, I’m gonna get what I want regardless.”

Nettie stomps her foot in frustration. “I’m quite certain you can get what you want without any kind of duplicitous shenanigans. You could try just talking to the woman.”

I grimace, confused about how she thinks that me talking to a woman will get me what I want. I glare at her even harder, hoping she’ll get the hint and leave me the fuck alone, but instead, she steps closer and grabs the front of my shirt in both of her hands, yanking me closer to her until she’s mere inches from my face where she whisper-shouts, “She will love you if you give her the chance.”

Now, Darius and the doctor both laugh, and my annoyance lessens a bit as I shake my head. “You’re a fucking pain in my ass.”

She smiles and nods, her hands releasing me as her arms come around my shoulders in a hug. I shake my head again, unable to return her hug even if I want to because she has my arms pinned to my sides. It’s her trademark prisoner hug.

She squeezes me for a few moments, then releases me and steps back, and I relax slightly, thinking the conversation is over. But then, her serious expression is back, and she points at me and says, “I’m usually on your side, Tony, but in this case, if you fuck around, I will come for you. And you ain’t gonna fucking like it.”

Dare and the doctor are both doing a terrible job pretending not to laugh, and I give them each a dirty look before turning my glare on Nettie. “I get it. I promise I won’t trap her or anything, okay?”

She leans in a little closer to me, her eye searching mine before nodding and turning back to Ryan. “When can we see her?”

I groan in annoyance, putting my hand up and saying, “Slow your roll, Nettie. You can see her after I do.”

Ryan chuckles, obviously greatly amused by the entire exchange. “You can see her whenever you want. She did wake up a couple of times while I was examining her, but I imagine she won’t stay out for long if she’s not already awake. It’s the second door on the left, number three.”

I don’t wait for him to elaborate. I’m out the door before Nettie can attempt to get a jump on me. I pause outside her closed door, my hand on the knob, pressing my forehead against the cool wood as a wave of emotion cuts off my breath. I give myself a moment to get control of myself and then slowly open the door and step into the room, shutting it behind me.

I stand there, watching her from across the room. Her eyes are closed, and she looks impossibly small, lying prone in the hospital bed. Her hair is a tangled mess, the blanket twisted around her, like she flailed about in her sleep.

I walk to her bedside and gently brush her hair away from her face. I attempt to adjust her blanket without disturbing her, choking on the lump in my throat as I manage to straighten the blanket and pull it up to her shoulders. I glance back at her face to find her eyes open and focused on me as she whispers, “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Is Flora all right?” Her question is quiet yet hopeful.

I nod in response and reply, “She’s great. She’s amazing, considering what she’s been through. She’s still in Russia with Jayme, Aggie, and the dogs I stole for her. Last I heard, she was adjusting well. We even have a child psychologist coming in to see her, and it seems the biggest concern is long-term neglect. She had a few old injuries but nothing severe. She’s going to be fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry.”

She smiles and sighs deeply, and then we stare at each other for a few moments before she moves over in the bed and pats the mattress for me to join her, but I hesitate. “I’m kind of a mess.”

She lifts a shoulder and laughs quietly. “I don’t care, Tony. Lie here with me.”

I don’t argue any further, bending down, untying my boots, and kicking them off. I remove my coat, tossing it to the side before stretching out beside her. She scoots over a bit more, giving me space to get situated, and then she curls into me, one of her legs hooking up over my thigh and her arm wrapping around my torso so she’s draped across my body.

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her more firmly against me, and she rolls, turning more fully into me and pressing her face into my neck and inhaling deeply, a tremor running through her body as she exhales, and I squeeze her more tightly against me. She leans back so, in my semi-reclined position, she can look me in the face, but she doesn’t say anything. She just stares at me.

Finally, I ask, “Do you wanna tell me what happened?”

“There isn’t much to tell that you can’t guess.”

“The doctor did a rape kit, just in case,” I whisper. “Not that they’ll be able to do much with it criminally, but it was best to have the whole work up done, so you’ll know that you’re safe.”

She laughs almost bitterly, and I raise my brows in response to the unusual sound. But then she says, “No one touched me this time. One of them thought he was going to, and I stopped him.”

She rests her head back on my chest, staring at the wall, and I remain quiet, waiting for her to continue. Eventually, she laughs again and clears her throat. “I shot them. That’s why we crashed.”

I’m genuinely shocked into silence, but I give her another squeeze to let her know I’m not bothered that she killed a few shitbags. The feeling in my chest borders on pride, which probably sounds fucked up, but in my business, it’s a legit feeling.

Her voice is quiet and void of emotion as she continues, “I told that fucker not to touch me. I told him more than once, and he wouldn’t listen. By the time I got to the driver, I figured it was fuck-around time because I wasn’t letting them take me anywhere where some dirty motherfucker thought he was gonna put his hands on me.”

“I understand why you did it, but it was definitely a risky move. You’re lucky you got out of that rollover with the minor injuries you have, but you’re probably gonna feel like you got hit by a truck for a couple of days.”

I press my lips against her forehead as she says, “It’s already starting, but it was totally fucking worth it.”

The door swings open, and Nettie and Dare are standing there with a couple of people loitering in the hallway behind them. “We have company. Can they come in, or do you want them to come back later?”

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