Page 91 of Bulletproof Love

I hold my breath, waiting for the fear to kick in, but it doesn’t come. There’s no urge to run. No need to fight. I smile, breathe, let his love flow through my veins, strengthening my bones.

“Even when I’m being stubborn and reckless?”

He grins that crooked grin I’ll never get enough of. “Especially then. Your stubbornness is like, thirty percent of why I love you. The other seventy percent is your cooking skills.”

I laugh despite the tears in my eyes. “I’ve never cooked for you, dummy.”

“Oh. Must be the painkillers talking.” His expression grows serious again. “But I meant what I said. I love you, Falin.”

“I love you too,” I whisper, the words feeling so natural on my lips. “So much that it’s kinda scary.”

He tries to pull me down, but I put my hand on his chest to stop him from moving and rest my head against his forehead. “Good thing we’re both pretty brave then.”

I smile against his skin, brushing a soft kiss on his lips. “Good thing.”

* * *

I can’t sleepwithout Jasper here. Damon and Blake have gone to bed, but I doubt sleep will find them either. We’re all feeling the pain of so much loss. When I close my eyes, I see the bullet striking Jasper, blood soaking through his shirt. Knowing her like I do, Blake must be reliving the explosion that took Ray and his men. She didn’t witness it happen, thank God, but I’m sure seeing the building overtaken by flames was horror enough.

Throwing on a sweatshirt to combat the chill in the air, I head to the kitchen. A cup of tea would be a good idea, if we have some. None of us have been great with keeping up on grocery shopping.

I hear clicking from the kitchen… Leon. He could use some tea too. Carrying both mugs, I find him at his desk, the blue glow of his screens casting shadows across his face. His shoulders touch his ears as he types, and he doesn’t acknowledge my presence.

“You okay?” I ask, setting the mug of chamomile beside him.

He pauses, but his fingers stay on the keyboard. “Fine. Working on finding the London connections.”

“Fine.”Yeah, okay.

He’s nowhere near fine, but I pretend to buy it. “So London? Kind of hard to believe?”

“Not really.” His jaw clenches and eyes stay fixed on the screen.

Hint taken.

I shuffle my feet on the hardwood floor. “I’ll quit bothering you. Hope you get some sleep tonight.”

As I turn to leave his hand catches my wrist. “Sorry, I’m just…” He sighs and drags his palm down his face. “This is just a shock, is all. Everything…”

I know exactly what he means, no explanation needed. “We’ll find her,” I say softly.

His expression doesn’t change from its blank mask of exhaustion, but his hands tremble slightly as he reaches for the tea. “Thank you for this.”

Before I can respond, he turns back to his screen, effectively ending the conversation.

As I head to bed, I glance back toward his open door and see him pull something from his desk drawer. A piece of paper, or maybe a photo. He stares at it for a long moment before quickly stuffing it away.

Back in my room with my tea, I close the door. We each need space to deal with our demons tonight. Whatever Leon’s fighting, I hope he finds some peace.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

JASPER

Refusingpainkillers after getting shot may not be my best decision making, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this fuckery drag me back down the dark path I’ve worked so hard to end. “When can I take more ibuprofen?” I ask Falin. She’s been at her desk monitoring the police investigations. All of them—the warehouse, the fire, Orlov’s death. She’s kept tabs on Fairfax too. So much work that I can’t keep it all straight in my fuzzy head. Thankfully with her and everyone else on top of things, I don’t have to.

“Not for another two hours.” She sinks onto the bed beside me, and I clench my jaw against the pain that ripples through me at the slightest movement. “Do you need anything else? A drink or a snack?”

I know she hates to see me in pain. If I wasn’t such a selfish bastard, I’d tell her to leave me here alone, not that she’d listen, but I’d try.

---