Page 25 of Bluff

She scoffs. “That crazy boy is already flirting with the nurses. He’ll live. I’m glad she will too.” She nods toward Ainsley. “Please don’t tell her I was here. She doesn’t need to worry about me. I would never hurt her or her sister. I always wanted daughters. I wanted them,” she says cryptically before turning to walk out.

“Wait, please. She wouldn’t hold this against you.” I sigh and shake my head. “Well, not for long.”

“Ah, she’s got Jimmy’s stubbornness, I see. Good. She’ll need it to be a wife to two spies.” She turns back toward the door.

“I love her. I’ll treat her as she should and deserves to be. She and Lyric suffered enough.”

“They did.” She doesn’t turn around.

“How long?” Ainsley’s scratchy voice comes from the bed.

Mrs. Duncan turns toward the bed and moves closer.

“Zayka.” I lean over her, and she tries to smile. I kiss her forehead. Her beautiful milk chocolate eyes fill with tears. “You hurting?” I ask, and she tries to nod. I reach down and hit the nurse call button.

“I’ll leave you,” Morrigan Duncan says before she turns away again.

“Wait,” Ainsley says, and she clears her throat.

I hold a water cup to her lips, and she takes a deep pull from the straw. She turns to Mrs. Duncan, who moves closer to the bed so Ainsley can talk to her.

“How long have you known about my sister and me?”

Morrigan takes a deep breath, and her eyes brim with tears. “I found out about you right after you were left at the hospital when you girls were born. I tried to bring you home, but Jimmy wouldn’t allow it. I lost you for a few years, then your sister found us.”

“Jimmy knew about us the whole time?” Pain washes across Ainsley’s face, and it isn’t physical but emotional.

“I’m sorry. He did. He was an asshole.”

“I would like to talk to you more, but the pain is too much. Please, Mrs. Duncan.”

She gently pats Ainsley’s other shoulder. “Call me Morrigan. I’d love to talk to you and your sister. To get to know you. I know JJ and Jordon would like that as well.”

“What about Johnny?”

“Jonathon is dead. He’ll never be able to hurt you again.” She turns and walks from the room as the nurse comes in. Ainsley is medicated and slips back to sleep.

Ainsley

Sitting up in bed as far as I’m allowed with my hip, I look at my husband as he sleeps in the recliner next to me. He refuses to leave my side. I shiver when the memories of Johnny beating me with the crowbar flash behind my eyelids. I don’t completely remember everything that happened, but I get glimpses every so often. He wanted to kill me.

I glance at the flowers lining the windowsill, but my attention catches on the white and red roses in a vase depicting Aphrodite in her oyster shell. We don’t know who sent them, but Mikhail said they’re from the sniper who killed Jonathon.

Jordon came to see me a couple of days ago after he was discharged. I’ve been here a week and I’m ready to go home, but the doctors want to keep me a little longer to monitor the brain swelling. It’s slowly going down. The headaches are so intense that on some days, Mikhail just lies beside me in bed, holding me while I cry.

My husband is going to be way more protective after I promised him I wouldn’t die. He thought he’d lost me when he entered that warehouse. He told me how he was about to swallow a bullet himself to be with me. I said he couldn’t do that.

Chloe and Selene have both stopped by to see me. Selene said we can talk after I’m discharged—she’ll come by the house. I told her about Morrigan and how she’s been here every day helping Mikhail take care of me. Morrigan can’t wait to meet Lyric, who will be coming home from Hawaii soon.

Lyric was upset I didn’t have Mikhail call her as soon as I was captured, so she could come home. Now, she just wants to be here and help me as I heal.

“Zayka, are you hurting?” Mikhail’s gruff voice pulls my attention, and I turn to look at him.

“No. I’m okay.”

“Then why are you crying?”

I realize tears are running down my face. Mikhail stands and pops his back before lifting the edge of the blanket. He slides in next to me and carefully pulls me into his arms.

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