Page 48 of Demise

My eyes close, and my lips part. I reach for his shoulders, gripping onto his shirt. His other hand holds my face. Our tongues unite and it strikes a fire on my chest, crawling over my collarbone and running up my throat.

Emotion hits me stronger than a tidal wave. I gasp and pull back slightly. Our foreheads connect, and Danny kisses the side of my mouth and cheek before he grabs me in an embrace, holding me tightly. I breathe him in and weep.

We stand in the kitchen for what seems like hours, just holding one another. He moves every so often and kisses my hair, rocking me.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m sorry for it all.”

“Me too,” he says, his voice filled with as much feeling as my heart. And I know we’re saying sorry for everything. All the years we’ve missed, the stubbornness, the mean things we’ve done to one another. The times we wanted so badly to be together but couldn’t. The wasted time.

“I need to go to Atlanta for a few days,” he says. “Will you go with me?”

I nod. “Yes.”

He lets me go. “In the morning then.” He grabs my ice pack. “Let’s go to bed.” He reaches and lifts me up carefully. I notice he doesn’t wince, so I’m assuming he’s not hurting himself. I wipe my face and hold onto his arm as he takes us up the stairs and walks us into the room, setting me on the bed. He looks over at the boxes, regarding them for a moment, before turning back to me. “You okay?” he asks.

I sigh. “Today was hard, but yeah, I’m okay.”

He walks over and turns the lamp on before switching the overhead light off. He pulls the covers back, and I move to the top of the bed. I put a pillow under my foot and place the ice pack on.

Danny removes his shirt and walks over to his bag, grabbing the sweats on top. “I’m going to take a quick shower,” he says.

“Okay.” I lie back, resting my eyes as he walks into the bathroom. He doesn’t shut the door all the way, and moments later, steam drifts out. I ponder about Atlanta, wondering why he needs to go as the tiredness from the day takes over.

I fall asleep but wake when I feel him move my leg under the blanket. He climbs in beside me, smelling fresh and clean. His hand wraps around my stomach and he pulls me flush against him. My breathing is steady, my nerves calm. He kisses my shoulder.

“I love you. Please stay,” he whispers.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Bones

I’m up before the sun. I rebandage myself and quietly walk out of the bathroom, not wanting to wake Bexley. She sleeps on her stomach, and I watch her for a moment before I grab my shoes and hoodie and head out to the bar to meet Sweep.

So many things run through my mind when it comes to that woman. I don’t know where she’s planning to go, and I don’t know what she’s thinking about us. But I feel like I’ve made it pretty clear that I want her. I’ve asked her to be with me. I’ve held her, kissed her, slept beside her. I don’t want her to leave. But I’m not sure how I can convince her to stay.

The shit I’ve got going on right now… it probably would be safer for her to go on and do what she feels she needs to do. But I’ve been without her for so long, I don’t want to waste any more time.

The sun is just starting to rise when I pull up. I walk inside. Sweep sits at a table with a cup of coffee and a cigarette.

“Morning,” I say, walking behind the bar for my own cup. “Mae here?” I ask, turning my head to look at him because I know he most likely won’t answer.

He shakes his head no. I move around the counter and slide the chair out, sitting across from him. I get right to it. “Moretti wants me dead.”

His brow furrows.

“Paul had his office tapped. He has it recorded.” I take a sip of my coffee, sucking my teeth. “And guess who capped Samuel?”

His brow lifts.

“Nugget,” I say with a nod.

He scoffs. “When do we cut him down?” he asks.

I sit back. “Immediately.”

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“There’s my boy,” Moretti says on the other end of the line.

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