Page 72 of The Sinner's Touch

“Where the hell is EMS?” Bailey screamed into his radio when he caught sight of Kade, and a moment later, a team streamed into the room.

“At least I did one thing right.” Kade took a strangled breath. “Maybe one day you’ll forgive me for all the horrible things I did to you, but I want you to know I love you, Angel. Remember that.”

His eyes closed.

“No, damn you!” Her fist hit him in the chest. “You can’t leave me.”

Viktor tried to pull her away from Kade, and she fought him.

“No. I won’t let him die.”

“Easy, Angel. Let EMS work. He’s not dead yet. He’s a fighter, and he has something to live for. He has you.”

Another crew of EMS swarmed her, but she didn’t pay them any attention. She watched as they worked on Kade, praying and cursing God all in the same breath. When they loaded him on a stretcher, she made Viktor help her over to him, and she leaned down so her lips were against his ear. “I forgive you, Kade. Do you hear me? I forgive you for all of it, but I swear if you die on me, I will never forgive you for that.”

Viktor pulled her back and picked her up, his gentle movement belying his savage appearance. EMS rolled another stretcher in for her, and Viktor guided her onto it. They made her lie face down and put a wet sheet over her burns. She felt nothing. Her whole body was numb.

She was empty.

Alone.

Kade couldn’t die.

He couldn’t.

“We’ll get you to the hospital in no time, Miss Lemoraux,” the EMS woman told her.

Angel took a deep breath, daring God and fate and whoever else was listening to let him die, before she looked at the woman. “It’s Mrs. Kincaid.”

“How is she?”

Kade looked over to see Dimitri wheeling himself through Angel’s door. Dimitri was still having problems with his legs. Not all of the feeling had come back, and the doctors were concerned about the effects of the homemade neurotoxin. It had been a little over a week since the capture of Boston’s nowmost notorious serial killer. Two of Viktor’s men were having problems as well.

Angel wasn’t suffering the same effects. She’d told Bailey she’d yanked the dart out as soon as she felt it. The doctors thought it saved her from the same complications as the others who’d had that dart in them far longer. She wasn’t out of the woods, but they were hopeful.

“Better. She’s been in and out. Her burns are healing nicely. Thank God, they were only second-degree burns. She hasn’t been awake long enough for them to test her sensory depth, though. I know they’re still concerned about her movement.” Her nightmares hadn’t let up, though. She woke up screaming almost every time she closed her eyes.

“And you?” Dimitri inquired. “It’s not every day you get stabbed multiple times.”

Viktor told him he’d been in surgery for hours while they worked to repair his spleen and liver. The knife had done some serious damage. He could barely move without pain, but he refused high doses of pain meds. He’d almost become an alcoholic, so he knew how easy it was for an addiction to take root. He’d deal with his pain.

“I’d be better if they moved me into the same room as Angel.”

“You two had a chance to talk yet?” Dimitri yawned.

“No. Every time we get five minutes, people are rushing in to visit or the nurses are kicking me out.”

“They need to kick you out or you wouldn’t eat.”

Kade smiled when he heard Angel’s voice. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Did we wake you?”

“No, my stomach woke me. I’m starving.”

Dimitri laughed. “Finally, someone who can eat as much as I can. How about I order us some delivery?”

“Pizza?” Angel asked hopefully.

“Pizza it is,sestra. I’ll be back when it arrives. I need to go convince the nurses to let me sneak it in.”

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