Page 47 of Assassin's Mark
Chapter Twenty-Two
Levi left. Eli kept telling me not to worry, that his brother was never far away, mostly because he didn’t trust anyone but himself when it came to keeping them safe—as if this morning’s drama hadn’t told me that. I spent the day helping Leah in any way I could.
I was taking in the soup Eli had brought home for lunch when I caught Remi’s gravel-rough voice for the firsttime since Leah had drugged him this morning.
“Who are you, anyway? I know we aren’t at the hospital. How did Levi find a nurse?”
“He found me at the hospital, actually, while you were still there. Right before a man tried to attack you. Eli…asked me to come, to help stabilize you.”
“You mean he forced you.”
Leah didn’t answer.
“What’s your name again?”
“Leah.”
“Leah, I’m going to get youout of here. I promise. No one is going to hurt you.”
“Just get better, Remi. If you don’t, you won’t be able to deliver on that promise.”
A smile tugged at my lips. I admired Leah’s spunk. I wasn’t sure if it came from being a nurse, a mom, or something else in her life, but she had a spark I struggled to find under all the layers of training and attachment and people pleasing that had buriedwhat my personality might have otherwise been, and I knew with sudden clarity that I wanted to be like this woman when I “grew up.” When I rediscovered me.
Stepping into the sickroom with my tray drew both occupants’ attention. There was something about the way Remi watched me, like I was a bug under a microscope, that made my skin itch. Did he blame me for Levi’s actions? Did he think I couldchange anything in this situation? I was the one with the least amount of power in the warehouse. So why did those amber eyes make me feel guilty?
“I brought lunch.”
Obviously. But Leah merely smiled when she took the tray from me. I stood at the foot of Remi’s bed just as I had that morning, awkwardly gripping the hem of my T-shirt with nervous hands as I watched her position the tray on Remi’slap, setting her own food aside. Remi’s hands shook as he tried to lift his spoon, but Leah was right there, guiding him, making sure he ate. She must be a fantastic nurse, compassionate as well as competent. Would I ever go back to pursuing my degree, or had my dreams of being a nurse died the night I’d been taken?
“Why am I so damn weak?”
It sounded like Remi appreciated compassion as muchas his brothers did. If I hadn’t been so aware of the man’s odd gaze watching me, I might’ve rolled my eyes.
“Because you’ve been flat on your back for a week, maybe?” Leah’s tone was acerbic. “You were in a coma; you can’t expect to just wake up and be ready for a marathon.”
“A gunshot wound doesn’t put you in a coma unless it’s in the head—I’ve had enough to know. What happened?”
“I guessyou wouldn’t remember any of it, would you?” Leah lifted the water glass for Remi to drink. “The gunshot missed anything vital, thank your lucky stars…”
Remi carefully wiped his mouth with a napkin. I thought I caught a smirk behind the paper. “Dickhead wasn’t as good a shot as he thought.”
“Right.” Leah shot me an exasperated glance. “Unfortunately it did knock you off a balcony two storiesup. You were found on the ground beneath after your brother made a panicked 911 call.”
“Levi?”
“No, Eli. Levi didn’t stick around.”
Remi grunted, then winced. “He would’ve secured the weapons and cleaned the scene.”
“Nice of him.”
Remi shook his head, then winced. “More than you’d probably think. Just ensuring we were all covered and I didn’t end up in the prison hospital ward.”
“What aboutthe other guy?” I dared to ask. “The one who shot you.”
Remi’s smirk was right out in the open then. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to know.”
Probably not. An ache in my fingers had me glancing down. My hands were white, twisted hard enough in my shirt to almost tear it. I’d seen Levi’s anger; I really didn’t want to imagine being on the receiving end of his full-blown rage.
