Page 52 of The Devil's Bargain
Titus woke first, unsurprisingly.
He felt his little killer close by and lifted his head, silently inviting him in.
As soon as the bed dipped under his weight, Aodhan settling down at Calix’s other side, the unease swirling in Titus’s gut vanished.
“Mercy,” Aodhan whispered his name almost reverently, but he didn’t have the energy to look at him again.
Titus let his eyes slide shut. “Stay. Stay with us.”
“All right.”
Aodhan’s hand rested over his and their connection intensified.
With their pod complete, Titus drifted off into a more peaceful slumber.
Chapter 24:
“We haven’t been able to locate Mitri,” Reed said.
“I still can’t believe he shot you.” Saz, situated on the opposite side of the bed Calix was being forced to rest in, added.
At least he’d been allowed to go back home. Now that the threat was officially taken care of, Mercy had discharged them all from the hospital and taken an extended leave of absence for both himself and Aodhan.
Calix was in his own room at the house, though he was dressed in silky black pajamas since he hadn’t been expecting guests this early in the morning.
He couldn’t blame their confusion though, he’d felt the same way when he’d woken up and found Mercy and Aodhan in deep discussion with Reed at the foot of his hospital bed. Apparently, Mercy had been awake for a full day before him, and the two of them had already spun a story believable enough to convince the rest of their coworkers.
It’d helped that they’d somehow gotten Nero on board to corroborate their version of events.
In the tale they’d spun, Calix had stumbled on Mitri harboring a fugitive and a fight had broken out. Nero acted as a witness—nurses and other patients had seen him searching forCal earlier, so it wasn’t far-fetched to believe he’d gone down to ask Mitri for help in locating him.
He’d caught Mitri and Amory together, having a standoff with Calix, and had gotten shot trying to help.
When Calix had asked him yesterday before leaving the hospital why he’d done it, Nero had given him some sappy answer about how Cal had risked his life to protect him.
Personally, Calix had no recollection of that, but it must have been true, given the way Nero was acting and how willing he’d been to play along with Mercy and Aodhan. He’d kept it up too, consistently retelling the same story to anyone who’d listen.
Which sort of made Cal feel bad for Amory, because according to Mitri, she’d been willing to do anything for Nero, and yet here he was, letting her take the rap for a crime she’d had nothing to do with.
Like Calix had done.
He ran a hand through his hair and tried to tune back into his friends. What was the point of dwelling on guilt when it wouldn’t make him change anyway?
“A couple matching Mitri and Amory’s descriptions were caught on camera boarding a ship off planet,” Reed informed him. “We tried to enhance the footage, but it’s grainy. It could be them, but we’re not sure.”
“She’s managed to stay hidden all this time,” Saz pointed out. “If she wants to stay hidden, she will. Besides, it sounds like she and Mitri were just biding their time until they could get paperwork in order and flee. They’re probably halfway to another galaxy by now.”
“You’re right,” Reed sighed. “No way they’d stick around now.”
“Bet they feel pretty bad,” Saz said to Cal. “I mean, I know they hurt you, but…”
“I know what you’re trying to say,” Calix saved him the trouble of having to explain. They’d been friends with Amory and Mitri for years, long before Cal had shown up and thrown a wrench into things. It was good enough that they were buying the story. He wasn’t going to push his luck.
Calix liked them. Liked working with them. Liked hanging out with them. And Mitri reallyhadtried to kill him so…
“When will you be coming back to work? Reed asked, but before Cal could respond, someone else spoke for him.
“When he’s fully recovered.” Mercy appeared in the doorway and entered, giving Calix a look before addressing the others. “It’s almost time for breakfast. Are you two staying or…?”
