Page 110 of Hidden Resolution
An arm encircled her shoulders, startling her. “Come on,” Angel urged. “Let’s get you cleaned up so you can go greet that hot guy of yours.”
“Thank you.”
By the time she’d changed and arrived on the third floor, Mason had dozed off.
Although exhausted, she was too wired for comfort and perched on the edge of the recliner to wait. Every few minutes, she studied the monitor, assuring herself his vitals were normal. Granted, she was clueless about what the norm should be, but she needed to convince herself he wasn’t falling into a rapid decline.
Throughout the night, the staff roused him, talking to him in a friendly but persistent manner and encouraging him to wake up.
She should’ve told them he slept like the dead.
On the heels of her thought, she shuddered and jumped to her feet. In the distance, the city lights winked out as residents called it a night. The darkness was isolating, and with no one to ground her, Shonda fell into despair.
She’d killed a man tonight. And not just any man. She shot Billy. Twice.
Had the police contacted his mother yet?
Shonda was torn, feeling she should break the tragic news. But she wasn’t prepared for the shitstorm it would cause when it finally came out that she had been the one to put the bullets through Billy’s heart. Since her uncle’s death, neither she nor her mother had spoken to Allison Grant. The sisters-in-law had a falling out after his funeral, making contact awkward. Perhapsa better person would have elected to break the silence, but communication was two-sided.
“Shonda.”
Dane’s low voice propelled her out of her miserable solitude and into his arms. He held her during her breakdown, listening as she relayed the story between sobs.
“Always hitting on my girl,” Mason said hoarsely.
Amid gasps and grins, they rushed to his side.
“Well, if you didn’t always leave her alone…” Dane countered. “My suggestion would be to stop hanging out in hospitals. It never ends well for either of you.”
Mason’s chuckle turned into a cough, prompting Shonda to feel his head for warmth. Fever was something to watch out for, according to his doctor.
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, and she struggled against another breakdown.
“Thanks for saving my life,” he rasped.
“Let’s not make this a habit,” she replied, fighting against another onslaught of tears. “My nerves can’t take it.”
“Promise.”
His loving smile was one she wouldn’t tire of, but being the recipient felt strange.
“And if you are as cranky as last time, I’m assigning Dane as your errand boy,” she warned.
Dane snorted, and Mason offered up a lopsided grin.
“Who does a guy have to kill to get a glass of water around here?” he teased.
His comment brought back Billy’s lifeless face.
Body clammy and stomach rebelling, Shonda barely made it to the toilet before she was beset with dry heaves. And though she reminded herself it was Billy or Mason, it didn’t help.
A cool cloth was pressed against her neck, and a cup of water materialized beside her on the sink.
With a small smile of thanks for Dane, she rested against the bathroom wall, struggling to get her shit together.
“Is she okay?” Mason asked upon Dane’s return. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, bro. She’s tough, and she’ll be fine.” Dane pressed a plastic cup of water into his hand. “How about you? Can I get you anything else?”
