Page 4 of Edge
Mickey pulled away. He looked turned on. Edge couldn’t look away. He knew the image would burn into his brain. “You did great today. Your pre-planning saved everyone.”
Without another word, Mickey walked away, leaving Edge panting and slightly confused. He certainly hadn’t seen that coming. Edge wasn’t disappointed.
Chapter Two
SweatrolleddownMickey’sback. He tried like hell to stay focused on his breathing and nothing else. Climbing that building had made him realize he had neglected his pull-ups for too long. While he had pulled off the climb, it hadn’t been as easy as it used to be. The way Edge scaled the wall had shown him his shortcomings. Granted, Edge was tall and lanky. He had less weight to carry up a vertical surface, but Edge had been sleeveless the day he had abducted Mickey and Mickey had seen how cut and thick those arms were. Muscle wasn’t light. Mickey needed to work harder.
“Do you think if I stopped dancing, I’d get fat?”
Mickey dropped from the bar to focus on Kylo at the question. He sat nearby on the floor with his snacks and coloring books. “No. You have too lean of a build.”
Kylo nodded, but he didn’t look up. “Do you think Beau would still love me if I got fat?”
Kylo didn’t sound quite right. These questions weren’t like him. “I think Beau would love you even if he had to wheel you around in a wheelbarrow. Why?”
Kylo shrugged. “I don’t know. Other than a couple of hours yesterday, I haven’t seen him a lot lately. He’s always gone when I wake up and I’m asleep before he comes to bed. I was just sitting here thinking that I feel fat, so maybe I’m fat.” He shrugged again. “Nothing feels right.”
His arms were beet red. Something was definitely wrong. “Look at me, sweetie.”
Kylo’s chin lifted. His face was swollen and red. All the alarms bells rang. He knew that look. “Can you breathe okay?”
Kylo visibly tried to swallow. “I don’t know.” He made a sound like sucking air through a straw and Mickey flew into action. In a flash, he had Kylo over his shoulder at a full run down the hall with his phone to his ear.
“What’s wrong?” Beau knew Mickey wouldn’t call his emergency phone from upstairs unless it truly was an emergency. “My room. Now. Kylo isn’t breathing.” He knew he was vague and maybe dramatic, but he needed Beau to get their family physician there. Mickey was about to hit Kylo with an EpiPen. He would still need medical care afterward… if it worked. God, it had to work.
He dumped a visibly panicked Kylo on his bed and ran for the bathroom. Mickey easily found one of his spare EpiPens and was back in a flash. Without an ounce of hesitation, he stabbed Kylo in the thigh.
Almost immediately, even though it felt like it took forever, he heard Kylo take a breath. It was still labored, but then he took another.
Beau burst into the room with Henry hot on his heels. He was on the bed before Mickey could say a word. “Holy shit. What happened?”
Mickey was out of breath from the sheer terror. “I don’t know. He had an allergic reaction, but I don’t know why. One second, he was coloring, and the next, he was all red in the face and fighting for air.”
“Austen is on the way,” Henry said, holding the phone to his ear.
Mickey nodded. He couldn’t look at anyone but Kylo. If the swelling didn’t subside, he might need another shot. Mickey wasn’t above that if it kept Kylo breathing.
“Did something sting him? Did he eat something new? I don’t understand.” Beau sounded every bit as panicked as Mickey felt.
Mickey just babbled, trying to make his brain work. “I don’t know. He asked if I thought you’d still love him if he got fat. Then he said something about never seeing you anymore, then he wasn’t breathing. I don’t know.” Mickey had always beengood under pressure. This was different. It was Kylo. Maybe it was his job to watch Kylo, but they spent nearly every waking moment together. He was Mickey’s best friend. He was amazing and Mickey couldn’t handle anything happening to him.
Henry grabbed him from behind and squeezed, shoring him up. Mickey leaned into him and tried to clear his head. He swiped his hand over his eyes. “Um. Let me think. He wanted milk and cookies, but we were out of milk. Chef Fabrice said there was soy milk, but it was Clay’s since he’s allergic to milk. Clay was in the kitchen, and he said it was okay if Kylo wanted it. Kylo said he’d never tried soy milk, but he wasn’t opposed. So, I guess that’s new, but it’s soy milk. That’s what people drink when they’re allergic to milk.”
“Soybeans are a very common allergy. In fact, it’s one of the big eight that can cause severe reactions.”
Mickey sagged in relief as Austen strolled into the room, sounding calm and spouting facts.
He was at Kylo’s side and working in no time.
Henry squeezed his shoulders. “Go take a walk. You need a minute.”
Mickey nodded. It felt like his brain rattled in his head. He had never been more scared, and he worked for a fucking crime lord. Mickey headed downstairs on autopilot. He needed to go to the store and get milk. That was what he should have done this morning. If he had, Kylo would be okay.
Rain appeared in his path. “Is he okay?”
Mickey didn’t have the strength to calm anyone else. Austen’s husband was one of Kylo’s oldest friends. Mickey motioned toward the stairs. “Second floor on the left. Second to the last door at the end of the hall.”
Rain ran for the stairs.
