Page 104 of The Bratva's Christmas Bump
“Hollie, darling. I’m not trying to keep you here against your will, believe me. But the hospital is the best place for you right now.”
“What about you?” She pouts up at me. “You should be in bed too.”
“I wasn’t thrown through a windshield.”
“But you were stabbed.”
“A flesh wound.”
“All my injuries are flesh wounds!”
“Maybe, but you have more than me, plus some whiplash. Staying here is how I keep you healthy and safe.”
“And if I refuse?” Her eyes narrow, so I sit on the edge of the bed and gently rub her thigh through the blanket.
“Why do you want to leave so badly?”
Her face crumbles slightly and she sighs. “I want to see my parents. I want to spend Christmas Eve with them, and I don’t want to miss out on dinner because of that asshole.”
Vinnie. He deserved a much slower death than the one we granted him, but news of his death spread quickly. While Hollie was getting checked over by the doctors last night, I spent an hour on the phone with Zoe, assuring her that the man haunting her is definitely dead. Stu will take her to see his body when she’s ready so she can get the closure she needs, something I would do if I didn’t need to be here with Hollie.
Finding that car and her missing was the most terrifying moment of my life. I was convinced I was too late and the only thing I’d find was her body.
Luckily, someone was watching over her.
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Hollie says, her expression softening.
I meet her gaze and nod. “Yeah.”
“Did we do a bad thing? Killing him?”
“No, of course not. I’m thinking more about how you’re right. He’s taken and affected a lot of our life and I understand why you want to be with your family. So… if you can get the doctor to clear you, then I will take you home.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Good.” She briefly closes her eyes and sinks back into the pillows. “Can we visit Toto before we leave?”
“You’re so certain the doctor will let you leave.”
“I have my ways. But I want to see him. When I think about him, all I see is his body in the snow.” Her face crumples slightly. “So many people got hurt.”
Toto’s survival is thanks to the snow, ironically. It slowed down his heart enough that when the ambulance arrived for Hollie’s father, they were able to tend to Toto, and he sits in the next ward with two gunshot wounds. Thankfully, he’ll make a full recovery and be back on his feet by New Year’s.
“But we won.” My hand slides over hers. “Your father is okay, just a broken nose. Toto is going to be okay. Zoe gets to spend a Christmas with her son without being terrified. I hate that he did this to you, but I am so proud of you.”
“For killing him?” Her lower lip wobbles, so I lean forward and kiss her softly.
“You didn’t kill him, remember? Stu did.” It was a nice touch for him to ensure he shot that bastard too. We’ll never know what bullet killed him, but it helps stop Hollie from torturing herself about taking a life.
“Right.” She doesn’t look entirely convinced. “I, uhm…” Hollie sits up and wraps her hands around mine. “Actually… I told myself if I survived, then there would be something I would tell you.”
My heart skips a beat. There’s nothing she can say that will change how I feel about her, but there’s apprehension in her eyes and she can’t look directly at me as she speaks.
“I need you to understand that I kept this a secret at first because I was scared and I thought you were a murderer andI was terrified I’d made a mistake because you wouldn’t let me leave and you had guards with me all the time. And then when I started to fall for you, I was going to tell you, but you were so busy. We both were, and I kept telling myself a perfect time would arise, but it never did, and then when Vinnie attacked me, I couldn’t tell you my secret because I was so worried that it would have affected me.”
Instantly, I know where she’s going with this and it’s almost impossible to keep the smile from growing on my face.
