Page 45 of The Echo of Violence

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Jinx

“I don’t like going without you,” Nico protests as Rex rolls his eyes. Nico is clearly in dad mode, but I’m too old for this shit.

“Seriously, Nico. You’re the ones who’ll be in danger. The worst that can happen to me is that I trip and fall and end up with a few new stitches to add to the collection.”

He doesn’t laugh because he knows the chances of that happening are high. Tripping is kind of my thing. But on the plus side, I’ve learned the best ways to fall now.

Yay me.

“It’s not the same without you. Are you sure you can’t reschedule?”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Rex huffs, making me snicker.

“You know I can’t. They were really good about squeezing me in, and I don’t like to mess them around.”

“Fine,” he concedes as I walk toward him and give him a one-armed hug.

“You know I’d rather be with the two of you, but these new prosthetics just aren’t right. And I need them adjusted before I just stop using them altogether.”

“And that would be a bad thing because…? I mean, you have more sets of legs than the average person has pants.”

I can’t help but laugh. It wasn’t something that I did consciously, at least not in the beginning. After being left with a substantial amount of money thanks to my family’s life insurance policies, I invested in an up-and-coming prosthetics company and often received prototypes. The latest pair is made of carbon fiber, just like my blades, but in a more traditional style, custom-fitted to the size and shape of my body. They need a little tweaking since they rub my stumps raw after a few hours, even with my socks and sleeves on.

“What can I say? I like a leg for every occasion,” I tease, making him grin.

“Alright, I’ll shut up. We’ll call you when we get there. I can’t see us being any longer than a week, but I’ll keep you posted. I want you to check in daily, or we’ll fly back home.”

“You do realize I’m a big fucking girl, and I can handle my own shit?”

“If I didn’t think you could handle shit, I wouldn’t leave. I just worry. I can’t change who I am, so you’ll just have to cut me some slack.”

Nico had been protective since we lost our families, but the shooting the other day really shook him up.

“Okay, Daddy, I’ll be good.”

“Huh, that’s what I said this morning when he—” Nico covers Rex’s mouth with his hand, and I giggle.

“I love you both. Now get out of here. I have to be at the hospital in an hour.”

They give me a hug and a kiss before heading out.

“Be careful,” I yell as they climb into the truck. I wave as they pull out of the driveway. Taking a deep breath, I grab the prosthetics that need altering and lock up.

I head to the hospital on autopilot, my mind slipping to the hot and steamy sex session the other night. I cringe at how quickly I bailed afterward. If the shoe had been on the other foot, I would have felt like shit and been supremely pissed. But Eightball threw me off balance, and I’m not talking physically, either.

I went out that night to fuck away my frustrations, but I never expected it to feel like this. I’ve never connected to someone like that before, always keeping people at arm’s length. It’s safer that way. I know all too well what it feels like to lose the people I love.

I park and climb out, heading for the Orthotic, Prosthetic & Pedorthic Center, which is a new addition here. One of my doctors is also a partner in the company I invested in, so it makes my life a lot easier to see him here than having to fly out to Seattle whenever I want to adjust them.

It’s quiet today, which explains why they could fit me in so soon. I let the front desk know I’m here and wait until I’m called in. I spend the next hour getting things tweaked to perfection. I make another appointment to return in a week to collect them and say my goodbyes.

Instead of heading back out the way I came in, I head down the corridor into the ER. I’ve spent some time in this hospital—not much compared to some places, but enough to get to know some of the nurses, and I’ve heard through the grapevine that one of them just got married.

My plan was to pop in and say congratulations. Instead, I find myself standing in the middle of the ER, staring at the back of a leather cut with the Chaos Demons symbol on the back.

“Oh, come on, universe. What the fuck did I ever do to you?”

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