Marcus stiffens beneath me. I can feel the tension gathering in his body, but he just keeps holding me as I speak, letting me get everything out in a quiet whisper.
When I’m done, he draws back a little, looking down at me. He doesn’t offer defense or condemnation of Dominic. He doesn’t tell me I’m crazy for believing this is real, or that I should’ve let him kill Dom when we first got back to the safe house.
All he does is press a gentle kiss to my lips.
I don’t know how he knew that’s what I needed more than anything right now, but I’m grateful for his silence, for his acceptance, and for the reminder of his unconditional love.
“Come on, angel.” He kisses me once more. “Let’s get you off your feet.”
Marcus catches my hand and pulls me toward a living room in the middle of the house. Theo and Ryland join us, speaking to each other in low voices.
The furniture is leather and minimalist chic, matching the rest of Victoria’s home. Even though it looks simple, I’m sure it’s expensive as fuck, but none of my guys seem to care about that as they all settle onto a large sectional sofa.
They sit close together, tugging me down on top of them so that I’m sort of sprawled across all of their laps—as if by some unspoken understanding that all of them need to be touching me right now.
I need it.
And they need it.
My head is on Marcus’s lap, and he runs his fingers gently over my cheek. Ryland’s hands rest on the curve of my waist, and Theo’s palms graze up my leg.
“Rest, angel,” Marcus tells me quietly. “We’ll wake you when Doctor Brenson is done.”
I shouldn’t be able to sleep. Energy is still buzzing through my veins, making me restless and demanding that I do something.
But it turns out my exhaustion is even stronger than that. With the warmth of the men’s bodies seeping into mine and their strong hands holding the scattered pieces of me together, I drift off into a dreamless sleep.
Quiet voices wake me.
My body jerks as I come back to consciousness, and the three sets of hands on me all tighten their grip slightly, grounding me and reminding me that they’re still here.
“It’s okay, Rose,” Theo murmurs. “It’s all right.”
I struggle to sit up, and they shift on the couch a little to give me room. I end up sitting on Ryland’s lap with the other two close on either side.
Victoria is nowhere in sight, and when I glance at Marcus questioningly, he says, “Doctor Brenson is working on Victoria’s leg. He finished up on Dom’s bullet wounds just a little while ago.”
“Is he…?”
r /> I trail off. I don’t want to finish the sentence. I don’t want the fear in my voice to betray me.
“He’s not dead.” Ryland’s arms slide around my waist, his voice rumbling against my back. “He’s sleeping. Lost a lot of blood, but the bullet wounds themselves weren’t too bad. One in his chest, and one that grazed his shoulder.”
So the third missed him. And the second shot barely hit him.
The surge of relief makes me feel a little dizzy, and I reach out, gripping Theo’s hand to steady myself.
“Come on.”
Theo gives my hand a squeeze, then the men help me to my feet and lead me back to the room where they brought Dominic when we first arrived. Down the wide hallway, I can hear the low murmur of voices as Victoria talks to Doctor Brenson, but I ignore it, stepping into the room where Dominic lies.
He’s on his back, his eyes closed. His face is pale, his cheeks a little sallow looking.
I remember thinking that he looked younger and softer when I saw him sleeping on the couch back at his safe house. The same thought occurs to me now, and it twists something inside me. A sisterly instinct I didn’t even know I still had.
Despite everything, despite my attempts to hold on to Dominic, to see the man who kidnapped me and went along with Carson’s fucked up plan, when I look at him now, I only see Caleb.
A kid who got in way over his head and lost himself trying to get out.