He chuckles, shaking his head. “No, love.” He winces as she begins rewrapping everything.
“Be careful,” I snap at her.
“I am. He’s going to be sore for a while. Did you not just listen to me explain a gunshot wound to you?” she snaps back, sitting him back against his pillow.
Slowly, I stand and take a step forward, pressing my legs against his hospital bed. She glares at me. I reach inside my jacket and pull out one of my 9mm handguns and my Interpol badge. She gasps and takes a step back.
“Talk to me like that again, and we’ll see how much you enjoy his pain. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she whispers, turning and practically running from the room.
Blake takes my hand in his as I sit back down putting my guns and badge away. “That was a bit uncalled for.”
“You should see what Dresden and I have done to people over the last year. That was me being nice.”
2
~Lily~
The rest of our group meanders back into Blake’s room quietly. Sorina takes the seat directly next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder. I smile down at her, kissing her hair. I have so much time to make up for with her and Blake . . .
“So . . .” Blake says, nodding at my shirt.
“Ah, right,” I say, standing. I move around his bed to the edge and glance at Dresden. “Our art.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Now?”
“He got a glimpse of my collarbone when I leaned over the bed,” I say apologetically.
“Oh, well, okay.” He sighs and comes to stand next to me.
Shannon moves to Blake’s side, her eyes boring into us, just like her brother’s.
“So . . . how does everyone feel about tattoos?” I ask, smiling in a childish way, glancing around the room.
“You got tattoos?” Sammi says, shocked.
Dresden unbuttons his bomber jacket and slides it off, revealing his bare chest. Shannon gasps, tears forming in her eyes as she takes in the elaborate tattoo of her name across his chest.
“Oh, my God, Dresden . . . it’s . . . beautiful,” she whispers.
She walks forward and runs her hands over his chest, staring at the ink. He pulls her into his embrace and kisses her head, turning his gaze to me. “Your turn. This will be fun since you have more than I do.”
I laugh. “Yes, yes I do. But I have fewer scars now,” I say smiling. I glance at Blake, his eyebrows raised in waiting.
I undo my jacket and drape it over the end of his bed. Reaching up, I unclasp my gun holsters and slide them off so I’m in my black sports bra. Dresden and I spend so much time covered in blood over the last year we got tired of ruining our shirts. Now we just don’t wear them.
“Holy shit! Is that my name?” Sorina says, leaning forward.
“Uh, yeah,” I say, grinning. “I got your name here, and Blake’s name here,” I say, turning to the side and lifting my arm. His eyes widen as he takes in the tattoo adorning my side. “And I got a little something for myself on my back.”
“Turn around,” Blake says quietly.
I spin, turning the Romanian flag tattoo toward them. “So . . . thoughts?”
“Badass, Mom,” Sorina says as I turn to face her.
“You been cussing like that since I left? Because I don’t like it.”