Wicked and True (Wicked & Devoted 4)

“Same here,” Zy cut in. “I’m not medically cleared for the next forty-eight hours.”

“Concussion protocol?”

He nodded. “If I have one, it’s mild. I lost consciousness at the scene and woke up with a bitch of a headache. But it’s getting better. They monitored me for hours, even after all the tests. But they still want me to be cautious.”

“Gotcha. Apology accepted? You’re coming back soon?” Logan asked like it very much mattered to him.

“Yeah.” They might have fucked up, but they meant well. After dealing with his dad, he knew how critical that distinction was.

“Thanks. We don’t know when or if we’ll return to normal, so…um, keep on being in charge.”

“All right. But we should spell Kane. He needs a break.”

“Yeah. Call us later. Jack and Deke are willing to loan us one of theirs. We haven’t met Trevor except in passing, but he’s got to be a good guy if his nickname for One-Mile is Serial Killer.”

They all forced a laugh at the joke, but the truth was, after everything they’d been through, nothing felt light or humorous. And if they didn’t recover Kimber, Zy didn’t know if anything ever would again.

After that, the trio filed to the door. Tessa shut it behind them. Zy followed her and locked it.

They were alone.

She set the alarm that hadn’t been there before, and he wondered who had installed it and when, but that was a question for later, not the one burning hottest through his brain.

He braced his hand against the door, above her head, caging her close to him. “Where’s Hallie? Is she all right?”

She turned to him. “Yes, thank goodness. The doctors at the ER could hardly find a scratch on her. She’s sleeping now. She was exhausted.”

“I’m glad she’s okay. I worried like hell about her.”

She sent him a little smile. “I could tell. You risked your life for her. Saying thank you doesn’t begin to express how grateful I am.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I think of her as my own.”

That choked Tessa up. “I worried about you. I waited hours today without any word… I asked, but no one would tell me anything, even where to find you. I hoped you’d call but—”

He pulled the phone from his back pocket. “It died shortly after we reached the ER.”

She placed a soft hand on his arm, and even that touch was enough to send a shudder through him. “Are you okay? Really?”

“Better now that I’m here. With you.”

“I’m better now that you’re here, too. Can you stay?” Her soft entreaty gave him hope.

“That depends on you.”

“Me?

“You never answered my question, you know.”

She shook her head, her body so close he couldn’t resist cupping her cheek. “What are you… I don’t… Zy, if there’s even a chance you have a concussion, you should sit and rest and—”

“After we’ve talked.”

Tessa looked away. “You don’t have to say anything. The bosses explained why you investigated me. I’m still so sorry I betrayed everyone—but especially you. The guilt will eat at me for a long time. I hope you can forgive me—”

“Baby, I absolved you the second I heard why you’d done it. You put Hallie first. You had to. I understand. And you’re right that you didn’t handle things the way I would have, but you had no way of knowing how to deal with a situation like that. I’ve been trained to. You haven’t. I just hope you can forgive me. What I said and did in the bunker—”

“I understand.”

“But if you hate me for it…” Goddamn it, the thought nearly ripped him in two.

“No.” She lifted her stunned gaze to him. “I don’t. I couldn’t.”

“Okay, I can work with that. I know we have a lot to figure out and a lot of trust to repair—”

“I trust you.” She bit her lip, her face full of regret. “But I should have trusted you more.”

“Just like I should have. Let’s not fuck up again, huh?”

She laughed. “Let’s not. Let’s agree to talk anything out in the future.”

“Absolutely. Now I’m dying to ask you a question, baby.” He took her by the hand, never breaking her soft, blinking gaze as he urged her to the sofa, then knelt at her feet, pulling the box from his pocket Trees had dropped off earlier. When he lifted the lid, she gasped as he pressed a kiss to her hand. “Marry me.”

She looked absolutely stunned as she trembled against him. “Y-you mean that? Really?”

“Of course. You know I love you. I bought this ring four days ago. I want you to be my wife. I want to be a father to Hallie. I want to grow a family with you. I’d like the answer to my first question, too, but if that’s a no—”

“Zy, I love you.” Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “I love you so much.”