Page 163 of Himbo Hitman
I’m nodding because I don’t have the words. Relief isn’t strong enough for what I’m feeling now.
Elle leaves her seat and sits beside Margot, pulling her into her arms. “We’ve always known Perry was something special, love. This just proves it.”
“I’d like him to never, ever prove it again,” she says, and then she bursts into tears. Huge, body-shaking sobs, the kind that has my own eyes prickling. I echo that same sentiment all the way down to my bones, and I’m somehow going to look after him completely during his recovery while making sure he knows how absolutely furious I am that I need to look after him in the first place.
We’re a fucking team, and putting himself in danger like that isn’t something he’s going to do ever, ever again. Even with Margot assuring us that he’s going to be okay, I’m not sure I believe her. I’ve been in this frozen state of horror for hours now, and while it’s thawing, the process is slow, and I’m still waiting for everything to go drastically wrong again.
“When can Reilly see him?” Lars asks on my behalf, and thankfully, he does because it didn’t even occur to me that it would be a possibility.
Margot scrubs at her puffy eyes. “He’s sedated, but you can go through.”
Thank fucking god. I forget to even thank her as I head for the automatic doors and barely stop myself from running down the hall to his room. Everything is so white and busy back here, but as soon as I see his room number, I screech to a halt.
My knees lock up, and I almost go flying right past, but nothing is going to stop me from seeing him. I inch inside, nudging the hospital-grade blue curtain out of the way, and the second he comes into view, I want to cry too.
He’s hooked up to machines, hair a matted mess, and his skinthat isn’t bruised and swollen is far paler than it usually is. My heart squeezes at the sight.
I’ve always felt that Perry was mine to protect, and the feeling has heightened every day that I’ve known him. Seeing him like this? I feel helpless. Like my one purpose has been snatched away from me, and I’m scrambling to work out what to do next.
I take the chair beside his bed and reach out for his hand. It’s not the usual, enthusiastic warmth I’m used to, but I kiss it anyway, watching his face, hoping for any sign that he knows I’m here too.
There’s nothing.
No twitch.
No flicker of a smile.
No eyelid flutter.
Just sleep.
Which is good. Sleep is good. He’s going to need a lot of it.
My hold on his hand tightens. Perry’s the sole reason to keep my heart beating. The one who makes me want to be better than I’ve ever been before.
I hate seeing him like this.
***
Leaving Perry at the hospital is almost impossible, but while he’s sedated, there’s nothing I can do for him. Right now, I need to make sure everything is okay with my brother and that we don’t need to worry anymore.
He texts me to meet him at Lethal Poison, and I’m apprehensive about stepping foot into the place where I thought my boyfriend was dying, but if this is what it takes to find answers, I’ll do it. All I want is for everything to go back to normal again.
I miss Saint Clare’s so much.
I miss the chaos and the fun, and I miss the way I got to enjoy myself there and not have to constantly look over my shoulder. Hell, maybe Perry will even come and work for us since I’m assuming his cafe job won’t be waiting.
I make my way over the demolition site and toward the back, where I can make out voices. I’m trying not to focus on how Perry felt here, on which emotions were running wild through him, and just remind myself that he’s going to be okay.
He will be.
“Hey,” Colin says as I walk into the office. He’s sitting on the floor with Onyx, books open around them, while Arlie is typing away at a computer on the desk, and Tommy and Everett lounge in the corner. Ever’s flipping through something while Tommy has his feet kicked up, whistling that same tune he whistled with his gun pointed at my head.
“That’s very unsettling,” I tell him, and he grins back but keeps whistling. I look away from him and take in the room instead. “I thought there’d be a whole lot more blood than this.”
And bymore,I mean any.
“Our team is efficient,” Arlie says. “The police have already been by to see where Perry”—she makes bunny ears with her fingers—“shot himself.”
