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"I love you," I whisper, the words slipping free without conscious thought.
"Kylie," he chokes, his face a mess of anguish and adoration, his grip tightening as if he's afraid I'll slip away.
I take a shuddering breath, my eyes falling closed.
Memphis sobs my name…and the world goes dark again.
Chapter Fourteen
Memphis
"She won't fuckin' wake up," I whisper to Riley, my throat raw as I sit at Kylie's bedside, my head resting on her stomach. I feel the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathes, but she still won't wake up.
It's been three goddamn days since my entire world crashed to the ground, and she still hasn't woken up. The doctors keep spouting their bullshit about giving her time to heal, but every day that passes without her opening those pretty emerald eyes has me feeling a little more bleak and hopeless.
I almost lost her.
"Remember holding her like you held her brother, Memphis?" my mind taunts me. As if I'll ever forget the memory of her battered, bleeding body in my arms while I begged for someone to help her. As if I'll ever forget thinking I'd just lost her the same goddamn way we lost him—to violence and hatred that never should have touched her.
If that accident hadn't taken care of Venom, I would have done it myself. But he was dead long before Cash and I showed up. He snapped his miserable fucking neck.
Shelby's barely clinging to life in the ICU. She was thrown from the van. But Kylie…well, Kylie is a fighter, saved from the same fate by her position in the vehicle. I don't know if she put herself there or if it was some kind of divine intervention looking out for her. Either way, it saved her life. And I'll spend the rest of mine on my knees, thanking God.
Riley squeezes my shoulder. "She'll be okay, Memphis. Give her time," she says.
I inhale deeply, trying not to choke on fear. I'll give her every fucking moment I have if that's what it takes. I'm not leaving this room until she does.
It's a goddamn miracle we even found her. But Cash knows everyone in Nashville. He had every cop in the city searching for the van. As soon as they spotted it on the traffic cams, Cash knew. We were already on our way when Venom almost hit another car.
We pulled up a few minutes behind the first cop. How the fuck I'm not in jail right now, I don't know. No one was keeping me from Kylie, least of all some goddamn traffic cop. The bastard tried, but I went through him to get to her.
Explaining why he kidnapped her was harder. I'll owe Cash for the rest of my life for not telling them what I did. As far as the cops are concerned, Venom's brother died when the Reapers attacked my MC, and Venom wanted revenge. Since I'm the only motherfucker who survived the attack, he came after me. I don't fuckin' care anymore if everyone in this city finds out who I was back then. All I care about is the girl lying in that bed.
And, hell, maybe it's time they know. Maybe it's time I stop trying to run from it, stop trying to bury it, and throw the goddamn doors open wide. I am who the fuck I am. I can't change it. I can't take it back. But I'm not that man anymore. If that's not good enough for them, then fuck it.
"Do you need anything, Memphis?" Riley asks quietly.
"Nah," I say, clearing my throat. "I'm good."
She sighs, and I know she doesn't believe me. But I don't try to reassure her, either. Frankly, I'm not fine. I won't be until Kylie is.
"I need to run," she says reluctantly, "but I'll be back soon to check on you guys."
"Thanks, Riley." I pause, my throat tight. "For everything."
She and Cash have been a godsend. They've been here every day, sitting with me, holding me together. Priest and his girl, and Winter and Ronan have visited too. Everyone I know has stopped by to offer their support.
It's overwhelming to realize just how many people give a damn. Most of the people in my life had never even met Kylie before the accident, but they love her because I do.
That's loyalty. That's friendship.
I'd almost forgotten what that was like.
"You don't owe us a thank you, Memphis. It's what friends do. They show up." She squeezes my shoulder again and then her heels click across the floor before fading away, leaving me alone with the steady beeping of Kylie's heart monitor.
I watch her chest rise and fall, so fucking grateful for every breath she takes. But it isn't enough. I need those eyes on me. I need that smart mouth giving me hell. She's so fucking small and vulnerable in this bed.
"Wake up, Toto," I whisper softly, brushing my hand gently down the side of her face, being careful to avoid the cuts and bruises there. The simple touch sends shivers through me as memories of her laughter and warmth flood my mind. "I need you to wake up so I can breathe again, baby. So long as those eyes are closed, my world isn't going to spin."
