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The hospital? Why am I in the hospital?
Memories slowly creep in. Venom and Shelby. The accident. Everything I never told Memphis. Tears well in my eyes as I realize how close I came to losing everything.
He turns back to me with the cup in his hand, sees the tears in my eyes, and hisses a breath.
"Don't cry, Toto." The cup in his hand trembles as he reaches for the straw, his concern evident in the furrow of his brow. He holds it to my lips, allowing me to take slow sips, feeling it soothe my burning throat.
As the last sip trickles down, he sets it aside and carefully pulls me into his arms. My entire body feels as if it's been used as a battering ram, but as soon as his arms close around me, the intensity of the pain fades, no match for the way he makes me feel—alive and on fire. As if I'm home, safe, and nothing can touch me.
"Please don't cry, baby," he pleads, desperation in his voice as his lips brush my temple.
"Venom." I choke on his name.
Memphis's arms tighten around me protectively. "You remember?" he asks, his voice heavy with pain.
"I remember everything."
"He's gone and he won't ever hurt you again," Memphis swears, iron in his voice.
"Did you—?" I can't finish the question, afraid of the answer. Afraid of what it might mean for us…and for him.
"No. Had he still been alive when I got there, I would have, Kylie," he says, the truth ringing in his voice. He means it. "But he died in the accident."
I take comfort in the fact that Venom is dead, and in the fact that Memphis isn't the one who killed him. I know he would have done it—without hesitation or remorse. And I think it would have destroyed any hope of a future for us if he had. He walked away without legal consequence from what he did once. I don't think he would have been so lucky a second time.
"Shelby?" I ask.
"Shelby is going to make it," he says after a pause. "But it's not going to be easy for her. She was thrown from the van. It'll be a while before she walks again."
I process this, unsure how to feel about it. I don't want her dead. I just want her far away from us. So I nod, accepting what I can't change.
"She said she tried to warn me…" I whisper, licking my lips. They feel dry and cracked. "She wanted me to stay away from you so I didn't end up in the middle." Her warning might have been more effective if it hadn't been delivered wrapped in so much poison, but I doubt it. I don't think there's anything she could have said that would have kept me away from him.
He runs a gentle hand down my arm, choking on a groan. "God, I'm so fucking sorry, baby," he murmurs, his body trembling against mine. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" My gaze flies to his in confusion, only to see unshed tears and agony burning in his eyes.
"Everything." His voice cracks on the word. "I'm so goddamn sorry for everything."
"You didn't do anything, Memphis."
"You could have died because of me. Because I…" he groans as if he's being torn apart. Pain flashes in his eyes, deep and infinite. "Christ, they took you because of me. Because of what I did."
"Memphis." I swallow hard, reaching up to touch his face. "They took me because Venom's brother helped kill Jayson and twelve other people. Maybe what you did was wrong, but you didn't start that war. You didn't ask him to come after me." I pause, taking a deep breath. "And he didn't wreck the van, Memphis. Um, I did."
His eyes widen as he takes in my words. "Why would you do that, Toto?"
"I knew you would come to rescue me," I whisper. "If you did, he was going to kill you. I couldn't let that happen, so I made sure he didn't get a chance."
"Jesus, Toto," he rasps. "You could have fucking died. You almost did."
"I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I had to make sure that you didn't die."
"Why?" His eyes bore into me as if he's trying to see all the way to my soul.
"B-because there's nothing left in this world for me if you aren't in it," I whisper, my heart thumping unevenly. "Because I love you." I lick my lips. "Because you're the only piece of my brother that I have left." I meet his gaze, too damn afraid to breathe. "Jayson was my brother, Memphis. I…"
"I know," he whispers when the words stick in my throat. He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip, his touch soft and healing. "I know, Toto."
