Page 29 of Queen of Ruin

Thinking is hard. Remembering is exhausting. Each time I try, it’s like a space opens up in my chest waiting for the rush of information locked away in my mind, but no matter how hard I try to catch the trailing, incoherent thoughts, I’m left with nothing but disappointment.

And sickness.

The wave of nausea coursing through me builds as the bus shudders, so I close my eyes and sag back against Diego. He immediately tightens his arm around me and a different warmth blooms in my chest.

I like being with him.

He makes me feel safe and protected, like I can trust him even though we barely know each other. Diego’s been kind and decent to me with nothing in return, which is surely the mark of a decent person. Given the arguments I overheard with Tech and that woman, Mindy, he’s used to taking care of people and dealing with more alarming shit than anyone else deserves.

I don’t want to be another weight on his chain.

I will get better.

I will make it up to him.

“Valentina, what the—shit!” Diego curses under his breath as he pushes me away.

Confusion warms my thoughts, but it’s oddly difficult to open my eyes. When I do, he’s gazing at me with worry warped all the way across his face and crimson staining his fingers.

“Are you okay?” I ask slowly.

His worry softens a fraction. “Valentina, you’re bleeding.”

I follow his eyeline down to where blood soaks through the shirt I stole from his closet. “I didn’t even feel it.”

“You must have torn some stitches when you were kicking that dude’s ass. We’re nearly home. I’ll take care of it there. How are you feeling?”

I blink slowly and meet his gaze. “Tired. Little sick. Kinda… hard to keep my eyes open.”

“I’ve got you,” Diego says and his voice suddenly sounds a little distant. “I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

Smiling comes easily after listening to the warmth in his voice and I nod, then settle back under his arm. His heartbeat thrums underneath my ear and each rock of the bus has his arm tightening around me just enough that my heart flutters each time. I could sleep here. I could let my eyes stay closed and sink into a blissful rest knowing that the man next to me would protect me.

But I want to protect him too. This is my mess. It was my choice that led me to his car that night and for whatever reason, he trusts me enough to believe that we’re in danger. Something that’s easier to believe after that man tried to kill him, but that doesn’t stop the urge to do more.

As we drive, his hand on my shoulder starts stroking in small circles and a smile grows across my tired lips.

It’s not long before the bus slows down and Diego tenses under me.

“Valentina? This is our—” He stops dead.

Opening my eyes, I look up at him, but he isn’t focused on me. He’s peering past me with a deep frown and his lips set in a deep, firm line.

“Wrong stop?” I murmur.

“No,” he says tightly. “Stay with me.”

I have no plans to do anything else so I nod, then the bus brakes sigh and the vehicle surges back into life. “Wrong stop?”

“Right stop,” Diego says, twisting in his seat so he can keep staring at whatever caught his eyes as it fades behind us. “There were people at my apartment.”

Tension jolts through me. “People?”

“Some massive fucking brick house of a man, and another burly man next to him, and a bunch of black cars. Sleek black cars. The kind of cars that don’t belong in my neighborhood.”

“You think they’re linked to that cop?” I ask weakly. Every blink grows harder, every word trips on my tongue, and the warmth spreading against my side is heating up. “They found your home?”

“Gotta be.” Diego’s teeth snap together, and he looks down at me, meeting my eyes for a second and then down further to the blood-soaked shirt. “Shit. We can’t wait much longer. Come on.”