Page 74 of Unmasked

His ribs still hurt, and his arm ached, but he considered himself incredibly fortunate otherwise. He grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers. “I'm fine, sweetheart.”

She eyed him dubiously. “You don't look fine. It's only been three days. You⁠—”

“I'm okay,” he promised. For the past seventy-two hours since he had been released from the hospital, she had been hovering by his side every waking moment, barely sleeping in her need to make sure he was okay. His broken ribs felt like they were being squeezed by a vise each time he took a breath, and the wound in his bicep where he’d been grazed by a bullet felt itchy beneath the bandage they’d applied. But none of that mattered. Everleigh was safe, back with him where she belonged.

There was no missing the dark circles beneath her eyes, and he gave a gentle tug to her fingers. “Come here, sweetheart.”

He guided her into the bed next to him, tucking her against his good side. “You need to rest. You've been killing yourself trying to make sure I'm okay, but you've completely neglected to take care of yourself.”

“I know, but⁠—”

“No buts,” he said, cutting her off. “Just lie here for a minute and relax.”

She made a little sound that resembled a snort but allowed herself to lean into him. Holding her hand in his, he traced little circles over the back with his thumb. Her head fell a little more, growing heavier, and he knew she'd finally given over to sleep. As gently as possible, he extricated himself from her hold and slid from the bed.

He bit back a gasp of pain as he maneuvered himself to his feet, then snagged up a shirt. He slipped into the hallway and closed the door silently before pausing to pull on his shirt. As much as he wanted to lie there and hold her all day, she needed to sleep and recharge. He had other pressing needs at the moment, so he meandered down the hall to use the bathroom, then wandered downstairs.

Lettie threw a smile his way as he descended the stairs. “How are you feeling, sir?”

“Fine, thank you. Everleigh is finally sleeping. Anyone in the sitting room?”

“No, sir. Would you like me to bring you some coffee?”

“Iced tea would be great, if you have any.”

“Of course. I'll bring it right in.”

“Thank you.” He slowly made his way to the sitting room and collapsed on the sofa. It felt a little strange to be there, but his house was officially a crime scene, and Mrs. Beaumont had insisted he stay. Conrad had been released from the hospital yesterday as well, so now there were two of them recuperating under the same roof.

He had been pushing himself to regain his strength so he could leave as soon as possible, hating to abuse their hospitality. For the first day or so, he was barely lucid from the painkillers. After that, he opted not to take them, hating the way they made him feel. Mason and Cade had been handling everything in his stead, but being out of the loop for the past few days drove him crazy.

He still wasn't sure of the exact chain of events. Montgomery apparently hadn't had a chance; he'd bled out even before the medics had arrived. He called Mason first, but it went straight to voicemail, and he rolled his eyes. He was just about to dial his sister to track him down when Lettie entered the room.

She set down his tea with a concerned smile and studied him. “Sir, you have some visitors.”

“I do?”

She nodded. “Your sister and her fiancé are here to see you if you're feeling well enough.”

“Of course.” He started to push to the edge of the couch, but she waved him off.

“I'll bring them back.”

“Thank you, Lettie.”

Moments later, Mason and Vivi appeared in the doorway. Though he had spoken with his sister a couple of days ago to let her know he was okay and would be staying there, she apparently needed to see him for herself.

A worried frown creasing her forehead, she dropped onto the cushion next to him. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm okay, Viv.” He looped his good arm over her shoulder as Mason dropped into the chair adjacent to him.

“I know you said not to worry, but you're my brother,” she fretted. “When Mason told me what happened...”

She shuddered, and he hugged her close. “It really wasn’t as bad as it sounds.”

Mason flicked a glance his way but didn’t say a word. He had a feeling he’d left out a lot of details when he relayed the story to Vivi. He would have done the same thing.

They made small talk for a few minutes until his attention was pulled toward the door. Everleigh stood there, eyes tired, but a sweet smile on her face. Vivi slid away from him, making her way back to Mason, and he held his arm out to Everleigh as she approached. “What are you doing up, sweetheart? You should be relaxing.”