The gap was fucking tight. I had less than an inch either side and the cold metal pressed against my spine as I moved. I kept my weight distributed and my breaths shallow. I unscrewed the panel that led into the room and shifted it a crack so I could see. Until Adam arrived, I spent the whole time worried I was watching the wrong fucking room. But it was the only room on the floor with any furniture inside. What I hadn't known, was that Priya had been inside the whole fucking time. When Dexter moved the blue divider aside and I saw her tied to the fucking chair, I almost blew my cover snarling. I could have had her out of there before this whole shit show began. I could have prevented it from fucking happening in the first place.

  I bit my knuckle and breathed out through my nose.

  Rahat was leading Dexter away from Priya, buying time, stalling.

  She was in pain. Even discounting the obvious injuries, I knew her well enough to read it in the stillness she was working to maintain. The way she kept her head still, not turning it more than necessary, and the way she blinked away from the rising sun. And she was doing it all while facing the man who'd put the rope around her neck.

  "You came back for me," he said.

  "No. I came for her."

  She was over-rotating her whole body just to keep him in her line of sight. Every time he drifted to her left, she shifted position. He knew it too. That's why he was placing himself there. To keep her on edge. He was playing with her, and I was counting the seconds until I could take him down.

  One hundred and forty seconds to go.

  "You slammed my head into a fucking door." She was baiting him now. He'd called her out for stalling and she was keeping him distracted.

  One hundred.

  Rahat was too fucking clever for her own good sometimes. She was riling him up, making him angry, making him focus on her. I wished she fucking wouldn't.

  He slammed his hands down on the table top.

  Eighty seconds to go.

  "Get fucking over it."

  Dexter was gonna fucking lose his shit.

  Seventy five seconds.

  Promises be damned. I was done laying in the dark. I was fucking moving.

  I shoved the panel aside, swung my legs through the gap, caught the top of the door frame and dropped. I hit the concrete with a thud. Adam spun around faster than I'd expected, but not fast enough.

  I caught his collar mid-turn, drove him sideways and down, putting him face first to the concrete with his arm cranked up his back. There was a satisfying crack as his face met the concrete. He'd hit the floor with his full weight behind the impact, and the air left him in a short grunt. To make sure he couldn't move, I put my knee between his shoulder blades and held the position.

  Rahat was already beside Priya, working her hands free. Within seconds, Priya was up and wrapping her arms around Rahat. The second she made contact, Rahat almost went down. Her knees went from under her, and her face greyed. She fluttered her hand as if trying to grasp at something. Priya was having to hold her up.

  I pressed my knee harder into Dexter's back. Rahat was in no fucking shape to be moving around, let alone dealing with this stress. And this fucker was the one responsible.

  "You'll never get out of here," he said. "My men have the place surrounded. You'll be dead before you hit the lift."

  "About that," Gabriel said as he entered the room through the doors like a normal fucking person. "We got the four on the stairwell. Six below. I think that's all of them, but just in case, my men are giving the place a full sweep."

  "She'll come back to me. You understand that?" Dexter's tone was almost conversational. "You can't hold someone like her. She's too much for a man like you. She’s mine. She needs me."

  His words weren't worth a response. Besides, it was then I realised that Gabriel hadn't stopped or paused. He was striding across the room like a man with a purpose. He glanced at me and nodded his head before turning his gaze to Dexter on the ground.

  I stood up and stepped back.

  Adam managed to get his hands under him, to push himself to his knees and raise his head. Enough time to register what was coming.

  Gabriel fired his shot. Once, quick, to the top of the head. Adam went down.

  Game fucking over.

  "I should have done that six years ago," Gabriel said.

  I couldn't argue with him. "Yeah," I said before rushing to Rahat and Priya. "We need to get her to a hospital," I said as I scooped Rahat into my arms. She felt too small in my hands, and her skin was clammy and cold.

  "Priya," she said, though I could barely make out the name.

  "She's here. She's safe," I shifted her weight and turned to give her a better view of her cousin.

  "I'm fine," Priya said.

  "You done good," I tucked her head against my chest. "I've got you, Rahat. I’ve got you."

  Chapter 21

  Rahat

  The first thing I registered was a beeping sound, and then the murmur of voices, and the whoosh of a door. Moving felt sluggish and for a second, my heart raced, and my adrenaline spiked as I worried, I was waking up on the bed in Adam's room again. But the beeping kicked up a notch, and the smell in the air was more astringent than cleaning fluid. Then, I realised the pain was gone and opened my eyes and saw the drip in the back of my hand. I must have been given the good stuff.

  I kept my head still and waited for the ceiling to come into focus. The light beyond the window was a soft blue that promised another hot day. I tried to swallow and immediately regretted it. Even with the morphine, the inside of my throat felt like I'd run a cheese grater through it. The best thing to do was just stay still and breathe.

  The door opened and Carina slipped inside with a bunch of yellow tulips in hand, along with a paper cup of coffee balanced on top of white box. "Brilliant," she said. "You're awake. I was about to try and wake you if you weren't."

  I motioned to the cup after noting it was from my favourite coffee shop. "Am I allowed some of that," I asked, my voice strained and difficult to find.

  "No." She set the tulips on the windowsill. "The nurse said so when I was on my way in here, but I'm ignoring her." She handed me the coffee. "Just don't push it." She pulled the chair close and dropped into it, tucking one leg beneath her. "How's your head?"

  "Still attached," I said after taking a careful sip. It was hot and sweet, and just the way I liked it.

  "And the eye."

  "I think it's still there."

  Carina huffed out a breath and pursed her lips. "You look like you lost a fight with a bus," she said, putting it somewhat bluntly. At least, she wasn't looking at me like I was about to break at any second. That was an improvement.

  "I look fabulous," I countered.

  She smiled. "Well, of course, darling. That was never in question."

  "What are you two chatting about?" Gabriel asked as he walked in. He'd come bearing two coffees. Also, from my favourite coffee shop. He handed one to Carina, making me think they'd conspired to get them together. And then pulled over the second chair before taking a seat.

  He glared at me without speaking.

  "I'm fine," I said.

  "You had us worried," he said.

  I couldn't respond to that. Instead, I took another sip of my deviously sweet, hot coffee. Carina dived into the box and offered Gabriel a pastry before pressing an almond croissant into my free hand.

  "You do know it's not my birthday," I said, wanting to keep the mood light.

  "It isn't?" Carina pretended to snatch the croissant back before returning it to my hand, making me chuckle in the process.

  We walked around the edges for a little bit. Priya was home, physically unhurt, and refusing to be managed or fussed over. Ashraf was back in college. Gabriel insisted he was unphased by Aldo's death. But I doubted that. And Auntie Deepa spent an hour lecturing Gabriel, before forcing him to eat two portions of papri chaat, which is why he'd refused the pastry.

  I laughed at the image that produced in my head. It pulled at my throat and cut through the fog in my head.

  Gabriel watched me carefully over the rim of his coffee while I recovered from that. When I had, he stood and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'll be back later," he said.

  Carina stood too. She picked up her coffee and her half-eaten croissant. Then she paused and looked at the door. "He's been out there since six," she said.

  I curled my fingers around my coffee cup.

  "I mean, he's been here since they brought you in. He wouldn't leave your side until he knew you were out of the woods," she added. "But he's been standing in the corridor since breakfast time started. The nurse told him he had to get out and wait like everyone else. I thought for a moment he might punch her. But well, it's Rex. He would never," She shrugged, aiming for casual. "I'll tell him you're awake."

  She squeezed my hand and held it for a moment before following Gabriel out.

  Rex entered less than ten seconds later.

  "The nurse said you weren't to have any coffee." He snatched the cup from my hand. I wanted to protest but he fixed his dark eyes on mine. "There's a risk of thermal injury on top of trauma," he said. "Plus, delayed airway compromise, and a risk of aspiration."

  He hadn't slept. That much was clear. There was a tightness around his eyes and a set to his jaw I'd come to recognise. Plus, the two-day shadow on his face had gone to three, and that was something I'd never seen before. He was wearing the same clothes as he'd worn yesterday. Not that it was easy to tell. A plain T-shirt and jean combo was always his go to choice. His jacket was gone and the T-shirt had a crease pressed into the shoulder as if he'd been leaning it against something hard for a long time.

  After stealing my coffee and setting it down well out of reach, he just stood there looking at me.

  He was doing that thing again, where he was studied whatever the fuck was going on with my face and neck while the vein popped in his head. But this time, he'd added the drip in my hand. So at least, that was something new.

  "Hi," I said, when his gaze locked on my throat. "My eyes are up here, thank you very much."

  That brought a smile to his face. Albeit a fleeting one. But it brought his gaze up. "Hi," he said before sitting in the chair Carina pulled close.

  He sat forward with his forearms on his knees and laced his fingers together.

  "You need to sleep," I said.

  "Yeah."

  The monitor beeped and a trolley rattled past the closed door. Rex kept his eyes on mine.

  "I know what you're going to say," I said.

  "No." He shook his head and huffed out a deep breath. "You don't."

  I held my tongue and waited for him to continue.

  He rubbed his hand over his head before setting it back on his knee. "You drugged me."

  "Yes."

  "It wasn't a question." He held my gaze. "You put melatonin in my drink and walked out while I was under."

  "I did."

  "Also, not a question." The muscle in his jaw twitched. "And you'd already decided you were going to do it. Before the strip tease. Before we'd even left Gabriel's office." I kept my mouth sealed shut. "I woke up and you were gone. I had to find your blood when I was too fucking slow from it to think straight. And that whole fucking drive to Dexter's place in Bermondsey, I kept telling myself I'd find you safe, even while fearing the worst. Then I found you..."

  His voice cracked and I tried to reach out to him, but he was too far away.

  "I know."

  "No. You don't fucking know. You were gone for more than two hours." He stood to pace the room. "I had no idea what was happening to you. Whether you were--" He stopped and rubbed his forehead with the back of his fist. "You made it so that I couldn't help you. You made me helpless. Even worse, you put yourself in danger and look what fucking happened."

  "I'm sorry," I said, because what else was there to say.

  "What the fuck were you thinking?"

  "You wouldn't have let me go."

  "Damn fucking straight, I wouldn't have."

  "And that's why I did it. And I'm sorry Rex, but the truth is, I'd do it again if I thought it would help Priya."

  He sat back down in the chair again. "I know. That's the fucking problem."

  "I had no choice."

  "You should have told me."

  "You'd have--"

  "I know what I would have done," he said, cutting off my words. "You should have told me anyway. And then you should have gone." He dropped his gaze to my IV again. "You took that choice from me. That's not the way we do things." He sat forward in the chair and laced his fingers with mine on the blanket. "Next time. You don't do it alone. I'm not telling you to ask for permission. I'm asking you because you aren't the only one who shows up for the people you love."

  "Okay," I said.

  "Yeah." He studied my face for a moment.

  "Yeah," I said.

  He shifted even more forward in the chair and pressed my hand to his lips. "Good. Because I can't fucking do this again. I can't stand by helpless and watch you hurt."

  "I'm sorry," I said again, but Rex just shook his head.

  "Don't be fucking sorry. You're the one who's hurt. I'm the one who's sorry."

  Epilogue

  Rex (Three Months Later)

  I chuckled at the trail of shoes leading from Kitty's front door and down the hall. Trainers, sandals, a pair of heels, and what I was certain were Cane's boots sitting two feet away from one another. I added mine to the pile, and then added my coat to the rack, nearly tripping over Charlie's Velcro-strapped shoes in the process.

  But what really brought a smile to my face was all the noise. It was thunderous. Music fought with voices. There was a clatter of dishes from the kitchen. And over it all, Charlie's voice cut clear through the whole mess. Though I didn't quite catch the question she asked.

  I found Deepa and Kitty in the kitchen. They'd covered the island in bowls and boards, full of food at various stages of being assembled. Kitty held a wooden spoon and was making a compelling case about the correct order of additions. Deepa stood beside, reaching for a jar of tamarind chutney, seemingly oblivious to Kitty's argument. Both of them were talking at the same time and neither was listening, and they both looked quite happy for it.

  And then there was Rahat.

  God, she looked fucking amazing in her yellow summer dress. It was my favourite color on her, and she knew it. She flung a tea towel over her shoulder and laughed at something Deepa said. She poked her tongue at me when she saw me.

  I crossed the room, pulled her in for a hug, and kissed the top of her forehead, wanting to keep things PG in front of her Auntie, even if my cock did twitch more than a little at the sight of her.

  "It's good to see you too," she said.

  Lucky sat at the breakfast stool at the island. He was staring at the plate in front of him like a man terrified the food was about to eat him and not the other way around. He picked up a fork and put it down twice before asking, "What's this one again?"

  "Bhel puri," I said, earning myself a smile from Deepa in the process.

  He pushed it with the fork before taking the smallest bite known to mankind. "Why's it got sweet and spicy at the same time? Like, pick a lane, man?"

  "Eat it," Kitty said.

  His eyes flashed to mine with a look that said, help me! I only raised my hands in response. It's not my fight. Besides that stuff was delicious.

  Rahat watched him over the rim of a glass, her lips pressed tight as she stifled a laugh.

  I couldn't have been happier for her. She'd been waiting for this for months, and now her family were finally here with her in Colorado, even if it was only for a few weeks.

  The face Lucky pulled when he tried a full fork-full though broke her restraints and she had to bury her face in my shoulder to muffle the cackle that escaped. After which, I slipped my hand in hers and we made the rounds.

  Toni had found a gap between Bono's legs and decided it was a tunnel. She toddled in one side and out the other, giggling in the process. Bono lifted her upside down, which only made her giggle even more. Cane sat a few feet away, and almost jumped from his seat to catch Toni when Bono swung her around. There was no surprise he was protective as fuck over his little munchkin.

  Rahat squeezed my hand and waved at Priya who was with Thea near the dining table. Charlie was coming at them with what appeared to be a three part question on how babies learn to walk, why they can't walk as babies, and why Toni fell over as much as she did. Rahat released my hand and made a beeline for them.

  "You have to watch out," Caleb said to me from the arm of the sofa. "It looks like Rahat's getting baby fever. Amber nodded next to him. "Trust him," she said, and patted her growing belly. "He knows the look."

  Caleb dived at her neck and nipped at her ear before whispering something in it. Amber laughed in response. I decided that was a good time to make my way across the room to Jameson and Carina.

  "Where's Ashraf?" Carina asked as soon as I approached.

  "Outside," I said. "I couldn't drag him away from my bike."

  It was half-nine when the evening started winding down. I knew how much it meant to Rahat to have everyone under the same roof. It happened too infrequently these days, wrangling everyone together was often a momentous task. But as we left the house, the night air hit my face, and Rahat took my hand, and I knew I couldn't get her home and out of that dress fast enough.

  As soon as the front door closed behind us, I spun her around, backed her up against the door, and bunched the yellow fabric of her dress in my fists. "Nice dress," I said.

  "I knew you'd like it." She bit her bottom lip and then leaned her head forward and bit mine. I growled, pushed her tighter against the door, and claimed her mouth with mine, my tongue demanding everything she had to give. Rahat groaned into my mouth and dug her fingers into the muscles of my shoulders, pulling me closer still.

  I hiked the hem of her dress up and slid my hand over the curve of her thigh until I found the lace of her panties. I hooked my thumb in the waistband and shucked them down, letting them fall to the floor.

 

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