Page 31 of Vengeance

"You should've gone when you had the chance," he rasped.

She didn't even look up from where she was checking the bandage. "You've said that three times now."

"I'll probably say it again,” he warned.

"I know." A faint smile tugged at his mouth. She was stubborn, and Vengeance knew that Savage would've loved that. His chest tightened at the thought.

"You know—" he said quietly. "I almost didn't make it to Huntsville to warn you and the Royal Bastards about the Black Veil Syndicate."

That got her attention. "What do you mean?"

"I almost turned around before I even got to town."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because I knew what would happen if you found out my name." Silence settled between them. "I wasn't afraid of Dante finding me." He swallowed hard. "I was afraid of you looking at me the way you did tonight."

She looked at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"No." He shook his head carefully. "You had every right."

"I still shouldn't have?—"

"You thought I'd lied about everything,” he said, interrupting her.

"You did lie,” she reminded.

"I omitted the truth."

She raised one eyebrow. "Seriously?"

He sighed. "Okay, I lied."

"Thank you for admitting that." She sat back against a fallen tree. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel."

"You don't have to figure it out tonight,” he said.

"I keep remembering—" She stared into the darkness. "You throwing yourself in front of me back at the clubhouse and then again when Lucius shot you."

He shrugged—as much as someone with a bullet wound could shrug. "It wasn't a big deal."

She looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "You got shot."

"I've been shot before,” he admitted.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

He realized too late what he'd admitted. "Damn."

"How many times have you been shot?” she asked.

He rubbed a hand across his face. "Four times."

"Four?" she shouted.

"Well, five now,” he said.

She stared. "That's not normal."