Page 69 of Sinful Empire (Mount Trilogy 3)
I squeeze her fingers. “Mags, please. You have to wake up. You’re a fighter. You’re the toughest woman I know, and you will not let this beat you. Do you understand me? I refuse to let you give up.”
The beeping of the monitor stays steady, no indication at all that she hears a single word. But I know there’s research out there about people in comas being able to hear what’s said around them while they’re unconscious. I’m hoping like hell my best friend can hear me now, because if I don’t hold on to that belief, I’ll end up sobbing at her bedside.
That might happen anyway, though.
I lift Magnolia’s hand to my cheek. “Listen to me, woman. You are not leaving the world like this. You don’t go quietly. They’ll have to tear you off this earth kicking and screaming. Do you hear me? That’s who you are. Don’t you dare let me down. I need you to wake up. I have things to say to you, and I need to know that you can hear them.”
The answering silence triggers another torrent of tears.
“I know you did what you thought was right for me. That you always do what you think is right for me. I don’t care about your other motives, because you gave me a gift I can never repay. I should’ve thanked you when I had the chance.”
Her pulse beats through her wrist and her chest rises and falls, but that’s it.
“Mags, how are you going to tell me I told you so if you don’t freaking wake up so I can tell you this when you’re not unconscious?”
I drop my head, tears rolling down her palm now.
“I forgive you. I love you. Please, come back to me. The world would be a darker place without you in it. My world would be darker, and I know you don’t want that.”
I wait for long, silent moments, but she still doesn’t wake.
What did I really think was going to happen? That it would be like Sleeping Beauty and somehow my forgiveness would wake my best friend like the prince’s kiss? Obviously not.
“I love you, Mags.” I press a kiss into her palm and lower her hand to her side. “Come back to us. I promise you’ll get all of those sister-of-the-queen benefits.”
When we reach the exit, Mom is chattering about the awesome place she and my dad rented for the next few weeks, and how much I’m going to love it. Their rental car idles at the curb. My dad hops out as soon as he sees us, and reaches the sidewalk as another car pulls up behind him.
A black Mercedes-Maybach with blacked-out windows. I don’t need to see inside it, though, to know exactly who’s driving.
“Would you be more comfortable in the backseat or the front, honey?” Mom keeps talking, debating the question with my dad, not waiting for a response from me.
Which is good, because my attention is on the black car.
The driver’s door opens and V steps out. He glances at my parents, but they’re totally oblivious. When his attention returns to me, I nod, and we have a wordless conversation.
Yes, I’m ready to go home. Take me to him.
V returns my nod and comes toward me. As I rise from the wheelchair on unsteady legs, V is by my side in an instant.
My mom whips around, she and my dad finally realizing someone else has arrived. “Honey! What are you doing? Who is that man?”
V leads me toward the back door and opens it for me, but before I can get inside, my dad charges toward us. If he had a gun, I’m pretty sure the barrel would be pressing against V’s head right now.
“I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, but you get your goddamned hands off my daughter.”
“Honey?
What’s going on? Do you need me to get security?” Fear resonates in my mom’s voice, just as strong as my dad’s threat hanging in the air.
I can’t blame them. They got a call in the middle of the night and found me hanging on to life by a thread. And yet I still can’t tell them the truth.
“Mom, Dad, this is my ride. My driver. I promise he won’t let anything happen to me. He’ll keep me safer than you ever knew was possible.”
My dad’s gaze narrows on V. “Where the hell was he when you took a bullet, if he’s so good at keeping you safe?”
My instinct is to plead with my dad not to argue with me right now, but instead, I straighten my spine as much as is possible with my healing injuries and face him.
“There are things I can’t tell you right now, Dad, but I will when I can.”
