Page 62 of Vicious Secrets
“Nothing. Oscar doesn’t do pharma. And after the rib kick, I don’t think I correctly selected Percs from that Ziploc.”
Robyn glares at me.
“I’m joking. Your stepfather isn’t dumb enough not to sell pharma,” I say with a smile. “But the drugs were from a bag in my office at one of our fronts.”
“Does blood loss usually turn you into Vittore?” she grumbles as she moves to a different wound.
It’s my turn to glare. I release a string of curses and close my eyes.
“Jesus Christ, who let him walk out like this?” Fabi’s voice echoes around my skull.
Why is he here? I’m fine. I drove home.
“Did you call for blood?” Robyn’s voice rings loud and clear.
“Yeah, it’s on the way. But holy shit, what the—is there an extra needle?”
“Yes, start with his right arm.”
I feel like I’ve missed half of this conversation. As Robyn continues to work on me, her nightgown brushes over my bare knees every time she moves.
The hint of her warmth and the softness of her body soothes me. An urge pops into my head to hug her. No, snuggle her. Pull her into my chest, tuck her head under my chin, and stroke her back until I fall asleep. Or curl up on our sides, with her back molded to my front and her knees bent over mine.
“Who called for blood? I’ve got it! Whoa, what happened?”
“I’ll be right back, Siro.” Robyn kisses my forehead. I hear it more than I feel it.
I swear she’s only gone for a second. I groan and hiss when something pierces my forearm. I try to shake the burn away. Every one of my five senses is swirling with static. I can’t tell up from down or who else is talking.
“How is he still awake?”
“A cocktail of mind-over-matter, adrenaline, and a fucking miracle,” Robyn says with a sigh. “I’ve got it from here, thanks. You all can fuck off.”
“We’ll be in the living room.”
“No, that’s not where fucks go. I know how to call for help. Do you?” Robyn’s voice echoes off the tiles and reverberates in my brain. “Get out! All of you!”
I wince and hiss as sutures pull across my body.
Something presses against the top of my head and then trails across to my temple to my ear. “You’re all sewn up. I’m going to clean you up and get you in bed, Siro.” Robyn’s voice cracks. “I’m trying to stay calm. But I’m fucking losing it. I’m furious you came home like this. Did you go through a shredder or fall into a pit of kittens? Beats me! I see you hurt, and I crumble.”
A hollowness sucks my heart and lungs away. Dry rot spreads through my torso. I hurt her. My eyes open, and my vision is… clear? Fuck, that giddiness from earlier wasn’t bliss. It was blood loss.
Robyn’s standing in front of me, with her hands on the back of the chair as she leans over me.
“Kiss me.” My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth as I speak.
She turns her head, and our mouths meet in a soft kiss. The world around us stops as the most basic kiss we’ve ever shared dumps pure, unfiltered passion into the atmosphere. It ends all too soon, and Robyn’s leaning away to wet a washcloth.
“You can chew me out in the morning, babe. Right now, I want to sleep.”
Robyn snorts and shakes her head. “I’m holding you to it.”
Chapter 19
Robyn
Iwanttostrangleevery person who let Siro leave as a bloody mess. Fabi told me the car’s interior is such a bloodbath that he moved it so it wouldn’t draw attention while parked in the garage.
