“Not a word,” he whispers. Even if I wanted to, it seems I’m unable to form any kind of sound.
At the top is a woman waiting for us. She gives me a tight smile before checking her surroundings.
“Victim is free. Targets are upstairs. Move!” He whispers to the woman who starts covering for us while I give all I have to walk toward the door.
We’re almost there when a gun fires behind me.
We stumble, and I try to move out of the way, but I’m way too out of it to even attempt.
There is not a hint of survival instinct left inside of me.
I’m paralyzed by pain and crushed under the weight of the guy who was helping me out. His head is on my chest, his eyes filled with apologies. It seems like an eternity, but it lasts until a second before his eyelids fall, and what is supposed to be his last breath let go.
“Patrick!” I can hear the voice of Dereck but can’t see him. It’s filled with anger and pain. “Why would you betray me?” His question stays unanswered as several gunshots cut through the air.
I feel myself slowly falling in a blackout again. I don’t fight it. There is not one drop of adrenaline left in me anymore. Only tiredness. Only pain. And maybe a sparkle of hope I can make it out alive.
A hand grabs me by the collar and pulls me from under the unanimated body of Dereck’s son.
He died saving my life, and I couldn’t thank him.
The last thing I see is the blood my hands leave on the white tiles of the VanHorn mansion. And then darkness takes over.
And I have no clue what happens next.
“Wake up, Le Pew.” I smile, hearing the voice of Mark, but it hurts my busted lips.
“Fuck you,” I say, the words hurting my throat. He hands me a glass of water, and I swallow a few sips. “You know I hate that call name.”
“What’s the story behind it?” Na… I try to smile even more.
“Give me my son,” I tell her, not answering the secret Mark promised he would never share to civilians. She positions him in my arms, and like an addict jonesing for his fix, I bring my nose to the top of his head and breathe him in.
Everything in my body hurts, and I’ve had a migraine since I woke up in the hospital, but smelling him, touching him, holding him is better than any medication.
Nevertheless, my heart still bleeds from everything that happened, and I worry for only one person.
“Where is Tessa?” I ask, pretending I don’t see the smirk on Mark’s face and the amusement on Naomi’s eyes.
“It seems knowing her mother is a criminal wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. She’s dealing with the aftermath of everything that happened. She didn’t even know she had a cousin. And knowing her coach was part of all of it… She’s a little fucked up right now. But don’t worry, nothing Quinn can’t handle.” Mark says, sitting at the bottom of my bed.
I enjoy the reunion with my son.
“The nanny—” I want to warn Naomi.
“Taken care of. We had been aware before we went in to get you, and Crawford fired her with a little threat of suing her.” Mark explains.
“Good,” I kiss Aito. “Why did Patrick help me? He seemed very into killing me or at least beating the shit out of me when I first met him?”
“Let’s say we all did some crazy shit for love around here. Like leaping into finding out the details about the death of a NASCAR driver or not sharing suspicions with the team you work with because you want to tell the woman you’re banging beforehand.” I shrug still not understanding what he means.
“He was in love with Leo,” Naomi adds for me to connect the dots. I frown as I don’t know any Leo before snuggling Aito against me and showering him with kisses.
“Are you ready to tell us what happened?” Mark asks. Knowing it’s time to share everything I know and to listen to Mark’s explanation, I give my son back to Naomi. She kisses the top of my head and gives me a tight smile.
“I’m glad you’re still with us, Ol. Lars would have never survived losing you.” Naomi might not be the warmest person, but I know her well enough to understand what she’s saying: she loves me and would have, indeed, been devastated by my death.
Accepting people for who they are. That’s the real meaning of love.
“I’ll see you later, and come by with this boyfriend of yours. You know I love him too.” She rolls her eyes humorously and says a polite goodbye to Mark before leaving the room. Once at the door though, she turns around and sends me a last glance.
“We’ll stay as long as you need us here,” she adds.
And for the first time since I’ve started to be close to Naomi, I don’t need her to be my security blanket. I don’t feel sad at the idea of her leaving. I don’t feel afraid at the thought of something happening to her. She might recognize the peace I feel because she gives me the brightest smile I have ever seen her give someone and nods. “Welcome back,” she says before closing the door behind her.
“What happened in that basement for you to look as fucked up as you do but more serene than ever?”
“Elaine asked me to move on.” I shrug. Mark looks at me a little suspiciously but accepts my somewhat answer. Wanting to share with him more than I did after Elaine died, I go on.
“And I might have realized I have feelings for a blue-haired girl.”
“Nothing like being tied up to a chair when your life is in jeopardy to open your eyes,” he laughs.
“True. But it doesn’t mean we’ll live happily ever after. My life, my son, and my bar are in New York. I can’t
