Chapter Twenty-eight

Danny

I woke up to the beeping of a heart monitor and groaned. Been there. Done that. But then I took in the rest of my surroundings and couldn't move. Wait? I was strapped down?

I heard a chuckle from a voice I recognized and pried my lids open, coming face to face with Diesel. Before I got the chance to ask him what the hell was going on, I took in the rumble at the side of me and turned my head. It was Kane—fast asleep—and the strap I felt was his arm clamped across my thigh.

"The nurses ordered him to get in bed with you last night because they were more worried about him than you. He's been on guard duty for 40 hours straight without shutting his eyes."

I gazed at my man. He looked exhausted. He definitely hadn't shaved, but he hadn't left me. I couldn't find the words to tell him how much that meant.

I turned to Diesel. "What happened?"

"Do you remember up to O'Connell supposedly leading you out?"

I nodded, then scowled. "The rat-ass—"

"Is dead," Diesel confirmed. "Kane did his time-stop thing—"

"He doesn't stop time," I objected. "He just makes people unaware of the passing of it."

Diesel shrugged like whatever. "Point is, it gave him enough time to get you, Cherry, Mark, and Blaze to the van before he lost control. Unfortunately, or maybe not, because all the cops had probably already depressed their triggers, you not being there didn't stop them from shooting." He paused. "A hundred bullets made a hell of a mess of the only target still standing."

"Like I care," I grumbled. "Kane gave him a chance, despite everything, and he tried to sell us out." I looked up. "Where's the enhanced?"

He smiled. "Oliver Michaels went to town. He's even got Samuel into a special detention facility supervised by the team in Florida. Samuel stayed in the cell with Callum while everything went down. He was the only one they couldn't get out. He still killed his parents, but Oliver has all sorts of appeals in the works and is quietly confident he can get him out with the list of abuse he suffered. To be honest, I think they'll roll over after Oliver has finished suing their asses. Callum is in secure housing with his mom, and someone wants to try to make him a protective suit."

"Like Bo's gloves?" I realized. "I bet Eli is helping."

Bo was an enhanced child that killed anything he touched with electricity until Eli, an enhanced FBI agent with similar powers, had been able to touch him. He was now living his best life. They both were.

"Callum's mom is spending a lot of time with Bo's mom because she's been through pretty much the same thing, and the team is thinking of helping them move to a bigger house so each family has their own space, but they're all together."

I had to stay silent after that, waiting till the lump in my throat went down. "The kid on the stretcher?"

"Shae." Diesel said. "The bastards had him on the high-powered treadmill for six hours at top speed until the kid's heart gave out, and he had severe burns on his chest and side because they couldn't turn it off in time when he collapsed. I don't doubt they would have tried again as well. Ringo ran out with him because his heart was all over the place, and he was afraid he'd go into cardiac arrest again. But all the main suspects are dead. Connaught, O'Connell, even Saunders, if he was involved. Other prisoners have told us that Saunders and O'Connell spent a long time together, so we think the riot was a coincidence. Kane thinks it was, and I agree. Too much spent on the unit to waste it like that." He paused. "Unless the collective talents of those they could take were worth it." Diesel didn't make it a question, and I was glad.

"What about the officer that Kane thought he recognized, with the tattoo?"

Diesel frowned. "He didn't mention that to me, but he was a little preoccupied." Diesel smirked. "And we still have the missing enhanced to find from before, and we don't know who was behind this, but this makes it much harder. They had a sweet deal that the riot blew apart. Oliver's using the conspiracy theory as blackmail material with the authorities, as well." He lowered his voice. "Oliver wants to take Kane's case on. He thinks he should be pardoned, but don't tell him in case it doesn't work out."

I knew—somehow—that Kane was awake and listening and didn't choose to let Diesel know. And I let that knowledge wash over me. For the first time in years, I'd hidden something from him, even if that was a minor something. I would have given my life for Diesel and knew he felt the same. And it wasn't that I didn't still feel intense loyalty and gratitude, but now there was a new focus. Not transferred loyalties exactly, but something much deeper than that.

Love.Such a pathetic word for something that made my heart keep beating. And I suddenly realized that amongst everything I'd never told Kane how important he was to me, never spelled it out. And I had to because I loved every single bit of him with every single piece of me.

I realized Diesel had fallen silent, and he tried and failed to hide a smile, seemed to nod to himself as if answering some unspoken question, then carried on as if my world hadn't shifted on its axis. "All the other C.O.s that survived said they did as they were told, even the ones conducting the ‘experiments' on Shae, which were all designed to test his speed to the point of exhaustion. They clammed up and the union's involved, but from what you said, if Kane can identify one, we might find out the purpose of the riot. The only C.O. still missing is Kerrigan, along with the deputy warden for the regular side, Amos Smith. We can't find any links. He's just missing. Nothing on Kerrigan either."

One of the nurses came in and Diesel stepped back, promised he would bring Sadie, and told me to call him when Kane was awake. He grinned. "Oh, and nice job getting the bullet out, but you missed one." I gaped. I'd missed Saunders had fired more than once, completely missed it. "What, you think you'd have been in here nearly two days if you hadn't?"

I rolled my eyes. Figured. Then I yawned as he continued. "And your mom and dad are in the cafeteria. You probably don't remember since they gave you the good drugs, but you've woken up twice." He nodded at Kane, who still hadn't moved but was definitely faking sleep. "That's thanks to your dad insisting to the doctors that he should be here. You don't have him as next-of-kin yet, so I'd get right on that."

And with that parting shot, he turned and left. The nurse fussed for another moment, then said the doctor would be in shortly and helped me get some water. Then she left as well.

"You're not gonna win any Oscars, you know." I smiled as Kane's eyes shot open and I stared into all that beautiful stormy gray.

His breath hitched. "Don't ever do that again."

I studied him. Then winced as I tried to move a little. His eyes widened. "I'll get the nurse. They said you didn't need as much pain meds this morning. Let me—"

"Don't you dare move," I whispered and lifted my hand to his face, tracing his full lips, his scruff that didn't cover his scar and made him look like a fifteen-year-old trying to grow a beard. Adorable. He caught my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm.

"I mean it," he said. "Don't ever."

"Get shot?" But I knew what he meant.

"All of it."

I smiled. "I'll try, but it's hard to keep out of trouble on my own. Sadie's getting on a bit, you know. Maybe she needs a little backup? You know, like a personal bodyguard? That sort of thing."

His own smile was slow in coming, but worth every second. "Yeah? And what qualifications would this personal bodyguard need?" He cradled my hand to his chest. "In case I know anyone that might apply."

"Well," I said, yawning again and humming happily as Kane moved even closer. "Personal bodyguards would need to move in permanently so they can be there every night in case I'm ever attacked by masked intruders."

"Mmm," Kane mumbled encouragingly and nuzzled my cheek.

"I love you."

Kane's eyes shot open.

"I was going to tease for another couple of minutes, but I'm frightened of falling asleep before I tell you." I yawned again. "Is that—"

Warm lips on mine cut off my question before he drew back. "I don't think you're getting a good deal on this bodyguard." His eyes darkened. "I think you need to have stricter interviewing techniques, except unfortunately all the other applicants have met with an accident."

"Oh no." I pressed my lips together to stop the laugh because I had a feeling it would hurt. He nodded.

"Yep, sorry. Of course, that means you'll have no choice but to accept the only remaining candidate."

"I will? And what qualifications does this last candidate have?" I asked softly, struggling to keep my eyes open.

"He loves you," Kane whispered. "With every broken bit of his soul."

"Okay. Think that means you've got the job." Kane might have said something else, but I was too warm, too tired, and way too happy to listen.

Kane

I left Danny under Liz and Buck's watchful guard, ostensibly to go grab a shower and some clothes for both of us because the doctor, knowing Danny's history, knew as soon as he was awake properly his anxiety would increase, and he would be better off at home. Rawlings had offered one of the apartments for Danny's mom and dad, but they'd already booked into a hotel and were happy there.

I intended on going back to the apartment to shower. I'd used the tiny one in Danny's room last night, but I wanted to smell of Danny's soap again.

But first I had somewhere to go, and this visit was on me. I had no intention of letting Danny go with me.

An hour later, I stood looking at my childhood home. Eerily quiet. No barking dogs. The grass, what little wasn't choked with weeds or covered in trash, was wild and overgrown. The outside cages were empty, one door completely missing, another broken and hanging drunkenly from one hinge. There was an old truck in the yard with two busted tires that didn't look like it had been driven in years. Trash bags spilled open with what looked like beer bottles, and I saw one smashed bottle of Jack. Only one?

I picked my way through to the back door and hesitated, my hand on the knob. I didn't have to do this. Would it eat at me if I didn't? I had everything I wanted waiting for me back there. Love. A home. Danny.

The small smile that graced my face as I thought about him didn't belong in this space, like it didn't belong at all. I didn't remember ever smiling in this house of horrors. I turned the knob, and it was locked, so I stopped pretending I only had human strength as I'd always insisted, and it came off in my hand.

The smell hit me first, and it took me a moment before I could step inside.

"Who is it?" came the rasping voice, a ghastly shadow of the one that had filled my every nightmare for years, and I stepped into the kitchen and stared in disgust.

Trash lay everywhere. Roaches skittered over broken plates and moldy food. And right in the middle on a chair that I was surprised still had four legs was the man responsible for every scar on my body except one.

"Still alive then," I said casually, taking in his wasted body, the urine and fuck knew what else that stained his clothes, and his shaky hand as he tried and failed to reach the mostly empty bottle of Southern Comfort. "Times must be bad. You hate that shit. What's up? Don't have the cash for Jack?"

His cracked lips sneered, showing a row of chipped and yellow teeth, the same shade as his eyes. I gazed at the red vein-like areas on his pale face, the swollen belly, the shaking hands, the greasy, matted hair and swollen bare feet.

I saw the confusion in his eyes and then the slow dawning on his face as he realized who I was. Then the anger. "Get the fuck out of my house. I'll call the cops, tell ‘em you escaped. You'll be back inside in an hour, and I hope you rot in there." He wheezed and spittle flew out of his mouth, adding to the mess on his shirt.

I wasn't sure now why I'd come, but I didn't need to stay. "No need. I'm free. Free of the state and definitely free of you."

The scowl on his face darkened and as he reached for the bottle, his hands shook so much that even as he managed to touch it this time it tipped and rolled off the table, sloshing the remainder on the floor. He spat and swore some more, but I wasn't interested, and I turned and walked out. Taking in gulps of fresh air when I got back to the truck, I fished into my pocket for the key Rawlings had given me yesterday, making some noises about the image of the company and how I couldn't be seen driving around in a Barbie car. Even if it wasn't pink.

I didn't bother looking back at the house as I drove away.