“Hush,” he soothes, curling his fingers behind my neck. “Hush.”
“I killed him.”
“Baby, calm.”
“I shot him. He’s dead.”
“He was goin’ to do fuckin’ bad things to you,” he murmurs.
“He was your brother,” I sob.
“And baby, for what he was goin’ to do, I would have put him in the ground if you hadn’t.”
“I’m a murderer.”
“Honey, hush.”
“I got shit,” Marcus says softly. “Help her sleep.”
“Give it to me,” Mack orders.
There’s shuffling, then Mack has a small pill in his hand. He looks down at me, soft brown eyes searching my face. “Take this for me, honey.”
“Mack,” I whimper.
“Baby, please.”
He slips it past my lips, and I don’t protest. I swallow the pill. Then Mack climbs onto the couch. I hear Marcus leave and I clutch Mack’s shirt, crying so hard my body aches. Soon, the aching turns to a numb feeling, and my eyelids droop closed.
Then I’m out.
~*~*~*~
MACK
“It’s done,” Maddox says, walking in later that night with Santana by his side.
Jaylah is sitting on the couch. I’ve patched her up, cleaned her up, and she’s eaten. She still looks pale, and her eyes are distant, but she’ll come out of it. Hurting someone is hard enough; killing someone is worse. I’ve tried not to think about Benito, tried not to feel a slight stabbing that he’s dead.
He deserved it, but deep down, he was still my brother.
“No trace?” I ask.
“Doubt it. Benito was into bad shit; won’t be a surprise that he’s disappeared.”
“The ones left alive?”
“He paid them big to be involved. They won’t speak; I’ve made sure of that.”
I nod.
Santana is looking over at Jaylah. Her eyes meet mine for a second and I nod. She reaches out, squeezes my arm and then goes and sits beside her. Her arms go around the tiny, shaking body of my girl, and Jaylah sinks into them.
“How’s she holdin’ up?” Maddox asks.
“Took a life. Never easy.”
“No, it ain’t.”
“Ash?” I ask, turning to him.
“Awake, doin’ well.”
“Krypt?”
“He’s hanging in there.”
“I’ll take Jay to see Ash tomorrow, first thing.”
“Best thing you can do, in my opinion?” Maddox says, turning to watch Jaylah again.
“What?”
“Get that baby for her.”
I only just rang and spoke to Tracy, checking on Diesel. But I never thought to bring him home.
“I’ll make the call,” I mutter, walking off.
Half an hour later, Tracy is entering with Diesel in her arms. She looks to Jaylah, and her eyes go soft. Jaylah turns and her eyes catch my boy, and tears well in them.
Tracy walks over, placing Diesel in her arms. He knows her—his little hands curl into her shirt but she doesn’t notice. Her face is buried in his neck, and her body is shaking.
“I’ll call later,” Tracy whispers.
I nod at her.
Maddox claps me on the back. “Leave you to it.”
Santana curls into me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I’m glad she’s okay, Chief.”
“Me too, Chante.”
She leans up, kisses my cheek, and then everyone is gone. I walk over to the couch, sitting beside Jaylah. I pull her into my side and lay back, taking both of them with me. I wrap them in my arms. Diesel tucks in, and I press his pacifier into his mouth. He sucks, still with his fingers tangled in Jay’s shirt.
Then together, we fall asleep.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
My feet can’t move quick enough.
I rush down the halls, Mack behind me with Diesel in his arms.
I reach the door and I step in. A choking sound comes from my throat when I see Ash sitting in bed, a drip in her hand, and a few other random tubes connecting underneath her shirt where I know she was shot. Krypt is sitting beside her bed, and when we enter, his eyes soften. Ash tears up and I run over.
I stop at her side and I lift her hand, tears streaming down my face. She reaches up softly, pulling me down, and carefully, I close my arms around her. Her body is shaking, and I hold her there, so close, for a long time. When our tears have dried, I pull back and stare down at her. “Figures you would look hot even in a hospital bed,” I whisper.
She laughs hoarsely. “I don’t know about that.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“I’m alive because of you. How do you think I’m feeling?”
I smile weakly. “You scared me.”
“You saved me.”
She reaches out and takes my hand. “Jaylah, I’m pregnant.”
My body jerks, and I start crying again. “The baby?”
She smiles. “We were keeping it a secret until I was twelve weeks. I only found out a few days ago. I thought . . . I thought I’d lose him or her, but for whatever miracle . . . my baby is okay. Thanks to you, my baby is okay.”
I sob loudly, and a warm, hard hand circles my waist. I turn and Krypt is standing beside me. He pulls me into his arms, dropping his face to my hair where he murmurs, “Thank you.”
“Stop it,” I croak when he pulls back. “I’m never going to stop crying.”