I felt the light touch caressing my forehead flitter over my eyebrows. I wanted to turn into it, to just let him soothe me and take care of everything from here on out. I knew that he would if I just let it all go and handed some of it over to him. That terrified me. I didn’t want to think about what it meant to rely on Race when he already had the fate of an entire city balanced precariously in the palm of his hands.
“It’s a good thing your sister has a hard head, then. She’ll be okay. She just has to open her eyes. I know you can hear me, Bry. Get those baby blues open for me.”
Karsen laughed a sad little sound that made me want to hug her. “She’s going to freak when she sees what they had to do to her hair in order to stitch the back of her head closed.”
My hair! That had my eyes snapping open and a groan ripping out of my chest when the lights assaulted me. I hurt everywhere there was to hurt.
“What happened to my hair?” Sure, it was shallow of me, and there were far more pressing things at hand, but dammit, I had awesome hair. It was just one more reason to be furious at the way this stalker had invaded my life. My voice was raspy and it rattled in my ears all tinny and thin.
Race’s tender caress stopped midstroke and his dark green eyes were suddenly all I could see as he loomed over the edge of the bed. His mouth was tight and there were scary shadows dancing behind the concern in his gaze as he looked down at me.
“There she is. Karsen, why don’t you grab a nurse and let them know she’s awake.”
The forest got closer and he brushed his mouth over mine.
“Can’t tell you how worried you had me, Brysen.” His voice was gruff and I wanted to touch his face, but even moving my eyelids sent pain shooting across the surface of my skin.
“I got pushed down the stairs.”
“I know. You fell down an entire flight of stairs onto the floor. The back of your head split open. You lost a ton of blood and have been unconscious for four hours. The doctor was worried you bruised your brain.”
That all sounded pretty serious. I groaned again and focused on something that I could actually get my head around. “What happened to my hair?”
He sighed against my lips and straightened up. He cupped my cheek in his palm and flashed that killer dimple at me.
“You’re gonna need a haircut when you get back on your feet. You have no less than thirty stitches holding the back of your head closed. You cracked your noggin good, pretty girl.”
I swore under my breath and blinked up at him.
“This sucks, Race.” I knew that he would know I meant more than having my hair butchered.
“He’s escalating. I don’t think you’re safe, even with Booker on your ass. I’m finding somewhere to move you and Karsen until I can get a bead on this guy. I’m done playing around and waiting to see what he has in store for you next. You aren’t something I’m willing to risk.”
Well, wasn’t that enough to have my heart melting, or it would have been if I could feel my heart through all the pain and agony flooding my entire system.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
His head dropped down again, and this time his kiss had a fierceness behind it I could taste.
“You’re stuck here for a little while. We need to make sure you’re a hundred percent. I’m gonna ask Booker to stay here with you, and I’m going to find somewhere safe to stash your sister. Then I’m going to rattle every cage I can find until this asshole falls out of it.”
He straightened up and reached for my limp hand. I squeezed his fingers and let my eyes drift closed.
“You can’t take my sister to a chop shop. Thank you for wanting to keep her safe, but that isn’t any kind of place for her, Race.”
He chuckled a little. “It’s only a chop shop sometimes, but I know she can’t go there. I have something else in mind. Just trust me, Brysen.”
I pried my eyes back open so he could see what I was feeling inside of my gaze. I hoped it showed through the pain.
“I do. I didn’t think I could, but more than anyone else in my life right now, you are the one constant I trust.”
“I’m going to take care of you.”
I let my eyes slide back closed and squeezed his fingers again. Karsen’s voice was right outside the door and I heard the low rumble of another voice asking her questions. I was ready to let it go. I couldn’t hold on to everything anymore, and I wasn’t lying. I did trust Race and I knew he meant it when he said he was going to take care of me. I think I was finally ready to let him do it, and even more than that, I was ready to let him help me take care of my sister. I just hoped he didn’t let either one of us down because I knew, just knew, if Race failed, no one was going to make it out of this situation alive.