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They were all that stood between our families and danger, and I wouldn’t put them in that position ever again.
“You know, it was creepy when you first started following her around, but it’s even more creepy now,” Hunter said as he walked up beside me.
That was the other thing, since he pulled me out of the black hole I sunk into, he was following me around like a puppy—just as I was following her around. He didn’t trust that I wouldn’t walk away again, even though I swore I would never do that to her. But I couldn’t blame him for his concern. Hell, I could still see the worry in her eyes when she looked at me, and I hated that I put that fear in her eyes.
“It’s not creepy if you’re protecting someone.”
“She’s at work.”
I slowly turned and glared at him. “She was taken from work. I think my concerns are valid.”
“Knight, that was a while ago. That shit is over. You took out everyone who was after you. It’s time to let go.”
“I can’t,” I grumbled, still watching the door even though she walked through it. I woke up at night with sweat coating my skin after dreaming about her being shot in the head. Every night, it was like it really happened, and every night, I got up and vomited after I checked that she was really alive. I knew she heard me too. Some nights, she would get up to check on me, but after I snapped at her in a moment of weakness, she backed off. That was never my intention. I just didn’t like her seeing me at my lowest.
“You’ve already made upgrades to the security system and you planted a bodyguard in the clinic. What more do you want?”
“I want to be in there every day with her.”
“And how exactly would that help her heal?”
It wouldn’t, but I wouldn’t be so damn scared every time she walked out of the house.
“Let’s go grab some coffee.”
“I don’t want coffee,” I snapped.
He grabbed me by the shoulder and jerked me around to face him. “It’s for her. You can’t check on her without a reason. So, let’s go grab some fucking coffee and bring it to her. Then you’ll see for yourself that she’s fine.”
“You go get the coffee,” I muttered, turning back to the door.
“Knight, look at me.”
Grudgingly, I tore my gaze from the door and looked at the only man I ever considered a friend. “What?”
“This is for your own good.”
I didn’t even have a chance to ask what he was talking about before I felt a prick in my neck and everything started to go black. Man, I was getting slow.
Fog clouded my senses as I peeled my eyes open and tried to figure out where I was. Everything around me was white and too damn bright. My eyes burned as I rolled my head to the side and tried to focus on anything that would stop making the world spin. Something on the floor caught my attention, making me scramble off the table. I fell with a hard thunk, my hand landing at an awkward angle under the weight of my body. But I didn’t notice any pain. My sole focus was getting to that gold chain.
Dragging myself across the floor, I snatched it in my hands and fumbled with the locket. Tears filled my eyes as I opened the clasp and saw my wife inside with our kids. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head as I clutched it tightly. “No!”
A scream tore from my throat as I remembered her being shot in the head. It was happening again, and this time, I should have stopped it.
“Knight!” I saw Pappy’s feet through tear-filled eyes, but I didn’t give a shit about him. Why did this keep happening? Why did I keep failing her? His hands grasped my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. Panic filled his features until his eyes dropped to the locket in my hands. “It’s not what you think.”
“Garrick!” My gaze shot up to the doorway where Kate stood, her eyes wide and scared, but she was alive.
I shoved off the ground on weak limbs, scrambling to get to her. She hurried inside and closed the door behind her, then caught me just as my legs were about to give out. Hunter helped her get me back to the bed, but I struggled the whole time, needing to touch her and make sure she was okay.
“You’re real.”
“Of course, I’m real,” she whispered.
“But…the locket.”
Her hand immediately went to her neck and she sighed. “It fell off. That’s all, okay? I’m fine.”