Page 102 of Run, Little Rabbit

“Where’s the phone?” Sphinx asks, panic lacing his words.

“Veon’s left jacket pocket,” I reply instantly.

He runs over, following them into the house. I go to do the same, but my legs buckle beneath me the adrenaline finally getting the better of me.

“I’ve got you,” Max murmurs into my hair as he scoops me into his arms. I try to stay awake, but I can’t. My body finally gives up, my mind knowing that I am somewhere safe, and I surrender to the darkness, hoping that things will look better when I wake up.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Echo

Things lookmoderatelybetter after my power nap.

Veon is still shot, we’re still in the middle of nowhere, and we’re still being targeted.

ButSphinx managed to do something clever with coding that meant the phone was giving off a false location pin. He tried to explain it to me, but I got lost within the first thirty seconds and asked him to stop, or I’d gag him. He walked away from me atthat point, mumbling something about me being a neanderthal when it came to tech.

So now I’m sat picking at the skin around my thumb while I watch my bodyguard sleep off a bullet wound.

“Here,” Max says as he holds out a cup of tea.

I take it and instantly feel the warmth from the mug settle deep into my bones. “Thanks.”

“How are you doing?” he asks as he settles into the spot on the sofa next to me.

“Fine,” I mumble, though we both know it’s an absolute barefaced lie. I am the furthest from fine I’ve ever been. It’s all my fault. I should have just walked away and should have listened to Veon in the first place and left Bennie alone. Then none of this would have happened.

I’d still be under my father’s thumb; I wouldn’t have started to mend the relationship with the twins, and I’d never have met the guys, but hey… Veon wouldn’t have been shot, Aurum would still be standing, and there wouldn’t be a pile of dead bodies to deal with.

“How are you?” I point to his shoulder.

“It’s nothing. It was only a bullet graze. Stings like a bitch, but it’ll heal quickly. Niki had a few stitches, though, which I think Angel enjoyed a little too much.” Max huffs a laugh and runs his hand through his dark locks. “Angel just had a couple of cuts and bruises, a bit like you.”

Thanks to Veon, I’d managed to avoid any real damage. I had a couple of nasty bruises on my ribs and a couple of slices on my arms, but I hadn’t needed any stitches. I wouldn’t say I was lucky. I know it was all down to Veon and how he protected me. He took on the worst of the action to give me a better chance to survive.

My hands tremble around the mug as the image of him fading in front of me flashes before me. When his eyes had rolled backin his head, I thought that was it. I thought I’d lost him, and I’d never told him how much he meant to me or how grateful I was that he was in my life. He isfamily,and I don’t think he knows that. And, for a minute, I nearly missed my chance to tell him that.

“How’s the club?” I ask, needing to pull my thoughts from the rabbit hole of ‘what-ifs’.

Max sighs, the deep breath of air loud in the quiet space. “It’s a mess, but I can salvage it. I’ve got deep pockets, princess.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

He grins, wide and bright, and God, he’s got a gorgeous smile. It changes his whole demeanour from the broody, intimidating leader to a warm, inviting man.

“You should smile more,” I comment as I trace the lines of his mouth with the tip of my finger.

“But I do the moody mafioso really well.”

I huff a laugh. “That you do, Max.”

He takes my mug from my hands and places it on the coffee table. “Come here.”

I let him drag me into his embrace, tucking my head under his chin and surrounding myself with him. His fingers trace patterns on my thigh, and the solid, steady beat of his heart grounds me.

“Don’t worry about the club, princess. I’ve got my little detective on the case, and he will make sure none of it traces back to us.”

“A detective?” I ask, impressed. The best my dad managed to achieve was a couple of beat cops happy to look the other way for a payoff.