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So I fold my hands together.

And I pray.

I pray for Ray to wake up. I pray for one more day.

I pray for that ride to New York. And I pray?—

That I won’t lose the only man who ever made me believe in forever.

33

STACY

Five minutes after the ambulance pulls in, they load Ray onto the stretcher—and something inside me splits wide open. It’s a stabbing certainty, sharp and clean, driving straight into my heart.

I love him.

No more pretending. Every second of panic during that fight, the way my chest clenched waiting for news, the hollow ache when I saw his broken body—it all adds up to one devastating truth.

I’m in love with Ray Crawford.

“OR One! Move it, people!” Monica’s voice slices through the chaos—firm, commanding, in control.

She doesn’t say anything to me directly, but the message is clear—Ray needs surgery. That’s what she meant back in Dawson when she said she’d done all she could. I clutch my arms around myself, helpless, and watch them wheel him away.

Raul, Sammy, and Erica show up a few minutes later, catching up to the ambulance I rode in with Ray. They find me inthe waiting room. Raul sits beside me, his face scratched and bruised. He looks like hell, but then we all do.

“He’s in good hands,” he says, voice low.

I glance over.

“No offense, but I thought you’d be more upset. I mean... he’s your brother.”

His jaw tightens, and he looks away.

“Believe me, Stacy. I am upset—I just don’t want to show it here.”

“He means he doesn’t want to start breaking stuff,” Sam says, easing himself into the chair beside Erica.

“Man, what a night…” He rakes a hand through his hair, the motion slow and heavy with exhaustion. “I still hear that noise. That awful noise…”

“Now’s not the time for details,” Erica snaps. “We all saw what happened on that hill. Someone almost died.”

“I want to know,” I tell Sam, leaning forward. “What happened? How did Ray get hurt?”

Sam’s bravado slips. He looks at Raul, I’m not sure if he’s asking for permission or what. Raul shrugs.

“By being brave,” he says, then shrugs. “And maybe a little stupid. He rushed in to take on one of Dexter’s wolves. He had that one handled—until another joined in. We were all locked in our own fights, so he was left facing both. Helena jumped in to help, but Raul… Raul was going toe-to-toe with Dexter himself.”

He pauses, looking at his brother again. Raul grunts, shakes his head, then nods.

“Dexter had a plan. Two more wolves jumped Raul from behind. Ray couldn’t let that happen, so he went for it—tried to break away from the two he was already fighting. But then Dexter’s lieutenants came out of nowhere. Two more. That made four on him. Ray killed one. I got the other. But by then…” He trails off, swallowing hard. “It was already too late.”

“How long has it been?” Raul asks, jerking his thumb toward the OR doors.

“Almost three hours,” Erica murmurs as she glances at the clock.

Then—thump.I jump at the sound. We all turn. Monica stands in the doorway, wiping her hands on her scrubs.