Page 85 of Nails

Duke finished the last butterfly bandage and gently patted her on the good shoulder.“All done.Keep it clean and dry.And try not to lift anything really heavy for a couple of days.”

“Thanks,” she told him, and then slid off the chair and stood up.

Nails hated how exhausted she looked.

“I think I’m gonna go shower and crash,” she said quietly.

She said goodnight to everyone and walked toward her room.

Once they heard the door to her room click shut, everyone looked at Nails.

Aussie tilted his head.“You good, man?”

Nails exhaled slowly.“I don’t know.When I saw that fucker dragging her, I didn’t even think.But now all I can think about is, what if I had been too late?”

Bear’s gaze was steady.“But you weren’t.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it, man,” Joker added.“You got to her.That is all that matters.”

Nails nodded, but the knot in his chest didn’t ease.He didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

“Go take a shower and decompress,” Snow told him, and others nodded in agreement.

He just nodded, and without another word, he walked down the hall.He stopped in front of his room and looked toward Riley’s on the right.He didn’t even hesitate.

He bypassed his door and stepped into hers.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Nails knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open.

Steam drifted out from the cracked bathroom door, curling into the cooler air.The faint scent of sweet vanilla wrapped around him before he even saw her.

And then he did.

Riley stood in the middle of the room, damp hair clinging to her shoulders, a white towel wrapped tight around her body.Her bare feet shifted against the carpet like she couldn’t decide whether to move toward him or away.

For half a second, he forgot to breathe.

She looked breakable.And Riley never looked breakable.Her eyes were rimmed red, her lips pressed into that stubborn line she wore when she was holding herself together by sheer force of will.She’d been doing it all night, since the moment he’d yanked her out of that room.But here, now, alone with him, he saw the cracks.

“Hey,” he said quietly, closing the door behind him.

Her chin trembled.She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out.Then her shoulders shook, and the dam broke.

Nails didn’t think.He just moved.It only took two strides, and she was in his arms, the towel rough under his palms, her face buried against his chest.

“I’m okay,” she mumbled, her voice ragged.“I just…I just…I thought…”

“I know,” he murmured into her hair, holding her tighter.“I’ve got you.”

She clung to him like she was afraid he’d vanish if she let go.He could feel her heart racing against his ribs, and it made his own heart beat harder, heavier.

After a long moment, she tilted her head back to look up at him.There was vulnerability there, but also something else.It was more than gratitude.It was something they both had been trying to ignore since he pulled her through that damn attic window.

He reached up slowly and brushed his knuckles lightly against her cheek.

“I hate that he touched you,” he said.“I can’t stop seeing it.”