Chapter 797
The recovery room was dimly lit. I sat by the bed, holding Alistair’s hand. It was warmer now, but his grip was nonexistent.
Liam stood in the doorway, hesitating.
“Come in,” I said quietly.
Liam walked in. He looked at Alistair, then at me. “I didn’t know,” he said. “About the warehouse. About any of it.”
“He never told anyone,” I said. “He carries his good deeds like secrets and his sins like trophies.”
“I owe him my life,” Liam said. “Again.”
“We all owe each other,” I said. “That’s what a family is, Liam. A mess of debts and forgiveness.”
Alistair stirred. His eyelids fluttered.
I leaned forward. “Alistair?”
His eyes opened. They were hazy, unfocused, but they found me.
“Skye,” he rasped. His voice sounded like gravel grinding together.
𝖥𝗶n𝘥 𝘯𝗈𝘃е𝗹 PD𝖥𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝘨a𝗅nо𝘷𝖾𝗅s.co𝘮
“I’m here.”
He tried to shift, then winced, a hiss of pain escaping his lips. “Did… did we win?”
“We got Liam back. We got the antidote. You didn’t die,” I listed. “So yes, I’d say we won.”
He looked past me to Liam. “Kensington. You look terrible.”
Liam let out a wet laugh. “You should see yourself, Thorne. You have a tube in your nose.”
“Sexy,” Alistair murmured, his eyes already drooping. The effort of speaking drained him visibly.
A stern-looking nurse bustled in. “No talking. You need to rest. And you,” she pointed at Liam, “out. Only family allowed.”
Alistair frowned, his brow furrowing slightly. “He is family. Unfortunately.”
The nurse huffed and checked his IV. “Well, keep it down. Your blood pressure is still volatile.” She marched out.
Alistair looked at me. “I hate this place. It smells like bleach and despair.”
“It’s a hospital, Alistair.”
“Take me home,” he whispered. “I want my bed.”
“You were dead an hour ago,” I reminded him gently. “You are not going anywhere.”
“Watch me.” He tried to lift his head and failed, sinking back into the pillow with a frustrated sigh.
“Idiot,” I said affectionately, smoothing his hair back.
Lucian entered, holding a tablet. “We have a situation. The media is swarming the front entrance. Someone leaked that Alistair Thorne was admitted with a stab wound. They’re spinning it as a gang war.”
“It was a rescue mission,” I corrected.
“To them, it’s blood in the water,” Lucian said. “And we have confirmation on how Ethan escaped. The transport driver was compromised. His family was threatened. He opened the cage.”
“He’s in the wind?” Alistair asked, his voice barely audible.
“For now,” Lucian nodded. “But if he knows Alistair is down, he’ll send a second wave. This hospital isn’t secure enough.”
“We move,” Alistair said.
“You can’t move,” I argued.
“Skye.” Alistair looked at me, his eyes clear and serious despite the pain. “If Ethan is free, this hospital is a target. I’m a sitting duck here. Take me to the Cliffside house. Lucian’s place.”
“Cliffside Haven?” Liam asked. “That fortress on the coast?”
“One way in, one way out,” Lucian said with a nod. “It’s defensible. And I have a full medical suite there. I can treat him.”
I looked at the monitor, then at the door. I knew they were right. Staying here was waiting to be attacked.
“Fine,” I said. “But we do it my way. No heroics. You get carried.”
Alistair smirked weakly. “As long as you’re the one holding me.”