“By being with me.”
“I’m not suggesting anything else.”
“Aren’t you?” she challenges. “I can’t do this back and forth. I can’t. I love you too much. You have too much ability to hurt me. And I let that happen all over again.”
There’s a knock on the door, which could mean any number of things good or bad, but right now, I’m not quite ready to let go of Candace.
“I know I hurt you in the past, Candace. That’s not where this is going.”
“You said—”
“Look beneath the words and you will see that there is one theme. I can’t lose you, Candace. I thought I lost you today and it killed me. I love you so fucking much.” The knock sounds again.
“I love you, too, but you are just gutting me, Rick. And just—damn it, you have to get the door.”
I force myself to step back and I pull my weapon. “This conversation isn’t over and neither are we.”
I head for the door.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Savage
I pause at the door and call out, “Who is it?”
“Adam, you fucker.”
“What the hell?” I murmur, yanking open the door to find him leaning on the doorjamb, looking pale as a bloodsucker.
“Yeah. What the hell?” he demands.
“Holy fuck, man.” I shove my gun in my pants, back up, and let him enter. “How are you here? Did you get scanned?”
“Apparently,” he says dryly, walking past me.
I scowl at his back. “What does apparently mean?” I call after him, shutting the door and locking it before following him into the living room.
At which point, Candace runs to him and hugs him with her one good arm. “Oh God,” she exclaims. “Thank God. You’re okay.”
He pats her back with his one good hand. “Now, now, you’re going to make your husband jealous and I need to slink my Jell-O legs to the couch.”
The use of the word “husband” punches me in the gut. I am her husband. I don’t intend for that to change, but I just fucked up with Candace. Over and over, I keep fucking up with Candace.
Adam extracts himself from her hold and manages to round the coffee table before he pretty much thuds to the couch. I step to the opposite side of the coffee table. “What does apparently mean, Adam?” I press.
“I woke up as they pulled me out of the damn machine.” He eyes Candace. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” she says, sitting on the chair to my left and studying him. “I’m not sure we can say the same about you.”
I couldn’t agree more, I think, which is exactly why I say, “You’re here way too fast. I knocked you out.”
He smirks. “I handle my drugs and booze well, remember?”
I grimace. “You said you took the scan. Did you see a doctor?”
“That would be you, my doctor, so yes, I did.”
“What the hell, Adam?” I repeat.
“Chill out, man. I convinced the tech, despite some stupid rule he couldn’t tell me I’m fine, to tell me I’m fine.”
I don’t ask how Adam got the tech who isn’t supposed to give him results to tell him his results. The same way I would have: any way I had to.
“Therefore,” he continues, “I left and here I am, here in the nick of time, before you go and do something stupid.”
Before I can comment on that dastardly remark, Candace takes over. “I think you need to go back to the hospital. You don’t look good, Adam.”
“Not happening. Besides,” he motions to me, “I had one of the best fucking surgeons on planet Earth fix me in a vet’s office. I’m golden.”
There’s another knock on the door. Adam and I exchange a concerned look. Wordlessly, I head back to the door, pulling my gun as I once again call out, “Who is it?”
“Lucifer,” comes the reply.
Which means he’s not with Max. Damn it to hell. I jerk the door open and back up. “He got away,” I accuse.
“Of course not, man,” he assures me, stepping into the room. “Dexter tracked him to a cabin just outside town.”
“Yeah,” I say. “About that. How the hell is Dexter here and I didn’t know?”
“Interesting story that worked out in our favor. How’s Adam?” He doesn’t explain the story or wait for a reply. He heads into the living room, clearly aware that Adam’s here, which means Adam already knew where Max was before Lucifer got here.
I’m glad I saved his ass so I can beat it.
I shove the gun back in my pants and I hear Lucifer say, “Ah shit, man. Adam. How the fuck are you?”
“Alive,” Adam says. “That’s about as good as it gets.”
I step back into the room and scowl at Adam. “Start talking.”
He holds up his good hand. “Before you go all ape shit crazy on me, you should know that Lucifer knew there was a shooter before anyone. He’s the only reason I had a chance to do what I did.”
“Then Lucifer,” I say, stepping next to him, “is a rockstar and I owe him, but we’re not talking about Lucifer.” I look between the two of them. “Why is Dexter here?”
“He has family in San Francisco,” Adam explains. “And as family does to each other, they pissed him off. He wanted an excuse to escape them and luckily, he came over here right about the time Max started shooting.”
“Such perfect timing,” I say. A little too perfect.”
“He’s cool, man,” Lucifer assures me. “I’m telling you. Dex isn’t dirty.”
I said the same thing about Max, but I don’t point that out. There’s no point. “I need that location for Max,” I say, “and then all of you, Dexter included, are done here.”
Adam snorts. “That’s not happening.”
“I left Walker,” I say. “This is a me issue now. I’m going to handle Max.”
“Because you need no one?” Adam asks, shoving to his feet. “Because the way I see it, if you head off to kill Max, you have to leave Candace alone. Is that really what you want?”
“I already planned on your wounded ass staying with Candace,” I snap. I glance at Lucifer. “Protect your job. Get out of this while you can.”
“According to Blake when I talked to him about five minutes ago, and I quote ‘help him, no matter what that means.’ And he said to tell you, resignation not accepted.”
“Fuck him.”
“He said to tell you fuck you, too,” Lucifer replies.
Candace laughs. My head cuts in her direction. “You laughed.”
“It was worthy of a laugh and since I was just shot, really, really worthy. Take Lucifer with you and go do what you have to do. And come back to me.”