I turned my attention back to my daughter. Frankie was lost to sleep, tiny body tucked beneath stark white sheets.
Resting.
Whole and right.
According to Kale, things could go south up to two days after prolonged smoke exposure.
Which left me an unwilling player in this waiting game.
But Kale kept insisting I shouldn’t worry. That she was going to be fine. That he’d make sure of it.
She’d been dosed with precautionary antibiotics and breathing treatments, and Kale promised not a single base had been missed.
I’d always known it, but it wasn’t so clear what a damned good doctor Kale was until then.
“Thank you, man,” I muttered quietly. “No way I could ever repay you for what you’ve done.”
He made a sound of rebuttal. “I was just doing my job, Rex. You know she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you and Rynna.”
Rynna.
Beautiful Rynna. This girl who’d become my orbit. My sun. My gravity.
Rynna had saved my daughter’s life. She’d put herself on the line. She fought for her. For us. She loved her in a way that was absolute.
“Almost at the cost of her own.”
Everything pressed and pulled.
This gratefulness that had taken up residence in every part of me, up against this blistering agony at the thought of almost losing her, too.
“I won’t pretend to know Rynna all that well,” he said. “But from what I do? I’d bet she doesn’t regret rushing into that fire any more than you do. Which is why I’m here. You can see her now.”
My body swayed with the harsh heave of my breath. “Can you sit with Frankie for a while?”
“It’d be my honor.”
He shuffled in, his own exhaustion making itself known. I stood and then hesitated before I reached for him. I gripped him tight, hugged him hard, hand fisted in the middle of his back. “Couldn’t do any of this without you. Thank you, man, thank you so much.”
He hugged me back, saying nothing, both of us giving a moment of silence. A moment for grief. For what might have been.
Then he stepped back. “Go. Frankie’s in good hands.”
I started for the door when Frankie shifted and released a tiny moan. Instantly, I changed directions, going straight for my daughter, who hadn’t been awake for more than a total of an hour the entire day. Kale clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ll be right outside the door. Let me know when you’re ready for me.”
“Thanks.”
I slowly sank back into the chair, every inch of me glowing when I brushed my fingers through my daughter’s hair, staring down at my world.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said, so close to managing her precious grin.
I ran my thumb over her squished-up brow, my voice so low. “Hey, Sweet Pea. How are you feeling?”
“My’s froat hurts.”
Anger pulsed, but I tucked it down.
“I know, baby. Uncle Kale is working on fixing you up so you’re good as new. Better than new. You just need to get lots of rest, okay?”
She barely nodded, her brown eyes wide in the muted light. I hated that I saw fear in them. That she’d been subjected to evil and greed. I kept brushing my thumb over her brow, letting her know I was there, that I wasn’t going anywhere.
Finally, she broke the silence, her words the barest whisper. “Daddy, I gots a secret.”
My heart fisted, threatened to fail, terrified of what she might say. Of what she might have experienced during the short time Janel had her.
Couldn’t stomach it, and honestly, I was a little worried about what I might do. What I already wanted to do. But I held all that back, because my daughter was the most important thing, not the rage boiling inside me. “What, baby? You can tell Daddy anything.”
She hesitated, like what she was going to say might get her into trouble. “I wants Rynna to be my mommy. Nots Janel.”
I choked over a quieted laugh, blinking at my sweet girl and wondering how I’d managed to get so lucky.
Edging forward, I pressed a kiss to her temple before I pulled back to meet those wide, trusting eyes. “How about we don’t keep it a secret? I say we tell the whole world.”
I’d been terrified of falling in love. Of losing someone else. Knowing there was no place inside me left to lose. Those vacancies went too deep.
But Rynna.
She filled them. Saved my world and gave me back my heart.
Rynna.
Fucking Rynna.
Little Thief.
43
Rynna
The door creaked open. I rolled my head that direction and tried to keep the tears out of my eyes when I found who was standing there. But I couldn’t. They escaped, hot rivers streaking down my face.
“Hey . . . you’re awake.” His voice was a murmur, cautious and low. Still, the magnitude of him hit me like a flashflood. Overpowering. Overwhelming.
“Frankie?” Her name felt like fire where it grated from my raw, blistered throat.