“Oh fuck. The guy who Abby’s brother got messed up with?” The ones who killed him? She didn’t need to voice the question. They were certain that Bartolli had killed Max for what he’d stolen from them.
“They’re going to kill Keira,” she said in a panic. “We have to find her.”
“I’m more worried about you than her.”
“Me? It has nothing to do with me.”
“Reyes thinks he has a mole. Which means Bartolli probably already knows about you turning up at Reaper’s looking for her.”
“But that doesn’t mean he’ll come after me. I don’t know where she is!”
“He doesn’t know that. You’re quite possibly his only lead to finding her. Taking you, torturing you for information and discarding you when you’re no use to him is nothing to this guy.”
Fuck. Fuck. She trembled.
“Shit. Fuck.” Suddenly she was rolled onto her side so she faced him. “I’m sorry, baby. I wasn’t thinking. Jesus, I can be an asshole sometimes. I’m so used to talking to the guys I didn’t even think. You know I’m going to protect you, right? That’s why we’ll stay here. Where it’s safer. JSI and the Iron Shadows will search for Keira. Once she’s found, along with the envelope and money, you’ll be safe.”
“Isn’t it s
afer at Sanctuary?”
“We have the best security systems at Sanctuary, but that’s also the first place he’d think you would be. You have no ties to this cabin. Hayes has damn good security too. I should know, I helped put it in. It would be harder for him to find you here.”
“I don’t want you in danger because of me.”
“If you think I’m leaving you, then you’re delusional.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Didn’t know how she could convince him that she was no good for him. Didn’t even know that she wanted to. Because what if he believed her?
“I don’t have anything I need,” she pointed out. “No clothes. No crutches. I don’t even know if I can get my chair into the bathroom.”
“Then I’ll help you. Like I did tonight.”
He made it sound so simple. She wished it could be.
“Eden? You okay?”
“Sometimes I just wish I could be normal.”
Zeke snorted. “Normal? What the fuck is normal?”
“Oh, I don’t know… like getting to spend the night in a gorgeous cabin with a hot guy without having to worry about whether I can get myself to the toilet on my own!”
He cupped her face in his hands.
“Eden, none of us are normal. Do you know how much of society would deem my desires and needs as wrong? Fuck normal. So, we’re not normal, who says that would ever make us happy? Who said that’s something we should strive to be? We should be who we are. What makes us content. Do what fulfils us. When I look at you, I see strength and beauty. You are not weak. You don’t let anything hold you back. Everything you are, it’s all a part of you. It’s made you who you are today. Do I wish you could have everything you desire? Yes. But I can’t give you all of that and it hurts. What I can do is show you that all of you is beautiful. If we have to take a minute to fucking work out the logistics of things, so what? All I want is to take care of you. In every way.”
“You say that now, but after a while you’ll think differently. When it all becomes too much. When you get sick of how much I need you.”
“How much you need me? I could only dream you’d lean on me more, let me take care of you in every way. We’re not there yet, but I hope to hell we’ll get there. And then you’ll see that’s everything I need. I desire. You are all I could ever want. Eden. All of you. I just hope I can show you how much you mean to me. That I can help you see the real you.”
She wasn’t sure she knew who the real her was. But she gave him a nod and for the first time in a long time, hope filled her.
She just prayed she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
“I’ll help you with whatever you need.”
“It’s so romantic. Having to help me on and off the toilet. Not that I’m saying there needs to be romance between us. I mean, obviously, I know this isn’t that. . .” Fuck. Shut. Up. Eden.