The Gallows at Midnight

by Courtney Lynn Rose

  “Uncle Dresden? When did that happen?” He chuckles, wrapping his arms around her.

  I glance at Blake, my eyes moving to his left hand. The ring I gave him is still there.

  “Could everyone please let me have a moment alone with my fiancée?” he says in an icy tone.

  I sigh, looking at the floor— time to face the music.

  †††

  Blake sits up in bed, wincing as he moves his shoulder. I want to kiss every inch of his body, but his anger is palpable. Nothing is going to make this easier. No matter how much he loves me, I betrayed him— caused him pain beyond belief, and there’s a price for something like that.

  “Say something,” he snaps.

  “What do you want me to say, Blake?” I lift my gaze to his.

  This isn’t how I envisioned our reunion, but I’ll take what I can get. He’s hurt, but he’s alive and I’m here with him again. It’s been my only thought for the last twelve months.

  “Tell me why?”

  “I couldn’t protect you. By faking our deaths, we thought it’d safeguard you and the others, and give us time,” I say in an uneven tone.

  “You should’ve told me,” he hisses, anger building in his eyes.

  “I couldn’t, Blake. Interpol didn’t give us any other options. Dresden and I made the choice and we had to see it through.”

  “Do you have any idea what I went through . . . hearing you’d been killed?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “No, you fucking don’t.”

  “Yes, I do. Monroe made us watch the security cameras on the plane while he talked to the public. I watched . . . I watched it all.”

  I haven’t looked in his eyes for a year. The urge to touch him, hold him, is almost unbearable. The longing to feel his lips against mine, his skin under my fingertips— it’s maddening. I’ve died a hundred times over the last year thinking of what I did to him, and the possibility that by the time this is over, it’ll be too late.

  He shakes his head, closing his eyes. I step toward the bed and stop as he rakes his fingers in his hair and sobs. My heart stops.

  Without thinking, I sit next to him. He snaps his head up, shakes rippling through him as tears stream down his face.

  “I’m sorry, Blake. I know that doesn’t fix anything and I don’t know what else to say. I don’t deserve your forgiveness—”

  He reaches out and grabs my neck, pulling my lips to his. Fire ignites through my body as his tongue pushes into my mouth. I grab his head in my hands and deepen the kiss, savoring every moment of his mouth on mine. He bites my bottom lip and I growl, fisting my hands in his hair.

  He pulls away and pins me in place with hard brown eyes. “I’m so fucking mad at you I could scream,” he says with a menacing undercurrent.

  “Am I too late?” My heart pounds in my ears.

  “Too late for what?”

  “To fix this. To fix us. You said you loved me once. Is that a thing of the past now?” I shake, dreading his answer, but needing to hear it.

  He moans, shaking his head. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you. Nothing will change that,” he says, pulling my lips back to his.

  I could kiss him forever. His lips are smooth and needy, my body trembling at his touch. I’ve missed him so much the pain is immeasurable. Fuck Interpol and fuck Hyde. I’m not leaving him again.

  Someone behind us clears their throat. Blake kisses my lips, pressing his forehead to mine. “Go away,” he growls, kissing me again.

  I chuckle, trailing my fingers through his hair. “I love you,” I whisper against his lips.

  He groans and kisses me again. “I love you, too. And I’m still pissed.”

  “I know,” I say, pressing my lips to his before sitting up.

  The tightness in Vlad’s eyes, the square set of his shoulders, makes my stomach knot as I glance over at him. He swallows, taking a hesitant step forward.

  I let go of Blake and stand, turning toward him. “Hi, Vlad.”

  “You’re a bitch. You know that, right?” Tears form in his eyes.

  I dart to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He squeezes me hard against him as the door creeks open. “I’m sorry, Vlad.”

  “I know. Welcome back,” he whispers against my shoulder.

  “Lily, you and Dresden need to get back,” Hyde says as the room fills with people again.

  My head snaps up and I push away from Vlad, glaring at Hyde. “Fuck that. We aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Excuse me?” he says, his eyes betraying his shock.

  “You heard her. We trusted your agents to protect them and look at what happened. No, Lily and I are taking over,” Dresden says, hugging Shannon to his side.

  Hyde lets out a long breath, turning toward his boss. “It’s your call, Bates.”

  Edmond Bates smiles. “I believe we can find a middle ground. Agents Scholl and Williams have made such progress in other countries . . . I believe they need to make some progress on U.S. soil now. I’ll set up witness protection here, they can be with the Masons and do what we need to be done,” he says, glancing from me to Dresden.

  I nod, slight and almost imperceptible, toward Dresden, which he returns.

  “Agent Johanson and her partner, Agent Morris, will stay with you, though, so refrain from killing them. From this moment on, Agents Scholl and Williams are back in charge of this assignment. Which means anyone who contacts Monroe or me without going through them first will be fired for breaking protocol. Have a good day, Agents.” Bates turns on his heel and struts from the room, passing a nurse in the doorway.

  “If you all don’t mind stepping into the waiting room, I need to check on Mr. Mason,” the nurse says, blushing as she looks at him.

  Everyone files out before me, but I don’t want to leave, even for a minute. It’s been a lifetime since I’ve been with him.

  “Lily,” Blake calls out.

  I turn back and peek around the curtain. “Yes?”

  “You stay,” he says sternly.

  The nurse glances from me to him, her expression shocked. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mason, but only family can stay.”

  He glares at her. “She’s my fiancée.”

  “I . . . I apologize. Your chart lists you as single, no children,” she stutters.

  I give him my sly grin, his eyes compelling me to come to him. I walk over to his good side, across from the nurse and run my fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes and moans, low in his throat. She stands back and watches us with a hurt expression on her face.

  “I’m sure you’re disappointed, nurse . . .” I glance at her nametag. “Nora. But his chart is incorrect. He has me and a daughter.”

  “Behave, Lily,” Blake whispers, a smile on his lips.

  “Not likely. You know I’m a jealous woman,” I say, smiling at him as his eyes open.

  He runs his good hand up and down my side. “You’re the only woman. My woman.”

  My heart melts. I lean down to kiss him, my jacket shifting slightly. Blake glances to my collar, his eyes widening.

  “What the hell is on your chest?”

  “Uh, I’ll explain after the nurse leaves,” I say in a low voice, quickly pressing my lips to his and moving out of her way.

  “Have you been updated on his injuries?” she says, looking at me.

  “No.”

  “Well, he’s suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Luckily, the bullet passed straight through, so the damage is minimal. A bullet also grazed his left side, but again, minimal damage.”

  “When can he go home? What’s the healing time?” I ask, sitting forward in my chair.

  “If all his lab work is good over the next few days, he should be able to go home then. He’ll need to use the sling for two to three months, but full healing could take as long as six months.” She helps him sit up. The sheet falls some, exposing the top of his leg.

  I reach over and pull the sheet up against his waist. He turns his head toward me as t
he nurse changes the bandage on his shoulder.

  “Jealous much?”

  “You really wanna push your luck today?” I raise my left eyebrow at him.

  He chuckles, shaking his head. “No, love.” He winces as she begins rewrapping everything.

  “Be careful,” I snap at her.

  “I am. He’s going to be sore for a while. Did you not just listen to me explain a gunshot wound to you?” she snaps back, sitting him back against his pillow.

  Slowly, I stand and take a step forward, pressing my legs against his hospital bed. She glares at me. I reach inside my jacket and pull out one of my 9mm handguns and my Interpol badge. She gasps and takes a step back.

  “Talk to me like that again, and we’ll see how much you enjoy his pain. Got it?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she whispers, turning and practically running from the room.

  Blake takes my hand in his as I sit back down putting my guns and badge away. “That was a bit uncalled for.”

  “You should see what Dresden and I have done to people over the last year. That was me being nice.”

  2

  ~Lily~

  The rest of our group meanders back into Blake’s room quietly. Sorina takes the seat directly next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder. I smile down at her, kissing her hair. I have so much time to make up for with her and Blake . . .

  “So . . .” Blake says, nodding at my shirt.

  “Ah, right,” I say, standing. I move around his bed to the edge and glance at Dresden. “Our art.”

  He raises his eyebrows. “Now?”

  “He got a glimpse of my collarbone when I leaned over the bed,” I say apologetically.

  “Oh, well, okay.” He sighs and comes to stand next to me.

  Shannon moves to Blake’s side, her eyes boring into us, just like her brother’s.

  “So . . . how does everyone feel about tattoos?” I ask, smiling in a childish way, glancing around the room.

  “You got tattoos?” Sammi says, shocked.

  Dresden unbuttons his bomber jacket and slides it off, revealing his bare chest. Shannon gasps, tears forming in her eyes as she takes in the elaborate tattoo of her name across his chest.

  “Oh, my God, Dresden . . . it’s . . . beautiful,” she whispers.

  She walks forward and runs her hands over his chest, staring at the ink. He pulls her into his embrace and kisses her head, turning his gaze to me. “Your turn. This will be fun since you have more than I do.”

  I laugh. “Yes, yes I do. But I have fewer scars now,” I say smiling. I glance at Blake, his eyebrows raised in waiting.

  I undo my jacket and drape it over the end of his bed. Reaching up, I unclasp my gun holsters and slide them off so I’m in my black sports bra. Dresden and I spend so much time covered in blood over the last year we got tired of ruining our shirts. Now we just don’t wear them.

  “Holy shit! Is that my name?” Sorina says, leaning forward.

  “Uh, yeah,” I say, grinning. “I got your name here, and Blake’s name here,” I say, turning to the side and lifting my arm. His eyes widen as he takes in the tattoo adorning my side. “And I got a little something for myself on my back.”

  “Turn around,” Blake says quietly.

  I spin, turning the Romanian flag tattoo toward them. “So . . . thoughts?”

  “Badass, Mom,” Sorina says as I turn to face her.

  “You been cussing like that since I left? Because I don’t like it.”

  Her face turns red. “Sorry . . .”

  I sigh. “You’re fourteen, not twenty. I understand you’ve been through a lot, but let’s keep the foul language to a minimum.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Blake?” I say, turning my eyes to him. His face is blank, and my insides tighten.

  “They’re beautiful, Lily. Though, I hope you don’t intend to get anymore.”

  I frown, walking to his side, sitting on the edge of the bed. He places his hand on my leg. “You don’t like them?”

  “Lily, I think they’re beautiful and very meaningful to you. But I like your skin, scars and all.”

  I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. “Okay. I won’t get anymore.”

  He smiles slightly, reaching up to touch my face. “Good.” He pulls me down, pressing our lips together. I shift and he growls in pain.

  “Shit. When was the last time you had pain medicine? How often do gunshot victims require that?” I turn to look at Dresden.

  “You should probably get him something,” he says, tilting his head.

  “Shouldn’t you know how this feels?” Blake says looking at me confused.

  I stand and smile at him. “No, Blake. I’ve endured a lot of pain, but, surprisingly, I’ve never been shot.”

  His mouth gapes and I laugh, strutting from the room. This might be the only thing Blake has experienced in the pain department I haven’t. No one lives long enough to shoot me. That’s partly because I’m a better shot than most of the people I go after.

  I stroll to the nurse’s station in my sports bra, their eyes widening as they take in my tattoos. I don’t feel like putting my jacket on and this hospital is hotter than I’m used to lately. “Mr. Mason needs pain medication.”

  Nurse Nora jumps from her chair and hurries down the hall. I chuckle, turning and walking back to Blake’s room. A few moments later, she comes in with a small needle and puts it through his IV. It doesn’t take long before he’s dozing off.

  “Where’s everyone staying?” I whisper to Vlad.

  “Interpol has a safe house not far from here until Blake can be released.”

  “Why don’t you take everyone back there for a while? I’ll stay with him.”

  “Someone should stay with you, just in case, Lily,” he says sternly.

  “I’ll stay,” Sammi says, flashing me her shoulder holsters.

  Vlad nods and ushers everyone from the room. Sorina stops next to me and smiles, tears shining in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong, kiddo?”

  “I’m glad you’re home, Mom. I love you.” She sniffles.

  I pull her into a tight hug. “I won’t ever leave again, Sorina. I love you, so much.” I kiss her forehead and she leaves, Vlad close behind her.

  Sammi sits in a chair at the end of Blake’s bed and I lay my guns and jacket in the seat next to her. I sigh and stretch before sitting down next to Blake’s good side. He needs to sleep for as long as possible. I want him better. Lord knows I might lose my mind if I can’t touch him for the next six months. A year was long enough.

  †††

  I startle awake, my eyes darting around the room. Sammi is reading a book and Blake is still sound asleep. I rub my eyes and stand. Sammi’s eyes dart up and back to her book.

  “How long have I been out?” I say, cracking my neck.

  “Six hours or so. You and Dresden haven’t slept much in the last year, have you?” she says, closing her book and laying it on the chair next to her.

  “We have . . . just not soundly.”

  I lean down and plant a soft kiss on Blake’s forehead. I trip sleepily to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Leaning against the sink, I stare into the mirror.

  Being away from Blake all this time was painful, but the hurt isn’t over yet. I know he’s angry, as he should be. If I were him, I’d be pissed at me too. Turning the cold water on, I splash it onto my face, trying to wake up fully.

  Soft voices reach my ears as I come out of the bathroom. I stop, lean against the wall, and listen.

  “I’m sure she feels terrible, Blake,” Sammi says.

  “I know she does. I can see it in her eyes, but that doesn’t stop me from being pissed.”

  “Lily has always done what she thought was right. I’ve never seen her the way she is with you. Give the woman a break,” she says curtly.

  He sighs loudly. “I feel like my heart is going to explode, Sam. All this time . . . I thought I’d lost her, and then she just shows up.
It’s like kissing a ghost,” he whispers.

  “Blake, don’t give up on her yet,” Sammi whispers.

  When he doesn’t respond, I step around the curtain into view. His eyes meet mine. Whatever he sees in me makes him frown. I glance at Sammi. She sighs, grabs her book, and walks from the room.

  “Say something, Lily,” he whispers as the door clicks shut.

  I run my hands angrily through my hair. “What do you want me to say, Blake?”

  “Anything to make my chest stop hurting,” he says, pain shining in his eyes.

  “Nothing I say is going to fix this. I’m here, and I want to make it right.” I take a deep breath as my throat tightens. “But . . . if you don’t love me, then I’ll stay long enough to do my job and then I’ll go.”

  He sucks in a ragged breath. “Lily, I’m angry, not an asshole. Nothing you do could make me love you any less than I did the day I got on that plane. You’re my future. My everything.”

  “Then please stop bouncing back and forth. One minute you kiss me like I’m everything and the next you look at me like you want to punch me in the face,” I say sharply.

  “Come here,” he says, a grin playing at his lips.

  I walk to the side of his bed, pressing my legs against the side, my breath catching in my throat.

  “Lily, I can’t exactly get up. Sit down,” he laughs.

  I sit on the edge of the bed and as I turn my head toward him, he cups the side of my face and presses his lips to mine. My stomach clenches as desire waves through my body and I pull away from him. His eyes are on fire, our breath already accelerated.

  “Why are you pulling away from me?”

  “Blake, you’re in a hospital bed. You need to heal. If I keep kissing you, I’m going to hurt you trying to fuck you.”

  He grins a wide, seductive smile. “That sounds like a great idea right now.”

  I chuckle. “No. You need to rest.”

  “Lily,” he says in a husky tone.

  “Don’t say my name like that. My answer is no.”

  He huffs, trailing his fingertips across my collarbone, moving around the outline of Sorina’s name.