Colters' Lady (Colters' Legacy #2)(14)

“What the hell is going on?” He rushed over and crouched down beside Michael. “What happened? Are you okay?”

She stared at the two brothers, bewildered by their concern and their caring. She was nobody to them and yet they’d have her believe she wasn’t.

“She took a bullet,” Michael said.

“What?” Seth stared at the blood on her arm and then back at Michael. “Are you crazy? She should be in the hospital. Why haven’t you taken her?”

Lily stiffened and started to sit forward, her objection poised on her lips. Michael gently pushed her back.

“She’s not going to the hospital. She’s fine. I can take care of it.”

“You’re out of your mind,” Seth bit out. “She’s still bleeding, for God’s sake.”

He sounded so worried that she put her hand out to touch his to reassure him.

“She doesn’t want to go, Seth. I tried. Now let me clean this up and get it bandaged so the bleeding stops. It’s not serious.”

Seth ran a hand through his hair and backed off. He got up and stood for a moment, looming over her and Michael, and then he moved to sit beside her on the couch, watching as Michael continued his careful treatment of her wound.

“You must have been scared out of your mind,” Seth said. “Why did you run, Lily? You could have been here, not downtown in the middle of some turf war.”

The frustration—and sincerity—in his voice startled her. There was a possessive tone that intrigued and frightened her all at the same time.

“I just thought I should go,” she said, not knowing what else to say. She wanted to appease him, but at the same time, it frustrated her that this entire situation confused her.

Michael paused as he placed a bandage over her wound. “Did my showing up frighten you?”

Frighten? That was probably the wrong word. Unsettled. His appearance had effectively popped the fantasy bubble that she’d existed in for the previous night.

“No, not frightened,” she said.

“I don’t want you back on the streets, Lily,” Seth said fiercely.

She cocked her head and stared up at him. “Where do you want me then?”

His blue eyes focused intently on her. There was no guard, no hesitation, no hint that he was speaking anywhere but from the heart. He brushed his fingers over her face, gentle and perhaps a bit shaky.

“Here. With me.”

Chapter Six

Despite her resolve not to allow herself the luxury of the fantasy Seth offered, she couldn’t stop the yearning, the desire for human contact. Affection. Casual conversation. She’d sentenced herself to a life alone, but she didn’t want to be alone. She wasn’t meant to be alone.

Her brain knew that it was time to stop punishing herself, that it was time to forgive herself and move on, but her heart was utterly broken. And how did she repair something like that? How could she ever break free of something so terrible—something she could have prevented?

It was stupid and melodramatic at its core. She knew this. But it didn’t stop the flood of grief, sometimes so strong that she wondered if living wasn’t the worst punishment of all.

She waited—every day she waited for the pain to stop. Everyone said that time soothed all hurts—forgave all sins.

“Lily?” Michael asked in a soft voice.

She blinked and looked down. He was finished bandaging her arm. The gauze was thick and bulky and prevented her arm from lying fully against her side. It ached fiercely but she welcomed it. Somehow it was better than the numbness that seemed to take over more with each passing day.

“I’ll need to make you a sling. I’d rather you not move that arm around much until the wound heals.”

“How long will I have to wear it?”

“A few days. Not too long.”

He turned to Seth. “Do you have any ibuprofen?”

“She needs something stronger than that,” Seth growled.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Really.”

Seth shot her a disbelieving look but left to get the medicine.

“He’s right, you know,” Michael said after Seth was gone. “You don’t need to be out on the streets. Not before. Not now. Not ever.”

She looked away, discomfited by the intensity in his gaze. “I don’t have anyplace else to go.”

“Look at me, Lily.”

Reluctantly, she turned to face him again.

“You do have a place. We’re offering you one.”

“We?”

Michael’s lips tightened for a moment. “Yes, we. I don’t know what’s happening here, Lily. I can’t explain it, but we’ll work it out.”

Her lips parted as her mouth fell open. Seth returned then and took her hand. He dropped the tiny pills into her palm and then held out a glass of water. She swallowed them down and then leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes.

Firm lips pressed against her brow, and she opened her eyes to see Seth bending over, his kiss warm and sweet on her skin.

“Do you want to be down here or in the bed you slept in last night?”

The thought of having to move was excruciating. “Here.”

Seth straightened. “I’ll get a blanket and some pillows so you’ll be comfortable.”