A Chip and a Chair (Seven of Spades, #5)(44)

Dominic found Levi in the bathtub as instructed, his legs drawn up and his forehead resting on his knobby knees. Although Levi had regained most of the weight he’d lost in recent months, he was still primarily sharp lines and pointed angles.

Then Dominic circled around and saw Levi’s bare back.

“Jesus Christ,” he gasped. Levi’s back was more purple than white, mottled with vicious bruises from shoulders to hips. The bruising wrapped around Levi’s ribcage toward his chest, disappearing from Dominic’s view. “I know the paramedic said your injuries weren’t too serious, but are you sure nothing’s broken?”

“Yeah. I know how to fall safely.” Levi sighed into his knees. “Hurts, though.”

Dominic could see that from Levi’s hunched posture and the tense set of his muscles. The more the adrenaline of the attack wore off, the more pain Levi would be in.

Making a split-second decision, Dominic said, “I’ll be right back. Rebel, stay with Levi.”

He left the bathroom to the sound of Levi’s tired laugh as Rebel tried to climb into the tub.

After a quick call to a coworker at Stingray and a heads-up for the security detail, Dominic went back to the bathroom, knelt beside the tub, and helped Levi wash up, gingerly handling Levi’s various injuries. He had to wash the blood and dirt out of Levi’s hair, too, because Levi couldn’t do it himself. Once Levi was clean, Dominic dried him off, bundled him into the softest clothes he could find, and changed the bandages on his arms and hands.

As Dominic had expected, his gambling cravings gradually faded to their usual dull roar in the back of his mind. Being useful, being needed, was something he could take refuge in. Levi and Rebel needed him to stay with them tonight, so he would stay. End of story.

He settled Levi into bed with Rebel and a mass of pillows to cushion his back, then put together a simple dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and canned tomato soup. He’d just carried the food into the bedroom on trays when there was a knock on the front door.

Levi startled badly, and Rebel let out a concerned whuff. “It’s okay, I’m expecting someone,” Dominic said. “Rebel, settle.”

He hurried to answer the door and greeted Amanda, one of his fellow bartenders at Stingray.

“Got what you asked for,” she said, handing him a brown paper bag while side-eyeing the uniforms. They’d withdrawn somewhat for privacy’s sake, but Dominic knew they wouldn’t interfere regardless.

“Thanks. How much do I owe you?” He reached for his wallet, hoping it wasn’t more than the cash he had on him.

“For my favorite coworker and Levi fucking Abrams? No charge.”

“Amanda-”

She held up a hand. “I heard what he did today; it’s all over the news. Tell him I said thank you, and I hope he feels better soon.”

Dominic thanked her again and brought the bag to the bedroom, where Levi was nibbling on a sandwich. “What’s that?” Levi asked, watching him pull a small unmarked bottle out of the bag.

“Vicodin.”

Levi dropped his sandwich. “That’s illegal!”

“Yep.”

“For God’s sake, Dominic-”

“Any doctor in the world would take one look at your injuries and write you a prescription for this without hesitation,” he said. “But given what’s happening, we’d never be able to get a doctor to see you tonight.” He popped the top off the bottle and tipped out a pill. “This may violate the letter of the law, but not the spirit of it. I think your professional ethics can remain intact.”

Levi bit his lip. “The last time I took something like that was after . . .”

“The assault?”

Levi bowed his head.

“Is it a trigger for you?” Dominic hadn’t considered the possibility.

“No, but I remember how that stuff makes me feel. It’ll sap my energy, dull my reflexes.”

“So will pain. And unmanaged pain slows recovery.” Dominic sat on the edge of the mattress, set the pill in Levi’s palm, and closed Levi’s fingers around it. “You wouldn’t let me get away with that kind of macho bullshit.”

Snorting, Levi reached for his water glass.

They watched Netflix while they ate dinner in bed, since Dominic refused to let Levi turn on the news. Dominic could tell when the opiates kicked in, because Levi’s head started lolling on his neck and his body went limp in a way Dominic had only previously seen it do after a hard fuck. Dominic moved the trays off the bed and killed the lights.

Levi’s floppy hand sought Dominic’s on top of the covers. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he slurred.

Dominic smiled and kissed Levi’s temple, breathing in the gift of his presence, injured but alive. “Same here.”





When Levi woke, he was so disoriented that he spent a good ten seconds wondering why Dominic was licking his face until he realized it was Rebel.

“Ugh, stop,” he groaned, feebly shoving her away. She bopped him once with her cold nose, as if in reprimand, before settling quietly beside him.

He forced his eyes open and squinted at the room. From the light filtering through the closed blinds, he could tell it was at least mid-morning, far later than he usually got up. He was reclining in a half-sitting position on a heap of pillows, but despite the cushioning, his torso was one throbbing ache from shoulders to hips.