Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Her eyes twinkled, but the spoon didn’t lower. “He tried to leave. Can you believe that? Dr. Michelle Sambo, one of the best doctors in the entire universe, said he needs to stay overnight. The man passed out in a courtroom.”
“I know, Nonna,” I said. “I brought him here.”
“Oh, that’s right. Good girl.” She leaned toward Aiden, eyes narrowing. “Have I made myself clear?”
Aiden turned his head slowly, giving her a soldier’s nod. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Nonna,” she corrected.
“Yes, Nonna.”
I bit back a grin. The sight of the mighty Aiden Devlin surrendering to my grandmother could’ve cured anxiety. He looked more like a chastised altar boy than a federal agent.
“Good.” Nonna’s tone softened as she turned toward the window, rummaging through her purse. The spoon clinked against metal before she pulled out a Ziploc bag full of cookies. “I made your favorite—chocolate chip with brownie chunks. It’s a lot of chocolate, but you’re in the hospital. You’ll live.”
Aiden’s eyes brightened. “Thank you.”
“That’s a good boy.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Anna, I’ll speak with you later.”
I stood, still half off-balance from the whole spoon episode, and hugged her when she came around the bed. She smelled like lavender lotion and powdered sugar.
“I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” she said.
“Yes, Nonna.”
Aiden nodded. “Yes, Nonna,” he echoed around a mouthful.
I snorted. I might need to keep her around more often. Apparently, she could do what no one else could—keep Aiden in a hospital bed.
She swept out of the room, the scent of baked chocolate lingering behind her. I heard her greet Saber in the hall, then the low rumble of their conversation.
A minute later, Saber loped inside, grin stretching. “Nonna said to give me a couple of cookies.”
Aiden immediately drew the bag closer to his chest. “Uh-uh. These are my cookies.” His words came muffled through another bite.
I blinked between them. Two of the most dangerous men I had ever met, both trained to kill, both with files thicker than phone books, and they were fighting over cookies.
Sometimes, life made zero sense.
“Give him a cookie, Aiden,” I suggested nicely.
“Fine.” Aiden sighed, then fished out what looked like the smallest one in the bag and handed it over.
Saber snatched it and shoved the entire thing in his mouth before Aiden could rethink the gesture.
“You better make it last,” Aiden said, tone deadpan.
Saber wiped a crumb from his lip. “She promised to bake me my own batch next time I’m in town.”
They sounded like brothers who’d survived the same wars and still argued over snacks.
“I’ve got to go, Devlin,” Saber said once he swallowed.
Aiden turned serious again. “Remember what I told you.”
Saber reached out a hand, and Aiden released mine to clasp it.
“Head on a swivel,” Aiden said quietly.
Saber nodded. “Always.”
The exchange tightened something in my chest. A realization flickered inside me. Saber was going undercover instead of Aiden now.
I moved toward Saber before I could stop myself. “Hey,” I said softly, stepping into his space. “Be careful.”
He hugged me once, quick but solid, then patted between my shoulder blades. “Always.” When he pulled back, his grin had softened into something almost brotherly. “Take care of this guy, would you?”
I turned toward Aiden. He had gone quiet, cookie bag resting beside him on the blanket, eyes fixed on me. That sharp blue gaze, the one that could freeze an entire interrogation room, held something else now. Vulnerability maybe, buried under the calm.
“I promise,” I said.
Saber turned and strode out, his boots echoing down the corridor until silence filled the space again.
I sank into the chair beside Aiden’s bed, the vinyl creaking under me. For a few seconds, the only sounds came from the monitor’s soft beeps and the distant rumble of a rolling cart outside. The sterile scent of antiseptic blended with the faint aroma of Nonna’s cookies.
Aiden reached for my hand again. His grip felt strong, grounding. “You okay?” he asked.
“Me?” I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I held. “You’re the one who hit the floor in front of a judge.”
“Still here,” he said. “Thanks to you, and your grandmother’s spoon.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You should’ve seen her face when you said yes, ma’am.”
“I did.” His smile turned small but real. “That’s why I said it twice.”
The laugh caught in my throat, soft and unsteady. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Just us, the cookies, and the soft hum of a world that had finally stopped spinning. Rain began to tap against the window a moment later, soft at first, then sharper, each drop pinging against the glass.
He cleared his throat. “The CCTV didn’t show who stole the silver nugget boxes out of your dad’s rig at the hospital.”
I sighed. “Don’t tell me. We parked in a blind spot.”
He frowned. “How did you know that?”
“Long story.” I pushed hair out of my eyes, not wanting to talk about Cormac. “Saber will be okay.”