CHAPTER 94
When Patrick left, Jake turned back to the bed. He leaned over to whisper into Laney’s ear. “Come on, Laney. Open your eyes, sweetheart.”
Her eyes stayed stubbornly closed. He gripped her hand tighter. She’d faced attacks by men with superhuman abilities, gun fights, and even capture in that hellhole.
And she’d stood up to all of it. She hadn’t backed down. She’d fought. She’d won. This couldn’t be how it ended. This was just one last challenge for her to overcome.
She hadn’t made it through so much to die at the hands of someone like Arthur Priddle. She would make it through. She had to.
“Please, Laney. I know how strong you are. You can beat this. We need you here. Your uncle, Kati, Max, Henry, Yoni. They all need you… And me, too, Laney. I need you, too.”
And he realized it was true. Somewhere along the way, he'd fallen for her, and the idea of her not being in his world was too painful to contemplate. “Come back to me.”
He lowered his head to the bed and felt a small pressure on his hand. His eyes flew to her face. “Laney?”
Another squeeze on his hand and a small smile appeared on her face.
Jake squeezed her hand back and returned the smile, tears stinging his eyes. “Thank God.”