Malo - Page 50

She’s an asset to have on our side, I have no doubt of that. And the cartel doesn’t know what the fuck they’re up against when it comes to her. I can’t imagine what hell she’s going to rain down on them when she gets the chance. I almost feel sorry for them.

Almost.

“You’re tough, Harley,” I tell her. “A hell of a lot tougher than most of the Kings, I’ll tell you that. Glad you’re on my side.”

She grins at me, her face lighting up. She likes it when I talk to her like one of the guys, like she’s on par with all of us. She wants to be just as formidable as the Kings are, and I get the feeling she’s going to be just as much of a problem for the cartel as we have been.

“Thanks, Sin,” she tells me, and rises to her feet. “Get some sleep. You look like shit.”

“Goodnight to you, too,” I call after her, and she lifts her hand to wave me off.

I grin as she leaves, and rise to head up to bed. I need to get some fucking rest.

Because I know that I’m going to need it in the days to come.

CHAPTER 36

MALO

The first thing I’m aware of when I open my eyes is the pain in my throat, and the crushing sensation of weight all over my body. I groan and try to lift my head, but my neck screams in protest, and I stay right where I am against the rigid pillow.

I squint, trying to figure out where the hell I might be. I can smell something sterile, and I figure I must be in the new infirmary, the “little shed” that Stitches keeps to make sure we’ve got somewhere to go if we need some serious medical attention, a new addition after our last run in with Las Rosas.

I try to cast my mind back, figuring out what happened to bring me here. I remember going to the bathroom, taking out the small clear bag, racking up a line, and then… nothing. No, not nothing—flashes of something—someone calling my name, someone’s hand on my forehead, the feeling of a weight on my chest and Chuy, someone I haven’t thought about in a very long time.

Shit. Whatever the hell was in that stuff Antonio gave me really did a number on me. Fuck I know I’m going to have some serious explaining to do. I manage to peel my eyes open and take a look around, and that’s when I see Maria, standing over me, in a white lab coat, glowering down at me like she wants to land a punch to my jaw.

“Good to see you, too,” I tell her, my voice croaking out of my throat painfully. Fuck, what’s wrong with me? I can hardly speak. She closes her eyes, letting her chin rest against her chest for a moment before she looks up to face me again. I can tell how exhausted she is, and I wonder how long I’ve been out. How long since I took that line and wound up in this place?

“Fucking hell, Malo,” she spits at me, and she dives toward me. I can only close my eyes and brace myself for the hit I know is coming. I’m surprised when she wraps her arms around me and holds me tight. My limbs are too leaden to hug her back, but I close my eyes and inhale the scent of her. I don’t know exactly why she’s so mad at me, but I can muster up a few ideas.

“I’m sorry,” I croak as she pulls back, slumping into a seat next to me. She runs a hand through her hair, and pulls off the gloves she was wearing. Her hair is scraped back into a messy bun, away from her face, like she’s been working on something.

“What happened?” I ask, and she gazes at me for a moment before she responds.

“You really don’t know?” she asks, and I nod, though I have some ideas. It sends a jolt of pain along my back, but I ignore it. Maybe I deserve it, after all the shit I put them through.

“You took something,” she explains to me, her voice low. “Some synthetic drug. I… I’ve been trying to figure out what it is all afternoon, ever since they got you in here and intubated.”

“Intubated?”

“You had a breathing tube down your throat,” she tells me. “Your breath was weak, Stitches was worried we were going to lose you.”

She shakes her head, swallowing hard. I can see how difficult this is for her, and I fucking hate that I’ve laid this all at her feet. She doesn’t deserve this. I know it’s not the first time Maria has seen me get fucked up, but this… this is something else entirely. I can feel in my body how close I came to ending it all, and I can’t lie – it scares the shit out of me.

“Hey, I’m still here,” I add, reaching over for her hand and gripping it tight. I expect her to pull it away in annoyance, but she doesn’t. She just gazes at me, this achingly sad expression on her face, as if I need any more reason to feel guilty right now.

“Just barely,” she mutters. “That shit… I ran it through some tests, isolated the compounds. That’s how we were able to get you stable again, give you some meds to counteract the worst of it. It’ll be a while before you’re totally back on your feet, though.”

“You ran those tests?” I reply, surprised. I knew she was a scientist, but I didn’t know it stretched to this degree.

“I had to,” she tells me. “Nobody else here knows my father’s work like I do.”

My heart slows for a moment, stuttering in my chest. Her father? If it’s her father’s work, then that must mean…

“Is it his?” I ask her, voice tightening as I manage to get the words out.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure,” she replies. “It echoes some of the work he’s been doing into synthetic pain relief meds recently… it’s written all over this compound. It might as well have his name stamped into it.”