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“You lost a lot of blooda lot You needed a transfusion, but on the way here in the ambulance, you went into shock You alhtly bandaged chest I knew it had hurt, that the knife felt like it was cutting into the very heart of me, but I couldn’t believe I had alot a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder and they orried about internal bleeding because of the severity of his injuries, but all in all, he’s actually in better shape than you at thewhile you were still out of it He was taken to a safe house by the feds, but now that you’re awake, I’m sure he’ll be here in a flash He was really hard to handle when he heard how bad your condition was”

I was so relieved that Race was okay I started to breathe a little bit easier, until Titus kept talking

“Gus didn’t ut and left hi hiht under his nose this entire tiulped I didn’t really know the old one out of his way to keep my brother safe and offer us shelter in the storht I cleared lass of water

“I’m a little out of it, but not soto die for me, shouldn’t he be here when I narrowly escaped death myself?

Titus’s hands curled around the rails of the hospital bed, and even under the black and blue coloring his handsohastly white of his pallor

“Listen, Dovie” He sighed heavily and peered atabout what happened to Novak”

“What? No way I’ he didn’t do”

Titus swore under his breath “You don’t have a choice I knew Novak was going to have his guy on the inside grab me I knew there were dirty cops in on all his action I called the feds the day Bax handed ree to help was a little trickier because that guy doesn’t do anything for free I had hirab me and take me in, but I have no clue how he found you or Race The feds have a good case againstthe abduction of you You can’t start telling people you shot Novak in the back It would ruin everything and Bax would colued Do you understand me?”

I tried to shake my head, but it hurt so bad, I had to squeeze

“There was a rooave up so o back to prison” I didn’t feel like I could ain and let his head fall forward “I’ht now he’s an ex-con caught up in a seriously tangled federal investigation If you try and get involved, try and sacrifice yourself for hiine the kind of self-destructive shit he’ll pull to keep you out of trouble? He’s in love with you, he was going to kill hi to stand by and watch you sit in a cell while the feds try and figure out who is to blame? Fuck no”

I let my head fall to the side and felt my heart thud in my chest “He’s locked up?”

“For now He’s in a federal holding facility while the feds decide who is who and what charges to level at all the players They need you and Race to testify, and chances are they’ll cut a deal with Bax in exchange for his testimony as well”

“I didn’t mean to kill him I just wanted him to stop” My voice was so soft, I wasn’t sure I actually spoke the words aloud

“I don’t care what you one It’s the only way Bax has any kind of shot at living a seminormal life”

“He never even told me Novak was his father”

“Because he hated it When he was a little kid, Novak spent a lot of ti Bax was his He called reat, but I think that ot a little older, started getting in trouble, started boosting cars like it was effortless, all of a sudden Novak sees the heir apparent to his criht it was cool Guys like Benny handing hi handed to hiot popped a couple of tier deals, takeNovak never wanted to claim him as his son, but he sure as shit wanted to mold him into a carbon copy of himself Novak hated that he could never fully control hio-to-hell attitude is the only thing that kept hirasp, plus I think that’s why Novak wanted him so bad Novak couldn’t handle his own kid’s defiance”

We stared at each other for a long, tense moment I flinched automatically when he reached out and brushed a knuckle across the pristine white bandage that was coveringto make the hard choice I know you don’t want to let hi he didn’t do, but if you care about him, if you love hi to have to do Right now I’m ninety percent sure I’ll have hi in and throw yourself on the pyre, he’ll do soain”

I gulped and closed , but I could hear the logic and truth behind his words Whatever issue Bax had with hier brother’s interest at heart

“Can I go see hih broke out, and even behind his battered eyes I could see frustration and sadness

“He won’t even see me He’s locked up, back in jail; that’s the last place on earth he’s going to want you to see hi to have to be patient, Dovie Let this play out”