What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter 1

What kind of lunatic beat the crap out of you and then sat by your bedside every night? I was out of it when I first woke up from the coma but it wasn't long before I could take in my surroundings and what was happening. The kind nurse told me not to worry; I was well taken care of. I thought she was referring to herself but she soon clarified things.

I had a nightly visitor.

She called him devoted. I called him crazy. I needed to see him for myself. I begged them not to drug me. The soporific effects of the pain medication were impossible to resist. Without it, I could stay awake long enough to watch and wait.

Sure enough, Black showed up close to midnight. Those weren't exactly normal visiting hours. That was the point. He didn't do anything. He didn't talk to me, he didn't read, he didn't even sit down. Black just stood by the window watching me until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you here to make sure I go back to sleep?"

"No." He didn't sound at all surprised. That was disappointing. "I just wanted to know who will take care of you when you get home."

"Like you care."

"It doesn't matter if I care or not. It matters that I'm here." He said with the same disinterest he showed in everything. "If you look around, you'll notice, there's nobody else here."

"So what? You're going to make sure I'm comfortable before you smother me with a pillow?"

"Did it ever occur to you that if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead?"

"Yeah."

That's why none of this made any sense. It made me even more uncomfortable than my broken bones and bruised body. Leaving me floundering when he refused to offer any explanation.

Black was true to his word. He made sure I got home safely. He organized my driver, the nurse and the housekeeper so I had everything I needed. He got my assistant from the office to come in and keep me up to date. I just wasn't allowed to leave the house. I wasn't allowed to touch anything on the less savoury side of the business I had built up from scratch. Black made sure of it.

"Are you planning on keeping me prisoner?"

"If that's how you want to see it."

"How do you see it."

"I figure if you can't take me on, you won't be able to protect yourself against anyone else. Might as well stay here until you aren't so easy to kill."

More nonsense. But he stayed to have dinner with me and let my nurse have an early night so he could help me to bed. I had no idea what he wanted but he didn't leave once I was settled down for the night. Tucked in tight with the care I didn't know he was capable of.

"All the drugs are gone?"

I looked at the bedside table where two bottles of medication, a jug and a glass were on full display. "What drugs?"

Black sighed heavily. I could feel his exasperation and that little show of emotion soothed me a lot more than his feigned concern.

"I got rid of them and informed all the suppliers that you were out of business. There were actually protests until I told them you were in custody and while you weren't willing to give anyone up, you were most definitely not going to jail for them."

"And they agreed?"

"There are already four guys fighting for your slot. They'll probably kill each other getting it. Let the best man deal with the police."

"What about the stock?"

"Sold to whoever would take it off our hands, sight unseen."

"Did it work?"

"What do you care? You're not out the money you put in. The cartels aren't after you and the police don't know you were ever involved. If you keep your legitimate businesses going, you have more than enough to be more than comfortable. What more do you want?"

"I wanted everything."

"That list included dead. Did you change your mind about that?"

I didn't have to answer. He already knew what I would say. The threat to my continued existence wasn't exactly subtle—not when I couldn't move around without help. Letting him do this had the added benefit of keeping him in my life. I wasn't ready to give that up. Not now. Not when we had done the worst we could to each other and come out the other end.

What did that mean for our future?

I was getting work done on my legitimate business just as he'd said I should. Black had to finish school. His little gang of thugs were under house arrest but there was no way they would be convicted for bringing to light such blatant corruption. With a slap on the wrist, they could go back to making some other businessman miserable.

"Are you going to go back to your friends?" I asked him.

"No. They have their own paths...I have mine."

"Dare I ask what that is?"

"You're looking at it," Black said cryptically.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not just your only friend in the world. I'm also your partner for life."

"I don't remember a proposal."

"We spilt blood. Consider that a binding contract."

"Here I thought you'd give me a ring."

"I can give you a ring if you want." He said with his classic snarky smile. "I wouldn't want anyone else thinking you were available anyway."

"So romantic. Next, you'll be offering to seal it with a kiss." I challenged him.

"Whatever floats your boat."

We'd gone too far. This wasn't how we spoke to each other. We didn't egg each other on for kicks. It was too dangerous to assume he wouldn't act on it. Just the same way he couldn't be sure I wouldn't do something about it just to get him on the defensive.

Except he leaned down and kissed me on the mouth before kneeling beside the bed so we were at the same level. He brushed the hair off my face and stared at me for long minutes before getting up.

"Go to sleep. We have work to do tomorrow."

I was still touching my lips long minutes after he'd left my room.