Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)(60)

I turn just enough to give him one eye over my shoulder. “Tripped and fell, I guess. Just a stroke of bad luck.”

I refocus on my destination, and I don’t turn back.

I swing my way through the door that Naomi holds open for me. When I’m past the threshold, she lets it close, but gives Matt a final hard look through the thick glass before she returns to my side. “Hey,” she says, laying a hand on my arm. “You okay?”

“Yeah, are you?”

I worry that she’ll say no. That she’ll break down with guilt. That the news Matt just relayed about Eric’s truck will find its way to her eyes. But the only thing I see there is relief. “I’m doing really well. Thank you.”

I give her an unsure smile as we start walking down the hall. “I didn’t do anything.”

“No,” she says, as though she won’t accept an argument. “You did everything.” Naomi’s steps slow. We stop in front of an exam room. When she turns to face me, there are tears in her eyes. “I really mean it. Thank you. What you did for me was life-changing.” She shakes her head and runs a gentle hand down my arm. “And if some rando shithead gives you trouble …”

“I can handle him. But maybe you can look in on his wife? Lucy Cranwell. She’s here, somewhere.”

Naomi smiles and nods. Her eyes light with purpose. “Yeah. I can definitely do that.” She nods to the open door. “This is you, Sparrow.” With a brief hug, Naomi leaves me to enter the exam room. I watch as she walks away, her steps sure.

It’s not until she’s gone that a long breath leaves my lungs. The next inhalation is an unsteady one. My heart is beating too fast, as though I’m already running.

I’m standing in the center of the room with my eyes pressed shut when I hear it. His footsteps. I can tell it’s him as he strides down the corridor. I recognize his presence before he even enters the room.

“Hey,” Fionn says. When I open my eyes, he steps in front of me, his brows furrowing with worry when he takes in my expression. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just—” A pair of nurses strike up a conversation at a station just beyond the open door, and I cut myself off. My smile is brittle around the edges. “I just … can’t wait to see the fur situation.”

Fionn laughs, gesturing toward the exam room bed. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.” I leave my crutches off to the side and hop onto the table, my heart still climbing up my throat. Fionn goes into full doctor mode, talking about the process, something about a saw and scissors and skin that I should probably pay more attention to. But in my head, I’m replaying the conversation with Matt Cranwell. The revelation. The unspoken threat. How much he already knows. What if there’s more? What if he’s just biding his time? What if he suspects Fionn was involved?




I have to get the fuck out of here. If he’s intent on revenge, I have to lead him away from Fionn. It’s me he’s after, and I need to give Matt a new trail to follow.

An electric whine fills the room and I startle.

“What the hell,” I hiss, pressing a hand to my chest.

“The … saw …?” Fionn says, his brow furrowing. “The saw I just told you about …? The one I just asked if you were ready for me to start up and you said yes …?”

“I did?”

He turns it off and lays a hand on my cast. I can’t feel the reassurance of his touch through the layers encasing my flesh. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

No. I’m not.

I wish the nurses would walk away so we could talk properly. I wish we had some fucking privacy. I wish I could tell him right now that I feel like I’ve been hit with a wave that’s swept me into the sea. Somewhere, deep down, I probably want to rage, or cry. But I’m too scared to do anything but lie. “Totally fine.”

A flicker of worry passes across his face. “I’m going to start the saw.”

I nod. The whine of the motor starts up again. Fionn presses the cutting edge to the cast in quick bursts in a straight line down the length of my leg. He stops on occasion to wipe the blade with a piece of square gauze soaked in alcohol to cool it down. He does one side of my leg and then the other. For all this time I’ve spent in the rigid embrace of my cast, it takes only a few moments to break.

“So …” Fionn says, keeping his eyes on the work of his hands as he uses a metal tool to separate the cut edges of the cast. “You should probably do some physio for a few weeks. You’ll have some muscle atrophy. Physio will help to ensure you build yourself back up safely.” He clears his throat and risks a quick glance at me. “I know someone good here. Her name is Judi. She’s got time to take you. If you want …”

It feels like he’s prying apart my bones and cracking open my heart.

“I really appreciate that,” I say, my voice unsteady. Fionn looks at me and I catch the disappointment in his eyes, the realization he’s about to be rejected. “I wish I could stay. Truly. But I have to get on the road as soon as possible.”

“It’s okay.” His smile is almost a perfect replica of the gentle one he often gives me in times of uncertainty. Almost. “I understand. That was always the agreement.”

I take his wrist and shake my head. The nurses keep chatting right outside our door. One of them stands in my line of sight and she glances my way. I can tell in that brief look that she’s assessing our conversation, even while having her own. Of course Dr. Kane would be the subject of interest around here. I bet half the hospital staff already know I’m staying at his house. I’m sure they’re just waiting for the smallest pieces of conversation to flutter their way.