killshot | simon riley ✓

• Chapter 33 •

Rora wouldn't call herself a lightweight, she usually took her drinks well. But she was a little more than tipsy by the time Simon decided it was time for him to leave.

„C'mon, you just got here!" Rora whined, throwing her hands in the air. „We still have so much to talk about!"

„It's getting late, Rora," Simon let out a sigh, shifting in his seat.

A few things changed in the two hours they talked on the couch. Kilo fell asleep at their feet and the rainfall grew into a whole raging storm. And the drinks they shared urged Rora to scoot closer to him, her leg almost touching his as she turned to face him with her whole body.

„I'm a night owl," she shrugged her shoulder, his gaze flicking towards her shoulder. She noted how his gaze hardened, getting confused for a bit. But then she pieced it together.

He was looking at the wound on her right side, just below her collarbone, which her tanktop didn't hide. The very wound he caused her when his bullet went straight through Hassan.

It was a nasty recovery. She lost mobility in her shoulder for a long time and had to learn how to make her left hand her dominant one. Leilani and Price forced her to stick to her physical therapy, and it got better with months and months of work. It still wasn't back to 100%, but her doctors have said it probably never will. She learned to accept that, at least she tried to. It was a forever reminder of their mission, and her stubborn ass almost caused her demise.

She almost bled out in his arms.

„It's not your fault, Simon," Rora's voice softened, catching his gaze. By the way he clenched his jaw, it was obvious she didn't convince him. „Shit happens."

And shit did happen. He caused it. And he would never forgive himself.

„And what about that?" he nodded towards her right elbow. Shit, she totally forgot about that one.

There was a huge bruise on her forearm and elbow which she got a week ago while riding her new motorbike. Leilani was so pissed at her for being so reckless, then cried for twenty minutes out of worry. She was a very emotional girl, and she hated seeing Rora destroy herself when she got nothing better to do. So, she went way above the speed limit and was lucky to only earn a nasty bruise on her whole right side. When she crashed her bike, for a moment she thought maybe this was it. And she wouldn't mind it. Not when she always got left behind.

People she loved the most always abandoned her. Her family, Everett, then Simon.

„I actively seek death so I got a motorbike," Rora admitted nonchalantly. Simon didn't look impressed by her words. „I look hot on it, too."

And it's the closest thing that can give the same adrenaline rush you do.

„This is your way of coping?"

„Pretty much," she flashed him a smile, brushing off his somewhat worried look. Or whatever it was. It was still almost impossible to read his feelings if he got any.

„Right," he let out a sigh as he got up, cracking his knuckles in a swift motion. Her eyes fixated on his hands, getting mesmerized by them each time. Then her gaze wandered over his body, noting how good he looked today. He always looked fine, but there was something about him at that moment that really got to her.

And maybe it was the alcohol, maybe only the fact she wasted way too fucking much time denying her feelings, but she reached out to grasp his hand. He stopped mid-step, his head snapping towards her, his dark eyes watching her hand circle around his wrist.

„Stay."

He really shouldn't. Simon knew it would be a mistake to spend more time with her, it was already a big mistake to even come here. With his missions and his side-quest in terminating everyone that had business with ruining her life, he barely had any time to even sleep. But even then he couldn't get Rora Wells out of his head: her smile and her eyes were the biggest demons that haunted his dreams. Her lips against his. Her soft skin. The look on her face when he showed his face to her.