Dangerous »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

TWO

I changed the subject. "What about you're career?"

Quinn was a professional superGP racer. It was a recent sport. The first season had been last year, 2013, it started two weeks after the Formula One started and did the exact same races in the same order. The only difference were the cars. Instead of driving a one-seater Formula One car, you drove a modified super car so that in the end, the car that was going around the track only looked like a super car. The rest of it was the GP in superGP. It had been a hit. Literally. The fans loved the idea. Unfortunately, it also lead to Quinn's near death. It hadn't been during the race that he'd managed to hurt himself. No, it was a training session for himself a few days ago. And it was only two, nearly three months until the superGP started for their second season.

"I'm retiring," Quinn paused. "I can't race any more."

I smothered the wince at the pain in his voice. Sure I could deal out pain. I felt pain. But hearing pain from a friend... it was different. It cut.

"Did they really cut your leg off?"

"Ha!" there was no amusement, just a deep sadness. "Just below the knee... I really thought I was going to die this time. I've been in crashes before. But nothing like that... I lost control on one corner. One damn corner. Next thing I know, I'm spinning off and another car is heading for me. Then everything went dark."

I looked at my hands that I'd balanced on the edge of the bed. "What did it feel like?"

Quinn didn't say anything for a moment. Instead, when I glanced at him, I saw that he was staring at Jess with a look so loving that it actually hurt. "I'd loose my other leg gladly if it would mean that I could stay here."

Looking at my hands again, I wondered about that. I'd never been loved like that. Never had someone look at me as though I was their world. A slash of jealously hit me. Hard. But as it was followed by faces of my mother and twin... I forced my mind away, to return to now. I didn't need to remember them. Not now.

"Blade?" Quinn's voice made me turn to him. "You, okay, kid?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You look like you're going to pass out."

"I'm fine," not, I felt like I was going to pass out. My head span, I felt fire rushing through my veins, but, as usual, I took several deep breaths.

"Sure," Quinn replied. He knew I was lying. But I couldn't care less.

"So," Jess said in that tone a moment later that suggested she was about to change the topic of conversation. "How'd you find getting here? It's you're first time to this hospital isn't it?"

I grinned as she said "first time to this hospital". She knew about the fights. "I asked some guy once I'd parked up. He send me walking for the park. So I asked a girl," I pulled out the page she'd given to me. "She gave me this then walked off."

Jess took the page with a strange frown. She opened up the crumbled page. Then she blinked. "It's beautiful."

I rolled my eyes. "It's a map, Jess."

"No, this," she said, turning the page towards me. "It's on the other side of the map."

I felt my breath catch at the sight of the image. It was of a couple of house cats. One bigger than the other. But that wasn't what made my breath catch. It was the twist of human in the image. The love shown on their faces, maternal love, the smaller cat was clearly the bigger one's kitten. And it was detailed. Time and dedication had been spend on this image...

"I can't believe you screwed this image up," Jess growled, and it was my strange fascination with the image that made me miss Jess lean over the bed to hit me over the head.

I growled at Jess, snatching the image with a sudden possessiveness. Jess blinked at me.

"Who gave you that picture?" she asked slowly.

"I didn't catch her name," I said, continuing with my thoughts, she didn't speak to me.

"Huh," Jess said, I glared at her thinking face.

Turning to Quinn showed that he was wearing the same expression as I was. Whenever Jess thought of something, she wouldn't stop until she saw it through.

"I'm off," I said suddenly, standing as Jess blinked herself out of her thoughts.

"I'll walk with you," Jess said, standing.

I was about to say that she didn't need to, but she gave me a look that made me shut my mouth. "Sure. See you when you're out, Pirate."

"Pirate?!" Quinn spluttered.

I grinned, mentally writing on a to-do list to get him a parrot and an eye-patch.

Leaving the room with Jess by my side, we headed for the front entrance.

"He'll be fine," Jess said. I wasn't sure if she said it to comfort her or me more.

I glanced at her to see a frown making her forehead crinkle. "Of course he will. Like he said, he'd give his other leg to stay with you. He's strong, Jess."

"I know, I know," Jess shoved her hands into Quinn's jacket's pockets. It wasn't until we reached outside and had the cool air brushing our faces that Jess next spoke. "Here, Quinn wanted me to give it to you."

I felt my eyes widen at the key in Jess's hand. "That's his."

"And he can't drive it again."

Reaching out for the key, Jess curled her hand around it, taking it away. I frowned at her. Anyone else would have had their face smashed against the wall for doing something like that. But this was Quinn's girl. She got a free pass... to an extent.

"He said that you can have his Dodge Dart if you promise to drive safely off the track."

I raised a brow at that. "I always drive safely off the track."

She raised a brow at that.

"Most of the time," I finished.

She shook her head. "Keep in touch, Blade. Don't leave it until Quinn breaks his other leg again."

"I promise."

"Good," she moved as though to give me the key.

Lifting my hand so that she could drop it into my hand, we stayed like that for a moment. I saw the battle in her eyes. "I promise to drive... safer than normal."

She chuckled. "That's all I can ask, Blade. I don't want it to be you where Quinn is. I don't need to be a maid for the pair of you, Quinn's enough."

I grinned. "See you later. How you getting back?"

"I'm staying here over night. Don't worry about us– Oh, give me the keys to your death trap."

"It's a good bike!"

"You're going to push it too far if you keep driving on it like you do. The bike will collapse. Now, give, Blade."

I stared at her. She was really starting to push it.

"Please, Blade, for Quinn."

I sighed. Of course she'd bring Quinn into this. Growling, I shoved my hand into my pocket and once I had the keys, I handed them over. "What are you going to do to it?"

She grinned at me, making her emerald eyes sparkle in the setting sun. "Keep it for me. I've wanted that damn bike since before you bought it. I just hope I can revive it now that you've had it for two years."

I grinned. "See ya, Jess."

"Bye, Blade."

Turning and walking for the car park where I'd parked my bike since I'd parked next to Quinn's-now-my Dodge Dart, I opened the image up again as soon as I was in the car. I wasn't sure how long I stared at the image, but when I looked out of the windows of the car, it was pitch black out.

Sighing, I turned the ignition on. Listened to the Dodge purr which only reminded me of that image. Of that girl.

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