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Chapter Eight
Santee nearly snatched the bag out of Beckett’s hand when his mate brought the food into the kitchen. As much as Santee loved Milly’s cooking, he also loved food from the diner. The owner, Roman, knew his way around the kitchen. Before Marvell had made him a prisoner, Santee had eaten there a lot and not once had he had a bad meal.
As they sat at the table to eat, Santee looked at Beckett. “I want to go see today.”
He braced himself for his mate to shoot his request down. For three days Santee had paced the house, wanting to see his friend, and for three days, Beckett had said it wasn’t safe to leave.
Beckett sighed as he pulled the containers from the plastic bag, setting everything in front of them. The smell of corned beef sandwiches filled the air, making Santee take a deep whiff.
“We’ve talked about this, sweetheart.” Beckett went to the fridge to grab two bottles of juice. “Marvell is probably having the hospital watched.”
“And Sheriff Harper said he had a man posted outside of Orion’s room,” Santee argued. “I’ll have you with me, too.”
Although Santee didn’t feel like anyone could keep him safe from Marvell, he desperately wanted to see with his own eyes that Orion was okay.
Beckett sat, sliding one of the bottles to Santee. Taking a bite of his sandwich, Santee waited for his mate to reply. He still held out hope that Beckett would give in and take him. Hopefully his brother wasn’t dumb enough to try anything out in the open at the hospital.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Beckett picked up a potato chip and ate it, watching Santee.
“If it was one of your friends, would you go?” Santee popped the top on his juice and took a drink.
“It’s different,” Beckett said. “If roles were reversed, I still wouldn’t purposely put myself in harm’s way. Not when I had my mate with me.”
Santee pinched his lips together as he ran a hand through his hair.
“I know you’re frustrated.” Beckett placed his hand over Santee’s. “I get it. As much as I want to give you what you want, think about the circumstances, Santee.”
“My entire life Marvell has been pushing me around,” he said between clenched teeth. “He’s been a bully to me, cruel and abusive, and controlling. After my parents left, he only got worse.” Santee slapped his palm against the table. “I’m not going to keep letting him dictate my life, Beckett. I’m sick and tired of him, so whether you take me or I go by myself, I’m visiting Orion.”
Beckett simply studied him as Santee ate, refusing to let his mate’s focused gaze intimidate him. Not that he thought Beckett was trying to intimidate him, but Santee felt too strongly about this, and he wasn’t backing down.
“Fine.” Beckett narrowed his eyes. “But we do this my way.”
Santee nodded, his smile wide as he said, “I promise.”
Beckett scowled. “I mean it, Santee. You have to do what I say, when I say.”
Santee nodded again. “I will, I promise. I know you’re worried, but I have to see Orion. He’s my friend, and I need to know he’s okay since he’s in the hospital because of me.”
“Because of Marvell,” Beckett corrected. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what happened. That’s not on you.”
But if Orion wasn’t Santee’s friend, he wouldn’t have been hurt. No matter what Beckett said, Santee blamed himself. He just prayed that Orion would make a full recovery, that nothing was permanently wrong with him.
“I’m gonna go talk to Cormac and see if he wants to tag along.” Beckett stood. “The more with us, the better I’ll feel.”
Santee felt bad for putting his mate in a compromising position, but for the past three days, all Santee thought about was going to see Orion. He also hoped that his friend didn’t blame him for what happened.
When Beckett walked out of the kitchen, Santee’s phone rang. The caller ID said it was his mom calling. Santee picked up the phone and stared at it, debating whether or not he should answer.
But he wanted to know the truth. “Hello.”
“Hey, sweetie,” his mom said in a cheerful voice. “How are things going?”
“Not so great,” he replied.
“I was just calling to tell you about our trip,” she went on, as if Santee hadn’t said anything. “We met another couple and have been—”
“Did you hear me?” Santee interrupted her, drawing in a breath before releasing it.
