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“Caleb,” someone said. “You’re safe.”
No, he wasn’t. Joey was trying to trick him. “Water. Please, I need water.”
“Give him some water.” The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t open his eyes. It took too much effort.
Cool water hit his lips, and he took a greedy gulp, promptly choking on it. Every cough hurt like a knife to his chest, and by the time he was done, tears were streaming down his face. “Please… Please, I need water.”
“Careful, Caleb. Take little sips.”
He tried, but his mouth wouldn’t cooperate, and the water ended up dripping down his chin.
“His face is too swollen.”
“That’s okay. He’s still getting some in. Keep at it.”
Who were all these people? They sounded familiar, but one of them had a distinct Boston accent, so he couldn’t be a friend. No, Joey must have sent them to try and trick him into talking.
“I won’t talk,” he said between sips. “No matter what you do. I won’t talk.”
“You did good, kid. You did so good. We’re all so proud of you.”
That was the guy with the Boston accent. Why did he sound so nice? Why would he say he was proud? “You can’t trick me.”
“He’s out of it,” someone else said.
“Look at his face. He must have the mother of all concussions. We need to get him to a hospital.”
A hospital? That made zero sense. Who were these people? Caleb forced himself to open his eyes, and he looked straight into the kind blue eyes of a man built like a tank. He had short hair, a square jawline, and dog tags dangling around his neck. He looked familiar.
“Who are you?” Caleb managed.
“I’m Connor. We met before, remember?”
Connor. Caleb blinked. “You’re from Boston.”
“I am. Born and raised, but I live close to you.”
“With Indy and Josh.”
“Indy, Josh, Noah, and Miles and his men.” He nodded at a guy who stood guard at the door. “That’s Miles.”
“Where’s Wander? And Roman? Oh god, where’s Roman? Did you hurt him?”
Connor shook his head. “Roman is fine, kid, I promise. He’s on his way.”
“You’re… You’re a friend?”
“I am. We’re here to take you home, kid.”
Kid. Wander always called him kid. Roman had never decided on a pet name for Caleb, had he? Fuck, why was thinking so hard? “Everything hurts.”
“I bet. They worked you over hard.”
“My head… I can’t concentrate.”
“I suspect you have a concussion. We’re taking you to the hospital as soon as Wander and Roman get here.”
“Okay.” He blinked. “Imma sleep for a bit…”
