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“She checked into Meg’s B &B,” Molly told her. “We figure she’s sticking close to try and find any dirt she can to use against you.”
“Not that she’ll find anything,” Hannah told her loyally.
She smiled at her. “Thanks.” Somehow, it didn’t make her feel any better.
“So we thought, why should we make her life easy w
hile she’s here?”
“What do you mean?” She shook her head. “Guys, I don’t know what you’re planning, but Jardin says she hasn’t got a leg to stand on. He’s going to take care of things.”
“Well, Jardin has his way of fighting back,” Molly told her. “We have ours. And by the time we’re through, she’ll run out of town like her ass is on fire.”
She looked up at the three of them and felt tears fill her eyes.
“Oh, honey, you’re not supposed to cry,” Hannah said in distress.
“These aren’t sad tears,” she told them. “It’s just that you guys are the best friends I could ever hope for.”
Molly grinned. “Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
18
It was the middle of the night when he got home.
He was exhausted. Physically and emotionally spent. These last few days had put him through the wringer. Not only was he suffering from lack of sleep, but he’d been worried the whole time that he’d get there too late to help.
And, on top of everything else, he’d missed Aspen. Missed Caleb and Jamie. He’d only managed to speak to Aspen twice. He needed to see them, to know they were all right.
He looked over at the two people he’d taken responsibility for and wondered what Aspen would think. He knew he didn’t need to worry. Once she knew the full story, she’d take the two lost and wounded subs into her heart. She’d take care of them just like she looked after him.
God, he couldn’t wait to see her.
He got Keira and Julian settled in the guest bedroom on the ground floor. It had its own private bathroom, which would make it easier for Julian to help Keira. There was no way she could go up and down stairs right now.
“Sleep in as long as you can,” he told them. “Rest. Recuperate. You don’t need to worry about anything except getting better.” He studied them both. Wounded, and not just physically. Both were too thin. Pale and fragile. They needed to know they were safe. To have time to heal their physical wounds. The emotional ones would take far longer, and he made a mental note to get in touch with Molly. They’d need her help to recover from this.
“Keira, make sure you let Julian help you. You’re not steady enough on those crutches yet to get around on your own and the last thing you need is to fall and hurt yourself more.” He kept his voice soft, not wanting to scare her. She still flinched a little but then threw her shoulders back with a nod.
Her courage astounded him. He looked over at Julian, who gave him a nod as well. He would watch over her, as he’d been doing these past few years. Saxon knew he blamed himself for what had happened to her. However, Keira wasn’t the only one who’d been traumatized. Julian would need help as well, and it would be more difficult to reach him.
“This wasn’t your fault, Julian. You did all that you could to protect her. There’s only one person at fault here.”
The man who had done this to him. Saxon would do whatever it took to protect them from him. They might not be his subs, but they were now firmly under his protection.
“Thank you, Joel. For everything,” Keira whispered. “As soon as we can, we’ll get out of your way. We know you’ll want privacy.”
He’d told them about Aspen on the flight home. As much to give them some distraction from the long, painful journey as anything else. They’d been so glad for him he’d known it had been the right move to make.
“I can’t wait for you to meet her in the morning. Now get to sleep.”
They both nodded tiredly. He moved up the stairs. As he entered the bedroom, he caught sight of her lying in bed. She had left the curtains open, and the moonlight drifted in, bathing her in soft light. She was hugging a pillow, and, as he moved closer, he saw that she was wrapped up in one of his T-shirts.
She’d missed him.
He moved into the bathroom and took a hot shower, trying to ease the kinks out of his muscles. He slid into bed, nearly groaning in relief to be lying flat. Almost immediately, she rolled into him. He should be too exhausted to react to the feel of her body next to his, but it seemed his cock didn’t care about how tired he was, he wanted her.
He studied her face, saw the dark patches under her eyes. He wasn’t about to wake her when she was obviously exhausted. He closed his eyes.
