“Surgery?” I say, panic starting to make my limbs go numb.
I startle when Becks takes my hand and squeezes.
“They think he has some internal bleeding or a perforated intestine that they didn’t catch right away. They’re prepping him now.”
I put my free hand up to my mouth as tears begin to well. This is a nightmare.
“Can Haven talk to her parents for a few minutes?” Becks asks, and Talon agrees.
I hear some shuffling on the other end of the line, then my mom picks up, her voice as anxious as I feel as she quickly asks me if I’m okay. I tell her I am, not mentioning the most recent attack. She tells me they’re okay and not to worry about my dad, that he’s strong and that Talon and Locklyn are keeping them safe.
I want to ask my mom all about Locklyn, but it’s not the time or place, so after only a few short minutes we’re saying we love each other and the phone is getting handed back to Talon.
His voice lowers, and I think he’s left the room when he says, “I was just about to get rid of my phone, so don’t try to call Locklyn or me on our regular numbers anymore. I’m going to send you an address from my burner phone. Go there and lay low.”
“Where are you sending us?” I ask.
“It’s our personal safe house. No one knows about it except for me and Locklyn. It was purchased with cash under an alias, so no one at the Order knows about it.”
“You have your own safe house?” Becks asks, his eyebrows raised.
“Did you forget how I grew up?”
“Good point,” Becks responds, even though I don’t understand what that has to do with it.
“For now, it’s best if David gets the medical attention he needs. When he’s okay to travel, we’ll meet you there.”
Someone in the background calls for Talon and my heart starts to beat quickly. The voice is at once both familiar and unfamiliar. “Tell Becks to stay safe, and to take care of my sister.”
Sister. I have a sister. It’s still hard to believe.
“Did you hear that?” Talon asks, and Becks cuts his eyes to me.
“Yeah, we did,” he says. “You stay safe too.”
“Always. And don’t forget to ditch that car,” Talon says, and then disconnects.
Becks rolls his eyes at the parting comment, and it’s only then that I realize he’s still holding my hand.
I glance down at our intertwined fingers. I should probably let go, but it feels . . . nice. Comforting and grounding. In this moment, that’s exactly what I need.
Becks’ phone chimes with an incoming text and he releases my hand to check it. After taking a quick look at the screen, he pulls a U-turn in the middle of the road.
“Looks like we’re headed to the Black Mountains,” he says. “But first, we need to find ourselves a different ride.”
Finding another car isn’t easy out here, but we finally come across a small town with a rundown twenty-four-hour big-box store and a half-empty lot. Becks is specific about needing a vehicle with four-wheel drive to handle rough terrain. Apparently, Talon’s safe house is off the beaten track.
We find an old Bronco tucked on the side of the building in what we assumed is the employee parking area. After hotwiring it, a skill I didn’t think someone like Becks would have, we’re barreling down another country road headed southwest.
Becks handles the unlit curves in the road with ease, and before I realize it, I start to doze, leaning my head against the cold window. I sleep for hours, the hum of the engine and the low drone of the radio combined with the sway of the vehicle lulling me into a deep sleep.
When I come to, the sky is only just starting to lighten, and I have a painful crick in my neck. I release a low groan as I straighten, rubbing the soreness gently.
“We’re almost there,” Becks says beside me.
When I glance over, his eyes cut over to me briefly, a slow, amused smile lifting the corner of his mouth before he trains his gaze back on the road.
“Feeling refreshed?” he asks. “You seemed to sleep pretty heavy.”
