Page 60 of Kylie

My lips were, too, but they weren’t quite as cracked as they had been.

“Here,” a female voice said from somewhere on my right.

A moment later, a straw was placed on my lips.

“Go slow.”

My instinct was to guzzle the cold water, but I did as instructed, taking enough to soothe my throat and allow me to speak.

“You’re Kieran,” I told the man, the words coming out more of an accusation than a statement.

“I am.”

I continued to stare at him. “You’re related to Travis, aren’t you?”

His expression remained masked. “He’s my cousin.”

That didn’t surprise me. “What’s your last name?”

“Elliott.”

Immediately, it clicked. “Slade’s brother.”

He nodded. “One of them.”

Well, that explained why he was so familiar. He looked eerily similar to Slade in many ways.

“You put me in that shit hole.”

That was regret I saw in his gaze. He was lucky he’d shown even that little bit of emotion. Otherwise… well, I wasn’t sure what else I would’ve done. At the moment, talking was difficult enough.

I glanced at the woman standing at my bedside. “You helped him.”

Allison appeared contrite, but she offered no excuses as she set the glass on the table.

“Where am I?”

“A safe place.”

“Where are Travis and Gage?”

Neither of them answered as they traded glances.

“They don’t know I’m alive.”

Although I didn’t phrase it as a question, Allison confirmed with a gentle shake of her head.

“How long have I been here?”

“Two weeks.”

I peered around the room, taking in the scenery. It was a nice space. Neutral. Definitely homier than the shithole. The best part about it was the air-conditioning; plus, I had a soft mattress and a fluffy pillow under my head. The IV in my arm probably helped some, too.

“What’s in the IV?” I asked, lifting my right arm as though she needed a reference.

“Antibiotics and fluids.”

“You’re not drugging me?”