Page 11 of Give Me Peace

“Never said it wasn’t, Kash.” I stand, glaring back at my brother. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’ll keep Kade in the dark much longer. And we both know how unpredictable that fucker can be when shit hits the fan. Loch’s not being an asshole for the fun of it.”

“I know that.” Kash cuts his eyes at me as he resumes his pacing. I sit back down, wiggling my mouse to bring the monitor back to life. There’s fuck all we can do until we know more, but there is an inbox full emails that need to be gone through. We’re at a standstill until Saylor wakes up and can be questioned, and who knows how well that will go over. I doubt she’ll be chomping at the bit to detail what she’s endured.

“I’m going to drop the Browns off at the Super Bowl, and then make muffins. With extra chocolate chips,” Kash grumbles as he walks away, feeling the need to inform me he’s gotta take a shit.

He’s going to stress eat his way into a coma one of these days.

Chapter Six

Lochlan

It’s been three days, and Saylor still hasn’t woken up. The hospital staff is sick to death of us, but there’s not much they can do to make us leave. Therefore, they have nothing to threaten us with, so we keep pestering the shit out of every nurse and doctor who comes through the door. We get the same response every time.

It’s completely normal.

I don’t like it. I’m scared by moving her I damaged something and they didn’t catch it. I’ve spent the last thirty-six hours on pins and needles and it’s making me a cranky asshole. To add fuel to the fire, two deputies have been stationed outside of her room for ‘security purposes’. Denvers is just as thrilled as we are, but there’s not much that can be done. It’d be a bit beneath the FBI to delegate an agent to babysitting duty.

A nurse walks in, forgoing a fucking knock, and starts checking Saylor’s vitals. I bite my tongue, but it takes effort. She’s just as annoyed by me as I am by her. It’s irrational—seeing as they’ve done everything they can—for me to feel so frustrated, but I can’t help but wonder if Saylor would be better off at a bigger hospital. Someplace with a full staff and newer, state of the art equipment. Or maybe it’s just this town and everyone in it that I have a problem with. I want to get her the hell away from here.

“Calloway,” Denvers knocks, like a gentleman, before I call out for him to come in. I give the nurse a pointed look, to which she huffs at and continues right on with her assessment.

“Got a minute?” He nods toward the hallway once he sees we aren’t alone. I hesitate, not wanting to leave Saylor when Roan is still catching up on some sleep in the room next door. The space was empty, but we still had to beg and plead to use it. “She’ll be fine.” Denvers tries to act put out and annoyed, but I can see the smile he’s fighting.

Reluctantly, I get up and follow the agent out, but he doesn’t stop right outside like I expected him to. He eyes the deputies, clearly not wanting to talk in front of them, either. They’re harmless from what I’ve been able to pick up on, but I still don’t like going so far from Saylor. Denvers keeps walking until we reach the stairwell, then proceeds to check that it’s empty before he speaks.

“I think we’ve got all we’re going to get from Old Lady Price. It’s taken so long to piece together a statement because she isn’t always lucid. But from what we’ve been able to gather, she knew for at least two years that Saylor was there.” I think I actually feel the spike in my blood pressure from how angry that makes me.

“Liam has lived with his mother all his life. She’s never been the picture of health, so it made sense for him to stay close by. Which, apparently, had everyone clamoring about how selfless and caring he is. Not one person we’ve spoken to has had a bad thing to say about the man. He’s perfected this persona he created. Loyal, kind, someone you can call on when you’re in need.” Denvers shakes his head in disgust.

“Unfortunately, the CNA, Sheena Wilcox, wasn’t the only one his mother had been chatting with about their sordid family secrets. Several other workers had been given the same story but blew it off. I think she was telling anyone that would listen, hoping someone might take her seriously. According to Sheena, it’s not uncommon for patients to start spilling their guts when they feel the end is near. Called ‘em deathbed confessions. A last-ditch effort to get right with Jesus.”

I scoff, refusing to feel an ounce of sympathy for the woman who had the means to free Saylor two years ago, if not longer. I’m not a parent, and may never be one, but I can’t fathom letting my kid get away with something so heinous. Sometimes, you can do all the things you’re supposed to—teach them wrong from right, instill morals—and it’s not enough. Sometimes people are just evil, no matter how they were raised. But protecting that kind of person, regardless of who they are to you, makes their sins your own. His mother is just as guilty in my eyes and I’ll die on that hill.

“Why is that unfortunate?” I question, trying to figure out where he’s headed with this.

“Because Liam Price is in the wind and I’d like to know why. The search of his house showed no signs of a preplanned trip. There’s a steak in the refrigerator that expired on Saturday. That tells me he intended to be home but wasn’t.”

Meanwhile, Saylor had been eating next to nothing.

“My working theory is that someone tipped him off and he didn’t know how much time he had, so he bolted without going home. He even left his laptop, which is currently being picked apart.”

My back meets the wall as I take a second to think over everything. Our worries that Liam could be working with someone seem valid now. No one disappears like that, especially when they’ve got a long-term hostage situation going on beneath their house. Suddenly, a cool sweat breaks across my skin. If that CNA hadn’t reached out to Denvers, Saylor would have died. She’d have starved to death, left to waste away until there was nothing left. The thought of her suffering like that makes me physically sick, the cafeteria sandwich I ate earlier threatening to make a reappearance.

“When you find him, I really hope he’s hostile. Enough of a threat that you’re well within your rights to shoot the motherfucker,” I growl, my hate for Liam growing by the second. Denvers laughs but doesn’t comment. That’s okay, I know he feels the same way. That badge might prevent him from voicing it, but I know if he has any say in the matter Liam won’t ever see the inside of a prison cell. He’ll be too busy taking a permanent dirt nap.

“Last thing,” Denvers wavers, his lips pressed together grimly. “Until this is over, Saylor needs to be someplace safe.”

“Obviously,” I deadpan, confused as to why that would even need to be said.

“I want her to go with you and the guys.” I raise an eyebrow in surprise. “Hear me out…I think we both know this case means more to me than just another win under my belt, and it sure as hell means more to all of you.” I nod in agreement. “I trust you, and that’s not something I’m handing out freely right now. I think the best place for her to be is with you and your team. No one knows who you are, other than an asset of the FBI. There’s no connection to your company, and I’ll wipe away any trace of your names from Saylor’s paperwork.” He looks at me imploringly, waiting for an answer.

Truthfully, I’d been wondering how I was going to sweet talk Denvers into giving up the address to the safehouse they planned to stash her in, cause the likelihood of us walking away from Saylor with no guarantee of contact was…zero. This plan is much more preferable, in my opinion, and I doubt the guys would have a problem with it, either.

“Of course,” I reply.

“Good.” Denvers pats me on the shoulder before pulling the door open. “Let’s get back out there.” We’ve barely made it two feet down the hallway when it happens. An agonized scream echoes through the corridor, turning my blood to ice and my feet to lead. I freeze, it’s only for a second, but my body locks up tight and forgets how to work. And then it happens again, a wail so broken it makes my goddamn teeth hurt.

Saylor.