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Ford smiles at her. “But you’re not going to kick us out, are you, Denise?”
Denise shakes her head as she rolls her eyes and goes through a similar assessment with Trick before glaring back at Rook and Ford. “Leave the lights off and the blinds drawn for now. And no loud voices or noises or you both go back to your room. Got it?”
Both men agree before she shuts the door. Then they turn back to Trick and me without saying another word.
I push the button on the bed and adjust myself slowly to a sitting position, feeling the slight twinge in my side.
Damn. These must be some good meds.
“What the hell’s going on? How long have I been out?” I demand.
Trick tries to adjust himself and winces. “Two days, brother. We both got out of surgery yesterday, but this is the first time you’ve woken up.”
Rook leans back against the cabinet and groans, then looks at Ford while my brain tries to catch up. “What aren’t you saying?”
“Linc’s dead.” Ford lifts his eyes to the ceiling. “The damn building came down on all of us.” Ford blows out a long breath before adding, “We got one of the girls, but they still have the other.”
“What?” There’s a whooshing in my ears as I try to absorb what he just said.
He’s not right.
He can’t be fucking right.
“Linc—” The rest of the words stick in my throat.
He was my battle buddy all through boot camp.
We got each other through hell week together.
I don’t want to believe they’re right.
I can’t.
Rook presses the palms of his hands against his face and rubs his eyes. “Yeah, man. Linc’s gone... And it gets worse.”
“What the fuck’s worse than Linc being dead?” There’s no way it can get worse.
Fury settles in Rook’s face like I’ve never seen before. “Axe betrayed us.”
“What?” Clearly, my brain isn’t working at top speed, so there’s no way I heard him right. “What the fuck did you just say?” My stomach drops as my blood roars.
Ford stands up, leaning against his crutch, and moves next to my bed. “Axel shot Linc. From what we’ve gathered, he was working with the terrorists.”
I sit in stunned silence as Ford’s words bounce around in my broken brain, like a puck trying to find the net in the air-hockey game Nat and I used to play when we were kids.
And why can I remember that, but not what happened? Wait. “Does anyone have any idea where Axe is?” I try to focus on Ford, but he’s too far away, and my head throbs again in a brutal revolt.
A look passes between Ford and Rook that makes me brace for what’s coming next because it’s not going to be good. Even broken, that much is obvious to me. “Say it.”
With a heavy sigh, Rook sits in the chair by my bed and seems to brace himself for whatever he’s about to say. “Look, what I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room.”
“It doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere anytime soon, brother.” I motion to my body sitting under the starched hospital sheets.
Trick nods his agreement, and Ford, who already seems to know what’s about to be said, makes himself more comfortable against the door, crossing his ankles, and blocking anyone’s entrance from interrupting us.
Rook exhales and leans forward, his forearms braced on his knees. “I’ve told you I have four brothers, right?” The corner of his mouth kicks up as his gaze sweeps the room. “I mean, other than you asshats.”
Trick scoffs. “You fucking love us.”
