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“I don’t think it’s wise for you to stay here right now,” I hear someone saying.
I hold still in Drex’s arms as his grip tightens.
“I don’t give a fuck what you think is wise,” Drex growls.
Herrin. That other voice is his father’s.
My mind races as I try to take in the sights I can see without moving. Sarah’s eyes meet mine, and at the same time, I realize the sterile, white room I’m in is a hospital. And Drex is in my hospital bed with me.
Sarah looks away, feigning boredom—probably for Herrin’s sake.
My head is killing me. My mouth isn’t so dry, but it isn’t exactly normal either. My hand… my hand hurts. It takes a second to realize there’s still a needle in it… No. That’s a new needle.
“She has a target on her.” Herrin’s loud, booming voice snaps me out of my own inner appraisal. “You’ve already been here for over eighteen hours.”
Eighteen hours?
“The fact she has a target on her is why I’m not going anywhere. I’d be dealing with the actual problem right now if not for that. I’m not fucking leaving her until she can get out of this place.”
Drex’s lips brush against the top of my head, but I remain still, not letting him know I’m awake. I don’t want Herrin in here, and I hope Drex gets him out.
“Take her back to the warehouse if you’re so insistent on keeping her with you. Be fucking smart about it,” Herrin snaps.
Drex stiffens under me, and I almost feel the cold glare he’s shooting his father without having to see it.
“When the doctor says it’s safe for her to leave, then we’ll leave. Until then, get the fuck out of her room. Last I checked, you withheld a tip, and I almost died. Don’t act like you give a fuck about me now. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, there’s a small army camping out in the hallway. I’m covered here, Pop. You just worry about you. That’s what you do best.”
Something shatters, causing me to startle ever so slightly, and Drex tenses again as his arms tighten around me.
“Damn it! Stop talking to me like you’ve forgotten who I am, or I will remind you.”
A chill runs down my spine as the temperature in the room seems to plummet. Drex slowly kisses my head again, and he gently moves me aside as he stands. Obviously I continue to pretend to still be asleep, actually closing my eyes again.
He’s leaving? No. I don’t want him to leave me with—
“Feel free to start reminding me,” Drex says with an eerie tone that borders on resembling a psycho taunting a rabid dog. “I’ll let you take the first swing out of respect.”
He spits out that last word, and I open my eyes again, keeping them focused on Sarah instead of turning around to see the showdown. Sarah’s eyes meet mine again, and she scoots a little closer.
“This is the last time you disrespect me,” Herrin snarls, but a few seconds later, I hear a door slam.
“Find the doctor,” Drex tells someone. “She’s awake.”
I realize the charade is up, so I slowly turn around to see Drex’s back as Axle nods and walks out. My stomach clenches when the door opens to reveal a hallway full of Death Dealers.
As soon as the door shuts, Snake stands and motions with his head for Sarah.
“We’ll be just outside the door if you need us,” he tells Drex.
Drex’s back is still to me, and I watch as Sarah walks around, patting my foot on her way by. Snake’s arm drops to her shoulders as he leads her out, and I wait for the man who saved me to turn around.
He had to have saved me. There’s no way Ben brought me here and called him. That’s for damn sure.
I try to say his name, but my throat is too sore, so the words die before a sound can be made. Drex runs his hand through his hair, still staring at the door like he doesn’t want to face me.
I guess he saved me but that doesn’t mean we’re us again.
My mistake, I think dryly.
Trying to sit up proves to be a pain in the ass, and air hisses between my teeth when the motion tugs my IV too hard. In the next breath, Drex is right in front of me, looking me over to see why I just made a sound.
Holy shit, he looks like he hasn’t slept at all.
His eyes are tired as he examines me, and his touch is almost too gentle… as though he’s worried I’ll break. I don’t think I will. I feel a hell of a lot better than I did in that basement. I can actually hold my own head up, even if it does feel like someone is trying to drill a hole through it.
