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“I’m sorry,” Zane said, looking down at his feet.
“For what? Having the courage to finally ask for help? Don’t you ever be sorry, Zane,” Mrs. Giordano said fiercely. “None of you could help what happened to you.”
“You boys are all pretty amazing for finding a way to escape and survive,” Mr. Giordano growled.
“Zane was the one who came up with the plan,” Lex said, his voice sounding hoarse. “I don’t think any of us would have ever made it out of there without Zane.”
Mrs. Giordano stood. “I think we can continue this conversation later, after you’ve all been checked out by the doctor. How would you guys like to pick out a room where all of you can stay?”
“Really?” Lex asked.
“Sure. I think I know which one you guys would like best though for now. Plus, you’d all have some extra space,” Mrs. Giordano answered, grinning as she winked at Izzy. “What do you say, Izz?”
“You want to put them in my attic space?” Izzy asked excitedly.
“As long as you don’t mind?” Mrs. Giordano asked.
“Of course not. I’m not ready to move up there yet. We still haven’t decided on the furniture or the colors we’re going to paint it eventually. Besides, Amy still needs me,” Izzy admitted.
“We can sleep anywhere,” Lex confessed.
“And you probably have since you’ve been on the run,” Harry said, rolling his eyes.
“We won’t even get into that,” Zane agreed, grimacing.
Harry stood, still looking at Zane. “Come on. We’ll leave Caleb down here with Amy for now. Izzy probably wants to instruct us on where to move some of the spare mattresses into her future space before we make up the beds. You and Lex can help with that. Luckily, lots of furniture and extra mattresses are stored on the same floor at the end of the hallway.”
“Okay,” Mr. Giordano said. “We’ll give you guys a buzz as soon as lunch is ready.”
Zane turned as Harry started to lead them from the solarium into the hallway so they could walk up the wide wooden staircase. “No matter what happens, I just wanted to say thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Giordano.”
Lex turned back too. “I can’t believe that you’re trusting us like this.”
“Since Harry and Izzy do, that’s all the reassurance we need,” Mr. Giordano replied, winking. “Besides, I’m sure that Harry’s already warned you that we’ll probably research your pasts. Discreetly of course, so that we can do everything we can to keep all of you safe.”
Izzy looked away as Zane and Lex turned back to Harry. Obviously, it was so they wouldn’t feel embarrassed since both of them had tears in their eyes.
Chapter Two
Since Lex and Zane apparently looked as tired as they felt, Izzy sped up the mattress hauling, directing Harry to place them in specific locations throughout the room. Lex’s twin mattress went where Izzy would someday have her bed, while Caleb’s was placed nearby, with a space left between for a table or nightstand. Since Zane appreciated the view, she had them set up his bed closer to the window and against the wall.
As each mattress was brought into the room, Izzy just made up the beds herself. There appeared to be plenty of waterproof protectors and bedding since the sheets would have to be switched out daily and kept scrupulously clean for at least a week until everyone was debugged. Lex had already promised to help with that.
“Thank you,” Zane said gruffly, giving Izzy a fist bump once they were finished.
Lex was still pretty amazed at how well Zane seemed to be getting along with Izzy. Of course, he’d never really been around Zane when there were girls in the picture so maybe it just came natural for him.
“We can bring in a couple dressers and a few more nightstands tomorrow to store your things. It won’t take long,” Izzy replied. “You guys should probably just go get your stuff from the hideaway.”
“All the things we have are in the bags we left there, so there isn’t much,” Zane admitted.
“I locked the door when we left this morning,” Harry reassured him.
“Good. Then we won’t worry about it until later,” Izzy said.
Caleb’s voice suddenly echoed through the air. “Lunch is almost ready.”
Zane blinked and then grinned. “It sounds like he’s in the next room. Is there an intercom somewhere in the hallway?”
