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She no longer fought me, but her breathing was harsh and she wouldn’t stop shaking. No matter how close I had her against me, the shaking wouldn’t ease.
Seeing her like this . . . it broke me. It was like she crawled inside me and was slashing at my insides.
It felt like hours before Ream burst through the door. I briefly caught a glimpse of Kat in the doorway with Kite talking to her, but neither came in.
Ream’s expression said more than any words could—devastation. His eyes glassy with tears, brows creased together, and his skin colorless. Our eyes met and he nodded.
It was a thank you. And I suspected as he looked at his sister trembling in my arms that he needed a moment before he could speak.
He sat on the edge of the bed and I went to move to let him take over, but he shook his head. “No. Don’t move her.” He ran his hand back and forth over his head. “How bad?”
“Bad, man.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. “Kat has something like valium for when her symptoms act up. It’s safe.”
Kite opened the door. “Security had two complaints about a girl screaming and police are on their way.”
“Shit,” I said. “They see her. The blood . . . Ream . . .”
“Yeah, I know. I know.” He got up, reached into his pocket and passed me a pill. “Put it under her tongue. I’ll call Luke and see if he can do anything about the cops.”
“Already done,” Kite said. “Luke is on his way.” He walked over to the dresser and grabbed a t-shirt from a top drawer. “Put this on.” He passed it to me then helped me out of my ripped bloodstained one without shifting Haven around too much. She complained a bit, but she was pretty much half-asleep now.
Ream took my shirt and tossed it into the closet. “Okay.” He glanced at me and then at Kite. “Let’s deal with this. No one takes her out of here. You get me?”
Kite and I both nodded and I knew what he was saying. Do everything and anything to make certain Haven was kept clear of this. Ream would never risk her being taken away again. To him and his sister, a hospital was what had destroyed them.
Not that we could stop the police if they insisted on a hospital, but we’d lie and use our influence any way we could to make sure it didn’t happen. They’d need a warrant to search the place and there was no question Ream would insist on that. “Take the rope off, for fuck’s sake,” I told Kite before he had a chance to leave.
“Fuck.” He quickly untied the ropes on the bedposts and tucked them away in a drawer.
Then they both walked out to handle the situation.
It was only ten minutes later when the door opened again. I expected Ream or Kite, not Logan. “Hey.”
And this was what we were—family.
There would’ve been no question Kite or Ream would’ve called him. I would’ve, too, if I was thinking straight. I was pretty sure Emily was here, too.
He strode over to the bed and looked at Haven sleeping in my arms. He put his hand on her head and lightly stroked. “Shit,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he met my eyes. “You okay?”
“I’m not sure. But I have to be for her.” Whatever was fucking with my head was being put in a jar and sealed tight, because Haven needed me to be her strength.
“You up for this?” Logan asked.
If it involved Haven, I was up for it. “Yeah.”
He pulled his hand away. “Ream’s going to want to shelter her. He isn’t thinking straight. He lost her once and he won’t lose his sister again.”
Yeah, he was going to want her back at the farm. I had no clue about this stuff, but hiding her away was not the way to go. “I’m not letting her go.”
Logan half-smiled. “No, I suspect not. I’m behind you and so is Kite. Ream is just scared, but he also saw you with her. I think it’s hit him that she trusts you.”
I glanced down at the vulnerable girl in my arms. Yeah, she did. And for Haven, I knew that was huge. “Logan.” I had to tell him. “Bad timing, but that chick texted me. At least I think it’s her.”
“Luke know?”
“I told Roman tonight.” And he would tell Luke, so I was sure they were already trying to locate her. She’d managed to get my cell number and that meant this was escalating. Fuck, not good. It was never a good time, but I didn’t worry about shit like that. Now I did because I didn’t want Haven affected by my shit.
“I’ll talk to him. See what he’s found out.” He nodded to Haven. “You look after her. The police are gone. Kite told them it was the girl, Lena, screaming because you kicked her out and she’d made one hell of a show leaving the building. Luke had the lobby security video and verified. The police didn’t file a report. Just a disturbance.” Logan had this God-like aura about him, part of the reason why he rocked the stage so well; he owned it. He was steady and confident, and the only time he lost his cool was when he was fighting to get his girl, Emily, back.
I called out to him before he walked out the door, “She’s going to be okay, right?” Logan knew about bad. His mother had been a sex slave to Logan’s father in Mexico.
Logan frowned, his hand on the doorknob. “I don’t know. Depends on her.” He nodded to me. “You’re good for her. And Ream knows it, too. He’s just ignored it until tonight.”
After Logan left, I watched Haven sleep for a long time, until I finally drifted off.
I woke with my arms cramped and tingling from being in the same position underneath her shoulders for hours. I gently lifted Haven from my arms and she didn’t wake, which I was guessing was partially due to the pill. Careful not to disturb her, I crawled out of bed, grabbed a grey throw blanket up on the shelf of the closet and laid it on top of her. I leaned over and kissed her temple then quietly left the room.
