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That roused a collective chuckle. No one would put it past Bodie to do just that.
Braun exited the room, and it took a few moments before anyone spoke.
Flopping back into his seat, Loki scrubbed his hands over his face. "Okay, so things aren't as bad as originally thought, is that what they're saying? There's a problem, but they're treating it. Bodie just needs to stay off her feet for the next six months."
"Not quite, Loki." Liam patted his friend's shoulder, then inclined his head. "If you'll excuse me for a minute."
Anarchy didn't know what to do with the tightness in her chest. Seeing strong men devastated by events out of their control was...unsettling. When Liam strode from the waiting area resembling an old man, his shoulders slumped and an aura of resignation hanging around him, she tried to wiggle off Jasper's lap to go comfort him.
"No, kitten. It's not for you to do," Jasper murmured in her ear. "Liam doesn't need you to see him like this; Atticus is already going after him."
That was true. The biggest Master of them all was hot on Liam's heels, a look of grim determination on his bearded face as he rounded the corner and disappeared. Archie could only hope Atticus knew what to say, because in all honesty, she didn't.
She settled back into Jasper and sipped her drink, cupping both hands around the can like a child.
"I need to go home and update Alicia." Connie rose and nodded at Jasper. "I'll be back by visiting time. Hopefully I can persuade Alicia to come with me, but..." She trailed off, closed her eyes. "If there are any changes while I'm gone, would you let me know?"
"Of course," Jasper agreed. "We won't be going anywhere."
"I'll go with you," Loki said suddenly, lurching up onto his feet. "If Alicia wants to come, there's no sense in you trying to deal with her and the wheelchair by yourself, Con," he added when Connie tried to protest. "Nerves are fraught, and Alicia can be difficult when she wants to be. No point in fighting when you don't have to."
"Guess I can use the company." Connie smiled at Jasper. "No kinky business in the waiting area, Jasper, now we're leaving you two alone."
"Please," he drawled. "There's a perfectly private janitor's closet just down the hall."
Archie choked on her drink, then twisted to gape at him. The three remaining Dominants laughed at her no doubt outraged expression until Jasper flicked the tip of her nose. She stuck her tongue out at him, then squealed when he pinched her thigh. Her pussy melted as soon as she felt his cock stir in interest.
"That's our cue to leave, Loki." Connie laughed again, then slipped her hand into the crook of her escort's arm as they walked out.
The room fell quiet and Archie relaxed against Jasper. They'd had moments like this last time, where it was just her and him. Those had been the times she'd felt truly connected to him, building the bond between them. It was a little surreal to be cuddled on his lap now, safe in his arms. "I feel like I should be kneeling at your feet with my cheek pressed against your thigh."
"You don't like sitting on my lap?"
"It feels a little weird," she admitted, feeling herself blush. "But this is the only place I want to be. The foundations of the group have been shaken, haven't they? All the big, strong Doms with a soft spot for the sick submissive...none of you know what to do. Braun's a wreck, Liam's lost...and then there's you. Calm and quiet, solid as a rock, with all the turmoil hidden beneath. It doesn't seem to matter what goes on around you, you just slide through it until you get to the other side."
Jasper pressed his face into her hair. "I slide through it because of you, Archie. Last year when Bodie almost died and every minute could have been the one where Braun lost the love of his life, you were there. I'm calm because I don't know how else to be. I...shit, this isn't the time or place to get into this," he muttered. "I have secrets. Telling you will put you in harm's way."
Setting the drink on the chair beside them, she stroked his arm. "It's okay, I can guess."
"If you could, I'd be impressed. I'd rather learn more about you, kitten. For all the time we've spent together, I know pitifully little about you."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, there's not that much to know. I'm twenty-five, I create the graphics for advertising campaigns, and I live by myself."
"Oh, there's more than that. What about your parents, your family?"
Archie pursed her lips. "You want the deep stuff, huh? Okay. I'm an only child. My mom wanted more kids, but I guess life happened. Dad lost his job, struggled to find another. He's a smart man, but he can be...awkward in his opinions. A lot of the time, it's his way or no way. They made ends meet until I was ten, then mom got sick. Really sick. Ovarian cancer, which spread to several vital organs faster than expected. We lost her within three months of the diagnosis." She felt him stiffen beneath her, then his arms tightened subtly around her waist. Before he could say the standard I'm sorry for your loss, she continued. "There was a life insurance policy. It covered the medical bills, the outstanding debts, and there was enough to make dad comfortable for the rest of his life if he spent it wisely."
"Your dad? Not you?"
She didn't like digging up her past. She rarely thought about it, had buried it deep enough she didn't have to unless someone poked their fingers into it. "Dad didn't want to be saddled with a prepubescentchild. He got drunk one night and ranted about how he hadn't loved my mom for a long time, had been waiting for the opportunity to leave. She'd spoiled that by getting sick, then made his day when she died. I was shipped off to my maternal grandmother in Florida, and he...well, he sold our house in Alabama, took off for New York. Last I heard, he'd remarried, and I have a couple of half-siblings I've never met. Hell, I don't even know their names."
"Whoa, whoa, back up there. One, your dad is an absolute asshole, just for the record. Sounds like you and your mom deserved better than what you got stuck with." Jasper's tone was sharp with outrage. "Two, I'm sorry you've gone through so much shit, kitten. Especially losing your mom that way. That must have been rough, losing both parents at such a young age."
"Grandma made up for it. She threw herself back into being a parent as though it hadn't been twenty years since there'd last been a kid in her house." The memory made her smile. It might have been a touch melancholy, but it was a smile, nonetheless.
"I'm sure she did. Three," he added with an incredulous edge to his voice, "you're from Alabama?"
"Mmm-hmm. Born and raised in Atmore for the first ten years of my life, Sir." For fun, she let her true accent flavor her words, relishing the way they felt on her tongue. It had been years since she'd used her southern charms, so she was pleased to discover she still had them. "Is that such a surprise?"
