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“His name isn’t Samuel,” Owen said. “The guy who framed Rueben goes by Brother Quinton, and he slipped and referred to Samuel as Mick once.”
Keegan swayed sideways into Owen again.
“Keegan stole a knife and slashed their tires so they couldn’t follow him. Thinks they won’t know he’s gone until morning.”
“We need to get you inside, Keegan,” Nick said.
“I don’t have money,” the young man replied.
“I do,” Cash said.
Nick turned and found Cash and Rueben behind him. He hadn’t heard them approach.
“Rue!” Owen and Tyler called out.
They rushed to hug their friend while Cash and Nick helped Keegan out of the truck. He wobbled between them when his legs struggled to hold him upright.
“We’ve got you, Keegan,” Cash soothed as he held the younger man close. “Everything will be okay now.”
Rueben snagged a wheelchair out of the ER and wheeled it over.
“Sit down before you fall down, Kee,” Rue said gently.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Keegan managed when Nick and Cash eased him down in the chair.
Rue kneeled down in front of Keegan and took both his hands. “I heard what you said. You were very brave.”
Nick got out his phone again to call Burke when the man in question pulled up outside the ER.
“We called him on the way in,” Tyler said. “Don’t worry. We told the nice dispatch lady about Salvation Anew listening to the police scanner. She said she’d call his cell phone instead.”
Burke jogged over and stopped when he saw Rueben and Keegan with clasped hands. “Replaced me already?”
Rueben smiled up at him. “Not a chance.” He introduced Burke to Keegan as his future husband, and he introduce Keegan to Burke as the witness that will put Salvation Anew away.
Burke gently shook Keegan’s hand. “You’re very brave. Let’s get you checked out first. Then we’ll talk some more.”
Cash sent Rueben home with Tyler and Owen and made them promise to text when they got there. The rest went back inside the emergency room.
Nick looped an arm around Cash’s neck. “You sure know how to show a guy a good time.”
Cash wrapped his arm around Nick’s waist. “This is almost over. I can feel it in my bones.”
Cash sat down beside the hospital bed and took Keegan’s hand. “I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’ll make sure you get whatever medical treatment you need.” Cash didn’t just mean his physical injuries either. Those sadistic fucks had done a real number on Keegan’s psyche, and Cash wouldn’t stop until he was whole again.
Tears welled in Keegan’s hazel eyes, and he shook his head. The young man opened his chapped lips to speak, but no words came out. Cash gently patted his shoulder but removed his hand when Keegan tensed under his touch. Mick and Quinton better hope Burke found them first. Cash didn’t trust himself to keep a lid on his temper or his hands to himself.
“None of this is your fault, Keegan,” he said. “I know it’s impossible to think so right now, but I promise you will believe it one day.”
Nick laid a hand on Cash’s shoulder and squeezed. “This man always keeps his promises.”
Keegan’s tears slipped down his face, leaving clean paths through the dirt smudging his skin. Cash pulled a few tissues from a box and gently dabbed at the tears. Keegan didn’t flinch away, but he kept weary eyes locked on Cash’s face. His dire condition meant he got medical attention right away. Dr. Rashid entered the room before Cash could say anything more about Keegan’s living arrangement after his discharge from the hospital.
She looked from Cash to Nick and Burke before shaking her head. “We don’t offer friends and family discounts, fellas.” Dr. Rashid’s attempt at humor died suddenly when she examined Keegan closer. He wasn’t coherent by that point, so Nick and Burke had to relay what they knew of his ordeal. Her kind eyes darkened with anger. She turned to Burke and said, “You are going to make his assailants pay, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Burke said. “But I need to get more information from Keegan before I can bring them to justice.”
Dr. Rashid shook her head. “Not in his condition, Sheriff. I don’t have to run a bunch of tests to recognize that he’s dehydrated, severely malnourished, and has suffered severe physical trauma. He’s in no condition physically or mentally to answer questions. Statements given in his present state aren’t admissible in court. A good defense attorney would have a field day over this.”
