Chapter 4 #2
"Let him go," Lake backed me up. "I'll stay here and watch over Beasty.
Hopefully now that Kim's up, it's a good sign that she'll be awake soon too.
" He settled into a chair and started watching something on the phone.
If I knew Lake, it was whatever footage we'd been able to recover.
He'd watch it a million times until he was sure he'd exhausted any possible information he could pull from it.
"We brought you a set of clothes. They're on the chair.
" He pointed to the chair in the corner.
Then to Joaquin, Lake said, “Guy brought your car. It’s parked next to mine.”
I changed in the bathroom, and when I came back out, Atlas held Joaquin by the back of the neck.
"Text me when you get there and when you leave to come back." Atlas leveled an intense glare on Joaquin. "And take half the detail we have outside."
There was no argument as Joaquin jerked his head down in agreement and opened the door. He glanced up and down the hallway before stepping out and walking toward the double doors. I caught up to him as a nurse pushed a cart of food past us.
"What do you bet that was your dinner?" Joaquin mused.
"I'm not eating that." I shook my head, waiting for any sign that I wasn't fully recovered, but so far, I felt okay. "What were you looking for? Are we not safe here?"
Joaquin scoffed. "As if we'd let you two recover where you weren't safe. I was looking for Parker and his brother," he lowered his voice to a near whisper.
I glanced back. "They were here?"
"Yes, but they left sometime last night. I haven't seen them since." There was a tremor in his voice.
"What happened in the office?" I held up a hand. "No, don't tell me until we get home." Who knew what listening devices there could be in the hospital. The car was suspect too and I didn't want to take any chances.
"Good call," he muttered as he pushed the button to the door and waited for them to open.
The ride to the house was quiet, as if Joaquin had the same fears I had. He drove slowly, but that was more so the detail in front and behind us could take care of any threats.
At our place, Joaquin turned off the car and for a few seconds, we just sat there. Our house looked the same, yet it seemed massive, and empty. Which it was, but there was a vastness to it that I'd never noticed before.
I was the first to get out, but I had to wait for Joaquin to unlock the front door. Which he locked as soon as we stepped inside.
I peeked out the window. One of the security cars parked to the side, ready to intercept any attacks. The other had parked outside our wall and was guarding the perimeter on foot.
It was excessive, but it needed to be.
Finally able to relax, I started up the stairs at a light jog. "What happened in the office?" I called, but there wasn't any need. Joaquin was right on my heels.
He laughed, the sound high and raspy. "I made a wager with Parker. Long story short, he lost, and that forfeited his stake and investment into Snatched."
I stopped and Joaquin barreled into my back.
"Do we need to run?" Between all the threats after us, we couldn't escape those and the Bastard Brothers. A chill walked its way down my spine.
"No, at least not yet." He walked around me and opened Beasty's door. He stood there in the frame. "I think we're allies, and Gio going off the rails helps…But only time will tell."
I swallowed.
"That's not alarming at all." I headed straight toward Quilliam's enclosure as Joaquin opened drawers.
"What does this little fucker eat? I've never seen her feed him."
"Me either." I frowned. Why didn't we know how to take care of her pet? And why was his enclosure so…compact?
The little thing was out roaming his space without a care in the world. He had water from a dropper like thing.
That was helpful.
So we only needed food. What did hedgehogs eat?
"Found it!" Joaquin grinned, holding up a canister. "I think." He furrowed his brow and started reading the instructions.
"We only need to give him enough to make it until Beasty wakes up. Then we can get all the details and buy Quilliam an enclosure fit for a king." I tapped the glass. He lifted his little nose and it wiggled as he sniffed at me.
He was a cute little thing.
Joaquin bent down to study him. As soon as he saw Joaquin, he curled up into a ball.
"Hey, that's not fair, why does he like you?"
I smiled. Who didn't like me? But I didn't say that.
"I already promised Beasty I'd get him a better house. Sorry,” Joaquin sneered, jealous of a hedgehog.
I scoffed, enjoying how normal the conversation felt, even if it couldn't last. "You're taking too long. I'm the shopper and this is now my problem. Not that you’re a problem," I cooed and the little guy peeked at me.
"I swear, Kim. If you go around me, I'll—"
His phone chimed. Which reminded me, where was mine?
His face blanched. "There was an incident at the hospital. We need to go back."
Oh, no.
The old Kim, the one I detested, rose to the surface. But I pushed him down. I wouldn't lose Beasty. I couldn't.