Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kylie
“What day is it?” I asked, my question directed at the man sitting in the chair near the sliding door.
“Thursday. August twenty-fifth.”
I swallowed, the move painful.
My throat was dry.
My lips were, too, but they weren’t quite as cracked as they had been.
“Here,” a female voice said from somewhere on my right.
A moment later, a straw was placed on my lips.
“Go slow.”
My instinct was to guzzle the cold water, but I did as instructed, taking enough to soothe my throat and allow me to speak.
“You’re Kieran,” I told the man, the words coming out more of an accusation than a statement.
“I am.”
I continued to stare at him. “You’re related to Travis, aren’t you?”
His expression remained masked. “He’s my cousin.”
That didn’t surprise me. “What’s your last name?”
“Elliott.”
Immediately, it clicked. “Slade’s brother.”
He nodded. “One of them.”
Well, that explained why he was so familiar. He looked eerily similar to Slade in many ways.
“You put me in that shit hole.”
That was regret I saw in his gaze. He was lucky he’d shown even that little bit of emotion. Otherwise… well, I wasn’t sure what else I would’ve done. At the moment, talking was difficult enough.
I glanced at the woman standing at my bedside. “You helped him.”
Allison appeared contrite, but she offered no excuses as she set the glass on the table.
“Where am I?”
“A safe place.”
“Where are Travis and Gage?”
Neither of them answered as they traded glances.
“They don’t know I’m alive.”
Although I didn’t phrase it as a question, Allison confirmed with a gentle shake of her head.
“How long have I been here?”
“Two weeks.”
I peered around the room, taking in the scenery. It was a nice space. Neutral. Definitely homier than the shithole. The best part about it was the air-conditioning; plus, I had a soft mattress and a fluffy pillow under my head. The IV in my arm probably helped some, too.
“What’s in the IV?” I asked, lifting my right arm as though she needed a reference.
“Antibiotics and fluids.”
“You’re not drugging me?”
“The doctor prescribed pain medicine,” Allison confirmed.
“Is that why I’m sleepin’ so much?”
“Could be. Could be from healing.”
I tried to shift, attempting to sit up, but my entire body hurt.
“Stay still,” Allison said, lightly touching my arm. “The doctor is concerned about your leg.”
“What’s wrong with my leg?”
“It’s infected from where that shackle cut into you.”
Ah. That made sense.
“Where’re Travis and Gage?” I asked.
Allison’s gaze shifted and what looked like confusion creased her forehead.
“Is somethin’ wrong with them?”
“No.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“Because you already asked about them.”
I did? I didn’t remember that. Then again, my brain felt a little foggy. Maybe the drugs. Maybe the fact that I was so weak, I could hardly move my fingers.
I frowned. “Do they know where I am?”
She took a deep breath. “Not yet. It’s safer that way.”
“Safer for who?”
“Everyone.”
Feeling slightly panicked, I looked at Kieran, then back to Allison. “Why can’t I go home?”
Neither of them answered, so I narrowed my gaze, ensuring they saw my determination.
“I want to go home.”
“You will. I promise you, Kylie,” Allison said. “We’ll get you home. But right now, we need to lie low.”
My gaze skimmed over her face. “Why?”
“Martin is lookin’ for us.”
I shifted my attention to where Kieran was sitting in the far corner, then back to Allison. “All of us?”
She nodded. “We tried to convince him you were dead, but he insisted on seeing the body. We staged a picture, but I don’t think he believed us.”
“Since I’m not actually dead…”
“Exactly. But once you’re back on your feet, we’ll come up with a plan.”
“Does my family know?”
Allison shook her head. “We don’t want them to become targets.”
“But he threatened them,” I said, looking between both of them as I recalled one of the last conversations I had with Martin. “He said he was gonna kidnap my daughters.” I glared at Kieran. “He said you were gonna take Kate from school. Did you?”
“Of course not.”
I looked at Allison for confirmation.
“He didn’t.”
“I had to make him believe that I would,” Kieran explained. “It was the only way to keep them safe.”
“Are they? Safe?”
“For now, yes.”
“For now?” I tried to sit up, but Allison put her hand on my shoulder. “What do you mean for now?”
Kieran stood up. “We’ve got eyes on them. I promise we won’t let anything happen to them.”
I looked him in the eye, searching for something that would tell me he was trying to placate me. I saw only honesty. My eyes started to drift shut, the small amount of energy I’d expended too much for my overtaxed body.
“But once I’m back on my feet … I get to go home,” I muttered as I drifted off.