Chapter 32 #2
He waits for me to give him a nod before he approaches me like I’m a wild animal. I can’t say I blame him. I’m feeling more than a little feral right now.
When he scoops me up, he tugs me against his chest and hurries us out of the mausoleum. I suck in deep lungfuls of clean damp air.
“I’m going to carry you down to my truck. I’ve got a bottle of water in there I want you to drink for me.”
I nod and rest my head against his shoulder when it starts to feel too heavy for me to hold up.
When we reach the truck, he lowers the tailgate and sits me on it before shrugging out of his shirt.
He places it around my shoulders before retrieving the bottle of water from the cab.
He cracks the lid and I just stare at it for a moment, wondering if it’s safe to drink.
He makes a noise, making me jump, my eyes hitting his.
He’s wearing an expression I’ve never seen before, but it’s almost painful to look at. He seems so distraught. Do I look that bad?
“It’s not drugged, Sorrow. It’s just water.”
I take it. Wade knows where I am and who I’m with, so it would be silly for Stephenson to try something now. I drink it down, wincing at how painful it is to swallow. The water is warm, like it’s been sitting in the truck all day, but it’s the best water I’ve ever had.
I’m just finishing when I hear the sound of multiple vehicles approaching and the squeal of tires on the damp road. It must have rained while I was inside the mausoleum. I hand the empty bottle to Stephenson, my eyes fixed on Banner’s truck as the door opens and he climbs out.
I try to hop off the tailgate, but Stephenson stops me. It’s just as well because Banner is on me before my feet even reach the ground.
His arms wrap around me as he curses. “Thank fuck.”
I whimper, the smell of everything that’s him making me finally feel safe. But now that the adrenaline is wearing off, I hurt.
“Careful, Banner. I think her wrist is broken. I was just going to look her over when you got here,” Stephenson tells him quietly.
Banner pulls back and cups my face, his thumbs gliding over my cheekbones as he takes me in. “Fuck, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
“Me too,” I admit. The sound of my broken voice makes him tense as his gaze moves over me in a more assessing way than it did before.
“Talk to me, baby.”
I blow out a shaky breath as Banner gently lifts my arm and examines it with a tight jaw. I look just behind him when I see Blake and Kellen approach.
“Hey, Sorrow, sure is good to see you.” Kellen winks as Blake’s jaw gets tight, his eyes on my wrist.
“It’s good to be seen. I wasn’t sure anyone was going to find me.”
“I would never stop looking for you, you hear me, Sorrow? Never,” Banner tells me firmly before looking to Blake. “Wrist is likely broken.”
“Ambulance is on its way,” Stephenson says, drawing Banner’s attention.
“How did you know where to find her?”
“A hunch. I should have called it in, but I wasn’t sure anyone would listen to me. And I guess I just really wanted to be fucking wrong.”
“You can explain that more in a minute,” Banner snaps at him before softening his voice and looking back to me. “Where else are you hurt, baby?”
I reach behind me and grimace when I touch the back of my head. “I hit my head on Alec’s gravestone, and when I woke up, I was in the mausoleum.”
I bite my lip, hard enough to taste blood, as I picture myself back in the darkness.
“Hey, you’re okay. You’re here with me, Blake, and Kellen. We’re not going anywhere. Hell, you’ll be lucky if I let you out of my sight before you turn eighty.”
“Sounds good to me,” I whisper.
The sound of sirens approaching has us all turning. It’s all systems go after that. I’m gently bundled into the back of the ambulance. Banner, not taking no for an answer, rides along with me.
This time when I’m taken in, I’m treated so differently from the previous times that I don’t know what to do with myself. I needn’t have worried. Banner sits beside my bed, barking orders like he’s a doctor himself. The only time he leaves me—because he’s forced to—is when I’m sent for x-rays.
After it’s confirmed that my wrist is indeed broken, I’m given a purple cast and sent back to my room, which is now teaming with people.
“I know you’re all worried about Miss Wells, but try and keep the noise down or I’ll kick you all out.” The five-foot-nothing pretty nurse faces off against Kellen and Blake.
Kellen bristles but Blake shakes his head at him.
“We’ll keep the noise down,” Blake answers as the nurse nods and leaves the room.
“How you feeling, baby?” Banner asks me as he kisses the back of my hand.
“Okay. Maybe a little shocky. The painkillers helped with my head and wrist though.”
“You ready to walk us through what happened?”
Before I can answer, there is a knock at the door. Kellen walks over and opens it, revealing a somber-looking Wade. He walks over to me and gives me a gentle hug before pulling back. Something about the look on his face sets me on edge.
“How you feeling?”
“I’m okay, Wade. Or I will be.”
“You good with me taking your statement? I can come back if you need me to.”
“It’s okay. I was just going to tell these guys what happened, so I may as well tell you all at once. Did someone let Katy know I am okay?”
Blake is the one to answer this time. “Yeah, we got the news out. Everyone was relieved as fuck to hear it.”
“Everyone?”
“Everyone. The whole of Tempest turned out to look for you.”
“Really?” I whisper, feeling tears prick my eyes.
Blake’s whole face softens. “Yeah, sweetheart. Everyone was really worried about you.”
“Katy is with Olivia. Marcus will bring her over to see you once we’re done here, okay?” Wade says, pulling out a pad and pen. “You ready?”
I blow out a fortifying breath. “I’m ready.”