“We took care of them,” he says before I finish.
“Oh.” I nod my head. The pounding behind my eyes increases and I groan. I don’t bother asking what he saw or how I ended up in new clothes. I feel humiliated enough.
“Lexi, they didn’t—they didn’t finish. We caught them before it happened. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I thought you should know that. I’m so very sorry. I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you, for missing Alyssa. I wish I could change that. I do.” His kind eyes plead for forgiveness as he talks.
“Cole, I don’t blame you. It’s not your fault that this place warps people.” I comfort him when I feel like a shipwreck, aimlessly navigating the waters. “You tried to warn me.” What an idiot I was for not listening to him and then ignoring Sutton and Ben.
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better, but I don’t. This whole mess is my fault. When I got those orders, everything within me fought against leaving. And now, look at you.” Yeah, that makes me feel better.
“Will you get into trouble?” I don’t want him to grovel anymore.
“I don’t think so. No one knows but Sutton. He helped me take care of the bodies so I doubt anyone will find out,” he says with confidence.
“Won’t the other guards notice?”
“They’ll notice, but they’ll never know. The back stairs aren’t monitored, so they can only guess what happened and with all the violence in the Hole, it’s nothing new. Anyway, I’m betting most of the guards will assume those guys took off,” he says.
“That’s good,” I mumble, staring toward the window.
“How are you feeling? Forget about me.” He leans closer, taking my limp hands into his strong warm grip.
“I hurt,” is all I can say to describe my physical and emotional pain.
“God, I’m sorry…” he says, his eyes downcast. “If I could rewind time I would—” I cover his mouth with my hand to silence him.
“Cole, I’m only here because of you and Zeus. It just might take me some time to heal.” If I ever heal from this.
Someone knocks softly on the door and Cole hurries to answer it. Sutton drops a chart and it clatters to the ground when he sees me. The noise rattles my brain and I close my eyes. I’m sure my injuries look worse than they feel, which is pretty bad.
His hair reminds me of a bird’s nest. His clothes are as wrinkled as a rippled potato chip and his glasses slip sideways off his nose. Something is seriously wrong with this man.
“My God, am I glad to see you’re awake,” Sutton says as he sits down beside me.
“Oh, Sutton, I’m so sorry. I should’ve listened to you.”
Sutton grabs my hand and I blink back my tears. Without warning, Cole slams his chair back and leaves the room. His exit confuses me, but I focus on Sutton. His face brings me comfort.
“You’re safe now and that’s all that matters. No one is to blame here, especially you. Cole is very angry with himself, and the sight of you tore him to shreds. Of course… he blames himself. That’s who he is. Just give him time and don’t worry about him. You need to worry about recovering now anyway,” Sutton says as if reading my mind. “You took quite the beating. You cracked your skull, and I had to clean out some bone fragments. Sorry about shaving your hair. There was no way around that. I had to clean the wound and then I stapled you shut. You need to take antibiotics for ten days to help insure no infection sets in. Other than that, you’ll heal just fine, my dear.” I know he’s witnessed worse crimes in the Hole, but his face shows genuine concern. He adjusts the pillow behind me and leans me forward to assess the rest of my injuries.
He pushes the chair away from Zeus and it dawns on me—Zeus didn’t follow Cole. He stayed with me. This dog has officially won me over.
I reach my hand toward the end of the bed and feel Zeus’s wet tongue meet my fingers. I take my arm away and pat the spot next to me. Zeus crawls up next to me and lies against my side. His body takes over half the space on the bed, but I don’t mind. Sutton’s eyes almost bug out of his head.
“Uhhh, I’m not sure that’s the best idea.” I raise my eyebrows at him in a challenge and he lets it go without saying anything more. He leans over and squeezes my shoulders.
“You shouldn’t go anywhere without Cole. Is that clear, young lady? When Cole trains, I’ll arrange to have another guard that I personally trust to monitor your safety.”
“What about work? How will you explain my disappearance for a week?”
“I’ll forge the paperwork. It’s not the first time and won’t be the last time. Trust me,” he says.