“What?” She asked after a while.
“Ummm, I was just telling him that Silas wanted a word with him in the hallway,” I said.
Sebastian gave my shoulder a squeeze and walked over to his wife, giving her a soft kiss on the lips.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he rumbled against her lips.
I blushed and averted my eyes, looking out the hospital room’s window instead of at the sight before me as I waited for them to finish.
“You can look now,” Baylee said with amusement.
I looked up to find the room empty, and the door closing softly behind me.
I blushed once again.
“Sorry,” I said, dumping my bag onto the chair at the side of her bed.
She smiled and held out her hand.
I took it.
“Thanks,” Baylee whispered. “It must’ve been a rock or something. It’s happened before, and I didn’t realize I was bleeding at all then, either.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “I kind of guessed you had a bad deal with this disease, but this was insane. You’re so freakin’ lucky, Baylee!”
She was, too!
Had I not seen her, she would’ve fallen right off the back of Sebastian’s bike!
“Thanks to you,” she said softly.
I patted her hand.
“Just don’t make me have to do that again, it scared the snot out of me,” I admitted.
“Baylee,” a man’s voice said from the doorway. “I swear to God, I can’t take my eyes off of you anymore without you getting into some kind of trouble.”
I blinked and turned to the blond giant wearing a SWAT shirt and black pants.
My mouth dropped open.
He was gorgeous!
Like, unbelievably so!
“Sawyer Berry, my brother, Luke Shithead Roberts,” Baylee said dryly.
I snorted, and then covered my mouth when the giant’s eyes turned to me.
“You her?” He asked.
“Am I her, what?” I wondered aloud.
“The girl that saved my sister,” Luke said like I was dumb for even asking.
I shrugged, not saying anything.
“Let me know if you ever need anything and I’m there. This little turd means the world to me,” Luke said. “Your man said he wanted you.”
I blinked. “My man?”
My brain was fried, because I should’ve known he meant Silas.
I just hadn’t heard him referred to as ‘my man’ before.
“Silas…you know, the old dude with the beard that wears the president patch on his vest?” He teased.
I blinked. “Oh, yeah.”
He snorted. “Said he’d be waiting for you out front.”
Nodding, I leaned down and gave Baylee another hug.
“Take care of yourself,” I whispered. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Baylee squeezed me extra tight and said, “Thank you, again, Sawyer.”
I nodded and patted her hand. “I’ll send the next visitor in.”
“Tell whoever it is to bring me a coke!” She ordered as I got to the door.
I gave her a thumb’s up and walked down the hall to the waiting room where the rest of the group was camped out.
My eyes went to the first person I saw, which happened to be Adeline.
“She wants whomever goes in next to bring her a coke,” I said to her.
Adeline smiled. “I’ll take that as my cue to go get her something, thanks.”
Nodding, I walked to the door waving at all of them.
“I’ll see y’all later,” I said.
The women waved back, but the men all got up and hugged me, one by one, leaving me stunned.
“You’re one of us now,” Trance said.
“Thank you,” Kettle was next.
“You’re welcome,” I said, blushing furiously once again.
I was pretty sure I’d done that no less than ten times tonight.
If not more.
“You’re a good kid,” the one with the slashed throat said, whose name escaped me.
“Thanks,” I whispered, backing up until my back hit the elevator doors.
“Take care of yourself,” the final one said, I think his name was Torren.
But I’d learned so many names tonight, that I wasn’t quite sure.
So I said a vague, “See you later,” to the group as a whole and disappeared into the elevator.
When the door’s closed, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Not because I was glad to go, but because I was glad to not have their thanks anymore.
I’d done what anybody would’ve done…right?
Apparently, though, that wasn’t the case for the Dixie Wardens.
Tonight I’d earned my right to be at Silas’ side, and I just didn’t realize it yet.
Chapter 16
There’s a special place in hell for men that fuck with women. And you’ll be meeting that dark little corner of the universe as fast as my bare hands can get you there.
-Silas’ secret thoughts
Silas
I wanted to kill someone.
Preferably with my bare hands.
As I sat in the darkness listening to Sawyer have yet another nightmare, I was torn.
It’d been a week since I’d gone down to Huntsville and watched as the guards that’d tortured Sawyer for years get arrested.
And I’d told her last night that all four of them had been let out on bail.