This time, she held on as Hammer made a hard left, nearly screaming as she feared the SUV would flip over.
When Gavin’s own yell filled the car, Killyama tried to soothe him, murmuring softly to him and forgetting her headset was still on. Staring into his wild eyes with the night vision goggles now off, she tried to think of anything that would calm him.
“We have you, Gavin. You’re safe now.” She pushed back his greasy hair, telling him, “You know, you’re better looking than your brother Viper. I bet the women fought over you. Viper’s married and now has a baby girl since you were taken from him. He’s missed you every day. All of The Last Riders have. You just need to hang on a little longer until we can get you to a place where you’ll be safe. Can you do that for me?”
“Who … Who are you?” Gavin’s voice came out in a way that sounded like he didn’t know how to use it freely anymore.
“I’m Rae.”
“Take me back to my room. If they catch me, they’ll hurt you.”
“Sweetness, no one is stupid enough to mess with me. You’ll never go back to that room again—Viper will see to that. When he gets finished with the Road Demons, their club won’t even be standing.” She didn’t make the promise lightly. If Viper didn’t, she would.
She raised up slightly to reach for the baby wipes. Taking one, she used it wipe the dirt and grime off his face. “That feel better?”
She dropped the baby wipe when she saw his eyes start to roll.
“Gavin! Listen to me! Don’t you quit now. I’m still here. I’m not going to leave you, so you better not leave me!”
“W-Why? No one else came for me. No one.” His gravelly voice held a pain unlike anything she had ever heard before; a pain so deep and raw that only very few people on this earth could ever understand.
Killyama did something she didn’t even know she was capable of. She cried.
“No one knew. They thought you were dead. They all did. Viper and Ton still don’t know you’re alive. They wouldn’t have left you there if they had known. Not one day, not for one second. Sweetness, you weren’t left behind or forgotten.”
“Viper was mad at me. He … They all left me to die. Crash told me it was Viper’s punishment.”
“Crash lied. Viper would have killed everyone in there if he had known. There isn’t a man in the club who wouldn’t lay down their life for you.” Killyama rested her head against his shoulder, letting herself cry silently for the broken man lying under her. “Did you see Train and Shade? I should have taken a box of Kleenex inside with me, they were crying so hard.”
“They weren’t there—”
“Yes, they were. They were the ones crying in the corner.” She reached for another baby wipe to dry her face. “I was the only one not crying.”
“You’re crying now.”
“That’s because you stink.” She smiled in the dark before she felt Gavin trying to get out from under her. “Don’t move; you’re my Kleenex.”
“I’m sorry. They wouldn’t let me shower unless—”
She put her hand over his mouth, her tears falling harder. “You smell like a survivor, Gavin. Take a deep breath. You’re free. You’re free.”
She couldn’t hold back her sobs when he started crying, too. They tore through his chest.
“I … gave up.”
“You didn’t give up. You survived. You did what any good soldier would do. You did what you had to do to live. Don’t you dare talk about stinking or giving up, or I’ll kick your ass when we get out of this car!”
“Killyama!” Hammer’s voice came through the headset.
“What?”
“You can get up.”
“Okay.”
Realizing the headset was still on, she took it off as she climbed up onto the seat. Then she reached down to help Gavin sit beside her. He started heaving.
“Here, I have a barf bag. Hammer’s driving makes me puke, too.” She handed him a bag that was tucked into the back pocket of the passenger seat.
He didn’t vomit, but it was close.
Killyama pushed a button to lower the window.
“I thought I didn’t stink,” Gavin remarked when he saw what she was doing.
“I did that to give you some fresh air.”
Laying his head back, he turned to stare at her. “You’re lying.”
“A little.” She took his hand in the dark.
Hammer lowered his own window. “Good to see you, Reaper.”
Gavin didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His head had fallen to the side, resting on her shoulder.
“Reaper?” Jonas turned around in his seat to check on him.
“He passed out. Keep driving. The sooner we get to the Destructors’ clubhouse, the sooner we can take care of him. Stud will have sent someone for Dr. Price. He’ll be there by the time we get there.”
She didn’t try to move Gavin away from her, putting her arm around him so he could lie more comfortably.
He was still asleep when Hammer brought the SUV to a stop at the back door of the Destructors’ clubhouse.