Jinx’s voice came through the speaker. “We can find a stop ahead. Maybe in Joliet?”
Miami’s richer tone came over the phone. “I’ll call Coleman. He has all the hookups.”
“Joliet isn’t far. We can get an Uber or rental car for you,” Jinx said.
“Do you think a rental is cheaper?” Miami asked.
“I don’t care,” I said. “I’ll pay for it. Let’s do what’s fastest.”
“Right…hold on.” There was a pause before Miami came back on the line. “Coleman says he has an Uber lined up. That’s fastest. Don’t worry about cost. The guy is meeting us at a gas station…two exits up.”
“Thank you.” I grabbed Kay, who was hovering, and hugged him. “I’ll go see him and keep you posted. I promise.”
“Not fair…” he mumbled into my shoulder. “I…I…”
“Hey. It’s going to be alright.” Joe stood and rubbed Kay’s back. “It’s not hard to see how much you love Saxon and each other. But you’ve got each other’s backs, too.”
“Thank you.” I cuddled Kay in closer, since this was going to be hard on both of us. Joe was right, though. We hadn’t exchanged the words with Saxon, only each other, but both of us loved him already.
The team stopped the bus, pulling into the gas station they’d agreed on. Then the Uber driver took me back to Chicago. The Midway International was the closest airport, and Coleman had arranged a plane ticket. We didn’t have time to wait for their jet, but he had gotten me a first-class seat on the next flight out to LAX. I was glad for two points. One, that I didn’t have to drive that hour back to the city, and two, the first-class seats were more comfortable and easier to board. I was going to be tired as hell by the time I got to LA.
I called Saxon’s phone and spoke to Colten again, sharing the plan, on the drive to the airport. While I waited to board, I called again, wanting to speak with Saxon, but it was Colten who answered. “They gave him something to sleep. He’s out cold, man. Do you need a ride from the airport?”
“No. I already lined one up.” Actually, Coleman had done that, too. He was a godsend when it came to organizing things, especially on the fly. “I’m about to board now, though.” And as if by magic, they called for first-class boarding. “If he wakes up, let him know I’m on the way.” I wanted to say give him my love, but hell, I hadn’t said that to his face, yet, and that needed to happen first.
I got on board, settled in, and shot a text off to Kay.
Chapter twenty
Saxon
I hated being in the hospital, feeling like I was broken, the object of other people’s pity. That wasn’t me. That meant I was spitting angry at dumbass Colten for calling my boys. I didn’t want them here to see me at my lowest. I was supposed to be the strong daddy, supporting them. Not the other way around.
“Man, I should make a cast of your face to make a Halloween mask or something, you grumpy old man. Stop fucking scowling at me. Here.” Colten handed me a to-go cup of coffee from a shop outside—meaning not from the hospital. “This is better than the crap they give you.” He gave me a chin lift bro-greeting.
“Thanks. Asshole.”
“Asshole?”
I took a sip of the yummy coffee goodness. The shit they gave us was disgusting, so… “Maybe a little less asshole with this.” I lifted my cup to salute him.
“Whatever, grumpy ass.”
“You know why I’m grumpy.”
“Hmm…is it because you’re in this place to start with, or that Donny is on his way here?”
“Both.”
Colten winked at me. “But. This is exactly what you need right now.”’
“Whatever. You shouldn’t have called him.”
“They deserved to know.”
“All it did was upset them. And that’s certainly not what Kay needs. He has to perform.”
“Maybe you should call him and tell him you’re okay.” The smug bastard thought he had all the answers. “I’m sure he’d feel better hearing your voice.”
