“I’m not going back to Mercy’s. It’s too dangerous,” Ben replied, sounding resolved.
I still wasn’t happy with him, but his unwillingness to put his sister in more danger made me think there might be hope for him yet. “Agreed. You’re definitely not going back to Mercy’s.”
“We need to figure out a way to make these guys believe they got me. Last thing she needs is for them to see me walking into her place.”
Mercy was frowning at both of us.
“Ben, your lung could collapse if the chest wall’s been damaged. You understand that, right?” I asked, trying to make sure he comprehended the gravity of the situation. “I would feel better if you got an x-ray.”
“Yeah, I get it. But I still think our best bet would be for me to play dead. The WSB employs people in the hospital. I need to find somewhere else to hole up until I can get out of here.”
“You can come to the fire station,” Havoc announced, typing something into his phone. “I told Link what’s going on, and he says you’re welcome. Doc, you and Mercy can come, too. We have plenty of room.”
“Doc, huh?” I asked. Nobody had called me that since I’d left Tennessee.
Havoc shrugged. “Seems fitting. All the brothers have road names.”
I’d been asking Havoc questions about the Dead Presidents, but I hadn’t once voiced interest in joining them. “You know I’m only home on leave, right?” I asked. “I go back at the end of the month.”
Havoc nodded, his gaze bouncing between me and Mercy. “You’ll be back.”
The certainty in his tone made me chuckle. I had no clue what the hell I planned to do, but clearly Havoc did. Neither confirming nor denying his claim, I grabbed the suture kit and sewed up the hole in Ben’s chest.
