“What happened out there wasn’t fine, Baby girl,” he disagrees.
“Holden told me what you saw,” I tell him, and I feel his entire body stiffen.
“Baby,” Leo says, and I look up. “You don’t have to tell us anything until you’re ready.”
I shake my head because I can’t, not yet. “I’m not ready.”
“That’s fine,” Gage replies. “We’re here whenever you are.”
Chapter 8
Gage
Glass is shattering everywhere; bullets are whizzing past my head. I can’t get my Glock out fast enough before the cars surround us.
“GET DOWN!” I yell at Les.
I hear her whimper, and I jerk up to check on her on instinct. I hear the rat tat tat tat of the guns, and the windshield falls in. I look at the masked face when I feel the bullet tear through my shoulder.
“Shit,” I grunt.
“Gage?” Les asks, her voice shaky.
Before I can duck the next one, I’m slammed back in the seat. Unbearable pain rips through my chest.
“Gage!”
I jerk up in the bed, covered in sweat, wildly looking around.
“Gage. It’s just a nightmare,” Leo whispers from my side, pulling me to lie back down.
Every night. Every fucking night since I woke up from being sedated, I’ve had the same dream. The dream that reminds me I couldn’t protect Les the way I promised I always would.
She’s been back for two weeks, and between not sleeping, not eating, constant panic attacks, and the unknown of where Jay is, she walks around like a zombie. She still hasn’t told us everything thathappened, but we knew. The guys filled me in on that video footage, and there is no doubt that the fucker touched her without her permission, and I’m going to rip him limb from fucking limb.
Everyone she knows has popped in to visit. We let them stay until we see it taking a toll on her, then we kick them the hell out. The only one who never listens is Marcella. She just shoos Les to bed and cooks any comfort food she can think of. Our fridge is so full right now that Micah never has to cook.
“Are you okay?” Leo asks, and I bite back a retort.
He’s stayed by my side this whole time, our relationship evolving, but I can’t stop snapping at him for constantly hovering. I know why he does it, but I need to be able to breathe.
“I need to check on Les,” I say in answer.
“Ryder and Holden are with her. She’s fine.”
We take turns sleeping with her at night; sometimes, two of us do because none of us can be away from her long. But that doesn’t stop her from waking up in the middle of the night, screaming at the top of her lungs. Every scream that rips out of her because of what happened makes me see red. I’ve never been this fucking angry in my life. The worst part is that we have no idea how to make it better. She doesn’t blame us for not finding her in time, saying she realizes she just fell off the map. I do blame myself, though; we all do.
“I don’t care,” I say, flipping the sheet off. “I need to see her.”
I do this every time it isn’t me in there with her. I need to see her with my own eyes.
“Okay,” Leo says quietly.
I feel like shit for always biting his head off, but I can’t control the anger coursing through me, and I’m taking it out on the wrong people. I round to his side of the bed and kiss his lips. “I’ll be back.”
He looks like he wants to say something but just nods his head. I know he’s sick of my mood swings, and it’s just a matter of time before he’s done with me. Just like everyone always is.
I quietly make my way to Les’ door and crack it open. She’s sitting in the middle of the bed with Ryder and Holden hovering around her. Her head snaps to the sound of the door, and her face falls, tears rolling down her cheeks when she sees me.
