“Yeah,” I agreed, with a hint of wonder. “It does, doesn’t it?”
The door opened, and Knox came in, leaning on a cane. He took in the relaxed scene, and the tense line of his shoulders eased.
“Mission accomplished, I take it?” he asked.
“Everything went off without a hitch,” Heath assured him. “How’s the knee?”
“Minor ACL tear,” Knox said. “Three-to-six-week recovery time with physical therapy. Nothing to worry about.”
“And your back?” I asked pointedly.
“Is bruised,” Knox said. “Which I already knew. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
“When can we leave?” Gage asked.
“Tony and I are cleared for discharge anytime,” Knox said. “Heath and Jez aren’t technically patients here; they’re visitors. The doctors want to monitor you for another twenty-four to forty-eight hours, Gage. They need to get you started on PT, and the recommendation is for you to transfer to rehab for a week or two after that.”
“Nooo...” Gage drew out the word, the drugs making him sound young and petulant. “That sounds like theworst.Can’t you hire me some private rehab, so I can come home with the rest of you?”
“I had a feeling you might ask.” Knox’s tone was both dry and affectionate. “Bud’s trying to set something up.”
“Okay, thanks,” Gage said, subsiding. “You’re thebestpack leader, Knox.”
I didn’t need to be mated to Knox to feel the way he stiffened in response to the goofy compliment.
“Not recently, but it’s nice of you to say so,” he said.
Tony, Heath, and I shared a look, but Heath gave a small negative shake of his head. We let it go... for now.
“The hospital won’t complain about Jez staying here with Gage, since they’re mated,” Heath said. “I’m not thrilled withhaving them here alone, after what we just did to piss off Vozzina. But I’m also not thrilled about you and Tony being unprotected while you’re getting things moved to whichever property we’re going to be staying at.”
Knox shot him an unimpressed look. “I’m already hiring a private security firm, Heath. They can guard us just as easily as they can guard Paolo. You’re Gage’s co-mate. You can stay here with him and Jez. I’ll get some movers lined up, and Tony and I will take care of that side of things. Tony, are you okay with that plan?”
“... yes?” Tony replied. “Just don’t expect me to move furniture.”
“The property is already furnished,” Knox said. “Besides, I have people for that kind of thing, as well.”
Tony and I exchanged another furtive glance. This one clearly said, ‘are we sure this is real?’
Two days later, reality was still holding strong. I rode in the back of an ambulance with Gage, who had become a lot grumpier and a lot less loopy as he was weaned off the good stuff and onto the same over-the-counter pain meds as the rest of us mere mortals.
“Ouch!” he grumbled as the ambulance hit a pothole. “Goddamn it...”
I winced in sympathy. “Next time, tell Knox to make sure the roads are fixed before his private ambulance takes us to his private, Super Sekrit Bat Cave.”
“It’s not a cave,” Gage muttered. “I went with him to look at this place before he bought it. Gated community, lakefront property. Lot nicer than the main pack house, actually, but it’s not—fuck!” The ambulance dipped and juddered again. Gage continued through gritted teeth, lowering his voice. “It’s not the kind of place where someone can quietly drop off a load ofomega kids and pick ‘em up the next day in an unmarked white van.”
The roads smoothed out. The ambulance eventually made a sharp turn and glided to a stop. Voices spoke in the front, the words inaudible. After a few moments, the ambulance pulled forward. More twists and turns, then we slowed again, and finally turned onto a different surface that vibrated beneath the tires.
When the ambulance stopped this time, one of the EMTs in the front squeezed past us with a friendly smile and opened the rear doors.
“Here we go,” she said cheerfully. “Nice place! Looks like you’ll have some great views while you recover.”
I stepped stiffly out of the ambulance and blinked in the early autumn light. The circle drive beneath my tennis shoes was made of light brown cobblestone. Huge trees flanked the property, their leaves just starting to turn red and gold... but my eyes were drawn immediately to the house.
Mansion.
Estate?
