“Jay? Are you okay?” A silly question, but Chris had to know.
Slowly, Jay cracked open his glossy eyes and blinked.
“Did you give him anything to drink?” Chris asked.
Andy frowned. “Was I supposed to?”
“He needs water and bandages,” Chris said, trying to keep his voice stern yet respectful.
“Andy, go grab a bottle of water. No need for bandages—he’s barely bleeding.”
“Okay. Are there any waffles left?”
“Danny ate them all.”
Andy sighed and walked up the stairs, chanting, “Fat Daniel.”
Trevor chuckled. “Talk about a lack of self-awareness.”
“Can I take the duct tape off?”
“Yeah, unless you can get him to drink from his asshole.”
Chris gingerly came to stand next to Jay. The stench of sweat hit him hard, with the metallic scent of blood also lingering in the air.
“I preferred to keep this between us, but you chose to bring others into our business,” Trevor said as Chris slowly unwrapped the duct tape, unintentionally pulling out a few of Jay’s long hairs. “Should I expect more unwanted company?”
Chris sensed the worry in Trevor’s voice and his subtle threat. “No one else will come.” Even Jay hadn’t known where Chris was being kept, so how could anyone else? He wondered if Jay had the chance to share that Chris had been abducted with Ethan and Anthony.
He didn’t dare to hope.
When Chris finally got rid of the duct tape, Jay let out a long breath of relief, his lips parched and cracked.
Andy walked down the stairs. “I got the water.”
Trevor took the bottle and passed it to Chris, who held it close to Jay’s lips. “You need to drink.”
The lips parted slightly, and Chris carefully poured water inside, stopping every few seconds to give Jay a chance to swallow.
Once the bottle emptied, Jay cracked open his eyes. “Thanks.”
“I’m taking the needles out.”
Trevor snorted. “Oh really?”
“Yes.” Without waiting for permission, Chris pulled the first needle out of Jay’s right pec, causing him to grimace. For the next few minutes, he carefully pulled out the remaining needles, some so deep they came out bloody. He had no doubt that more darkness lay ahead, but for now, he had to at least ease Jay’s suffering.
Once he got everything out, he stroked Jay’s head, feeling deeply guilty, and even more—poisonous.
Trevor came to stand behind Chris and pulled off his shirt. “Jay, look here.”
Jay opened his eyes, a bit more focused than before.
“Doesn’t Danny have the most amazing skin?”
Jay gave a slight nod.
“Come on, you can do better than that.”
