*
When Darryn nextopened his eyes, his three brothers and Hank, a doctor friend of Dale’s he’d met before, were staring down at him, all frowning.He groaned and looked around.He was in his bed.A damn good thing, given the ringing in his ears.The pain pounding away behind his eyes was driving him crazy.
“What are you all doing here, and how did I get into bed?What time is it?”he groaned.
“It’s half past one.I spoke to you on the phone, remember?Or tried to, but you passed out.So I had no choice, I had to call in the troops, so we could come and save your sorry ass,” Don teased.“Also your sisters-in-law threatened to come if we didn’t.What the hell happened?”
“It was White,” Darryn said and touched his head.He winced as he touched bandages covering the side of his head.“He hit me with a bat or something.First on my shoulder and then against my head.What the hell is this?”
“There is a lump on your head the size of a golf ball,” Dale snickered, relief replacing the anxiousness of moments ago on his face.“Hank had to do something.”
Hank handed him some pills.“For the pain.You have a concussion, and I’ll feel better if we can move you to a hospital, you—”
“Forget about it,” Darryn interjected, but he swallowed the painkillers.
“Told you,” Dale said, smiling.
“You should stay in bed, then, and come see me when you get up.I’d like to take an X-ray of your shoulder,” Hank insisted.
Darryn nodded.
“How did White get in here?”Dale asked.“You have security all around your place.”
“I don’t know.I didn’t look around when I opened the gate like I usually do, because I was distracted.I don’t know whether he slipped in then or whether he’d somehow climbed over the fence—I wouldn’t put anything past that creep.Anyway, he triggered the silent alarm, but by the time I saw the flickering light, he was already behind me.Damned man.Next time I see him, I’ll…” He tried to sit upright, but a wave of nausea had him leaning back against the pillows.
“Yeah, you’re a real Rambo.”Don chuckled, but he couldn’t hide the worry lines on his forehead.
“He took my phone—that was the main reason I called you,” Darryn remembered.“I’d just messaged you guys with the names of three other small towns we missed the first time round and—”
“She was in Jacobsbaai,” David said.
“What?”This time Darryn managed to sit upright, although the world tilted scarily around him.
Don scratched his head.“Caitlin and the other women figured out that she was in Jacobsbaai, but before—”
“You see, they didn’t listen to Don here when he sent them to the kitchen.”David snickered.
“I didn’t send anyone to the kitchen, damnit, I just didn’t think—”
“They could do anything.”David slapped Don on the back.“It’s time we all realize—the women we married are not the kind who sit quietly in the kitchen.They take action.”
“Before what?”Darryn asked, trying his best to get the conversation back to what was important.
“Before they could leave… That was their plan—to leave us behind and go and find Hannah themselves.”
“You shouldn’t have sent them to the kitchen.”David grinned.
“Damn it, stop saying that.Get on with it, man!”Darryn said, upset and worried.He felt helpless, lying there, his head pounding, his whole body aching.
Don launched into a long description of who said what until Darryn’s head was spinning.Don’s last words took a while to register.
“So, what you’re saying is that Hannah is on her way, but she doesn’t have a phone, and we can’t reach her?”
“That’s about right,” Don agreed.
“So where the hell is she?”Darryn demanded.
“We’re not exactly sure when she left, but she could be here any minute now,” Don said.
