“It looks pretty bad,” Kaydon said.
“He stopped the bleeding, and I don’t hear any wheezing. I think the tube is in the right place,” Seth said.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Kaydon said.
“Do we even know where the fuck we are?” Seth said.
Bryson tried to speak, but Kaydon’s fingers ran through his hair, calming him.
“The first-aid kit I found in the guard’s quarters is pretty extensive. Military grade. Give me a bit to clean him up. If he doesn’t stabilize in a couple of hours, we can grab a car from the garage and drive him somewhere.” Seth’s words were paired with the sharp sting of antiseptic.
The wet cloth bit into Bryson’s exposed flesh as Seth cleaned his wounds. Gauze tore in the distance with a soft ripping sound.
“Okay, Killer, you’re in charge,” Kaydon said.
Seth worked methodically. Bryson felt him securing the tube with soft tape, his hands steady despite the circumstances.
Their voices floated above him, words blurring together as hands worked over his broken soul.
CHAPTER 11
LOCATION UNKNOWN
When Bryson woke up, it was dark and Kaydon’s arms were wrapped around him. Bryson’s body protested as he tried to move, and Kaydon’s arms squeezed him tighter.
“Kaydon,” Bryson rasped, throat dry as sandpaper. “We have to move.” His pulse hammered against his temples. How long had they been here?
Seth’s face hovered above him, features sharpening into focus. Three guards lay sprawled nearby, stripped naked. The weight of unfamiliar fabric pressed against Bryson’s skin where he’d been bare before.
“We couldn’t move you,” Kaydon said from behind him.
“Kaydon wanted to bring you to a hospital,” Seth said, eyes darting between them.
“No fucking hospitals, we have to get to Adria,” Bryson said, moving, testing his limbs. He felt much better than he had a few hours ago. His vision was clear, and he had control of his limbs. He was sore, stiff, but functional.
He explained what had happened in Regan’s room and tried his best to impress the urgency of the situation. When he wasdone, the two of them just stared at him, their silence feeling heavier than his wounds.
“I thought you were going to die,” Kaydon said, voice breaking.
Bryson brushed his fingers along Kaydon’s jaw, caught between the desire to stay in this moment and the knowledge that every second they delayed could cost Adria her life. “I’m not dead yet, baby. But I need to get to her. Can you understand that?”
Something hardened in Kaydon’s gaze—the soldier replacing the lover—but his hands lingered on Bryson.
“She might die trying to save us, Kay,” Bryson said.
All Bryson could think about was getting there. Weeks he had been planning this escape, only to blow the whole thing up. The plan didn’t work if Adria was dead; Bryson knew that, he just needed his brothers to get on board.
Bryson watched Kaydon and Seth share a silent exchange. Seth gave Kaydon the tiniest of nods, and Kaydon sighed.
“Where are we going?” he finally asked.
Regan’s garage door opened with a maddeningly normal hum, and Kaydon peeled out of the spot, his jaw set and eyes burning with grim determination.
Bryson braced both his hands on the dash. Trying like hell to keep his body still as Kaydon sped down the road. It didn’t take long for Seth to pinpoint their location. Tapping on a stolen phone, he said, “You’re not going to believe it, but we’re in Hudson, New York.”
Kaydon slammed on the brakes, the Audi fishtailing before it lurched to a stop. Pain flashed through Bryson’s body, and his stomach contents threatened to come up.
“Show me,” Kaydon said.
