“Already done,” Maddox said with a grin. “You just sit down on thecouch while I go fix you a plate. Silas also left your medications with instructions for which ones you’re supposed to take and when.”
Hayley’s mouth fell open again. God, she sounded like a two-year-old dropped off at the sitter’s place with detailed instructions on when to feed, change and burp her!
She shot Maddox a disgruntled look. “And how long does this go on, pray tell?”
He shrugged. “Not my call. Whenever Silas tells us to stand down and not a minute before.”
She threw up her hands and stomped toward the couch. “I’m so glad I’m an adult capable of making my own decisions.”
Thane and Jax chuckled, their eyes lighting with merriment.
“So who draws hot-guy duty tomorrow?” she asked dryly when she was comfortably seated. At least as comfortable as she was capable of being when every muscle in her body was stiff as a board.
Jax’s eyebrows rose. “Hot-guy duty?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Like y’all don’t know you’re hot.”
Thane grinned. “No, but feel free to remind us frequently. I never turn down compliments from a beautiful woman.”
“That ain’t no lie,” Maddox said smugly.
“Just do us a favor and don’t call us that in front of Silas,” Jax said, discomfort evident on his features.
At that she lifted one brow. They acted like Silas would be jealous or something. Or maybe they had gotten the wrong impression. For that matter, as private and as closemouthed as Silas was, maybe he didn’t share personal details with the men he worked with. Like already having a girlfriend.
“Good call,” Maddox said, wincing.
“Well? So who’s pulling hot-guy duty tomorrow and driving me to school like I’m a kindergartner?”
“You can’t fault any of us for wanting to make sure you’re safe,”Thane said in reproach. “You were attacked, Hayley. You could have been raped or killed. It’s bad enough those assholes put their hands on you.”
Hayley looked at Thane and then the others in disbelief. “So y’all just run around Manhattan babysitting women who’ve been attacked? Do you even know how bizarre this whole thing is? I’ve never met you before in my life and you let yourselves into my apartment and then announce to me that you’re spending the day with me and you’re driving me to and from school tomorrow. Am I the only sane one here?”
Maddox grinned. “Sanity is debatable. And no, we don’t run all over the city protecting women we’ve never met. But you aren’t just any woman.”
As if that was supposed to make sense to her? She was beginning to think her head had been more injured by her attackers than she initially thought, because things like this just did not happen. Especially not to her.
Maddox approached the couch holding a plate mounded high with food. It smelled damn good. She eyed it suspiciously and then glanced back up at Maddox.
“You cooked this?”
All three men burst into laughter.
“Oh, hell no,” Thane wheezed. “We couldn’t boil water. We got takeout on our way here. Hope you don’t mind but we didn’t know how long you would be asleep, so we already ate.”
“Oh well, then maybe I’ll cook y’all dinner. It’s the least I can do for messing up your schedule like this.”
Thane cleared his throat and then shook his head.
“No?” Hayley asked again in exasperation.
“Sorry, doll,” Jax said. “Our instructions were to make sure you rest and for you not to go anywhere alone. That means not being on your feet in the kitchen cooking.”
“Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?” she asked around a mouthful of food. “I may not have gone in to class today, but I do have to go to work tonight. In fact, as soon as I finish eating, I have to call all of my bosses to make sure I even still have a job.”
The thought disheartened her so much that all she could do was stare glumly down at her plate.
“Don’t say it,” she said in a thready whisper when she saw Maddox about to protest. “I have to work. It’s bad enough I’ve already missed three days. I’ll never be able to pay my bills, rent or the part of my tuition my scholarship doesn’t cover. They were kind enough to allow me a payment plan for my tuition, but if I miss a payment, they’ll revoke my scholarship and I certainly can’t afford the full tuition on my own.”
