“What’s going on?” Ledger stops in the middle of the kitchen clearly sensing the sudden tension.
Blair’s horror-filled gaze drifts from my face to his. “Someone found me?Here?”
Ledger shoots me a dark look before his attention returns to her. “They didn’t find you here at Gnarly Pines—we brought him here.”
“Yeah and put him in the secret room in the basement where apparently we have a cage for people like him,” I add.
Ledger sucks in a deep breath as if gathering patience for this conversation. When he lets it out he continues, “A friend letme know someone had checked into the local motel that looked suspicious. Rhett and I went and took care of it. There’s nothing to worry about, the threat is gone.”
“For now,” I snap loudly, drawing everyone’s attention back to me. “The guy admitted that whoever sent him will send others. They aren’t going to stop looking for her. If they know she’s in Caddawalk, then it’ll only be a matter of time before they show up here to snoop around. This isn’t safe for any of us!”
“Then we’ll be here to stop every attack until I know who the fuck is behind it,” Ledger snarls, as he turns to face me. “Blair’s safest herewith us.”
“I agree,” Wes says slowly, his voice strained. “She has a better chance with us watching her back rather than on her own.”
Santi nods stiffly, stepping closer to Blair as if they aren’t already practically on top of one another. Before he can throw an arm back around her, Blair shifts away from him by taking a step toward the back door.
“Have you heard from Dad yet?” she asks Ledger.
The expression on Ledger’s face says he’d rather take a bullet to the face than answer that question.
With a measured shake of his head, Ledger says, “No, but that doesn’t mean that’s bad news. You know how Anchor is. Until the threat is gone, we might not hear from him.”
Blair takes another step toward the door, her expression going blank. “I think I’m going to skip breakfast and go for a walk.”
“Blair,” Wes and Santi call in unison.
She doesn’t stop as she swoops down to grab her shoes sitting beside the door and opens it.
“I’ll head down to Building D after I clear my head. I want to finish cleaning out that room,” she calls before shutting the door behind her.
Everyone turns to look at me. No, not look,glareat me.
“I’m not wrong to be concerned for all of our safety,” I tell them coldly despite the twinge of guilt in my stomach. “If I have to be the voice of reason, I will.”
By the timeI find Blair several hours later, I’m calm, clearheaded, and have a plan.
I was serious when I told the others that I’d be the voice of reason. They may not have agreed with me, but that’s okay. I’ll be the asshole if that’s what it takes to keep everyone here safe. And how much of an asshole am I really if I have a plan for Blair to be safe too?
None of the employees in Building D notice me as I walk by. It’s Sunday, which means it’s a half day and soon these guys will be out of here. I can tell they’re pretty much clocked out as they talk amongst themselves.
I head to the back of the warehouse. There, along the wall of the hallway, is all the furniture that’s been evicted from the soon-to-be nurses’ station. I eye it curiously, wondering if Blair managed all of this by herself.
When I step into what used to be a storage closet, I find her still working.
She’s moving the last piece of furniture to its new home. The closet is bigger than I thought now that there’s hardly anything in it. I stand in the doorway and watch as she places a tall but narrow metal shelving unit beside the sink that needs to be attached to the plumbing. She steps back and wipes her hands together. The motion causes dust to cloud around them.
I clear my throat, not wanting to startle her. It happens anyway. Blair flinches as she whirls around. Her expression is hard, her hand going to her side where I’m sure there’s a gun hidden beneath the length of her shirt. When Blair’s eyes land on me, she doesn’t relax. Her hand does fall back to her side though which is good enough for me.
“Hey,” I greet, stepping into the room. “Can we… talk?”
Blair’s eyes sweep over me, then she looks behind me. When her attention returns to my face, her eyes have darkened with suspicion.
“Yeah, of course.” She looks around the room. “Um, but there’s nowhere to sit.”
“That’s fine, this won’t take long,” I promise as I move further into the room.
Blair’s suspicion grows more prevalent the closer I get. I stop within a few feet between us so she feels more comfortable. I don’t blame her hesitation. It’s not like we’re all that friendly with one another. This morning didn’t help that either.
