Reign (The Sainthood - Boys of Lowell High #3)(4)
How fucking dare she come after us.
How dare she attempt to take the only girl who has ever mattered from us.
Lo cautiously snuggles into Galen’s side, her fingers lifting to the sling on his arm and then on to the myriad of cuts and bruises marring his pretty-boy face. “You got hurt protecting me.” She looks directly into his eyes. “I won’t ever forget that.”
“You’re evenity now,” Caz says, his lips twitching.
“Evenity isn’t a word,” I deadpan, humoring him because we could fucking use it.
“It is according to the urban dictionary.” He lowers his tone so it’s almost reverential.
Dude’s got issues.
“I like that one,” Lo proclaims, grinning at him as she lifts her arm for a knuckle touch. “And for the record, we were already evenity.” She returns her gaze to Galen, and they share a moment. “Galen doesn’t have anything to prove to me.”
Galen lightly clasps her face, kissing her. They engage in a whispered conversation, in between kissing, and I stand, walking to the window, affording them some privacy. I shove my hands in my pockets as I glance out the window. Caz comes up alongside me, his eyes studying me. “What?” I ask.
“I thought you were past the jealousy.”
“I am,” I admit, and it’s not really a lie. I have learned to share her, and it pleases me they were able to move beyond Galen’s sick betrayal, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dying to kiss her and hold her and tell her how I feel.
The first twenty-four hours after the explosion were a nightmare. Lo was heavily sedated, and the longer she slept, the more I worried she wouldn’t ever wake up. That she wouldn’t know how deep my feelings run. I made a promise to myself I’d tell her the first opportunity I get.
I want nothing left unsaid between us. Nothing.
“I’m giving them some alone time,” I add when Caz doesn’t look convinced. “And I’m looking forward to some alone time of my own.”
Caz smirks, and I elbow him. “Not like that, asshole. She’s injured.”
“Bet she’s still as horny as ever.” He waggles his brows. “And we’ve got to look after all our girl’s needs.”
Now it’s my turn to smirk. “Well, when you put it like that. Can’t let our girl down.” My cock twitches at the thought of Lo’s gorgeous, sexy body, and I adjust myself in my jeans as blood rushes south and my dick hardens. Caz chuckles as the door opens, and Theo slips into the room.
Alisha wakes, kissing her son goodbye and tossing us a wave before she leaves. She has been here every day, and she appears to be making an effort to stay sober for her son although we all know it won’t last long. At least, she’s trying.
Giana has been here every day too, but she doesn’t linger, and I’m grateful because with Giana comes Sinner, and none of us want my prick of a father around our girl. He turned up the first day, but it was just for show. He’s probably wishing Taylor Tamlin had succeeded in eliminating Lo as a threat and solving one problem for him. But hell will freeze over before I let that asshole harm one more hair on my girlfriend’s head.
If there is anything good to come from this, it’s that Sinner’s twisted plans to enjoy Lo with his creepy buddies is on ice. I intend to exaggerate her injuries for as long as we can get away with it, hoping it’ll buy us enough time to come up with a way of extracting her from that aspect of her initiation.
I stay behind to help Galen shower while Theo and Caz go back to Lo’s room to help her do the same.
After we’ve cleaned up and changed our clothes, I force my cousin to eat some of the shit they pass off as food in this joint while I sweet-talk one of the nurses into getting a script for Galen and Lo. Doc told Galen he wanted him to stay here until tomorrow, but fuck that shit. We’re bailing now. Between us, we can take care of them, and none of us wants to spend another goddamned minute in this hellhole.
Galen is finishing the slop on his plate when I walk back into his room. “Got a script,” I say, holding up the two pieces of paper in my hand.
“Good.” Galen pushes the plate away with a grimace. “I want to talk to you about something.” He adjusts the sling around his neck supporting his sore, previously dislocated, shoulder, as I plonk down on the bed beside him.
“What’s up?”
“I think I have a solution which keeps Lo out of Sinner’s grabby hands.”
I straighten up, leveling him with a solemn stare. “Let’s hear it.”
_______________
I’M STILL MULLING over Galen’s suggestion as I drive us to the Catholic church on the outskirts of Lowell, where the service for Sariah is taking place. Everyone is quiet in the car, and the mood is somber. Lo is seated between Theo and Caz in the back seat, the latter fussing over her the entire journey. It’s funny to see this side of Caz, because all he’s known for is his role as the muscle behind our plans. Lo has brought out a softer side to him, to all of us, and it’s changing us in ways we never expected.
“We’re going to be late if you don’t step on it,” Galen grumbles, glancing at the time on his cell.
“I’m taking it easy on purpose, dickwad.” I gesture toward the dazed, injured girl in the back. Lo has been lost in thought the entire trip from the hospital. She hasn’t cried since she broke down when I first told her the news, but she’s teetering on the edge. There’s a haunted look on her face and a tortured glimmer in her eyes that highlights her pain, even if she’s doing her best to numb herself to the emotions.