Hawk (A Stepbrother Romance #3)(75)

He screams and flails as Hawk mounts the side of the… thing, climbing up inside. Jennifer puts her hands on his back to steady him as he lowers himself inside and pulls me on his lap, then rests my head against a panel of buttons and stuff inside. Jennifer climbs in and the top canopy slides closed over us. The windows are a funny color, like there's gold in the glass. My neck hurts.

I moan softly.

"Alex, look at me,” Hawk says, shifting my weight awkwardly in his lap. "Stay awake, honey. I've got you."

He's doing something to my neck and it hurts. It's hard to breathe, every inhalation a struggle, something around my neck.

"I'll let Jacob know we're coming. He has more kit than we do here. We'll meet up with him."

"Another one of your safehouses?" Hawk snaps.

"They're not going to find us this time," Jennifer says.

This… thing is so loud. I shift my weight against Hawk. My eyes want to close so badly, I just want to go to sleep. I can't talk.

"Stay awake, baby, please."

It's like trying to drag a dead elephant, but I stay awake. I keep my eyes open. The machine lurches and Hawk holds me tight, even as it bounces and tilts up so far one time I think it's going to flip itself over. Then there's a suddenly weightless moment and the whole thing slams down and sends a jolt through my body. I whimper softly.

"Thirsty," I croak out.

"We'll get you something," Hawk says.

I hear sirens, but they fade into the distance. There's so much noise and motion, and my neck hurts. Everything hurts.

Very softly, I begin to cry.

"Hawk, they have my sister."

"I'll get her," he says. "Shh, I'll get her."

I can't stop, though. I sob softly, each time sending a shooter of pain from my neck.

"She needs stitches."

"I know," Jennifer says flatly. "Not far."

I look over and see trees. We're in the woods. There's a splash, we must have crossed a stream. The trees fall away and I see it's getting dark. Has this been one day? All that and it's just now getting dark?

The machine slows, gently this time, and the canopy opens. Jennifer climbs around and steadies me as Hawk stands. Jacob is there and they all lower me down together, then lay me on another freaking gurney, and roll me inside, through a door. It's cool inside.

"Help me," Hawk says. "Do exactly as I say."

The other two don't argue. The bandage comes off my neck and Hawk turns my head a little, and I see a long hooked needle and thread. Hawk stares, sweating as he drags it through my flesh, wincing every time I wince.

"Sorry, honey, I can't do anything about the pain right now."

I can't nod so I look at him and give a weak smile.

He finishes, ties off the thread, cuts it. Jennifer gingerly lifts my head as Hawk puts on a better bandage, spreading tape down my back and over my chest to hold it in place before lightly wrapping gauze around my neck.

They prop my head up on some pillows, Hawk pours a can of Sprite into a little plastic cup, and sticks a straw in it. I take a sip and it's blessedly cool in my throat.

"Just a little at a time," he says. "A little bit."

I want to suck it all down now, but I do as he says, taking a trickle at a time until my throat doesn't feel so dry.

"Now what?" Jacob asks.

"Jennifer, stay with her," Hawk says, rising. "I have to go get her sister."

"I'm going with you," Jacob says. "You have a plan?"

"Yeah, kick the shit out of anybody in my way and grab the girl."

"That'll work. Let's go."

"Hawk," I croak, grabbing at his hand. I can just barely move my arm.

Jennifer is sticking something in my other arm. A big needle. There's an IV stand next to the bed, and a bad of red. A bag of blood.

"She's going to be fine," Jennifer says calmly. "Go on, boys."

"I love you," I croak, squeezing his hand.

"I love you too," he says, and bends to touch his lips to my forehead. "I'll be back soon."

"Something… tell you…" I say, but I feel so heavy.

"Later, baby. Get some rest."

"Your dad… dad didn't…"

I try to tell him, but I'm so tired, the world just slides away and I fall asleep.





Hawk





Now





I take a long look at Alexis on the bed. We need to change her clothes. She's covered in blood. If Jennifer didn't get us here so fast, she'd have bled out. Tom didn't open up her carotid artery but he came damn close. It's only luck that he didn't cut a little deeper and drown her in her own blood. I should be angry, I should be burning with fury, but I feel sick and, even after stitching her up myself, helpless.

I want nothing more than to stay here by her side and hold her hand until she wakes up again for me, but May is still in danger, I have to get her back. Jennifer will stay here, in this safehouse, and that makes me feel a little bit better, but after the last one, I wonder how 'safe' they really are.

"What happened?" I demand of Jacob. "How did they find us?"