Keep Me Safe (Slow Burn #1)(62)

What else could she do, though? The last year and a half of her life was a calamity of disaster and close calls. It was either laugh or start crying and never stop, and while Caleb might be pissed over her laughing, he’d freak if hysteria took over and she cried all over him.

Pissing him off seemed the lesser of two evils, and well, poking him amused her because the man had no sense of humor. She wouldn’t have thought she did either, but how else to explain her finding so much amusement in the fact that she’d very nearly been incinerated by a bomb blast.

He set her down on the sofa and it was then she saw his siblings—all three of them—standing across the room, their expressions drawn and worried. Relief was all over Tori’s face. And for some reason Ramie finally lost the battle and began laughing.

“What the hell?” Beau demanded.

“You think this is funny?” Quinn said in an incredulous voice.

Caleb made a sound of exasperation but then lost all semblance of anger when he looked at her.

“Shit,” he murmured.

“What’s wrong with her?” Tori asked sharply. “Is she okay?”

“No,” Caleb said quietly. “She’s not.”

“Don’t be angry, Caleb,” she said with an odd hitch in her voice. It sounded like she was gulping or making some other strange noise she couldn’t identify. “I have to laugh or I’ll start crying.”

“Baby, you are crying,” he said gently.

“I am?”

She lifted her hand to her cheek, astonished to find it wet. She became more aware of the odd noise emanating from her chest and throat and realized it was her. Sobbing.

“She’s hysterical,” Beau said unnecessarily.

“What was your first clue?” Caleb snapped.

“Y-you r-really n-need to learn to c-control your t-temper, Caleb,” she stuttered out between each gasping sob.

Her chest was tight, squeezing her insides to the point of pain. She was precariously light-headed and spots appeared in her vision.

“Get her some water,” Caleb demanded of no one in particular.

Tori scurried from the room and Caleb went to one knee in front of her.

“Ah, baby,” he said, all anger and annoyance wiped from his face and eyes. “I’m all right,” he said, accurately guessing the source of her hysteria. “I wish you’d be this concerned over your own well-being, but I’ll make you a deal. You look out for mine and I’ll look out for yours.”

“D-deal,” she said, her teeth chattering almost violently.

Tori hurried over, a glass of water in her hand, thrusting it at Caleb. There was actual concern on her face as she looked at Ramie.

Caleb ripped open the pharmacy bag and pulled out one of the bottles. She had no clue what the ER doctor had even prescribed. Caleb had been the one who talked to him because she hadn’t been able to keep her focus for any length of time during the seemingly interminable visit to the emergency room.

“Can you swallow this?” Caleb asked, holding a tiny peach-colored pill out to her.

“What is it?”

“Something to help you calm down and sleep. Take it,” he said firmly.

He nudged open her lips himself and carefully put the pill on her tongue. She made an immediate face and recoiled from the horrible bitter taste.

“I’m going to take her upstairs,” Caleb said over his shoulder. “We’ll talk in the morning. I have no idea what the hell we’re going to do next, but I don’t want Ramie involved any longer. She could have died today.”

“So could you have,” Beau said quietly.

Caleb glanced at Tori, who was as pale as death, her eyes wide with fear. Then he glanced back at Ramie.

“Give me just a second, honey.”

He rose to his feet and then held his arms out to Tori, who flew into them, landing against his chest. She buried her face against his neck as he hugged her tightly.

“I’m okay, Tori,” he soothed. “We all need to get much-needed rest and then we’ll decide what is to be done in the morning.”

A prickle of unease had Ramie rubbing her chest. His words sounded so ominous. As though he was going to discuss something life-changing with his brothers and sister.

“Where are Dane and Eliza?” Quinn asked sharply. “Did we have any serious injuries on our side?”

“They’re fine,” Caleb replied. “They’re assisting in cleanup and evidence gathering. I don’t trust the police to share important information with us so I made sure I had men on the scene.”

He let Tori go, squeezing her hand before allowing it to fall from his grasp. Then he gently helped Ramie to her feet as though she were a breakable piece of glass. Judging by the expressions on the others’ faces it was too late for her not to end up a hot mess, which only left Caleb to be the relatively sane one.

Still, she couldn’t help the apology that formed on her lips. She lifted her gaze to Caleb’s two brothers and then swept it to Tori.

“I truly am sorry,” she said quietly, scrubbing back the stupid, endless tear trails from her cheeks. “If I had known, if I’d had any idea this would become so dangerous and out of control for Caleb—and you—I would have never called him.”

Caleb went rigid with anger. His jaw bulged from the strain of clenching his teeth.