Page 86 of Bad Medicine

Swallowing hard, trying not to imagine how many bones a fall like that would break, I trailed behind Rocco as he led the way down a narrow hallway and through two sets of very industrial looking doors.

“Is this an old missile silo?” I asked distractedly, eyeing the pipes and tubing that ran the length of the hall.

A grunt to the affirmative was all I received.

Finally reaching what seemed to be our destination, I stared around in complete surprise at the very well-appointed living quarters, consisting of more couches, another small kitchen set-up, and, through another door at the far end, a few rows of bunk beds with tidy linens. The whole place was clean and neat, and I was honestly shocked.

“I’ve got the boy set up in there,” Lucky said, appearing from the back room. She moved over to the kitchen, grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge, then sat herself on one of the couches, back to the wall, eyes trained on the stairwell like a spider waiting to strike.

Sway, on the other hand, was laid out on his back, one foot up on the back of the couch, scrolling through his phone and ignoring the rest of us like any good teenager would do.

“In here,” Rock said, and I followed him into the bunk area, watching as he tenderly laid Jasper down on the bed Lucky had already prepared, making sure Roy was right where he could be found when Jasper woke up.

Before he stood up, Rocco ran a gentle hand over Jasper’s head, sweeping his shaggy blond tresses away from his forehead, then he grasped the blanket, tugged it up under his chin, and wiggled it slightly before standing.

My heart swelled as, once again, Rocco surprised me in the most incredible way.

When he noticed me staring, Rocco frowned, but said nothing, instead moving past me and back out into the main area.

Taking a seat on the edge of the mattress, I leaned over Jasper, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and breathing in his familiar scent.

“I promise you,” I whispered, my lips dancing on his warm skin as I spoke. “I willneverlet him take you from me.”

I only hoped that was a promise I was going to be able to keep.

Chapter thirty-nine

Mia

“Comewithme.”

Rocco’s clipped words startled me the moment I exited the bedroom area, his face a thundercloud as he gestured to me from across the room, indicating he wanted me to go back upstairs with him.

Glancing around, I noticed Lucky was still on the couch, twirling her wicked-looking knife between her fingers.

I had only met her the once, at Frankie’s Thanksgiving dinner a few weeks ago, but the woman was seriously intimidating. She looked like the kind of person who would slit your throat if you annoyed her, and I wasn’t sure about leaving Jasper down here with her, even if Sway was still present.

I wasn’t sure how much use the kid would be, anyway, considering he was currently lying on the other couch, his head hanging off the side as he texted someone on his phone at a rapid pace.

Sensing my hesitation, Rocco scoffed.

“Lucky will look after Jasper, Mia. Now let’s go.”

His tone left no room for argument, and I really did want to talk to him. Most likely I wanted to discuss different things than he did, but still.

Feeling bad about my judgment, I offered Lucky a small smile, which she responded to by baring her teeth at me.

That was fair.

Swallowing, I raised my chin and marched over to Rocco, feeling more like I was heading to the gallows and not a conversation with my boyfriend.

Was he my boyfriend?

The word seemed far too small to be used to describe Rocco. I mean, he wasn’t a boy, and he for sure wasn’t just my friend, so what kind of descriptor did that leave me with?

Man?

Man I slept with?