Page 32 of Blood

Kaleb laughs, turning to me. “Baby, pass me some more gauze, please.”

I blink at him.

“Sam,” he urges, nodding at the first-aid kit.

I walk over on numb legs.

“Thank you.” He smiles, his fingers brushing mine as I pass the gauze. “I’m nearly done. Shelb got all the glass out. I’m just going to clean the cuts and bandage my feet.”

“I’m going to lie down,” Shelby says, staggering to her feet.

Catching her elbow, I walk her to the door.

“Hey, sis,” Kaleb calls.

I freeze at his words, my world crumbling. Eyes filled with tears, I turn, but it’s not me Kaleb looks at. Instead, he smiles softly at Shelby.

“Thanks for helping me out.”

Shelby gives a small thumbs-up and continues into the hall.

Standing in the doorway, I look back at Kaleb.

“Go, make sure she’s okay.”

I nod, not needing to be told twice.

“Samantha,” he calls just before I round the corner, “this isn’t going away.”

My chin wobbles. Swallowing hard, I straighten my back.

He’s wrong. It is going away. As of right now, nothing happened in that bedroom. Nothing.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kaleb

My head shoots up when I hear the front door open.

Ripping the tape off with my teeth, I seal the bandage that covers the sole of my foot and hobble out of the bathroom just in time to see our parents storm in.

“Kids! Kids!” My mom’s frantic cries pull at my heart. Her worry doesn’t leave even when she spots Sam and Shelby on the sofa. “Girls!”

Rushing forward, Mom wraps Sam in a bear hug.

How did they know?I open my mouth to ask the question aloud, but I’m cut off when Dad sidesteps the hugging women and chokes me with his own hug. I groan. My body aches now that my adrenaline has left.

“You’re hurt.” Dad’s face is horrified.

Holding my shoulders, he pulls back to look me over.

“Mom,” Sam groans, trying to escape the barrage of kisses being planted all over her face. Shelby chuckles but quickly pales and sits back down.

She really does have a weak stomach.

“How did you find out?” I ask Dad.

He tilts his head, his eyes tracing me as if he can see the damage under my T-shirt. “McCallister called and told us everything. We got back as quickly as we could.”