Page 55 of Hunted (Desert Island Duet #2)
Chapter thirty-five
Darla
T hey force me to stay in the hospital for two days, and I’m not happy about it. Luckily, Bower does a good job of keeping me entertained with games and a tablet with Netflix loaded on it.
But now, as Weston carries me out of the hospital, towards his new SUV, I tilt my head back and sigh as the sun hits my face. “I missed you, sun!” I shout to the sky, making him laugh.
Suddenly, a swarm of people surround us, yelling questions as a dozen cameras flash, momentarily blinding me. Reece and Bower move in front of us, trying to keep everyone back. They’re not trying to hurt us. It’s the press, and they’re clearly here for some exclusive news footage of us.
I cling to Weston as Reece yells at them to move away. When that doesn’t work, he offers them a statement if they would all just shut up and take a step back.
It seems to work as they quieten down and form a semi-circle around the front of us, microphones thrust towards Reece and blocking us from our SUV.
“Thank you,” Reece says, his hands finally dropping to his sides as he stands up tall to address the crowd. “I am unable to comment on the incident that recently took place and resulted in us being at this hospital.”
The crowd starts yelling questions, but he holds up his palm to them again. “However…” They grow quiet again and he continues. “I will answer some of the questions that you were kind enough to send through our PR agent, as requested.”
I’d completely forgotten Mira has asked the press to direct questions to her when we made our first statement.
“Yes, Darla and I were close before she went missing. No, I didn't know she was still alive. And yes, we are in a relationship now.”
That was the most basic way to describe what we shared, but I understood his need to keep the true depth of it from the press.
A female reporter in the front row yells out her questions over the other rumblings of the crowd. “What about the other three? Is Mr. Callahan her bodyguard? Is that why he’s carrying her now?”
“Reece?” I call, and he quickly turns back to me in question.
“Let me answer?” He frowns at me, his eyes searching my face. “Please?”
Finally, he nods and steps beside us, ready to push back the crowd if necessary. They start yelling questions again, so I speak loudly, and they quickly grow silent, wanting to hear what I have to say.
“Yes, Reece and I are dating. But he’s not my only boyfriend. I’m also dating Kingsley, Bower, and Weston. Say what you want about us. We know what we have is special and I love them all, just as they love me.”
The crowd goes crazy, screaming questions at all of us. “No more questions,” Reece yells, then he and Bower quickly push through the crowd to our SUV .
“Alright, in you go,” Weston says, placing me on the back seat beside Bower. Kingsley jumps in on my other side and buckles me in while Weston gets in the driver’s seat, and Reece climbs in on the passenger side.
“I’m proud of you, Darla,” Reece says, reaching back to squeeze my knee.
“It was pretty hot hearing you claim us like that.” Bower grins at me. I lean my head on his shoulder and smile.
We all sit in silence for a few minutes until I finally ask the question that I’ve been dying to know since we last spoke about it.
“So? Is it done?”
“Yes. Frank’s gone,” Weston tells me, making my eyes widen.
Bower hugs me to lean against his side as he adds, “And you’ll be pleased to know that although the FBI don’t know what happened to Frank, they did find his cell phone. They found text threads with the men that were hired for each attack on us.”
“They didn’t delete their texts?” I ask in surprise.
“No, they did, but most people don’t know those can be recovered by someone with the right skill set.”
“So where are they now?”
“They were all arrested. One of them was killed when he tried to run, but the others are facing multiple life sentences. The attacks on us weren’t the only ones they were able to link them with.”
Wow. Richard, Frank, the mercenaries. All the real threats against us were gone .
“That was… quick. Reece?” I ask, leaning forward and placing my hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay? I know you weren’t keen on this plan.”
“I feel… okay. I mean, I’m not happy about it. It’s more like… Relief? If that makes sense?”
“Yeah, I understand that. We don’t have to constantly look over our shoulders anymore.”
“Well, at least not for mercenaries. I have a feeling the paparazzi will be around for a while,” Bower says with a smirk. “I’ve got something for you,” he adds, leaning down and lifting up a familiar bag from between his feet.
“Is that mine?” I ask, wondering where I left it.
“It was in evidence; they released it to us today.”
“That was fast,” I say, pulling the bag into my lap.
“It’s good to know people,” Reece says from the front.
I trace my finger at the bullet hole in the bag and frown as I stick my finger through it. “You guys said he tried to shoot me and something blocked the bullet, bruised me, and knocked me out. I never asked what it was.” I was more concerned with the fact that Reece’s dad had tried to murder me.
I reach into the bag as Bower sighs beside me. “We didn't want you to be upset, but I’m afraid someone you care about did get shot.” I can hear the sarcasm in his tone, so it doesn’t worry me, and when I pull my rock out of my bag, I understand why.
“Steve! You’ve been shot!” I trace my finger over the small hole where the bullet must have been removed, positioned right through the center of the “e.” “You have a bullet wound. Everyone’s gonna think you’re so cool now. ”
I don’t know what I’m saying, I’m just mumbling nonsense as I think about how close that bullet was to killing me.
“You saved me.” I kiss the top of my rock and hug him tightly to my chest. “My hero.”
“What do I have to do to get a kiss and hug from you like that?” Bower asks with a smirk.
“You only have to ask,” I tell him as I turn to face him, pulling his lips down to mine. Steve tumbles to the floor, and I leave him there. I have more important things to kiss now.
The kiss starts to turn heated, and he pulls back with a groan, resting his forehead on mine. “I missed you, Tink.”
“You mean you missed my kisses. You’ve been with me pretty much twenty-four seven since I was in the hospital.”
“Not the same,” he grumbles, kissing me again as I try not to giggle at his clinginess. I love how much they all want to be around me; I feel the exact same way about them.
When we finally pull away from each other, so we don’t get too carried away, he places his arm around my shoulders, and I lean against his side and look out the front window.
AC/DC is playing quietly on the radio, making me smile. They always seem to put that on when we’re driving, and I love it. It gives me that feeling of familiarity and helps remind me that I’m not new to living on the mainland. That I had a life here before Richard tried to take it all away.
Kingsley grabs my hand and laces his fingers through mine. When I peek over at him, he smiles and winks then turns back to the road ahead. I give his hand a squeeze and take a deep breath as a new level of calm washes over me .
I know I need more time to get used to living here. Large crowds, busy traffic, and thunderstorms are still things I want to actively avoid. But it’s the enjoyment of all those moments between that tells me I can be happy here, with my four men.
“Hey, wasn’t that our exit?” I ask, realizing we’re on a part of the highway we don’t normally take.
“We wanted to show you something,” Reece says as he looks back over his shoulder at me. From the twinkle in his eye, I can tell it’s a good thing, whatever it is.
“Oh! Is it a surprise?!” I ask in excitement.
I’m learning to love surprises from my guys.
They always seem to think of the best stuff.
It’s not like I don’t have money. Reece set me up with my own bank account and money he claims belongs to me from my inheritance.
But I love seeing the things they come up with for me.
I’m not really sure how all the financial stuff works, with my father and grandfather's estate going to Richard when we were all gone. But I’m not worried, Reece has been taking care of me my whole life.
Even when we were thirteen, he was looking after me, escorting me home right to my front door, even though I had my own driver, or spending extra time on the parts of our homework that I didn’t understand.
It’s why I’ve felt so safe with him since he stepped foot on that island and back into my life. I knew he was going to pick back up right where he left off. No matter how much he changed over the years, he was still my best friend.
Tuning back into our surroundings, I realize we’re not on the highway anymore. I don’t recognize the area; there are a bit more trees here than the parts of San Francisco I’m familiar with.
“Where are we?” I ask as we turn down another road .
Up ahead, tall iron gates rise before a fence that stretches in both directions, vanishing into the trees. There’s another vehicle parked just inside the gates and as we slow down, a man in a suit gets out and presses something that makes the gate slowly swing open.
Weston pulls us to a stop and Reece jumps out, closing the door behind him. Nobody says anything and I decide not to ask. They’ll tell me when they want me to know.
I watch as he shakes the man’s hand, and they exchange a couple of words before they both head back into their vehicles. Silently we follow his car up the driveway and when I get my first glimpse of the house, I whisper, “Wow. Who lives here?”
Nobody answers, and I try to take everything in as we park and get out of our SUV.