Page 42 of Hunted

Bower answers for them this time. “We were stranded on a deserted island about an hour from here. Reece finally found us.” He glances at me and winks as the girls start talking over each other.

“Mom, Haze, you gotta slow down, one at a time.”

“Hazel, shush! Let me talk to my son!” Bower laughs and King rolls his eyes in amusement. “Are you flying home today?”

They both look over at Darla and hesitate in their answer, realizing they are going to have to do some explaining.

“No, we can’t come home just yet.”

“Why not? I’d think you’d be dying to get back here.”

“We are, trust me, Mom. But someone in our group got injured and we have to wait for them to heal a bit more before we come home.”

“Oh no! Was it Reece? Will he be okay?”

“Reece is fine,” Bower says, still avoiding the answer.

“Boys…” she says in a warning tone. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Well, when West, he was our pilot, Bower, and I crashed into the ocean and ended up on the island, we weren’t the first ones to be deserted there.”

We hear the women’s collective gasps before Hazel asks, “Who else was there?”

“Well…” King says slowly as he and Bower look at one another, clearly unsure how to explain who Darla is and what she means to them. “Her name is Darla.”

“Her? And she’s the one who’s injured?”

“Yeah, we’re in her hospital room with the guys now.”

“The guys… So all four of you young men are in there with her now?”

“That’s right,” King says with a nod.

His mom is silent for a moment before she adds, “She must be very special to have all of you looking after her.”

“She is,” they say in unison, smiling at one another.

“Where is she from? Is her family coming there to get her?”

I finish cleaning Darla, and head back to the kitchen as Bower and King stay silent, clearly looking at each other for an answer.

I roll my eyes and grab the phone from them as I pass. “Mrs. V? It’s Reece.”

“Reece! It’s so good to hear your voice. How are you? Are my boys really okay?”

“We’re all okay,” I tell her, tossing the cloth into the sink. “As for Darla, we’re hopeful she’ll recover, and we can bring her back to the states in the next few days. As for her family, we’re her family now. Google her name, Darla Danvers, you’ll find everything you need to know. As for what she means to your sons…” I glance at their wide expressions as I decide to tell her the truth. “They are both dating her, and so is West. I’m hoping to be a part of that too, but we’re working on it.”

“Ho-ly SHIT!” Hazel exclaims loudly.

“Hazel! Language!”

“Mom, I’m twenty-three, I’m allowed to swear!”

“Not in this house, young lady!” I toss the phone to King as I pass them, heading back to Darla’s side.

“Mom? We’ve gotta go. I’ll call you when we’re home, okay? I lost my phone, and we’re sharing this one so it’s harder to keep in contact with you. I’ll buy a new one as soon as I’m back.”

“Alright, Kingsley. You boys take care of each other, you hear?”