Page 43 of Hunted

“Yes, Mom.”

“And I expect to hear all about this Darla when we see you.”

“Yes, Mom, love you.”

“Love you, too. You as well, Bower!”

“Love you, Mrs. V!”

They hang up and take a second to digest the call.

Finally, King drops down on the bench by the window as Bower moves to the foot of the bed, staring down at Darla. “Now what?” he asks.

I glance around at all three of them as I consider our plan.

“We need to wait for her to heal before flying back home so she can recover. In the meantime, we should shower, shave, and get some real clothes. Oh, and Arnold’s already arranging new cells for everyone. I’m working on a plane… so I guess all that’s left is food.”

Bower frowns as he looks down at Darla. “I don’t know if I can eat anything real until she can. I’m craving a burger and fries so badly, but it’s only been a few months for me. It’s been way too long for her.”

I nod, knowing what he means. “We can’t starve ourselves. She’ll be upset if we look emaciated when she wakes up. And we need our strength to take care of her.”

“And protect her. Don’t forget, Frank hired men to kill us. For all we know, they’ll try again,” West says in frustration.

He’s right. If anything, we’re less safe here since so many people know our location and we can’t get away with killing so easily here.

I grip Darla’s hand in mine and watch her face for signs of movement. No matter what, her safety comes first. I will not lose her again.

Chapter thirteen

Darla

Soft murmuring penetrates my mind, where I’m currently floating on a cloud, thinking about nothing. It’s kind of nice, but those incessant voices get louder and louder until I start to recognize them.

“I don’t want to wait any longer! Go get the doctor, she should have woken up by now.” It’s Weston’s grumpy voice I can hear. What’s he so upset about? What doctor? This must be part of my dream.

“Just give her a little more time. She’ll come around,” Kingsley tells him softly.

“Are you sure she’ll like them? Maybe it’s too much?” Bower’s the one to speak this time.

Kingsley laughs as he replies, “I mean, it’s definitely too much, but she’ll love it. It helps distract from the cold white walls.”

White walls?This is a strange dream.

“Can you shut the fuck up for two minutes?” Weston barks, making me flinch. The voices go silent, and I start to float back up to my cloud. “Baby?” Weston whispers so softly, I almost don't hear him, but something in his voice has me descending again.

Although I can't see anything, it’s like my body starts to come back online. I start to feel things around me. There’s something in my nose, and both my hands are being held. Someone is rubbing their thumb over the back of my hand, and on the other side, someone’s stroking my arm. I feel a sheet or blanket over me, far lighter than any blanket I’ve ever made.

A soft beeping reaches my ears, a steady pulse in the background.

“Zee?” Weston prods again. He’s on my right. I try to turn my head towards him, but I can’t tell if I moved or not. “Can you hear me?”

“Mmm…” I manage a tiny noise, which is followed by all of them saying my name in surprise.

“Good girl. Now why don’t you open your eyes for me?”

I try to open them, but they don’t respond, and I groan in frustration. It comes out much louder this time.

“She’s in pain! We need to up her meds!” Bower exclaims, and I try to shake my head. I’m not in pain, I’m just so tired. Like my body is struggling to come back online.