Page 63 of Ozzie

“We’ll keep you safe,” Ozzie says.

But can they? John won’t stop. He’s made that clear.

By the time we get into a room at the local motel, I’m still cold, and Ozzie must sense that because he wraps me in a blanket and pulls me onto his lap.

Durango paces the room, then stops. “I’m sure she’d be fine sitting on the bed.”

“She needs body heat.”

My cousin raises a brow.

“Hey, I wrapped her in a blanket. It’s not like I stripped us both naked first.”

“I get that you’re trying to help, but it’s a bit more than I can take right now,” Durango says as he rubs his temples.

Ozzie is turning my head from left to right, examining where John hit me. “You don’t have a bruise yet, but the area is red. Do you have a headache?”

“No.” I yawn, remembering I’m still dealing with some kind of drug in my system. “Durango, did the hospital figure out what exactly John shot you with?”

He shakes his head. “They ran tests, but the resultswon’t come back for a while. The doctor agreed that it was some type of sedative.”

“Whatever it is, I’ve had a lot of it this week. I think John’s plan was to keep me asleep until the wedding.”

“Then what? Push you to the altar and expect you to go along with it?” Durango asks.

“He gave veiled threats that I suspect would have become more direct closer to Saturday.” I yawn again.

“You need sleep,” Ozzie says, standing up and lifting me with him. “We can figure out our plan in the morning.”

I lower my legs so I’m standing. “I need to use the bathroom.” I excuse myself.

As soon as the door closes, Durango yells at Ozzie. “You don’t have to keep touching her.”

He doesn’t realize or doesn’t care that this flimsy bathroom door does little to muffle what he’s saying.

“Fuck, Durango, really? Do you realize she could have died from hypothermia out there? Or worse, what if he found her again? The last thing she needs is your issues with me in her face.”

Durango grunts. “Fine. But this conversation isn’t over.”

Ozzie sighs. “Of course it isn’t.”

I finish up and go back to the main room. The covers are pulled down on one of the queen beds, and I climb in. “Are you two sharing that bed?”

Durango frowns. “No, I’ll share the bed with you, and Ozzie can take that one.”

I sit up. “What? Gross. No.”

My cousin crosses his arms.

I point at him. “You are a bed hog, and I don’t need to feel you up against me in the night.”

“Hey, this looks like a sleeper sofa. I’ll sleep on it. Durango can take the other bed.” Ozzie pulls the cushions off and unfolds the bed.

I lie back and close my eyes as they get ready to go to sleep. My stomach growls. “Any chance either of you have a snack on you?”

“When’s the last time you ate?” Ozzie asks.

“I had a protein bar back at John’s house.”

---