Page 64 of Save Me
“Yeah, not so much, asshole,” Callum states, looming over us to stare down at my dad. “You look like hell.”
“And you’re a little punk who needs his ass kicking. Let me get right on that.”
“It’s the one time I’d be able to kick your sorry ass, so stay down, old man.”
Their banter is shocking to me. They’re acting like this is no big deal. But to me, this is everything. If I lose my dad now after just finding him, I’ll…
Callum’s hand lands on my shoulder as I let out an ugly sob. He crouches down next to me and turns my face to him. “He’s going to be okay.”
“Vipers,” I blurt out with nothing left to say.
“Yeah, Adam told us,” he grits out.
I glance up at Adam, returning to the room with a first aid box the size of a tool kit. He nods once, and I feel a rush of gratitude. He knew I needed them.
“We’ll sort those bastards out. Don’t worry about revenge. We’ve got this,” Cal says, and it’s not a comfort, but it’s a promise of retribution that feels right.
“First things first,” Adam interjects, his voice commanding attention. “We get Aaron stable. Then we plan our next move.”
We all fall silent, waiting. The tension coils tighter with each passing second as Quen, our resident medic by all appearances, works to slow down the bleeding with gear from the box Adam handed to him. These guys—they’re my unexpected fortress,their determination a shield against the uncertainty bearing down on us.
As the wait stretches out, each of us is lost in our own thoughts, yet together in this strange new reality, the only certainty is the sound of my dad’s laboured breathing and the collective will surrounding him, begging him to hold on.
“It’s not enough,” Thayer says, breaking the silence. “The set-up. They just started something they will wish they’d kept in the back of their brains, which, by the way, are about to be splattered all over.”
“Took out about eight on the scene,” Adam says, arms folded. “But there’s a hundred more. What did you have in mind.”
A car door slams outside, and footsteps approach through the entrance hall. This is it—the dodgy doctor vet man is finally here.
He’s not what I expected—he’s dressed in dark jeans and a hoodie.
“Step back,” the doctor says, voice clipped, all business.
We all scuttle backwards, giving him space to work.
“Get out,” the doctor mutters, and we waste no time moving our asses out of the living to reconvene in the kitchen.
Thayer flicks the kettle on as Harry takes me gently to the sink, running water to just the right temperature before he washes the blood from my hands.
“You okay?” he asks.
“No.”
“I get that.”
“But thanks for asking.”
We share a smile as the rest of the guys bustle about, keeping busy.
Outside, the mansion grounds are silent, too silent—it’s the calm before the storm, and we all know it.
“How did you leave the scene?” Callum asks.
“With a bunch of dead bodies strewn about,” Adam grits out.
“Not good,” Cal mutters.
Adam’s hard gaze pins his. “You don’t say.”
