Page 37 of Savagely Yours
“Harding, this is Cerner. Go to 4.”
He cradled the side of my face and gently moved my head around as if he needed to see me from different angles to assessmy state of wellness. At the same time, he retrieved the handheld radio and switched it to channel four.
“Go for Harding,” he said.
“I need you to head to the construction zone. We have a breach.”
“I—”
“Now.”
The radio went silent.
“You have to go,” I half-said, half-asked. “It’s fine. I understand.”
“Are you sick?” he asked again.
“Yeah. Going on about a week or so now.”
“Do you know what you have?”
“No.”
“Do you know if it’s…”
“I don’t.”
He swiped his thumb over my right brow. “I looked for you, Tapley. I didn’t abandon you. I never will. It doesn’t matter what you see me wearing. I’ll never abandon you. Being in here doesn’t mean the oath I took to protect you goes away. I take my duties seriously. You know that.”
I heard every word.
Yet, as he looked at me, I saw neither oath nor duty. For the first time since we met, his poker face completely failed. His expression betrayed him, along with the slight trembling I felt in the hand pressed against my face.
“I thought you were dead,” he said. “This feels worse.”
I had no response for that.
“LaSalle,” he turned to Jeremy, who’d yet to return to his feet, “help Tapley with whatever she’s got going on for the rest of her shift. Whatever orders you were assigned today, I’m effectively canceling them. After you’re done, take her to my place.”
I swallowed again, cringing. “You know I can’t go to your place, Dez. I can’t step foot inside Woodhaven unless I’m working.”
“How’d you know I was at Woodhaven?”
“The uniform.”
Even if Jeremy escorted me, we’d both be detained and more than likely killed. They kept their precious, ignorant citizens in the dark, but I’d scrubbed away the blood and human remains of those who’d defied the hierarchy.
“Open up for me,” Dez said.
I opened my mouth.
He swapped out the radio for a flashlight and aimed it at my throat.
“Harding to the construction zone, stat.”
“If they call me one more time…” He put away the flashlight, tilted his head, and exhaled so hard, I felt every ounce of his frustration. “Tapley, have Jeremy escort you to my place when you’re done. I’m not asking. I’ll take care of any issues or problems.”
To appease him, I nodded. “Okay.”
