Kansas (Ruthless Kings MC Atlantic City #2) - K.L. Savage Page 0,20
too and can’t remember. I didn’t know, or I would have taken better care of her. “You need more pain killers. I’ll get Pulse.”
“No, I’m fine. I don’t want anything that makes me loopy.”
“You still need him to look at it and to give you something better than the Advil I have in my medicine cabinet,” I tell her. “Try to stay off the left side of your head.”
“It’s my favorite side to lie on.”
“No it’s not. When I was lying in bed, you were on your right side all cuddled up against me,” I tease her again, and she rolls until her face is buried in the pillow.
“I’m going to sleep,” she mumbles against the down feathers.
“You got it. I’ll go.” I get up and her hand snags around my wrist again, stopping me from going anywhere.
“Stay with me.”
I stare at where she’s touching me and close my eyes, trying not to think too hard about it. It means nothing. It’s a simple touch. She just wants to feel safe.
“Please,” she whispers, and the sweet sound of her voice has me opening my eyes.
Like I could say no to violet eyes.
I pull my arm from her grip and shrug off my cut, so I don’t sleep in it again. Unlacing my boots, I kick them off and set them under the bed. I walk around to the other side and lie down. The plastic over the top of the mattress crinkles as she turns to her right side and cuddles against my side, which makes me smirk.
“Hush. I still prefer my left side. It just hurts right now.” Her head is against my chest again, and this time I wrap my arm around her to hold her close. She still sniffles, somehow managing to keep a good attitude when she’s crying and heartbroken. It’s obvious she’s strong.
Much stronger than she gives herself credit for, I bet.
“Why do you call me Springs?” she asks in a sleepy tone that’s followed by a yawn.
“’Cause you have the curliest damn hair I’ve ever seen.”
She doesn’t say anything. Her silence has me glancing down to see her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling in even beats. She’s fallen asleep.
Her nickname will be my secret, or she’ll figure out what it means on her own.
I don’t know what it is about this woman, but I’d be lying to myself if I said I don’t want to know everything about her. Just being here, lying next to her, holding her, I feel like I’ve done it a hundred times.
My stomach is in knots with the excitement of meeting someone new and having those butterflies or whatever the fuck they are called, flying around are making me feel like a teenager.
And I’m not a liar.
With one look, those violet eyes thawed my stone-cold heart.
I’m so fucking screwed.
I hold my sisters for the first time in days. I have each arm wrapped around them while their heads are against my shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” I kiss the top of Victoria’s head, then Veronica, and they cry. I don’t have any more tears in me, but my eyes burn with the need to weep. I know I can’t. I have to stay strong for them. They have to see everything is okay, even if I have no idea if it is and how it will be.
“Are they really dead?” Victoria leans back and wipes her arm across her. She looks so tired, with bags under her eyes and a small cut across her cheek.
“They can’t be.” Veronica pulls away and crosses her arms across her chest. “They can’t,” she whispers in denial. “Where are we? Can we go home? Will Mom and Dad be waiting for us there?”
“Veronica,” I say gently and reach for her hand, but she pulls it away from me to roll out of bed.
“No! No. I refuse to believe this. I refuse to believe they are dead. They are alive. They’re probably worried sick about us and have already filed a missing person’s report. How do we know we weren’t kidnapped or…or…” she stutters and licks her lips. “They probably have brainwashed us or something. We don’t know these people, Violet.” Veronica paces back and forth, chewing on her thumbnail like she always does when she’s scared. “We need to get out of here.”
“Veronica—”
“No, it’s just like you to always give people the benefit of the doubt! The truth is, we don’t know these men.”