Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Williams Page 0,44
me here. They’ve been making me cook for them.” Deke was a bit more hopeful when the man stopped glaring at him. “What’s your name?”
“Zach Clemmons. I can’t imagine why they’d want me. I’m just a cop.”
Oh fuck no. If Klein knew this guy was in law enforcement, that wouldn’t end well. “You can’t tell them that! They’re insane.”
“Y’think?” He leaned in closer. “What’s wrong with your arm?”
“Stabbed four times in the shoulder while my ma—boyfriend was on the phone. He’s got to be beside himself.”
The man pointed at his own arm and then down to his leg. “I think they broke them. They hurt like hell.”
Why Zach hadn’t collapsed into a heap spoke volumes about him. He was a strong man, there was no doubt. Broad in the chest, narrow in the waist, and with bulging arms that stretched the T-shirt he was wearing. His brown eyes were warm and matched his hair perfectly. Maybe….
“Why haven’t you escaped? Or at least tried?”
Deke slapped his legs, the thud loud in the small room. “Paralyzed. They took my chair, so it’s a lot of crawling around and hauling myself up when I want to sit. I think it amuses them to watch me slide across the floor.”
“Well, we’re in great shape, then.”
Better than being dead, Deke thought bitterly.
“So what are we going to do?”
“I’m getting the hell out of here,” Zach said, his tone leaving Deke with no doubt he’d try.
“With a broken leg and arm. How far do you think you’d get?”
Zach’s expression was akin to someone who’d bit a lemon. “What do you suggest? Stay here and make nice with these bastards?”
“No, of course not. It’s just, we need a plan to actually get out of here.” He pointed at each of their legs. “It’s not like we can run down the hall. Plus, they’ve got others too. Are we going to leave them?”
The expressions played plainly over Zach’s face. Anger, annoyance, and finally resignation. “What good are we doing them like this?”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned after my accident, disabled doesn’t need to mean helpless.” Deke reached out and put a hand atop Zach’s. “First we need to take care of you.”
Deke slipped off the sling and placed it around Zach’s neck.
“What about you?”
“I’m okay,” Deke promised, flexing his fingers. “We need to keep your arm immobile if we can. Your leg is another matter entirely. How bad is the pain?”
“It’s fine.”
“One to ten it for me, and don’t try to sugarcoat it.”
“Fifteen. Like I said, I can manage. I got shot in the stomach once. The leg is nothing compared to that pain, let me tell you.”
Deke peered intently at Zach. He wasn’t kidding about being able to handle the pain. In the hospital, Deke had smelled people in pain, and he could tell those were overwhelmed by their injuries. Though Zach was hurting, he didn’t have the scent of someone in agony. “Yes, but we can’t let it set weird or you might not be able to walk right after.”
“I’ll tell you, if we can get these people out of here, then it’s worth it to me. After the Army, I needed someone to protect, and being a cop lets me do that.”
Army and a cop. If he wasn’t human, this guy would make a great Alpha. “How’d they catch you?”
Zach scowled. “I had worked a sixteen-hour shift, and my ass was dragging. I should have gone home, but instead I went out for a drink. One of my buddies was there and he bought us a round, which turned into two, then six. By the time we were done, not only was my ass dragging, but the rest of me too. I decided to leave my car parked and take a taxi home. They jumped me at the cab stand. I fought back and managed to take one guy down. I don’t know if I only hurt him or if I killed him, but the other guy used that moment to blindside me. When I woke up, I was in the back of a car, and then dragged out and thrown into a room with a bunch of other people.”
Killed a wolf with his bare hands? Was that even possible for a human?
“The one I’m most worried about is the little girl,” Deke said.
“She’s a cutie. Her mom is a sweet thing. She’s refused to let the girl go and is always cautious about their food. And now that you brought it up, I