Page 47 of Ramshackle
Only then does he let me go to finish washing my hair.
He doesn’t say a word during any of it.
Neither do I.
The shower is turned off after he’s finished, and he leads me out to begin drying me off with a towel. There’s a set of pajamas on the floor in front of the door that he brings over and helps me into.
Jackson proceeds to finger-comb my hair once I’m dressed, and I can feel the soft air flowing behind me. It’s a mere minute or two and my wet hair is dry.
He dresses back in his clothes, drying himself with his gift first before layering himself up again. He leaves his hood down this time so I can see the wild nature of his black hair and have a clear view of his face. He smiles at me when he catches me staring, and I hurriedly look away.
Jack takes my hand in his at his side, interlocking our fingers together, before opening the door and bringing us back into the room.
Dane’s head pops up as soon as he hears the door, his face etched with concern as he looks me over. He’s still in one of the upholstered sofa chairs next to the bed, but there’s a tray in front of him and the bed looks freshly made.
He stands up. “I, uh, told the others you were awake. But I said you weren’t ready to see everyone yet and still needed rest.” His hand sweeps over the changes on the bed. “Kell came in quick to change out your sheets when I told them you were in the shower. Aiden brought you new clothes and had soup and bread prepared in case you’re hungry. Oh, and water. Cassandra said you need to drink a lot of water when you’re not sleeping.”
I’m speechless.
Why?
Jack nudges me forward, and my clumsy feet finally get me to the bed with his help. He pulls the sheets down for me to climb in while Dane stuffs a pile of pillows behind my back so I can sit up. He sets the tray over my legs and Jackson hop-sails over to the other sofa chair to sit on its back.
I feel like I should say something, but I’m a little stunned at what’s happening. Like the current tab in my mind that relates to speech is frozen and spinning in circles.
The smell of soup draws me in, and my stomach growls angrily in response. I pick up the spoon and take the first mouthful. It’s potato and bacon. My favorite.
Did Aiden remember that from when we were on the island, or is it just a coincidence?
I dig in like a starved animal. It must have been at least a day or two since they rescued me because I feel like I haven’t eaten in days. Shoveling the soup and roll into my mouth keeps that occupied as well, so neither Jack nor Dane try asking me any questions or talking to me.
Having both of their attention while I eat is a bit unnerving, though. Jackson’s focus, I expect. But Dane’s?
I use the last bite of bread to soak up what’s left of the soup along the inside of the bowl. Once I’ve washed it all down with the cup of water, Dane takes my glass and refills it with a pitcher he has on the side table next to him.
“Thanks,” I mumble when he hands it back to me. I take a sip and set the glass back down. I’m clean and fed, and now my body wants to disappear under the covers before anything else can get in the way of that. But I need at least a few answers before I can give in.
I take another look around the room I’m in. It’s the same layout as the one Aiden had locked me in, but there’s an air mattress set up in the corner. Other than that, I don’t see anything to clue me in on why we’re here or what happened while I was gone.
“Where’s Vera?” I ask first, my voice coming out slow and tentative. Part of our bargain revolved around her being able to stay with Dane while I was gone. Now that I’m back…
Dane’s expression darkens to something else. “She’s gone,” he answers. “We tried locking her up before we rescued you so we could still keep her around, but she escaped.”
Escaped. Which means he hadn’t been able to get through to her in their time together. She’s still a pawn of GE’s. I knew it was a long shot that she could be convinced away from them, but Dane deserved that chance to try. “Dane, I’m so sorry—”
“Don’t apologize,” he cuts in, his hand fisting on the bed and his jaw tense. “I should be the one...” He releases a frustrated breath. “You gave me a chance. And time with her that I never thought I’d have again. It’s my fault that I wasn’t able to break her out of whatever hold those scumbags have on her. You gave me that time, and I couldn’t fucking do it.” Dane drops his head. “I’m sorry.”
His words trip a memory that gives me pause. Hold on her. Thorne.Royce. “Dane, about that…”
He holds my hand. “Don’t worry about that right now. What matters is that you’re here and you’re safe. I’m not going to fight to get her back just to lose you to them, too. No more sacrifices, Rae. It’s my turn to look out for you. Whatever I can do…whatever you need…I’ll do it. Anything.”
I swallow down what I was going to say. I can feel my eyelids getting heavy and my brain beginning to wind down as the food settles and my need for rest begins to take over. Later. I’ll tell him later. I offer him a brief nod instead, to which he smiles softly.
“Good. You should get some more sleep. I know we all have questions for each other, but Cassandra said not to bother you right after you wake up.” Dane releases my hand and takes the tray away, then begins pulling pillows so I can scoot myself down in the bed.
As I’m shimmying under the covers, the mattress dips. Jackson slides beneath the sheets in a shirt and briefs with a small smile. He wraps his arms around me, holding me to his chest and smelling like crisp autumn air. I grip his shirt, breathing him in like he’s the only oxygen I need, letting his calm presence soothe me.
Even though I’m still buzzing with questions, the tiredness wins out within seconds of getting comfortable.
