Page 34 of Give Me Peace

“So, what are we watching?” Loch sets the food down, but quickly makes a plate and passes it to Tink.

“We let Ro decide.” Kade grins, pressing play on the remote. “He chose Legally Blonde.” Decidedly of the chick variety. I nearly snort.

“Love a good movie about perseverance and overcoming obstacles. Elle Woods is a trailblazer,” Ro grumbles, arms crossed over his chest as he nods a couple times. Swear to Christ, the man must have googled the movie as fast as he could because there’s not a chance in hell he’s watched it. He likely saw pink and thought ‘that’ll do’. Those are absolutely Google’s words. But maybe there’s hope for the big dummy, after all.

Saylor giggles through most of it, munching on a bowl of popcorn and the candy Kash keeps passing back, but her eyes get heavy halfway through. She’s out cold ten minutes later, her head resting on Kade’s shoulder. We stay seated, watching the movie for a while longer, because apparently, we all like chick-flicks. Kade lifts Saylor once we get everything shut off and the food taken care of. With her cradled in his arms, he nods goodnight to us and heads toward their rooms.

Kash stays in ours, surprisingly, but barely sleeps. I’m not sure any of us do. At least not well. We’re too busy anticipating a scream to ever drift off fully.

Chapter Eighteen

Saylor

I have no recollection of coming to bed last night, but when I peel my eyes open my cheek is pressed against something hard. I turn just enough to figure out what I’m lying on and find an arm full of colorful tattoos. I have zero doubt whose body said appendage is connected to. And to my absolute horror, I’ve drooled all over him. Using the sleeve of the sweatshirt I’m still wearing—his, no less—I surreptitiously attempt to wipe it away, refusing to look behind me to see if he’s awake.

There were lots of things I envisioned doing to Havok McKade as a form of payback for all the years of torment he put me through but slobbering on him had never been one of them. His arm is likely numb from me sleeping on it all night. It takes me a minute to roll over since I can’t put any weight on my injured wrist, but once I’m facing him, I find his sleepy blue eyes fixated on mine.

“Hi,” I whisper, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment, but also because I very much need to brush my teeth.

“Hey,” Havok replies, stretching his free arm to the side. “Not gonna lie, I was kinda worried you were going to freak out when you found me here. I tried to lay you down and leave last night, but you latched on and wouldn’t let go. I planned to slip out a bit later but must’ve fallen asleep.”

“It’s okay,” I reassure him. Maybe I should be more worried about why I slept so good with him next to me, but it feels safer when I’m not alone. “I didn’t have any nightmares.”

“Yeah?” He looks relieved. “That’s good, Say.”

Who the heck is this man? Havok looks even more hardened on the outside than he did the day I was taken. His features are more defined from age and his skin is covered in artwork. I imagine this is what women refer to as the ‘bad boy’ look. Yet he’s softer than I’ve ever known him to be. Finding out about the money he kept safe for me and the lengths he went to, without knowing if I’d ever have any use for it, just leaves me…speechless. It’s mind blowing to think this is the same person who made me dread going to school.

It's a morbid thought, but I can’t help but wonder where Havok would be today if I’d never been taken. Would we have called a truce? Would he have felt bad for everything he put me through and apologized? Or would he still be the same angry person who hated the world and did everything he could to make the rest of us as miserable as him? I hate to think I was the catalyst for such a visceral change in Havok, that seems a bit self-centered, but I’m pretty sure my abduction was the turning point.

“What are you thinking about so hard, pretty girl?” His thumb rubs between my eyebrows, smoothing out the line I’d caused with the direction of my thoughts.

“Just that I really like this version of you.” I smile, hoping he doesn’t take that as insult.

“Me, too,” he replies softly, his blue eyes looking even brighter from the sunlight flooding the room.

“Shit, it’s almost lunchtime,” Havok comments as he taps his phone. “You need anything before I go shower?”

“No, I think I’ll do the same.” I pry myself up, allowing us both to crawl out of bed. “Actually, could I get another one of these?” I pinch the fabric of his hoodie.

“Sure thing, Say. I’ll leave it on the bed for you.” Havok winks and walks out the door.

I gather some fresh clothes and head for the bathroom. My hair definitely needs to be washed so this should be fun. I turn the shower on, opting to go with the easier option, and quickly undress. There’s already shampoo and conditioner placed on a tiled inlay, so I only have to snag a bottle of body wash from under the sink. I choose a new scent, still floored by the fact that I have so many choices, and slip beneath the spray, closing the glass door behind me.

The water pressure is perfect and feels heavenly on my shoulders. I tilt my head back and let it soak my hair. My wrist is still tender so I try to do everything one handed, but it’s difficult. I end up squirting the shampoo directly on my hair, hoping I got the amount right. Based on all the suds, I went a little overboard. It takes me longer than it should, but once I’ve got it rinsed, I leave the conditioner to sit while washing off. My bruises have mostly faded to yellows and greens, but they’re still prominent.

By the time I’ve gotten everything taken care of, it feels like I’ve been in here for ages. With a towel wrapped around my body and head, I ease the bathroom door open to make sure Havok isn’t dropping off the sweatshirt I asked for at the most inopportune time. The room is empty, but I see the navy-blue fabric tossed on my bed. I quickly grab it and close myself back in the foggy bathroom to get dressed. I chose a pair of black gym shorts today, not that it really matters since I’m sure they won’t be visible.

When I get the blue sweater on, it makes me scoff. This one’s even longer, ending right at my knees, so I’m doubtful that it’s Havok’s. Written across the front in grey lettering is SOTERIA. I remember that being the name of their company from the business card Lochlan gave me at the hospital. I’m standing in the middle of my room trying, and failing, to run a brush through my hair when there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I call out, hissing as I hit a tangle.

“Best Friend,” Kash says as he walks in, giving me one of those lopsided grins of his. “Ro made me run the beach with him this morning so I wouldn’t wake you up. It was torture, Honeybun. Absolute torture.” The back of his hand is splayed across his forehead like he might faint.

“I’m sorry.” I scrunch my nose in agreement. “Cardio is pretty brutal.”

“Not the running.” Kash waves his hand dismissively. “It was torture to be kept away from my favorite person for half the damn day.” His smile is full of mischief, and I can’t help but swat his arm playfully.

“Let me help with that. Looks like you’re struggling.” Kash takes the brush before I can protest and swirls his finger, telling me to turn around. He starts at the ends of my hair and slowly works his way up, each stroke soft and gentle. I barely even feel it when he meets a knot. It’s so calming I close my eyes, thinking of the way my mom used to do the same thing when I was a little girl. After he’s brushed through it several times, Kash runs his fingers through the strands.