Page 29 of Haven
“Yes,” Char’s voice was sounding weaker. “As is Colton. I became friends with Lily. She is too good for Colton. He is cruel to women. Lily is too sweet. She never would have survived.”
“Did your brothers do this to you?” Kile tried to keep the rage out of his voice but knew he had failed miserably.
“His men by his orders.” Char groaned when he began to move. “Colton found out it was me that helped Sadie get Lily out and he told Sebastian. They wanted me to tell them where Sadie and Lily were, but I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know. When they finally figured I was telling the truth, my brother ordered his men to ensure I regretted going against the pack and banished me. We talked about this place, Lily and I, so I started searching. She called it the Sanctuary. I figured this was where she and Sadie were.”
“We will discuss this more after you are taken care of.” Kile continued down the ramp. His gaze met Cole’s, who looked as angry as he was. If the bastard did this to his sister, who knew what was in store for Sadie and Lily?
“But—” Char tried to say but cried out when Kile moved her in his arms.
“Char, we will talk more, but first, we need to remove that arrow from your back. We aren’t going anywhere,” Kile replied, not budging on discussing it further.
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Char whispered against his chest, her eyes rising to meet his. “Promise me. Colton is nothing compared to Sebastian and he wants Sadie in a bad way.”
“I promise,” Kile replied, following Phil into Lance Cutter’s house and then up the steps to a bedroom where the bed had been stripped and covered in white sheets.
“Lay her on her stomach,” Phil ordered as he stretched surgical gloves over his hands.
Once Char was placed on the bed, Phil kicked everyone out except a woman who was assisting him and Gemma. Kile turned to walk out but stopped in front of Sadie. As she stared at Char, the fear on her face tugged at his heart. She had just been told there was a bounty out for her, and she looked more worried about Char.
“Come on,” He gently turned her toward the door, leading her out with his hand on her lower back. “She’s in good hands.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Sadie asked once he shut the door. Before he could answer, Lance walked toward them.
“I have some coffee and drinks downstairs.” He offered, his eyes staying on Sadie. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Lance Cutter.” He reached out his hand toward Sadie, and Kile seriously thought about breaking it but refrained. Holy shit, he needed to get a grip.
“Sadie, " she responded, not giving him her last name or a smile, which made him happy.
“We’ll be there,” Kile said politely as possible, dismissing him. Lance liked women, all women, and was a total flirt. Right now, they were neighborly, and he wanted to keep it that way, so getting rid of him was the best thing Kile could do right now. He’d hate to punch the neighbor in the face for flirting with Sadie.
Once he was gone, Kile looked at her, pleased she was staring up at him instead of looking Lance’s way. His wolf growled in pleasure also.
“She’s going to be fine,” Kile answered the question she asked before Lance interrupted them. “If I didn’t trust Phil, she wouldn’t be in there.”
“Thank you,” She whispered, biting her lower lip and glancing away.
“And so will you be,” Kile added, wanting her to know she was safe with them. With him. “You and Lily will be safe here.”
Her chin trembled as she nodded but didn’t respond. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, and he knew right then she was going to run. As soon as she knew Char would be okay and Lily was taken care of, she would run, sacrificing herself to keep the two safe. That was her plan, and he knew it, but he had different plans forher, and soon she would learn to trust him. No way he was going to let her go now.
CHAPTER 17
Sadie stood holding a cup of lukewarm coffee. The man who introduced himself as Lance was talking. She watched his mouth move but had no clue what he was saying. Sadie just nodded every once in a while, pretending to drink the coffee. She hated coffee but didn’t want to be rude. Her eyes kept going to where Eric, Cole, and Kile stood. Their eyes shifted to her, and then they would look away to start talking again—a clear indication that they were talking about her.
Her mind was whirling with what Char had said, but the guilt had her stomach churning. What had she been thinking when she agreed to have an eighteen-year-old help them? She had been so concerned for Lily that she hadn’t been thinking. Dammit.
Realizing Lance had stopped talking, she glanced up at him. He was staring at her. Shit. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Would you like to sit down?” He asked after a few minutes of silence.
“No, thank you.” She replied, knowing she was, in fact, being rude but wasn’t in the mood to socialize. “Excuse me,” Sadie said, stepping around him, barely able to give him a small smile. Her eyes locked with Kile, who stood watching her as she approached. She wanted to know what they were discussing, especially if it had to do with her.
His intense stare made her heart skip beats. Her hand shook, sloshing the coffee on her fingers. Her mind kept replaying their short time in the woods. Had she really acted that way? Embarrassed, she dropped her gaze from him. Her breath hitched, causing her to clear her throat as she stopped next to the three men.
“I’d appreciate being included when I’m the subject of conversation,” she said, silently cursing as her voice trembled.
“What do you know about this pack?” Eric asked with a frown.
“Not as much as Char or Lily.” She replied honestly. “I know they go by the Shadow Pack, which I’m surprised Colton didn’t repeat over and over again while you were beating his ass.” This she directed toward Kile.