Page 18 of Forever Found
“Thanks,” he said drolly. “When do you think you can get Addy and Eli back here? I really need to hold her, Kane.”
“I know. I get it, trust me. The cops want to interview them both in the morning, if Addy’s up to it. Once that’s done, we can leave as soon as Eli gets discharged.”
“And Eli? Asher said he was doing just fine. That still the case?” Jordan asked. I knew he and Eli were close. They’d been friends since they were kids, just like Asher and Adam. They were all more like brothers than friends at that point.
“He’s good. He’ll need some physio, but the bullet didn’t cause any major damage. He saved her, Jord. He saved the both of them. We owe him everything.”
“Shit, don’t tell him that. We don’t need him getting a big head,” he laughed. “Do we even know all the details of how they got out yet?”
“No. Eli told us the basics. Addy told me some bits too, but they were both pretty shaken up and exhausted. We’ll find out tomorrow, I guess,” I explained.
“Keep me updated, yeah?”
“Yeah, of course. You too. I know this thing between us all is new and confusing as fuck, but you guys matter to me. Addy needs all of us,” I told him. I knew the silence after was because he was shocked to hear me say something so honest and open. I wasn’t a guy who was exactly in touch with my feelings, but after all we’d been through, I needed Jordan to know he wasn’t alone in everything. I needed him to know that I wasn’t quite as big of an asshole as he thought I was.
“Aww, I knew you’d warm up to us eventually, tough guy,” Jordan joked, easing the tense moment.
“Screw you, asshole,” I threw back, but I was smiling too.
“Seriously though, Kane, I get it. We all love Addy, and she does need us. That makes us all family now and hopefully for the rest of our lives. We’re all in it together. Brothers,” Jordan said, making way more sense than what I’d blurted out, I suspected.
“Brothers,” I agreed with a nod, even though he couldn’t see me. I turned the camera to face me again and took in his exhausted face. “As your pseudo-brother, I feel I should tell you that you look like absolute shit right now,” I said bluntly, hoping the grin on my face softened the blow. “You need to sleep Jordan. Go home. Take a shower, then sleep. Addy’s gonna need to see you looking a shit load better than you do right now, if you don’t want to worry her any more than she already is.”
“Gee, thanks for that compliment,”
“I mean it. Fuck, I’m worried about how tired and pale you look right now. Please, at least just take a few hours to recoup. Adam will get through a few hours without you.”
“Yeah, okay. I guess you’re right. The nurses have been avoiding coming round this side of the bed, I’m guessing because of my body odor right now.”
“Make sure security go with him and he cannot drive until he’s slept some,” Asher spoke up.
“You hear what dad said?” I joked.
“Yep. Tell him I’ll be sure to look both ways too!”
“Fuck the pair of you!” Asher threw back, making us both chuckle.
“All jokes aside though, keep security with you, Jordan. Who knows what this fucker, Kline, has up his sleeve next. You need to be careful,” I warned.
“I will. You too. Keep our girl safe.”
“You know I will.”
We hung up, and I dropped my cell to the bed beside me. Exhausted, I rested my head back against the cold metal bar at the top of the head board. I was zapped, but there was no way I was sleeping. I had no real idea about the capability of the guys securing the room, and the records and references sent on the both of them by the company they worked for needed verifying, by me. Not that doing that would allow me to trust them completely. I doubted I would ever be able to trust anyone other then my family with the security of Addy. I had trusted Leo and look where that had gotten us.
“You doing okay over there?” Asher asked quietly.
“Not really. I can’t believe Leo betrayed me like that. I’d have trusted him with my life,” I sighed.
“It’s not on you, Kane. I vetted the guys you hired too and I knew Leo well. I never would have suspected this of him. I believed he was loyal.”
“He was a good actor,” I agreed. I hadn’t suspected a thing and I’d worked with him day in, day out for years.
“Yeah he was,” Asher nodded.
“What do I do now, Ash? How can I ever trust myself to pick a team worthy of protecting all of you? How can you ever trust me to do that?”
“I already have, Kane. The guys outside Adam’s room, the men protecting Jordan as he leaves the hospital, they’re your men – men you trust to protect people I care about. I have never once doubted your judgment or the decisions you’ve made and I’m not going to start now.”