Page 26 of Forever Found

“Kane called when he didn’t hear from you. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” Adam barked.

“Um, I wonder,” Jordan said sarcastically as he looked to his brother with a smirk. “Maybe because I knew exactly what you’d do. You could have ripped your stitches, asshole.”

“Give her to me,” Adam growled.

“Adam, I’m okay,” I tried to reassure him, but it fell on deaf ears as he just glared at Jordan hard.

“Jordan,” he growled again.

“No. You’re going to rip your stitches if you try and lift her. Lie back down and she can lie beside you,” Jordan dictated as the two of them had some kind of stare off.

“Guys,” I tried again. Adam’s eyes returned to mine and his face softened a little. “Are you alright, baby? You shouldn’t have sneaked out like that,” he sighed.

“I didn’t sneak out. I left to come and see my boyfriend. I’m not a prisoner,” I snapped right back.

“Of course you’re not. Adam just means you should have told someone you were leaving. Kane and your brothers were worried, and there could still be a threat out there trying to get hands on you,” Jordan clarified.

“I don’t care anymore, Jord. All I cared about was getting here,” I sighed tiredly.

“You’re exhausted. You need to be home, sleeping,” Adam told me.

“Don’t you start, please Adam. You’re right. I am exhausted, but there was no way I could sleep. The only thought keeping me from letting my own demons drown me in my past was getting here to the two of you. I’m not doing so great…in here,” I tapped my temple. “It’s a huge mess and I just….I need to be here, okay? I need to be with you right now. You asked me to talk to you and I am now. I’m begging you to just let this go,” I pleaded.

“Lie down, Ad. Addy needs to be near you just as much as you need it too,” Jordan told his brother, and I was relieved when Adam stiffly shuffled back and settled against the pillows, half reclined, but looking tense again.

Jordan adjusted me in his arms so he could set me down on the small strip of bed beside Adam. He leaned in to kiss the top of my head as he did so, then Adam was sliding his arm beneath me and pulling me into his side.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I told him as I stiffened at his side.

“You won’t, baby. I’m good,” Adam rumbled as he continued to pull me closer. I relaxed and settled against his side, wrapping my arm around his chest as much as I could.

“I was so scared I’d lost you,” I whimpered as I pressed my face against the soft skin of his side. He didn’t smell like he usually did – his aftershave gone and replaced with the smell of the hospital and some generic soap or bodywash - but just touching him was everything I needed right then.

“Fuck no. I’m not going anywhere,” he told me as he kissed the top of my head. “None of us are, remember? We have a deal.”

“Right,” I sniffled as I looked up with a half-smile, remembering the deal we made the day before to get really old and all die on the exact same day.

“You good here while I go and call Kane? No doubt he’s storming over here in full ‘asshole’ mode,” Jordan spoke up.

“We’re good,” Adam nodded.

“I have my cell if you need me, princess, but I won’t be far away,” Jordan told me as I turned to look at him as much as Adam’s grip on me would allow. It seemed he wasn’t letting me go anytime soon.

“Can you maybe not let Kane in here if he’s gonna yell? I know I deserve it, but I…I just can’t. Not right now,” I told Jordan.

“No one’s yelling at you, Addy. I won’t let them,” Jordan assured me with a wink, then he left the room, closing the door behind him.

“How bad is the pain?” I asked Adam as I settled back into his side, resting my head on his tight pec.

“Better now that I have you beside me,” he replied. “I’m so sorry. I should have gotten you out of there. You should never have been taken.”

“Adam, no. You did everything you could. We both did, but you were shot. You almost died! Don’t you dare apologize to me,” I ground out as I lifted my head enough to glare at him as I spoke.

“Tell me everything. I need to know what they did. I need to know everywhere you were hurt.”

“No. I’m not going to do that, Adam.”

“Tell me, Addy,” he growled this time.