Before she could respond his cell phone rang.
“I’ll wait here,” he told her, but it seemed like that wasn’t what he wanted to say.
She turned around and headed into the bathroom.
* * * *
“How is Mercedes?” Kurt asked as Taylor answered the phone. He and Warner had been up all night. The team was working overtime to get info on these guys.
“Yes, she just woke up. She’s sore and has more bruising on her hip.”
“How do you know that?” Kurt asked.
“She was achy and then I checked out the area under her shirt. She’s bruised up good. Plus she blames herself. She’s been crying, and she told me to leave.”
* * * *
“You make her understand that things are going to change.”
“It would be better if you two were here, too, when I explain. That way she gets it,” Taylor told Kurt.
“Warner isn’t exactly pleasant and neither am I. Make sure you stay with her. We’ll try to stop by soon,” Kurt said and then disconnected the call.
Kurt’s eyes burned as he rubbed them and felt the throbbing headache.
He exhaled, reached for the painkillers and the bottle of water. He took two and swallowed, hoping they would kick in fast.
“Is she okay?” Warner asked.
“She’s in pain and feeling responsible for what happened.”
Warner scrunched his eyebrows together. “She can blame me. If I wasn’t such a dick and didn’t leave for that fucking trip then she wouldn’t have been in that situation. She’d be in our bed by now, protected from dicks like these two fuckheads.”
“You can’t say that. It wasn’t what was meant to be. You weren’t ready and I was still working my own fears and hesitation out. Plus you completed your mission, came back safely, and we’re here now. We’ll protect her.”
Warner leaned back in the chair and stretched his arms out above his head.
“What’s that?” Kurt asked and Warner didn’t move. He held his brother’s gaze and Kurt sat forward.
“That last job was different than the others.”
Kurt didn’t like the way that sounded.
“Different how?” Kurt asked.
Warner held his gaze.
“Nothing to worry about, I wasn’t a hundred perce
nt on my game. But I made it. I’m here now, and things are going to be different. I’m not taking those kinds of chances anymore. I’m not.”
“So you’re not going to tell me anything more about it?” Kurt asked.
“Have we ever asked one another questions about what we do and where we went and what went down? No, so we’re not going to now.”
Kurt took a deep breath. He really wished the painkillers would kick in. Now he felt even worse than before.
“Well, I’m glad you made it back, in one piece.”