Page 129 of Love in the Wild

When Gage didn’t speak, Travis took over. He recounted the story to the officers, while Gage focused on keeping his lunch from rioting out of his stomach. He couldn’t even hear Travis’s explanation over the war drum pounding in his ears.

A weight pressed on Gage’s shoulder. He looked up to see Dawson’s hand resting there. They’d gotten off to a rocky start, and Gage had almost convinced Dawson to trust him.

Almost.

“Are you okay? Do you need a medic?” Dawson asked.

“No. I’m fine.” It was the hard truth. He was sitting here like a completely normal person, while Hadley lay unnaturally still as the paramedics assessed her vitals.

“Is what Travis said true?” Dawson asked.

Gage shrugged. “I don’t know what he said. I wasn’t listening.”

“I get it. We’ll go over that later. Just hang tight while they get Hadley taken care of.”

Watching as the men and women fussed over Hadley was torture. He couldn’t do anything to help her. His hands might as well be tied behind his back.

Granted, they might be cuffed soon. He deserved it.

“Hey,” Dawson said beside him.

Gage turned his attention to Dawson, blinking back the fog clouding his vision. “Yeah.”

“What can I do to help?” Dawson asked.

“What do you mean?”

Dawson pointed to Hadley. “They’re doing their jobs and taking care of her. What do you need?”

“I’m not injured,” Gage reminded him.

“No, I mean what’s on your mind. I assume you’re worried about Hadley, but she’s in good hands. What else is runnin’ through your head?”

Gage glanced to the river where the investigation team was still buzzing around Rome.

Dawson put his hand on Gage’s back and nudged him to walk. “Let’s go over here.”

Gage didn’t move until Dawson pushed harder.

“We’ll stay where you can see her.”

At that, Gage followed Dawson to where they stood beside a tree away from the river. He’d made the mess, and now everyone else had to clean it up while he watched.

Dawson propped a shoulder against the tree and faced Gage. “It’s gonna be okay. I know it’s hard right now, but you have plenty of people to help you through this.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Yes, you do. You might feel responsible for what happened to Rome, but he did this to himself. Travis said Mr. Benson was with you and Rome.”

“He was.”

“It’s self-defense, and there are laws that protect you.”

Gage shook his head. “Not when you have a record like I do.”

“Your past doesn’t have a lot of homicide in it,” Dawson reminded him.

“Yeah, but no one is going to believe I didn’t just kill him because I wanted to.”

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