Page 93 of Kept in the Dark

“I’ll be sure to let them know,” Trey replied with a chuckle. He pushed himself to sit up and flinched, trying not to let anyone see his discomfort. “On a serious note, though, I need you and Carter to keep an eye on the girls for me. We have no idea who the shooter is, which means he could go after Hailey or even Sara.”

“We assumed as much,” Gavin said.

Trey took Hailey’s hand. “Listen, Princess, you and Trinity are staying at my place until we figure out what the hell is going on.”

Hailey nodded. “Okay, but where are we staying while you’re in the hospital?" She looked at Sara. “What about you? Where are you going to stay?”

Sara smirked. “No one knows where I am, remember? Plus, I can take care of myself.” She pointed to her side where her scars laid beneath her t-shirt.

“Why don’t you stay with Sara?” Carter said. “Like she said, no one knows where she’s staying.”

Gavin added, “Yeah, it would be best to keep everyone together as much as possible. And we can post outside.”

Trey nodded. “Stay there until I’m released and then you and Trinity can stay with me. I’m hoping they’ll release me in the next day or two.”

Hailey gave a soft smile. “You just got shot, Trey. A day or two doesn’t seem long enough.”

“There’s a killer on the loose who's hunting me and my family. I don’t have time to stay here.” Trey frowned as he looked at Gavin and Carter. “Keep your guard up. This guy shot me from yards away. He’s not an excellent marksman, but he’s very good.”

Hailey’s heart dropped as unwanted memories flooded her again.

Trey pointed at Gavin. “Don’t let them out of your sight. Do you hear me, Gavin? If anything happens to my girls or Sara, I will kill you myself.”

Gavin bowed up slightly. “I know you remember me as the asshole who broke Hailey’s heart, but that’s not who I am anymore. I will protect them with my life. Count on it.”

Carter added, “I’ve survived things that make nightmares look like daydreams. Your family will be safe with us.”

Trey nodded, a silent understanding between the three men.

Then Trey looked at Sara. “This is going to be a weird, and potentially embarrassing, question and I want you to answer me honestly…”

Sara eyed him suspiciously.

“Were you with Lucious Williams’ son when you were a teenager?”

Her cheeks turned bright pink as she looked at Gavin then looked at the floor. “Um, yes. I was fifteen.”

“Was it consensual?”

Her head snapped up. “Yes. We were at a party. It was the only time it happened with him. Why?”

Trey chose his words carefully, not wanting to reveal too much information, “I have reason to believe David used it as blackmail against Lucious Williams and I needed to confirm if it was true or not.”

Sara tossed her head back and cursed. But before she could respond, the doctor came in, indicating that everyone needed to leave. Trinity put up a fight at first, but ultimately understood her father needed to rest. She reluctantly followed her aunt out the door. Hailey stayed behind, wanting to spend time with Trey so Carter offered to pick her up when she was comfortable leaving Trey alone.

When the doctor left, Trey asked for his phone, so Hailey grabbed the bag of belongings off the extra chair but dropped it, its contents spilling out. She cursed as she began putting the items back into the bag as Trey chuckled at her.

Then, her eyes rounded and she froze. She slowly picked up a small box that had tumbled out of the bag, her eyes locking with Trey’s. He held her gaze, but she couldn’t mistake the worry in his eyes.

“What is this, Trey?”

“Why don’t you open it?”

She knew what it was but wasn’t ready to say it out loud. Her mind was swimming with so many emotions. Fear, happiness, nervousness, worry…

“No, I…When did you get this? Why do you have it?”

He looked away from her. “I’ve had it for years, since before you left. It’s been in a drawer this whole time but…” He shrugged. “I’ve been carrying it around the last few days. I don’t know what I was planning to do with it, but I felt like it didn’t belong in a drawer anymore.” Trey looked at her. “I love you, Hailey. I don’t want you to feel pressured to say anything or do anything. You weren’t supposed to see it until the time was right. Just know I love you.”

---