Page 31 of Don't Let Go

He nodded once. “Yes.”

In the before time—the time after they came for me and before I was shot. The time I could no longer recall. “That’s why you guys didn’t tell me about this.”

“Partially,” Locke admitted, then he reached down to flip open the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. When he offered it to me, I stared at it for a long moment before I took it. “We still aren’t sure about pushing you to remember.”

I made a face. “I’m sure.”

“Fallon…”

Grimacing, I twisted the top off the bottle. “That’s so weird.”

“Your name?” The gentle tone turned a little more teasing.

“It’s been years since anyone called me Fallon. Fallon pretty much died the day I walked. I’ve been Patch since then. So every time you call me Fallon, it’s a jolt.”

“It’s your name,” he reminded me. “You have a right to your name and those bastards do not have the right to take it from you.”

I licked my lips. Not that I had much in the way of spit to wet them. So I took a deep drink of the water. I was far thirstier than I’d realized. I downed about half of it in short order. “Sorry,” I said. “I should have offered you some.”

“We have more,” he told me. “Now, I’m going to fix you something to eat—not a fancy gourmet like Remy, but I’m sure I can whip something up. Then you’re going to get some sleep so that beautiful brain of yours can heal.”

I glanced down at the phone I was still carrying and all the monitors that showed all quiet around the rig. Then I glanced back up at him. “Are you going to sleep?”

“I’ll be fine.” That wasn’t an answer.

“Okay, tell you what, let’s make a deal.” I set the water bottle on the makeshift counter then opened the fridge to get him a bottle of water. “I’ll rest if you rest. I’ll eat if you eat. If youneed someone to take a watch, then I can do that. I’m more than capable of watching monitors.”

In fact, I kind of craved it now that I’d brought it up.

Locke’s eyes narrowed. “You’re still healing.”

“And currently, you’re the only guy on deck.” I rounded to face off with him. “You’ve been driving the rig all day. I’d offer to take over on that tomorrow, but I have no idea how to drive something this big. So, you need to rest.”

“Fallon,” he said with such an aggrieved sigh, I half-debated giving up the argument just so I wouldn’t be badgering him.

The fact the three of them were so willing to take up the perimeter around me alternately filled me with waves of surprise and warmth. I’d been on my own for so long, it was almost impossible to imagine. Not trusting anyone had become so much simpler over the past five years.

Lonely, sure, but simpler. Maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to be alone anymore. While the desire to grasp that in both hands was definitelypresent, so was the need to protect myself.

Control issues aside, I needed to be an active part of my own life. That wasn’t helped by letting them win these arguments of late. Arguments I wasn’t sure how to make. Particularly when they had access to information about me that I didn’t have.

The simple truth was, I may never get those days back and I could keep letting them call the shots or I could take back the control that I needed. It was better for all of us to assert this new reality sooner rather than later.

“Justus,” I said his name in the exact same tone. “Feel free to argue with me, but I am not surrendering this battle. Not this time. You need the rest. Until we rendezvous with the guys, I’m the only backup you have. Use me.”

“Use you?” He blinked at me, his lips parting in a silent ‘O’ before he snapped it shut with a click of his teeth. Locke was usually much faster with his rapier wit. Making him speechlesswas an accomplishment. Truly. He flexed his hands on my biceps as he leaned his head back as though he both needed and didn’t want distance. “Useyou?”

“Yes,” I insisted. “Use me.”

His lips compressed into a thin line. I honestly couldn’t tell if he was pissed off or confused. Then his hands tightened on my arms and he pulled me forward. Or maybe we fell into each other. Either way, his lips were on mine and they firmed in their demand.

Catching my breath became a distant thought as I fisted his shirt and he devoured my mouth. A silent little pulse of alarm rang in the back of my mind, but the rest of me just shut it off the moment his tongue tangled with mine.

Chapter

Ten

PATCH

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