Page 82 of Kill Me Sweetly

“Jaxon Porter.”

“Please call him JJ; he prefers it,” I didn’t know why Mason felt the need to say that, but whatever.

“Sure, JJ. I won’t lie, he’s in bad shape. He took a beating. I’m not sure how he sustained these injuries—that’s for the authorities to sort out. He’ll need a double knee replacement,though that’s not the immediate concern. He has swelling in the brain. We were able to stop the bleeding but that doesn’t mean it won’t start up again. Four cracked ribs, a large laceration across his chest, dislocated shoulder…in short, I don’t have anything much for you. He’s been put in a medically induced coma. Right now, only time will tell what happens next.”

I swallowed, trying to understand everything the doctor was saying. Fortunately, he wasn’t one of those pretentious types that used big words that nobody understood.

“Can I see him?” I asked.

“He’s being transferred to ICU at this time. I’m not allowing visitors for twenty-four hours. I suggest you come back tomorrow, and once you do, only one visitor at a time.”

“But…”

“No, sorry, I won’t budge on this. Whatever happened to that young man was horrendous. The trauma his body went through—honestly, I’m surprised he’s alive. I need the twenty-four hours. That will be the most crucial. You can camp out in the ICU waiting room, but that’s as close as I’ll let anyone get to him right now.”

With that he left and while I wanted to fight him on it, I understood. I hated it and I considered sneaking in, but I wouldn’t put JJ’s life in danger.

No one said a word. We followed the signs to the ICU area. It was fairly empty, just one other person in there.

“I’m not leaving the waiting room.” I moved to the couch and sat.

“Gabe and I will go to the shop and get the car. We’ll pick up new clothes, food, and anything else we can think of. Four, do you want to come with us?” Mason’s expression was mournful. His best friend…brother was in the ICU, and he was doing his best to keep everything together.

“Mason, I’m sorry. This is hard on you too.”

“It is, but JJ wouldn’t sit around. He’d stay busy and figure out what needed doing. Right now, I need to call his parents, get shit together, and I’ll return when I’m done. Four?”

He stared at the floor. “I’ll stay too.”

“Okay, we’ll be back.” I watched as Mason and Gabe walked away hand in hand.

I rested my head on the top of the couch and closed my eyes.

“Harper Reese.” Four’s voice was so small. “That’s who is in charge?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t open my eyes as I answered.

“He’ll be almost impossible to get to now.”

Four was right. After the carnage Gabe and I left behind, it would be hard.

“Yup.”

“But not impossible.”

That perked me up. “What?”

Four turned and looked at me, a smirk on his face.Well, I’ll be damned.

“Two can get you those answers. I heard he knew things since he was so smart.”

“How so?”

“I didn’t know who was in charge. Only a few did. Two was high up. I did know they trusted very few places with food. One being a bakery. It was the place that brought us the cupcakes we loved. And once a guard said the boss was obsessed with their strawberry cupcakes. Ate them for breakfast too.”

I wasn’t sure where Four was going with this.

“Okay?”

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