Page 67 of Savage Escape

Maybe it was the drugs that were softening her anger towards the asshole, but she couldn’t make herself say anything worse. And Caden knew so much worse.

“No, you’re thepunk!” Reid shoved a finger at her like he’d just delivered a knockout hit and he expected her to pass out from the shock of the insult.

A delirious giggle bubbled up in the back of her throat, but she didn’t let it escape. This wasserious,dammit. She was pissed off.

“You had so much damage done to your person that it would have been inhumane. Do you know how many hours I spent on stitching up your back alone?!”

“I could take it.”

“Caden. You. Are.Not. Invincible.” Reid, hands on his hips, spoke so slowly that, had she been able, Caden would have reached up and punched him right in the kisser. “All you goddamned soldiers thinkin’ you’re the toughest sonsabitches in town—you’re not! You’re human! With nerve endings and fucking trauma enough already without me adding to it!”

“I told you I can handle it!” What was not getting through? Caden wanted to strangle the man.

“Well,Ican’t.” He said it with so much authority that Caden fell quiet. “Don’t even be moving around just yet. You know how much time I put into your stitches alone?”

“You are insufferable. Do you know that?”

“I’mthe insufferable one?Me?”

“Yes,you.” This man was easy to offend. Noted.

“Well, thisinsufferableperson is going to take out your IV. I hope that’s not tooinsufferablefor you.”

“Are you two done fighting?” Kade waltzed into the room with a stack of stuff in his arms.

“We’re not fighting.” Caden folded her arms across her chest and glared. “One of us is being reasonable and one of us is beinginsufferable.”

“Yes, they are,” Reid stated as he pulled the tape and IV off her arm.

“Sure sounds like you’re fighting.” Kade set his stack down on the side table and plopped himself in a chair next to her bed.

“What’s all this?” Caden ignored him and motioned to the pile of crap on her bedside.

“Good ol’ competition.” Kade threw his arms wide and grinned. “Since Reid says we’re not up for combat yet, we’ll justhave to settle for board games and the like until we can actually spar.”

“Why are we competing?”

“So I can reclaim my title as the biggest badass in the family.”

“I took that title?” Caden liked the sound of that, though she wasn’t sure when and how she’d taken the title from him.

“Yeah, remember when you fucked up your own arm to get the drop on me? You beat me, therefore you’re the biggest badass in the family. But not for long. I’m pretty good at board games.”

“I’ve never played a board game in my life.”

“Great, then I’ll wallop you and reclaim the title.”

“It doesn’t really count though because I beat your ass in sparring and this is not sparring. So I’m technically the champ until we can fight again.”

“Yeah, but that’s what the board games are for. Seeing who’s the most badass until then.”

“You’re on then.”

By the time Maddox found them, they had exhausted all the board games and card games twice over. Caden had won all but three of the board games and Kade had walloped her at cards. They’d moved on to small physical challenges that Reid couldn’t object to, like who could do the Vulcan salute (Caden) or who could twist their tongue all the way around (Also Caden). Caden was in the lead, with Kade right behind her.

“Okay, okay.” Maddox entered the room rather abruptly. “Did you figure out who the biggest badass is yet, or what?”

“I am,” Caden said with no small amount of satisfaction. Kade scowled at her, but couldn’t refute that fact.

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