Page 114 of Rex

Loki bites down on Carrot Top’s shoulder and starts tugging him across the room. As much as I enjoy seeing this, I don’t think Carrot Top is still a part of this world. His days have passed, but Loki seems to be enjoying himself, so I sit and watch.

Cain still has a hold of Dave’s face, and Dave’s whole existence is being a squeaky toy for a large, pissed-off dog. Cain jerks on Dave’s head and Dave squeaks. Cain repeats the maneuver, and so does Dave. If I weren’t in so much pain, I’d sit here all day just to watch Cain play with his food.

“Rex! Rex!” I hear shouted from above.

“Down here!”

The pounding of footsteps on the stairs nearly causes my head to split in half, but the sight of my club brothers eases it a little.

“Fuck, brother. Hang on. I’ll get these ropes cut off,” Trigger says while pulling out a knife and proceeding to do what he promised.

“Do we let him continue or call him off?” Pooh asks.

Gunner responds with, “Fuck, no. Let him enjoy himself.”

Several men, faces a little blurry to me, gather around and lift me out of the chair. I try to breathe through the pain, but there’s no stopping it. I do recognize Horse when he appears at my side with water. He holds the bottle to my mouth, and I drink a lot of it.

I remember Cash carrying me up the stairs, and because of the pain it caused, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that short journey. He lays me flat on an old couch, and Petey moves in to assess my injuries. I hear Gunner in the background on his phone and the dogs still growling in the basement. The only other thing my mind can process is that I need Aria to know I’m safe and okay.

“Aria?” I ask.

“She’s at the clubhouse with Pigeon and Axel. She hasn’t stopped helping to find you from the minute she knew you were missing. You’re a lucky bastard,” Petey says. “Lie still, and let me decide whether we’re going to the hospital or not.”

“Not. Clubhouse. Aria and Taja will know what to do,” I order, then promptly pass out.

When I wake up the next time, I know I’m in my room at the clubhouse. Not wanting to move and cause more pain, I only use my eyes to search for Aria. I find her standing near my dresser, filling a syringe.

“Hey,” I say in a croaky voice.

Aria whirls around, and my eyes land on her beautiful face. When a broad smile hits it, I try to smile back, but I’m not sure I succeed.

“Hey yourself,” Aria says as she takes a careful seat on the bed next to me. “So glad you’re finally awake.”

“Did the guys just get me here?” I ask in a tone quiet enough it doesn’t hurt my head.

“No, you’ve been here for three days now. You’ve woken up before this, but you weren’t coherent. Now it seems you are, and that’s a great sign,” Aria states in a soft voice. “You’ve also woken up just in time for your next shot.”

“No. I want to stay awake. Want to talk with you.”

“It’s an antibiotic. It won’t make you sleepy. Promise,” Aria says before lifting the blankets and giving me the injection in my arm.

“Did the guys find Savi?” I ask.

“The Morales family did with the intel you sent Pigeon. He figured out how to utilize it and turned everything over to the Moraleses. They also tracked down the females that had been taken from the Denver area and the one from Wyoming. They’ve been returned to their families. The other women in that folder you sent haven’t been found yet. The Morales family left yesterday with Savi, and they are positive they can break her and find the other women. They also took the little guy who was still alive. The other three didn’t survive their injuries. So sad.”

“Did Pigeon use facial recognition?” I question because I’m positive I never taught him that yet.

“Not at first. We did it by comparing each photo to missing person photos. It took forever, but we did find several matches. Eventually, my brothers, Craig, and Reeves figured out your facial recognition program, and things went much quicker then.”

“I’m guessing Craig actually figured it out, and the men say they did so they don’t look bad,” I say.

“Pretty much exactly how it went down. Male egos, though, need protecting,” Aria answers with another smile. “Only Luke and Craig could figure out how to fly your drones, too. Craig gave the credit to Luke, though. He said Luke can fly them as well as you.”

“He can. He’s a quick learner, just like Craig.”

“Want some more good news?” Aria asks with an arched brow.

“Please.”

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