Page 97 of All Along

Igroan as I roll over in bed. My head protests the movement and my stomach gurgles. I’m afraid I’m going to throw up.

“There’s a bucket next to the bed if you need to vomit,” Hudson says.

Hudson? What the hell? Why is he here? I open my eyes and blink until the room comes into focus. Hudson isn’t alone. Lucas and Flynn are with him. There’s only one explanation for their presence.

“What did Maya tell you?”

Hudson growls. “She didn’t tell us anything.”

Ah, I guess there is another possible explanation. “What did your women tell you?”

“Nothing.” Lucas frowns. “Which is very unusual for Chloe. I’m afraid she’s going to burst soon.”

Flynn nods. “Sophia didn’t say anythingeither.”

I force myself to sit up. If Maya didn’t tell her friends what an asshole I was to her, who subsequently told their partners, then? “What are all of you doing here?”

Hudson crosses his arms over his chest. “We’re not stupid.”

I rub a hand over my forehead. My head is pounding and nothing is making any sense. “Never said you were.”

He nods to the bedside table. “There are two pain pills.”

“Thanks,” I mutter before swallowing the pills with a bit of water.

“Our women went to Mermaid Karaoke yesterday,” Flynn begins.

Maya and her friends atBootleggercan only mean one thing. “How much bail money do they need?”

“Those women never pay bail money,” Flynn says.

Lucas growls. “I won’t allow Chloe to spend the night in jail.”

Must be nice to be a cop.

“I have a special fund for bail money,” Hudson says.

Or a millionaire.

“Can someone explain why you’re here before my head explodes?” I ask.

“We’re here because you hurt Maya. No one hurts Maya on our watch,” Flynn says. “She’s family.”

I don’t bother asking how they know I hurt Maya. Their circular talk makes my head hurt worse. “Maya deserves better than me.”

“Better than a genuine American hero?” Hudson asks.

I scowl. “I’m not a hero.”

There’s a knock on the door and I moan. Who the hell is here now? When did my cabin in the woods become Grand Central Station? What does a man need to do to get a bit of peace on this island? Why did I stop locking my door?

“They’re here,” Hudson says. “Get dressed.”

Lucas wrinkles his nose. “A shower wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

Before I have a chance to protest, they leave the bedroom and shut the door behind them. I hear the front door open but as much as I strain to listen, I can’t hear who it is. Is it Maya? Did she come back?

I need to see her. To apologize. I throw the covers off and get out of bed. I hurry to the bathroom and shower as fast as I can. I’m still putting on my t-shirt when I enter the living room. I screech to a halt.

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