Page 120 of Elusion

He nods, and for the first time, he appears to believe it.

The population of Callie’s room encroaches on that of Sutterville when Pete slides through the door. A chair scrapes all the way across the floor behind him. He drops it off near the window before coming to squeeze Callie’s hand. “I’ll be over there if you need me.”

So much for him waiting until visiting hours to set up shop. My not-so-subtle sigh of annoyance makes Trey laugh. Callie tries to clear her throat, so I hand her the water glass. Once she finishes a few sips, I set it down and return to my chair.

Wait.

My head jerks around in Pete’s direction. “Where the hell’s Cate?”

He never looks up from his phone. “In the waiting room. She was playing with the spiky hair on some guy named Johnny.”

I laugh at the thought of such a badass being tamed by a bossy little girl.

“We should go save him, Connor,” Trey says. “We’ll track down breakfast while we’re at it.”

Each of them hugs Callie one more time before shuffling out to the hallway.

Finally, I have her to myself. Almost. Maybe I can stuff Pete in a broom closet for a few hours. He pretends to ignore my glare, but I see the smirk. Whatever. I can think of worse people to share the space with for the day.

When I look at Callie, she’s smiling. But not at me. No, her heartfelt expression goes to Benji, waltzing in. He shoves around me and crawls right into the bed with her. His arm slides around her, she rests her head on his shoulder, and why the hell didn’t I think of that?

“Thanks for taking care of my Calico, man.”

“How the hell did you even get back here?” I ask.

“I’m a charming son of a bitch.”

About then, my biggest fan—the nurse—walks in. She beams at him and carries a cup of coffee to him.

“Thank you, Sandy,” he says with a wink.

She blushes, checking Callie’s vitals, and tosses me a scowl before leaving.

Unbelievable.

It doesn’t take long for Benji and Callie to double-team me. They insist I catch up to Trey and Connor for something to eat. I hold my own for a while, but the worried looks from Callie cause me to cave. Strategically digging an elbow into Benji’s solar plexus, I lean over him and kiss her forehead. He plants an unwelcome kiss on my cheek in retaliation, but her breathy laugh makes the whole affair worthwhile.

I check the waiting room for Trey and Connor. The second I walk in, Felicia flings herself at me. I catch her with a grunt. “Jesus, Gibs.”

All signs point to her not letting go soon, so I go the rest of the way across the room with her still clinging on. I release one arm and greet Gavin and Tony with slaps on the back. They’re deep in conversation. About what, I never ask. It’s safer that way. Shayna squeezes my arm on my way by to nudge Johnny with my foot. He’s sitting on the floor, surrounded by crayons, and wearing the familiar face of exhaustion brought on by a specific six-year-old. The same six-year-old who locks a jealous stare on the redhead attached to my chest. Once Felicia remembers how to disengage her python grip, Cate scrambles into my arms, securing her place.

Demanding women have overrun my life. I love it.

Over breakfast, a meeting of the minds, Trey, Connor, and I agree to hold off on telling Callie about Connor versus the train. The last thing we need is her further injuring herself by trying to chase him down.

“I need to leave for a few hours to take care of some Graham business and other stuff,” Trey says.

Connor perks up. “The truck?”

He nods, chewing his cafeteria mystery breakfast sandwich.

“What do you plan on doing with it?” Connor feigns disinterest, pushing food around on his plate.

“Don’t worry about it.” Trey shoves his chair back, leaving us with the question still unanswered.

By the time Connor and I dump our trays, visiting hours are in full swing. I bring him and Cate to Callie’s room with me. We host a short question-and-answer session for Cate, most responses vague and filled with half-truths.

“What happened there?” she asks.

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