Page 12 of The Truths We Seek

“I’m fine,” I tell him as I move to lean against the wall, the cold from the concrete on my bare skin helping me feel a little better.

“You don’t sound fine. Open the door.”

I roll my eyes because we both know it isn’t locked, but I voice as much anyway. Seconds later, the door opens and Rory appears. He glances down at me before walking across the room, shutting off the shower and grabbing a towel.

“Can you stand?” he asks and I nod, gripping onto the towel rail to help me stand, but I get half way and flop back to the floor.

“Apparently not,” I groan as my head swims. He leans down and tucks the towel around my shoulders before lifting me from the floor. Closing my eyes to stop the world tilting again, I rest my head against his shoulder. “I’m getting you wet.”

“A little water isn’t going to hurt me,” he says, and I can hear the undertones of amusement in his voice, despite the concern that’s laced there. He sits me down on the edge of the bed, wrapping the towel around me properly, and crouches in front of me. “You feeling better?”

“Not really,” I say, shrugging. “But I’ll be fine. I need to know what happened, Rory. I remember Trent cornering me…” I trail off as his jaw clenches and take a deep breath. “I remember him injecting me, and then nothing until I woke up here with you and Rob.”

He scrubs a hand over the top of his head and down his face before meeting my gaze again. A war of conflict plays out on his face, and I don’t like making him uncomfortable, but I need to know.

“I don’t know everything, but I’ll tell you what I know. But first, I’m getting some water and food in you.”

I recognize a diversion tactic when I see one, but I nod because I’d like to not pass out. “Let me get dressed and we’ll go eat. But then you talk.”

He nods again, not taking his gaze from me. “I promise.”

Standing, he moves over to the dresser and grabs a t-shirt before walking back to me. “Put this on. Carlos is home, so I don’t want you walking around naked.”

I can’t help the smirk that pops onto my face, despite everything, as I imagine the scandalized look Carlos would give me if I wandered into his kitchen butt-ass naked.

The amusement passes as I slip the t-shirt on, my body sore as I move, and I’m reminded of reality.

Right.

Trent.

A second later, Rory has a pair of my underwear hanging from his finger and I take them, slipping them on along with a pair of giant socks he hands me. He moves forward and lifts me into his arms, drawing a squeak from me. “I can walk.”

“You just nearly fell down trying to stand. I’m not risking it.”

I don’t bother arguing because I know it’s futile before I even start. Instead, I lean my head against his shoulder before he walks us down the spiral staircase, through the living area of his room, then to the kitchen before he sits me on a chair at the dining table.

Carlos starts talking quickly, hands moving as much as his mouth, and despite my Spanish having gotten better, I still have almost no idea what he’s saying, other than hearing Meyer’s name a few times. Rory calms him across the room as I cradle my head in my hands and close my eyes.

“Drink.” I hear and open my eyes. A glass of water, a glass of juice, and a mug of coffee sit in front of me on the table.

“Silent freaking ninja,” I mumble before grabbing the glass of water and taking a sip. He shakes his head before walking back to Carlos, their conversation lost to me, but by the time I’ve finished the water and I’m eyeing up the coffee, Rory sits down beside me as he puts a plate before me and has one for himself.

“Sourdough, avocado, poached eggs, and feta with chili oil. Eat.”

I blink at him like he’s grown an extra head, but do as he says. We eat in silence, despite how good the food is, and before we finish, Carlos disappears, leaving us alone.

“You promised to tell me what happened,” I say quietly as I finish my last mouthful. He finished before I did and has just been watching me eat. It should be weird, but somehow, with him, it’s not.

“I did,” he says before taking a deep breath. “I can tell you what I know, which isn’t much, but I know that Hunter came to find you. He found you with Trent, tried to fight him, and lost.” He pauses as I suck in a breath, but I keep quiet, letting him continue. “He suffered multiple stab wounds and was left to bleed out on the floor in the bathroom. Meyer and I found him, got him to a hospital in time, but he was in bad shape. According to Meyer he’s still in critical condition, but I’m due an update any time now.”

He looks down at the watch on his wrist before glancing back up at me. “Meyer went to the hospital with Hunter, I came after you. Trent isn’t as smart as he thought and it didn’t take too long. I found you, dealt with him, and brought you back here.”

I blink at him, wondering where the rest of the details are, then ask that exact thing. He responds with a shrug before leaning back in his chair. “That’s all the details you’re missing about what happened to you. At least that I have. What happened before Hunter got there?”

Opening my mouth to speak, I try to find the right words, then shrug. “Trent arrived, threw around some toxic bullshit like always, cornered me, jabbed me, and that’s all I remember.”

His frustration reflects mine with the lack of details, but if Trent is dealt with, they don’t matter. Though… “Do I want to know what ‘dealt with Trent’ means?”

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