“Seat belt,” the doctor answers.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh. Her car. Where the fuck was her car? It wasn’t at Mike’s, and neither was Nate’s. There was a truck there, but I’m not sure whose it was. Finn had told me she ran out with a bag packed. She had left the house but somehow ended up at Mike’s with Nate.
“Her neck?” I ask, looking at the bruises all over it.
He tilts her head back, frowning to get a better look. “I see handprints, but also looks like a …” He pauses. “My best guess is a boot print.”
“Your best guess?” I snap. He fucking stepped on her? Nate’s lucky he’s already fucking dead.
“Colt!” Tyson warns. “If you want to stay in here, then calm down.”
Nodding again, I raise my hands at him so he doesn’t knock my ass out. When he turns to talk to the doctor, I walk over to Alex, who stands silently in the corner, and pull out my cell, calling Finn.
“Hey, we’re still here,” he answers.
Good. “Go outside and tell me if you see her car.” So much was going on that maybe I missed it.
“One sec.” I hear a rustling of something before he answers. “No. Just a truck. I’ll have Jenks run the plates ...” He trails off.
“Find something?” I ask.
“Yeah, could be nothing, but it’s been wrecked. Back bumper.” He sighs heavily. “It’s got white paint on it.”
“Finish up and get here.” I hang up and look at Alex “Find her car,” I order. “And when you do, make sure there’s nothing left of it.”
He nods.
“She was leaving our house going one of two places, our parents’ or yours.” His sister, Tatum, still lives with their parents, and for the first five miles, there would only be one road she’d take. But once she hits the highway, each one is in a different direction. I feel like he’d make sure to grab her before she made it to the highway. Too many eyes and people willing to stop and help if they see a wreck.
“On it.” Then he’s sprinting up the stairs and out of the basement.
Working for Tyson over the past year has taught us that you don’t leave anything behind. Nothing that can give the cops a lead. I don’t want anything out there that has to do with her. Her car popping up somewhere wrecked, then her being reported missing would be a problem.
Finding a chair, I sit in it and watch Gavin pull a cap off a syringe. I jump back to my feet. “What is that for?” I ask.
“Sedative,” he answers.
“Why does she need that?” I want her awake. I need her to talk to me. Show me that she’s okay. Tell me what the fuck happened.
He turns to face me. “I’m going to clean up the wounds before I stitch them. I don’t want her waking up and becoming combative.”
I walk over to the table, gritting my teeth. “She won’t—”
“You don’t know what happened to her,” Tyson interrupts me. “Either he sedates her, or we tie her down for safety measures. Which do you prefer?” He arches a brow.
My chest tightens at that thought. She looked terrified when I found her at Mike’s house. I’d hate for her to wake up restrained and get scared all over again. I told her she was okay. That I had her. Nodding, I sit back down in my chair and watch Gavin inject the medication into her IV.
RAYLEE
I FEEL LIKE I’m floating, and it’s really warm. Everything seems foggy, and my tongue is heavy. I open my eyes and see bright lights, but images go in and out. Things are blurry all around, and there’s a ringing in my ears.
“Where was it?” I hear what sounds like Colt’s voice.
“I found it on the side of the road. Front end smashed. Airbags deployed.” It’s Alex who answers. “I recovered two cell phones, a purse, and her bag.”
“Where is the car now?” Colt asks.
“Taken care of. And the truck also.”
“Hello, Raylee.” A man’s blurry face appears above mine. “How do you feel? Any pain?” He shines a light in my eyes, and I try to blink, but he holds them open.
All I feel is high. Like I smoked a lot of weed and can’t keep my eyes open. My skin feels clammy, and that ringing intensifies.
When I don’t respond, he turns the light off. “The pain meds are doing their job.”
“Where’s Nate?” I hear Colt question.
I try to turn my head to look in the direction I hear the voices, but instead, my heavy eyes close.
“Finn has Mike helping bury him in the cemetery back behind the Cathedral,” Jenks answers.
“Colt,” the older man leaning over me calls out. “She’s waking up.”
I blink a few times, my eyes so heavy it’s hard to keep them open. So I allow them to close. It could be two seconds, or it could be two hours before I open them again. Looking up, a set of green eyes are staring down at me. My vision is a little clearer now than before. “Hey, princess,” Colt says softly.