“Sure, I’ll just stay here,” Wells said, yelling after us. I stopped, looking back for a second.
“Tell Beau to call Doc when he untangles himself from Nat.” Wells looked over at the two, cringing.
“Fine,” he sighed, sitting back on the couch. The surly fighter was healing, but he was nowhere near ready to carry a man. At least he accepted it for the most part. I guess we were all growing.
Stepping out into the garage, I took in the state of the van. Bullet holes had pierced the outside but wouldn’t have made it inside thanks to the bullet-resistant armor. Scorch marks ran up another side, and the back door was a little dented.
“I’m guessing we didn’t go undetected?” I asked, though based on the state of everyone, I’d assumed as much.
“Yeah, no.” Nicco chuckled, opening the back door. “Our cousin has a bit of a blowing-up shit problem.”
“Meaning?” I asked, assessing the best way to get Sax out of the van.
“She carries homemade explosives around in her purse and throws them at people who piss her off. Well, when her boobs don’t work, apparently.”
I stood, staring, confident he was pranking me. “Are you trying to get one over on me?” I asked as Monroe chuckled next to me, his arms shaking as he covered his mouth.
“Hey assholes, a little help,” Sax groaned from inside the van.
Moving forward, I dropped the Pixel joke and put one of Sax’s arms around my neck. “You just had to go and be heroic?”
“You know me,” he said, groaning as Monroe went to the other side. “I can’t sit on the sidelines.”
“Next time, I’ll just ground your ass here,” I mumbled.
“Hopefully, there won’t be a next time, but I just might let you if there is. Send the rookies in. I’m too old for this shit. Tell me Doc is on his way. I don’t trust Pixel's first aid skills. I’m pretty sure she used nail glue and a stapler to patch me up.”
“It’s actually very adhesive,” she said, standing at the door, holding it open for us. “Bleeders can’t be choosers, Oscar.”
He grunted but closed his eyes as we carried him the rest of the way. When we entered the room, I scanned for somewhere to place the giant man. Nodding toward the lounger, we laid him down as carefully as possible.
“Sax!” Loren exclaimed, immediately coming over. She started to fuss over him, and I stood back, taking in the scene. We were all here. A little battered and bruised, but we’d made it.
The part of me that had been fearful I wouldn’t get to be happy broke, and I felt the tears start to fall. Sucking in a breath, I turned and stalked toward the kitchen, needing a moment. Leaning against the counter, I calmed my breathing, relieved we were all back.
A small hand tugged at my pants, and I looked down, finding Levi. He held out a cookie and an action figure. “Here, Mr. Atticus.”
I looked at him, confused about what he wanted me to do with them. Taking them, I nodded. “Um, thanks. Can I ask why, though? Not that I’m not grateful,” I added quickly.
He shrugged his tiny shoulders. “Cookies make me feel better when I’m sad.” I smiled, accepting his kid logic.
“Right. That’s true.” I took a bite, trying to remember the last time I had a cookie. When I was finished, I had to admit, I did feel a little better. “And this?” I asked, showing the action figure.
“Sometimes, the hero thinks he’s only a hero in his suit. But your suit is just something you wear. Iron Man learned that.” He shrugged his shoulders, his logic making sense to him. I didn’t get his comic book reference, but I could appreciate the sentiment. He had no idea I was called “The Suit,” but his words struck home all the same.
The Suit was a name used to make others fear me. It didn’t make me the man I was. The people in my life, the choices I’d made, the experiences I had, they were what made me who I was. Seemed like Goldie and his kid had a point.
Patting him on his head, I walked him back to his room, not wanting him to see all the blood in the other one, and pulled out my phone to have Topher watch the hallway, so none of the other littles made their way down here.
Beau was waiting for me when I entered, and I nodded for him to talk to me in the corner.
“Report.”
“For the most part, the plan went as we hoped. We made it in, no problem. Found Jude and were heading out with him when we were stopped by a guard. There was a commotion up front, and that was when things escalated. I threw Jude over my shoulder and booked it out of there. Sax barged in, saving us as I got Jude and me into the van. Pixel tossed something at the other guys as Sax and Stocke made it toward the van. I didn’t see it, but it sounded like Stocke jumped in front of Sax, saving his life. Once they were in, Nicco took off, and whatever Pixel had thrown at them exploded. One car pursued us for a bit, but we lost them after a mile.”
“I guess we owe Stocke our trust then. He saved Jude and Sax.” I hadn’t been sure about his loyalty. I wanted to trust my cousin, that she’d made a better decision this time when it came to men, but a part of me worried she was falling into another Darren trap. “What’s Doc’s ETA?” I asked, turning back to the room.
“Ten minutes. Do you need me?” he asked. It was the first time I’d ever heard him ask to leave. I saw him watching Nat and knew he wanted to be with her. I understood the need.