“Jesus, Eli, no one is making a mess in your precious van,” Webb grumbled as he climbed in after them.
She managed to get herself under control after a few seconds. Well, enough that she was no longer in jeopardy of vomiting everywhere.
Then she glanced up at Eli, who had turned to glare at her. He looked to be a few years older than everyone else, with gray hair in his neatly trimmed beard. There was a hardness to him that had her recoiling. Not dark and cold in the same way Ammo was. But he wasn’t someone you wanted to cross.
His gaze dropped to Squeaks, and she tightened her hold on the soft toy. However, he didn’t say anything, his gaze moving over the rest of her.
And finding her wanting if the look on his face was any indication.
“Don’t worry about Eli,” Webb told her kindly. “He looks grouchy, but he’s all sweet and squishy on the inside. He just has OCD issues when it comes to his babies. He looks after all our vehicles like a grandmother coddling her grandbabies.”
“Shut up, Webb,” Eli snarled. “I’ll show you fucking squishy and sweet. Everyone buckle the fuck up.”
“He’s also a worrywart,” Webb whispered. “Whenever someone is sick or injured, he gets all upset and fussy. It’s cute as hell.”
Yeah, she didn’t see the older man as ever being cute.
Zander reached over her and grabbed her belt, securing her as Webb took a seat in the van behind them. Once he’d seemingly checked everyone to make sure they were buckled in, Eli took off. Thankfully, the van had good suspension, and she wasn’t jolted around too much as he drove.
Still, this trip was going to be a bitch. And she didn’t even know where they were going.
“It was still there,” Zander suddenly said.
“What?” She turned to him.
“His stuff. It was still in the room.” He eyed her, but didn’t say the next part.
He didn’t need to.
Carl had been planning on coming back.
* * *
Against her better intentions,she must have fallen asleep.
Because when she woke up, her head was resting against Zander’s bicep.
Shit.
This was embarrassing.
She closed her mouth and swallowed, feeling how dry it was.
Oh Lord, please don’t let me have been drooling.
What should she do? Sit up? What if she’d left a drool patch on him? What was she going to do then?
“I know you’re awake,” he stated.
And now her embarrassment was worse.
Wonderful.
“What are you doing? Can’t you move?”
Well, that was a good point. Could she move? Stifling a groan, she managed to pull herself up into a seated position. She breathed shallowly through the pain.
This was getting old fast.