Stay(73)

I nodded, and Jackson picked up a glass of water. He poured two pills into his palm and held them out for me. I took them, put them in my mouth, and let him hold the cup to my lips. I drank the rest of the water and leaned back on the pillows.

“Where am I?” I asked as I looked around. We were in a small room. The walls were white, the bedspread was plain and gray, and there was no décor on the walls. Only the lamp sat on the white dresser and cardboard boxes of books were pushed up against the wall next to the closet.

“This is my room,” Jackson replied. My eyes widened. “Nate brought me back the day he left. I thought you were with them, but then I thought I heard something in the basement and I found you locked in the closet.”

“You found the key?”

“No. I picked the lock. It took almost half an hour. Didn’t you hear it?”

I shook my head. “I don’t remember. You shouldn’t—”

“Addie, you could have died. There’s a few scratches on the lock, but I don’t think Zane will notice.”

I nodded and closed my eyes for a few seconds. I remembered Nate telling me he was going out of town. He was gone, and Zane was with him. My eyes flew open. “We should run.”

Jackson looked down and shook his head. “Nate changed the combinations on the doors. I can’t get out, and I have no idea where he put the keys to the Blazer. We would literally have to run. On foot … and you’re really sick.” His eyes flicked to the foot of the bed, looking at the covered-up ankle bracelet. “They’d find us. It would only be a matter of minutes before Nate sent someone this way.”

Dejected, I only nodded and ran my eyes over Jackson once more. So many questions rushed through my head, adding to the dizziness. “Where were you?” I asked, deciding that was the most important.#p#分页标题#e#

“After I got shot, I was in the hospital for a week,” he answered. “The wound got infected. Then Nate took me to a house he just bought upstate. I wasn’t allowed to come back here until I was done doing renovations.”

“Renovations?”

“Yeah. Nate owns a lot of houses.”

“Full of girls, right?” I asked.

“Yeah. There are probably a dozen girls at the new house.”

I bit my lip, not knowing what to say. I hated Nate with everything inside me. And he terrified me almost as much. He had the farmhouse, the club, the restaurant, and another house full of girls? I shivered again, but it wasn’t from the fever. “Why are you back here?”

He shrugged. “I finished the work on the other house, and Nate won’t admit it, but he can’t function without me.” Jackson gave me a lopsided smiled. “I guess he’s used to having me do all his work. This place was a disaster when I came back.” He sat at the foot of the bed. “I’m glad you’re okay. He used you as a threat, said if I tried to tell anyone what happened he would hurt you.”

His eyes met mine and I smiled. Then I started coughing again. Jackson got up and opened a door on the side of the room. I heard water running, letting me know that it was an attached bathroom. He refilled the cup and offered it to me. I drank half of it and leaned back.

“I’m so tired,” I mumbled.

“You need more sleep,” he said and I nodded in agreement. “I’ll be right back,” he told me and hurried out of the room. I turned, watching him leave. I was comfortable and didn’t want to get up, but I had to pee, so I pushed myself up and shuffled into the bathroom. I flicked on the light only to shut it off again. It was still too bright for my eyes.

I had just made it back into bed when Jackson returned with a steaming mug. He extended it to me. “It’s that gross stuff again,” he explained. “It helps, trust me.”

“I believe you,” I said and took the mug. I grimaced and drank the warm liquid. Jackson placed the empty cup on the dresser, trading it for a bottle of water. He twisted off the cap and offered it to me. I took a few sips before giving it back.

“Get some sleep, Addie.”

I nodded but kept my eyes on Jackson. “I can’t believe you’re alive,” I whispered, feeling emotional again. “What you did for me. And … and then …” I trailed off, sniffling and coughing.

“Adeline,” he said gently. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I hate that you thought I was dead. The whole time I was gone, I wished I could get a message to you, to tell you what happened. I knew they would make you think the worst.”

“But Lily saw Zane digging a hole.” I wiped away tears.