Sacrifice
Page 51

No matter what Michael thought of the fire marshal, he was glad Hannah lived with a man who could provide some protection for her and James.
Unlike you.
He told his conscience to stick it.
The water felt good across his shoulders, but eventually his skin began to prune. He’d need to face reality sooner or later. It might as well be sooner.
The clothes still had tags on them, and Michael added another line to his ongoing mental list. He’d have to pay Adam back when he found his wallet. Everything felt starchy and new, and the shirt was nothing he would have bought for himself, but it all fit. Even the shoes.
When he walked out of the bathroom, he found another visitor waiting in the chairs next to his bed.
“Wow,” said Tyler. “That is one teal shirt.”
“What are you doing here?” Michael threw the bag on the bed. Hunter and Adam didn’t seem fazed by Tyler’s presence, but they didn’t have the history with him that Michael and his brothers did.
If he didn’t know better, he’d say Tyler looked hurt. “Gee, Merrick. Glad to see you made it through okay.” He stood, and Michael realized he had crutches with him. “Guess I’ll leave you alone, then.”
“He came to check on you,” said Adam.
“Said you were trapped under the restaurant together,” added Hunter.
Michael sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He’d been so caught up in the drama with his brothers that he hadn’t even thought to ask if Tyler had survived.
Pretty shitty, especially considering that Tyler had probably kept them all from burning to a crisp.
“Stop,” he said to Tyler. “Wait. I’m sorry.”
Tyler turned, and one crutch squeaked against the floor. “Did you just say you’re sorry?”
“Don’t make me take it back.” He paused and gave Tyler a clear once-over. “I’m glad you didn’t lose your leg or anything.”
“They said I might need surgery. Screw that. I told them to give me the good pain pills and let me get the hell out of here.”
Michael raised his eyebrows. “And they listened?”
“Nah, but Quinn brought me a lighter. My second ultrasound looked amazing. They must have read the first one wrong. The crutches are really just for show. ” Tyler half smiled. “Maybe I should have brought you a bag of sand or something.”
“I’m all right. Nick helped.” Michael swallowed.
Tyler glanced at Hunter and Adam. “Yeah, they told me what happened.” He paused. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” He gave a laugh though nothing was very funny. “I don’t even know where my wallet is, much less—”
“Here,” said Hunter. He pulled a plastic bag from beneath his chair. “The nurse brought this by. She said it was everything you had on you.”
Michael began pulling things free. His jeans: filthy and torn. His shirt: filthy, torn, and bloody. His shoes followed the trend.
But at the bottom of the bag was his wallet—with everything intact, from what he could tell—and his watch. He pocketed the first and slipped the second over his wrist. In the pocket of his jeans he found his keys.
He pocketed those, too. “At least I have access to a vehicle,” he said. Maybe his day was looking up.
Adam and Hunter exchanged glances.
“What?” said Michael. “Jesus. I can’t handle one more thing. What?”
Hunter winced. “The truck isn’t drivable.”
“Define ‘isn’t drivable.’ ”
“Like . . . you can’t drive it.”
“Hunter!”
“You were parked behind the bar,” said Adam. “Hannah said most vehicles took some damage, but the truck had a beam through the cab. They towed it. You can probably—”
“Stop. God. Stop.” Michael ran his hands down his face. His truck. His truck.
No. Not his.
His father’s.
He waited for this news to tighten his chest and bring tears to his eyes, but surprisingly, he felt nothing. Maybe all his emotion had been used up.
“Have you been back to the house?” he said, his voice bleak. “What about the SUV? Is that drivable?”
“They’re not letting anyone on the court,” said Hunter. “Well, not us anyway. We tried, but they’ve got it cordoned off, with an officer standing guard.”
“Great.”
“I have a truck,” said Tyler.
“Good for you,” Michael snapped. “I’m sure you have a place to live, too.”
“Maybe if you’d quit with the shitty attitude I could say, yeah, I do, and yeah, you can stay with me.”
Now they were all staring at him. For the first time, Tyler looked uncomfortable. He shrugged and looked back at the door. “If you need a place. I have a spare bedroom. I’m just saying.”
“Why would you do that?” said Michael.
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
Michael didn’t buy it. “You? Altruistic? Try again.”
“Because it’s what my sister would want me to do.”
That, Michael bought. It had been years since Tyler’s sister had died, but Michael still had clear memories of Emily Morgan. She’d been the first Elemental in town who treated him like a human being instead of someone who needed to be put to death.
“Won’t it piss off your parents?” he asked Tyler.