Page 74 of A Silence So Divine

She hesitates, glancing at me over her shoulder. Her eyes linger on my face, and I shift uncomfortably. It’s not pity that I see, butregret.

“I should have kicked him out ages ago,” she mutters, shaking her head with a dry laugh. “We all knew he was a little nuts, but my God. He could have killed you.” Her voice quivers.

“Well, send my regards to whoever stepped in.” My lips twitch with an effort at humor. There’s a tearing sensation in the corner of my mouth. The almost-smile drops expeditiously.

“You should thank her yourself. Poor thing’s a wreck.”

Cocking my head to the side, I look at her quizzically.

“She?” I question. “Sylvie?”

I thought she was at the firearms station. There’s no telling how long I was on the ground, though, so it’s possible she stormed over to save the day. God forbid someone wring my neck other than her.

Veda laughs, the lines around her eyes deepening.

“No, though I did have to stop her from putting a bullet between Jasper’s eyes.” There’s a hint of affection to her words. Two of the most intimidating women I know, it’s no wonder they’re close.

I wrack my brain, unable to think of another woman that would get involved. “Then who?”

She comes to sit at the edge of the cot and I shift to give her room.

“Eden.”

It takes a moment to register, and I stare at her dumbly. When realization strikes, my heart jumpstarts. I rise from the bed. Like a beacon, my body urges me to go to her.

Veda is much more muscular than one might think, so when she grips my bicep, it halts my rapid movements. There’s no doubt I’m concussed, because as soon as my ass plops back down onto the mattress, the room spins. Frustrated, pissed off, and sore, I yell out a slew of curse words.

“Now, now,” Veda hushes, coaxing me like an infant. “Don’t hurt yourself. My old heart can only take so much in one day, you know.”

Lashing out like an injured animal, I rip my arm from her grasp and spit my words through bared teeth. “I need to see her.”

To make sure she’s alright.

The pulsing in my head crescendos into a raging hammer. The panic I felt when I couldn’t find her that day… and then the panic when Ididfind her? It was unbearable.

Annoyingly enough, Veda’s expression doesn’t change, remaining perfectly calm.

“Creed is with her,” she says exasperatedly.

I scowl, ignoring the way it tugs on what feels like stitches in the bridge of my nose. It does bring me some relief, I’ll admit, knowing Eden is with Creed. My breathing comes easier, and the muscles in my body no longer feel like they’re going to jump from my skin.

Veda motions towards the pillow on the cot, and reluctantly, I lean back. I make a point not to lie down all the way.

“If you’re done showing your ass, we have an important matter to discuss.”

One question comes to mind instantly, and I quirk an eyebrow.

“Is he dead?”

“Thankfully, no.”

“Keep those thanks to yourself,” I mutter, folding my hands behind my head. The ceiling is yellowed, and the stench of cigarette smoke mingles with that of disinfectant. Not quite up to health code, huh, Charlie?

“And everyone else?” I query, bracing myself for the answer. With my luck, Jasper remains alive, but everyone else has been deafened.

“That’s the strange thing,” she begins. Her eyes go out of focus, as if she’s watching the memory unfold in midair. “Jasper took the brunt of it, even with him being the furthest from where she sat. There’ll be some lingering tinnitus for the rest of us, I’m sure, but nothing too damaging.”

She pauses, considering. “And you… you were right there with him. Shouldn’t it have affected you?”