I let out a shaky breath. “I’m going to sleep now.”
“I would hope so.” There was a smile in his voice.
I closed my eyes, expecting it to take a while to fall asleep, but it didn’t. I conked almost immediately, waking up several times from nightmares of still being trapped in the sinkhole. Dream after dream, I wasdrowning in the sludge, gasping for air, clawing at the muddy walls of my prison. Each time I woke, Royce stroked my hair and quietly reassured me I was safe.
What bothered me most was even in Royce’s arms, I didn’t feel safe. Sometimes it felt like, for whatever reason, the universe didn’t want me happy. Expecting good things wasn’t really in my nature, but since meeting Royce, I’d become more optimistic. After what River had done to me, my optimism was bruised and battered.
I wasn’t exactly sure how to get that back.
Chapter Ten
Royce
Max slept all through the night and was still sleeping soundly the next morning. Around lunchtime, I called Girdy and asked her to come over and stay with him. I needed to go to the station for River’s interview. Finding Max had been my priority, but there was a limit to how long I could hold River without charging him.
Girdy showed up, looking perky in a bright yellow sweater with her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. Her red-framed glasses accentuated the light dusting of freckles across her nose. “How’s Maxwell?” she asked the minute she stepped into the house.
“Still sleeping. He’s beat.”
She shuddered. “When I think of him lost in the desert, it makes me want to strangle River.”
“I know the feeling,” I muttered. “I appreciate you coming to watch over him. I don’t want him waking up alone, but I have to get to the station. If you could check on him a lot and maybe listen to see if he’s having nightmares? That would be greatly appreciated.”
She winced. “He’s having nightmares?”
“Oh, yeah. Lots of them.”
“River,” she growled. “I hope he goes away to jail for the rest of his life.”
I grimaced. “That’s probably not going to happen. But he’ll be punished.”
“How could he think kidnapping Maxwell was okay?” Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes glittered with anger. “What did he hope to gain?”
“It’s a long story. I’m sure Max will tell you everything once he’s feeling strong enough.” I still didn’t even know every detail of what Max had gone through. I was looking forward to hearing River’s version of events, even as I dreaded it.
She glanced around. “Where’s Grumpy?”
“I had the girl who watches him keep him longer. He’d want to go be with Max, and I want Max to get all the sleep he can.” I laughed gruffly. “I think Max actually missed Grumpy.”
“Really?” She smiled. “That’s sweet.”
“Yep.” I nodded. “He didn’t know what to do with Grumpy in the beginning. Now he actually misses him when he’s not here. How things have changed.”
“Maxwell has most definitely changed,” she said softly. “I wish people appreciated that more.”
“Yes. He’s doing his best.”
“People only see what they want to see.” She sighed. “They fell over themselves groveling at River’s feet, and he turns out to be a psycho. While poor Maxwell, who does his best for them all day, every day, gets no credit at all. Just because he’s not good at faking things.”
“I’m sure there will be plenty of sympathy for Maxwell after what happened to him.” I went to the coat closet and grabbed my jacket. “Even if people like River, they’ll have to recognize how he treated Max was wrong.”
She gnawed her bottom lip. “Yes, but what happened in LA will also come out. Maxwell won’t like that.”
“No. He won’t. But it can’t be avoided now. Max did nothing wrong. He has nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I agree. But he’s very private, so he’ll hate everyone knowing about Lucinda.” She sighed. “Life stinks sometimes.”
I straightened and moved to the door. “It does, but you know what? Max is home safe, so all that other stuff seems unimportant.”
