"The hell happened?"
As promised, Silo left the gate open so they could drive straight through. The car only stopped long enough for Nina to get out and shut the gate behind them before parking Kam's Range Rover next to the one already in the carport. Now the three of them--Nina, Kam and Bel--are standing in front of an open mouthed Silo. Well, Nina and Kam are standing. Bel would fall over if Kam didn't have one arm wrapped tight around his waist.
"Long story." Nina is already pushing past Silo to get into the house, giving Silo no choice but to step back and allow them in. But then, he was going to allow them to come in anyway. When Nina said she needed him, there must be a serious problem.
He just didn't expect that serious problem to include her bloodied little brother and Silo's white-faced best friend.
"Nina—"
"I'm fine."
"You're pushing me away again."
"Just look after Bel, please." She shakes him off. "Where's the USB? Did you make any progress?"
"It's still plugged into my laptop, and no, there's been no progress yet." Before Silo can say anything else, Nina goes in the direction of the library without saying another word.
Silo steps forward, looping one of Bel's arms around his head so that Kam doesn't have to bear the boy's full weight.
"You look like shit."
Kam looks at him. "Who?"
"Both of you." Silo's telling the truth. Bel's condition is the most obvious, but Silo's best friend looks like he hasn't slept, or eaten, or anything, in days. If I say that out loud, will Kam give me the bird or an answer? "You all right?"
"Just get Bel inside."
Kam's voice makes it clear he doesn't want to talk, so Silo doesn't talk. Instead, he helps get Bel upstairs and into bed. It's one of the bedrooms no one uses, so the sheets are fresh, and the drawers are empty(well, except the top drawer of the nightstand, but Silo doesn't think Kam needs to know about that right now).
"How much of that blood is Bel's?" He asks instead.
"All of it."
"Really?" Silo can see a couple of scratches and shallow cuts running along Kam's arms, but he won't force Kam to say anything if he doesn't want to.
But he does.
"It's just a couple of cuts," Kam says. "He shot up Bel's car, so we had to take mine. I'm assuming he's male, but I didn't see his face. I don't think Bel did either."
Kam changes Bel's clothes himself, cleaning the dried dirt and blood from Bel's skin before putting him in the pajamas Silo provides. He won't let Silo help, so Silo leaves the room and makes a couple of calls. When he goes back to the bedroom, Kam is sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Bel's hand.
"You want a change of clothes?"
"No."
"That wasn't a rhetorical question." Silo tosses a fresh set of clothes and a towel onto Kam's lap. "Shower, change, now. "
Kam doesn't move. "You made phone calls."
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Trusted People. People we both know, actually." Silo moves across the room, so that he's standing right next to Kam. "You don't have to worry. Go take a shower."
"I'm not worried." But Kam's eyes are still on Bel's still body.
"You can get in the shower yourself or I'll drag you in." Silo is pushing because it's the only way to help Kam get a grip, and they both know it. "You know I'll do it. Up to you."
