The Wild Interview
Page 25
But when I look up, my eyeballs feel like they are burning in my skull as I see the fire eating the walls and floor behind us like it’s chasing us. I start to cough, feeling dizzy as air seems to get caught in my chest.
We smash out the door and into the night, and Blake stumbles away from the building before falling at the end of the parking lot, cupping me to his chest protectively as he sits down, his legs sprawled in front of him. His chest is heaving behind me as I struggle to breathe, spots now dancing in my vision while I lay between his legs, watching the theatre go up in flames.
I hear the sirens in the distance and start to smile as darkness eats my vision.
“We’re okay, you're okay. Breathe for me Baby Girl, just hang on. I’ve got you.” Blake continues to repeat his words as I give in, letting it take me away.
Beeping cuts through the darkness as my eyes flutter open. My vision is blurry, so I wait for them to clear. The first thing I notice is the sharp smell of antiseptic and when I turn my head, something that takes longer than it should as every movement is sluggish and my brain feels like cotton wool, I notice the machines hooked up to me. Glancing down I spot the IV in my arm. Hospital, I’m in the hospital... why?
Racking my brain I try to remember what happened. A snore cuts through the room and I slowly turn my head to my other side to see Blake with his head on my legs, his hand clutching mine, his eyes are closed and he’s obviously fast asleep.
Lifting my head with a wince, I spot Liam and Leo leaning against the wall at the end of the hospital bed, Liam’s head on Leo’s shoulder. The door opens and my eyes swing towards it, meeting the worried gaze of Kingston, Damon, and Emmett as they walk into the room. They all look like shit. Their faces are lined with exhaustion and they seemed to have lost the sparkle in their eyes.
When they realize I’m awake they rush to my side, fluttering over me.
“Gabby!”
“Babe!”
They start talking over each other and the noise wakes the others in the room. Blake shoots up, his eyes darting around in panic until they come to rest on me. When he realizes I’m awake he gasps.
“Baby Girl,” he cries, the words catching in his throat as his eyes mist over.
Liam and Leo are with me now too, and all of my guys surround my bed. They look so relieved, but I spot a few tears here and there.
“Wh—” I try to speak only to cut off into a cough that rips through my sore throat, leaving fire in its wake. Oh my god. The fire.
I bolt upright, struggling in the bed and Kingston comes forward, stopping me.
“The fire!” I try to say but coughing overwhelms me.
Liam passes me a glass of water with a straw and I take a sip, the cold liquid cooling my throat and making me realize how thirsty I am.
I suck harder at the straw but Kingston pulls it away with a frown. “Not too much, you will make yourself sick,” he warns and I nod.
“What happened?” I ask, my voice quiet and rough, but I manage to get the words out.
“A fire, you were trapped backstage and we couldn't find you. We all split up, but Blake managed to get to you and get you out. We didn't even think to call 999, but you did,” Damon explains, his voice catching when he said they couldn't find me. I drink them in again, noticing how worried they were. They are still in the same clothes from the show.
“How long have I been out?” I inquire, reaching over and squeezing Damon’s hand.
“A day,” Leo answers, putting his hand over my arm. They are all touching me in some way, like they can’t bear not to.
Blowing out a breath I run my eyes over them, checking for injuries. They all seem okay, if not tired. Thank god.
“Angel, we were so worried.” Liam’s voice cracks and Leo wraps his arm around him for comfort.
“Sorry,” I croak, as Blake leans over and brushes a soft kiss over my lips.
“Never do that again, Baby Girl. Or I’m going to tan your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit for a week,” he whispers, pulling away like he didn’t say anything.
“Asshole,” I murmur, and they all laugh. The sound slightly hysterical.
“I’m just going to step over here for a minute, the guys have something they want to say, but Gabs? I fucking love you, don’t scare me like that again,” Emmett warns, kissing my cheek as he backs away and pretends to scroll through his phone.
The guys share looks and I narrow my eyes. “What?” I demand, but I sound like a little mouse so it probably doesn’t have the intended impact.
“Gabby—” Leo starts.
“We’ve been thinking,” Liam adds, and they all nod.
“We know what you said but…” Kingston trails off and looks at Damon for help.
“We don’t care, what happened has only made us realize how much of an important part of our life you are, and that we don’t want to be without you,” Damon says sweetly, staring at me.
“Exactly! Who’s going to hit us with dildos, or shout at Blake?” Liam jokes and Leo smacks the back of his head.
“What they are fucking saying is, they want you to be our girlfriend. We have always been unconventional, it only seems right,” Blake growls out, looking straight into my eyes.
Wait, girlfriend? Why does the thought send a burst of happiness through me. They all want me? I know what I said, but the word feels right. My silence stretches as I try to think of what to say and I see their faces drop, even Blake.
“Yes,” I croak, the only word they need to hear.
Liam whoops, picking Leo up and spinning him around before pushing through and kissing me hard. Kingston brushes my hair back, giving me a big smile as Damon grins at me. Leo winks even as Blake shoves them back and regains his position at my bedside.
“Good, like you had a fucking choice. You’re stuck with us,” he replies gruffly, and I reach out and twine our hands. I will never forget the vulnerable look he gave me when he thought I might say no.
I open my mouth to ask something else, but the door opens and two police officers in uniform step into the room. They eye our group strangely before they look at me.
“Ms. Menro?” the older looking one on the left asks. I nod and he steps to the bottom of the bed. “We have some questions, if you feel up to it?”
Blake stands up, his whole body vibrating. “No, she doesn’t feel fucking up to it, I told you! Come back later!” he yells, and I lay my hand on his arm. It stops his rant as he looks down at me, his eyes softening and still filled with panic. I know the feeling, I thought I had lost them.
“It’s okay,” I say softly and he nods, stepping back as I look at the officers. “What do you want to know?” I ask, but start to cough again after my voice cracks. Kingston holds the straw to my lips and I sip at it until my throat calms down. Offering him a gentle smile I turn back to the officers.
“We need to know what happened, but first, do you know of anyone who would want to hurt you?” the one on the left questions, a pad and pen in his hands.
Frowning, my brain still feeling tender, I try to work through his words. “What? Why? The fire was an accident,” I comment.
The two officers share a look. “What?” I croak.
“Miss, this fire wasn't an accident. An accelerant was used with the backstage being the target. So, I ask, does anyone want to hurt you?”
The rest of his words are stifled by the roaring in my head, and my buzzing ears. All I keep hearing is ‘not an accident.’
Someone tried to kill me?
THE END
Acknowledgments
As always, this book wouldn’t have been possible without several people.
To our PA, Meg, you’re amazing and we would be completely unorganized without you. Our amazing editor, Jess, and formatter/proofreader, Kaila, you guys make our words make sense and look pretty, so thank you! Jodie, this cover kicks ass and is perfect for our story.
Our beta’s Harley, Andrea, and Jessica, we love you for all the hard work you put in
to help this book come to life and for loving Gabby and her men as much as we do.
And most importantly, you, the people reading this book. You guys are the reason that we write, so thank you for taking a chance on us. We hope you enjoyed the book and are looking forward to book two, The Wild Tour!
If you did enjoy the book, please leave us a review. That would really help us, even if it’s only a couple of words long. Thank you!
About the Authors
Katie and Erin started writing together in 2018 when their love of the supernatural and all things RH lead to them collaborating on Circus Save Me. What was supposed to be a standalone book has become a series and lead to several spin offs. They are now working on The Wild Boys series.
Katie is the international best selling author of The Wasteland, Auroras Coven and Voyage to Ayama.
Join her reader’s group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/KatiesKnights/
Erin is the creator of the Shadowborn Series with book two, Lost in Shadow being released on the 15th March 2019!
Join her reader’s group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ErinOKanesShadowRealm/