Her cheeks explode in crimson. “No, when I become a woman. When a woman grows breasts, they become women.”
I can’t help it. I bellow out in laughter. “Well, how about this, when you grow breasts, ask me again, and I’ll say yes.”
Kip jumps off his bed, sticking his head out, wondering who I’m talking to. “Oh, hey, Han. If Mom asks, we’ve been home for an hour, cool?” he says, then shuts the bedroom door on her.
“Jesus, I thought you’d never leave that room.”
The hair on my skin stands on end, pulling me out of my memory. I slow my step and pause. With caution, I pivot to face him. “How’d you get in here?” He looks like shit. He’s dressed in a pair of scrubs, the tag hanging from his waistline stolen or fake. His face has seen better days. There’s no doubt from his two black eyes I broke his nose.
He coughs violently into his hand. “As easy as I got into your company and became a stellar first year lawyer.”
Fury overwhelms me. He shouldn’t be here. He should be in a jail cell—or even better, dead. I take a menacing step toward him, my hands beginning to tremble with rage. “You’re fucking dead.”
His malevolent laugh will forever haunt me. “I don’t think so. You’d think after everything, you’d figure out I’m the one who laughs last. Unlike you, who won’t be walking away from this.”
I take another step when he waves his hand around and I see the object he’s holding. “You think you’re going to shoot me in a hospital and walk away? You’re a lot dumber than I thought.”
I stare him in the eye, waiting for his next move. He’s casual in his stance, uncaring we’re in an open hallway and anyone could walk out and catch him. “Tsk, tsk, lover-boy. Are those going to be your last words? You know, I thought you were an okay guy at first. But then you had to get in my way. I always planned on destroying your life somehow. It actually became a little game for me. But then Hannah had to put a wrench in my plans. Definitely didn’t see her coming. Tell me, since you stole the chance from me, how did it feel to have her naked and open wide while you fucked her?”
“You son of a—”
“I’m not done! Answer me. How was it? Fucking such an angel. Did she scream your name? Moan like a wild whore?” I take another step, and his arm straightens out, pointing the gun directly at my chest. “She deserved better than that. Treating her like trash, fucking her in your office? You didn’t deserve her. I did. She was mine!” His hand shakes, and I jerk to the side, tugging at my bandages in fear of the gun going off and shooting me.
I witnessed him starting to unfold the night in the bathroom, but seeing him now…he’s completely unhinged. There’s no doubt he would shoot me and then attempt to hurt Hannah all over again. I need to distract him so I can get close enough to take him down. Even if he shoots me, I’ll be able to tackle him, which will alert someone. He won’t get near her ever again.
I throw my head back and laugh. I search for all my energy and bellow out a deep howl. When my eyes return to his, he stares back in confusion. “You really think she—” I laugh harder. “Wow, that’s good. You actually think Hannah would ever be with you after figuring out what a fucking psycho you are?” I slap my knee, fighting the tinge of pain from my burns. “You’re a joke, man. And yeah…she screamed real loud for me. The feeling of her lips locked around my cock, like a sweet angel…damn, it felt like heaven.” I pause and watch as the seed I plant in his mind sets fire, the inferno of fury blazing in his eyes. His arm stiffens, and his finger tightens around the trigger.
“Shut up.”
“Why?” I taunt. “I thought you wanted to know. Man, did we get a good laugh about you. How stupid you were to think she would ever like you. How embarrassing for you, right?”
“Shut the fuck up! You don’t know what you’re talking about. She told me. She told me we could be together, but my dad put a stop to it. If it wasn’t for him, we’d be together.”
I take a step closer, my humorous mask falling, revealing my true anger. My hands shake with fury knowing he’s the reason Hannah’s fighting for her life in that bed. “Really? If it wasn’t for your dad, she wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed fighting for her fucking life.”
“It was an accident. You—you did this!” he yells, and I only hope his loud voice alerts a nurse close by. “She shouldn’t have tried to run. She promised me she wasn’t going to run!” He squeezes his eyes shut, and my impulse kicks in as I dive for the gun. His eyes reopen just as I lunge at him and take him down. His legs kick out, and he falls backwards. My fist rears back and thrusts into his face, busting open my scabbed knuckles and reopening the slice on his lip from my previous hit.
Unlike the other times, he fights back. His knee surges forward, crushing into my balls, and I grunt, jerking just enough for him to flip me and crawl away. Before I can recover, his foot jams into my back, splitting open my fresh wounds. I growl out, white dots shooting through my vision. “Fuck!” I blink away the tears caused from the pain and reach for his ankle, pulling him toward me. He trips, a loud crack as his chin smacks against the hard tile echoing down the hall. He becomes limp, and I use the opportunity to take a breather, making the mistake of allowing my aching body a second to rest. That’s when he surges forward, clenching his fingers around his gun. He points it directly at me. “You should have let me just shoot you in the chest. At least she would have been able to say goodbye. Now I’m going to shoot you in the face and love every second of watching that pretty smile splatter around this bullet.” I stare at his hand, watching his finger press down on the trigger. I wait for the bullet, when someone surges out of nowhere and tackles Braydon. The gun goes off, the bullet whizzing so close to my face, it snips my earlobe, knocking me over before lodging into the wall behind me.
I lift my head to see Chase on top of Braydon, who’s knocked out by the attack. “Fuck, that was awesome. I knew I should have joined football. I would have whooped your ass, Dent.”
Jesus Christ, how is he making jokes at a time like this? When it all hits me that I almost just died, I can’t do anything but join in and laugh. I laugh so hard, tears start falling down my cheeks and I have to hold my chest in fear of damaging more skin on my back.
“Man…this guy has issues,” Chase pants, climbing off him, then taking his foot and slamming into his ribs to make sure he’s truly down. “Now, if you’re done cock fighting over the girl, I came out to tell you she’s awake.”
She’s awake.
Hannah’s awake.
I urge my legs to stand, still grabbing at my ear as it gushes blood.
“Shit, you may want to do something about that before—”
I don’t hear anything else. As I stand, a mixture of pain and dizziness take me out by my knees, and I pass out.
Hannah
My throat burns. My vision is blurred, and I can’t focus on my surroundings. I hear sounds, but they’re unfamiliar. I work harder to blink away the confusion, a bright light peeking through the fog.
“Oh shit. Go figure you’d wake up and have to see me first. Be right back.” The shadow in my vision disappears. My heart beats fast, and a buzzing starts to rattle in my brain. Where am I? Panic sets in, and I raise my hands, grabbing at the intrusion in my mouth.
Another shadow blocks my light. “Relax, Hannah. I’m Doctor Wilson. You have a tube in to help you breathe.” A tube? Why do I have a tube in to breathe? Beeping sounds pulsate my eardrums, and I fight once more to remove the barrier. “Shhh…all right. Relax, and we can get it out.”
I continue to blink as colors and shapes become more prominent. A man in a white lab coat stands over me. “Wh—?”
I attempt to speak, but can’t. Tears burn my eyes in frustration. Where am I?
“Hannah, do you know where you are?” I shake my head furiously, wincing at the pain coming from my head and side. “Take it easy. You’re in Crete General Hospital. You were involved in an accident.” Accident? Oh my god. Is everyone okay? I’m still fightin
g through the heavy slumber, trying to search for recollection. Everything is slow moving. I become agitated at the detachment of my memory. “It’s understandable. In situations of major trauma, the mind tends to protect the psyche.”
Trauma? My mind carousels in circles, but I can’t seem to grasp anything. Does anyone know I’m here? A loud boom in the distance has the doctor unnerved. He leaves my bedside to see what the commotion is about. When he returns, his face is drained of color. He shuts the door, hitting a button. Lights begin to flare. A warning light? Emergency light? I stare back at him, silently begging him to tell me what’s happening.
“Everything is going to be fine. No one will get into this room, okay?”
My monitors are going berserk. He rushes over to check my stats and presses a few buttons, thankfully getting them to stop. “I hate to do this, but I can’t have you in distress.” He takes a needle to my IV bag and injects something. My eyes widen in despair, once again staring at him for answers, but before I can hear his response, I fall into the abyss of blackness.
“And did she say anything? Does she remember anything?” My eyes begin to flicker at the sound of my mom’s voice. I hope it’s not a dream. I miss my mom. I can’t remember the last time I saw her.
“And how was he allowed access to this floor? We were told there was surveillance.” Dad! His voice sounds angry. Am I in trouble?
“No one knows at this point. Just that he was able to get on the floor with an employee keycard. The officer couldn’t give me much detail, but from what I gather, he came in through the employee cafeteria dressed in nurse scrubs. No one suspected a thing.”
I want to know who they’re talking about. I blink rapidly, opening and closing my eyes, allowing the streaks of bright light to penetrate my sensitive sight. “Mom?” I croak, my voice hoarse.
My mother’s eyes whip to mine, a gasp leaving her sullen lips. She comes to my side, her warm hands embracing mine. “Oh, baby, you’re awake.” Tears rush down her face as she spreads motherly kisses over my cheeks and forehead. When she pulls back, my dad takes her place. “Hey there, kiddo. Welcome back.”
“Dad,” I cry, my emotions getting the best of me. Swallowing hard, I try to work my vocal chords. “Why am I here?”
My mother’s sudden cry has my eyes wide, needing my dad to tell me.
“Kiddo, do you remember anything?”
My heart starts up again, racing in a frantic search for answers. “No, please. Tell me. You’re all scaring me.”
Dad grabs my hand and sits next to me. “Honey. You were taken…” He stalls, swallowing hard. “Braydon Connor kidnapped you.”
My eyes open to their fullest. Dad’s mouth remains in a grim line as he goes on. “He…held you captive at Clara Hill’s home. We’re unsure what happened, but you were injured. You have a stab wound in your side—thirty-seven stitches—a pretty bad gash in your head, and a concussion. You suffered some smoke damage from the fire—”
“What? Fire—what fire?”
Mom starts to sob quietly in the corner. “Hannah…Braydon set the house on fire. With you and Clara in it.”
Clara.
Flowered dress.
Lifeless.
Clara.
Just as easily as I forgot, all too soon the scenery before me changes. I’m back in Clara Hill’s house. The pain. The smoke. Braydon. “Braydon.” His name falls off my tongue, wrapping around my neck as if the word alone is suffocating me. I clutch at my chest, struggling to breathe, the panic inside me closing off my airways.
“Baby, calm down. It’s all over. He can’t hurt you now. You’re safe.”
But he can. And he is. I begin reliving my own nightmare, feeling the knife stab through my flesh all over again. The fear. The fire. Clara. “He…he killed Clara,” I cry out, grabbing for my neck. The images wrap around me like a noose, and I fight to inhale.
“Hannah, calm down.” He turns to the doctor. “Do something dammit! She’s having a panic attack!”
The doctor leans over to my IV, inserting a needle inside the tube. I watch as my father stares at me in torment before my eyes fall shut.
“How long has she been out?”
“Almost three hours. You really should be resting. The doctor said he doesn’t want you up and straining your lungs.”
“I’m not leaving her side, Mom.”
Mom and Kipley.
I miss Kipley. I hope I didn’t miss the baby being born. Fighting once again, I force my eyelids past the brightness of the light and find my brother.
“Kipley.” I can’t find my own voice. It’s so hoarse, and my throat burns when I speak.
“Hey, there she is.” He leans down, placing a kiss on my forehead. “Glad to see you’re awake.”
He reaches for my hand, and I squeeze back. “The baby?”
“The baby’s good. Stacey’s having pregnancy munchies, so she ran down to the cafeteria.”
What day is it? How long have I been here?
“You haven’t had the baby yet?” I ask. Why does he seem confused? Did something happen to the baby? His eyes search out my mom’s for guidance before claiming back my attention.
“No, Han. We still have a ways to go. Do you know what day it is?”
“Kipley!” My mom smacks him, as if his question is inappropriate.
I try to search for any memory of what day it should be. “I…um…I’m not really sure. It was a Monday when I went to see Clara. But I can’t recall after I went to Jake’s—I went to Jake’s and you guys fought—oh my god, you and Levi fought—”
Bits of memory slice through my brain, and I begin to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I repeat, a hurricane of emotions drowning me. Violent waves of tears blind me as I gasp for air with each retched sob.
Kipley is in the bed with me, his arms cradling me. His own tears mix with mine as he silently weeps alongside me. “Oh, Hannah, you have nothing to be sorry for. I owe you the apology. Please, please stop crying.” My sobs settle into desolate whimpers, and I allow my brother to comfort me until the energy takes its toll and I fall asleep in his arms.
I’m walking around a house. It’s unfamiliar to me. I search for anything that will help me understand why I’m here. My feet paddle along the worn carpet, and I look down to see I’m wearing a floral dress. Why is this dress so familiar? A sinking feeling takes root in my belly, and I turn the corner, only to find myself back in the same room. Disoriented, I turn around to find my way out, but no matter which way I take, I end up back in the same room. Unease begins to crawl up my spine and I work harder to find a way out, only to end up in the same place as I started.
“Where am I? Somebody help me!” I call out, my voice echoing off the walls. Confusion takes flight in my mind. I begin spinning, trying to find a new way out. Faster and faster, I spin, with no way to stop. “Somebody help me!” I call out again. Two hands grab me, halting me in place. The face of a monster appears in my vision, and I hear the flicker of a lighter. “If I can’t have you, nobody can.”
I wake up screaming just as he sets me on fire.
Levi
“Take the pain meds, idiot.”
I swat at the nurse standing next to Kipley. “No. How long have I been out?”
He shakes his head in frustration. “I don’t know, a little over twenty-four hours.”
Fuck. I need to get to her. Be with her. “Hannah…”
“She’s okay. She’s been in and out.”
I’m lying on my stomach due to the brand-new patchwork on my back. “Help me up. I need to go see her—”
“You need to take the goddamn pain meds and rest. You reopened half the scab wounds on your back. That shit has to hurt. Not to mention the damn chunk missing from your ear.” It does. Like a bitch. But nothing hurts as much as the unknown with her. If he won’t help me, I’ll get to her on my own. “Oh hell. Stubborn jock.” As I twist around to a sitting position, he grabs at my hand and helps as I slide my legs off the bed. My back i
s as stiff as a board, the bandages making it difficult to bend in any which way but straight. With every groan, Kipley threatens to put me back in bed, and I threaten to kick his ass if he even tries.
When I’m finally standing, I need a minute to catch my breath. “You sure this is a good idea? You look like shit.”
My hands reach out, using his shoulders for support. “I need to see her. I need to see for myself she’s okay.” He stares at me with understanding and nods. He guides me to the door before stopping and facing me.
“You should know…she didn’t remember anything at first. It took her some time, and she took it hard. She’s been in and out, mainly due to the doc putting her back under. She’s lost it a few times and it’s been pretty fucking scary.” His confession pierces my heart, splitting open all my fears and searing all my hopes. My biggest hope is she’s a fighter. My worst fear is this will break her spirit. The unstoppable, ironclad Hannah Matthews who doesn’t let anyone get through her armor. “Hey…it’s going to be okay. She’ll get through this.”
I want to collapse and lose myself in the darkness of my own thoughts. What if she can’t look at me after this? I heard some of the report. The tirade Connor went on about me taking her from him. I did this. He repeated it over and over once he came to. What if she believes that and there’s no longer room in her heart to forgive me? What if she only sees the horror of her journey when she sees me? “I need to fucking see her, man,” I beg my best friend. The only one who would understand.
Nothing else is spoken between us as he helps me down the hallway, past the seven rooms that separate us. We reach her room, and he gives me a moment to catch my breath and gather myself.
My heart beats heavily, and the fear of rejection threatens to take me to my knees. I inhale a deep breath and allow Kip to knock on her door. No one says anything, and I’m thankful when her parents excuse themselves, claiming a strong need for coffee. Kip settles me in the chair by her bedside and tells me he’s going to find Stacey to give me a moment.
Chicks, Man Page 24