I vaguely notice the big body coming towards me, but it's not until he's right in front of me that I register Colt's presence. For the first time since I heard Bree scream, I feel like everything might be ok. It won't be. I know that. But I'm going to ignore the consequences of tonight for as long as possible.
"Tell me where you're hurt, honey." His voice is a soft rumble, and I let myself fall apart, crumpling into his arms. I let every fear, every panicky thought, every painful moment of the last half hour out. With Colt here, I know I'll be ok.
I've been the grown-up, the responsible one for most of my life. It's just been Briana and me for so long that I don't allow myself to depend on anyone. I wasn't her big sister for a lot of her life. I was her mom. But Colton feels like a brother to me. Like the brother I always wish I had.
Colton's a wall of muscle, but he's also gentle and kind and so sweet. He lifts the hem of his t-shirt and wipes my face. I glare at him a bit because, ew, but it's also very caring, so I drop the attitude fast, blowing out a breath full of pain, regret, and fear.
Letting Colt hold my weight, I scan the room to find Bree, landing on him instead. Declan. I do a double take, registering his cropped hair. It makes him look so different. So much older and harder. The intensity on his face right now, the murderous rage, is new too. But I can't focus on him right now. Bree is my priority.
She's there, being tucked into a cubicle. I pull away, needing to go to her. Colton gently stops me. "Ok honey, you're limping, though. Let me carry you over."
I don't object because I hurt. My ankle is sending bolts of fire all the way up to my knee. Colton is Paul Bunyan huge and will have no trouble carrying me, so I let him.
I vaguely register Declan's growl as we pass, which is also new. Since when does sweet nerdy Declan scowl and act all growly?
Colton lowers me carefully. I'm thankful he keeps his arms around me as I watch them slide Briana from the gurney onto a hospital bed. There are so many people around her, and she's not waking up. She has to wake up. I won't survive without her.
I grip Colton's arms tightly, letting my tears fall. I have a reputation as a tough bitch, so if anyone saw me right now, they'd be shocked. I don't give a fuck.
"What happened, Cara? Who do I have to kill?" Colton whispers against my temple.
A slightly hysterical laugh escapes me. "I don't think that's going to be necessary." I don't think Tyler's going to be a problem again. It's my sister they rushed to the ambulance. Tyler, they covered with a sheet, right there in the middle of our apartment floor, surrounded by pieces of our shattered lamp.
"Who did this to you? What the fuck happened?" I vaguely register Declan's words, but they sound like they're coming from a long dark tunnel. I can't focus on them more than to wonder why he sounds so upset. I mean, I don't look that bad, do I? All my attention is on Briana and the way the doctors are hovering over her bed. Please be ok. Please be ok.
"I was out tonight at the club," I mutter, answering his question. "I could hear the screaming from the elevator." My throat is so dry. It hurts so much.
"He had her pushed up against the wall...his hands were on her throat, and he was banging her head on the wall." She looked half dead, and he didn't care. He just kept hurting her. Hurting the person I love most in this world. I can't hold back the sobs. They force themselves out of my body, despite my efforts to hold myself together.
Colton pulls me closer. I feel his cheek on my head. "Finish it," he whispers.
I'm so tired. "Briana's softball bag and bat were by the door. I'm always tripping over the fucking things. I picked up the bat and swung at him. I got him in the ribs, then the head when he dropped her and turned on me." The fear and the panic of those moments shudder through me. "She slid down the wall when he let go...just flopped like she had no bones. I thought she was dead. I should have swung at him harder." The fear of those moments is making my hands shake. "He came at me and tried to take the bat. He was punching me, and we ended up on the ground."
The heat from Colton's body is soothing, warming my back, keeping the shivers at bay. Declan's tucked in close, too, listening to every word I say. Any other time, I'd be so into having his attention. But right now, I don't care.
I'm on the verge of a meltdown. I can feel it. I let myself slump in Colton's arms, trusting him to hold me as I tell him the worst of it. "Bree crawled to the table, grabbed a lamp, and hit him with it. I was able to get up and…hit him with the bat again. He fell, and he didn't get up."
The words sound mechanical. Matter of fact. I leave out the part where I crawled past him to get to Briana. The part where we hugged each other crying. The part where she slumped in my arms, and I couldn't get her to wake up.
The way Colt's arms tense tells me that even though I may not have said it, he understands what I just told him.
I killed a man tonight.
And I can't seem to muster up any regret about it. Maybe it will hit me later? I mean, it's supposed to, right? You can't just take a life and then be totally ok, can you?
"Cara honey, go to Declan. I'm going to make a call."
I tense up but don't object as Colton passes me into Declan's arms. He feels weird. He's so much bigger and harder than he's always been in my fantasies. He's holding me so carefully, though, his arms banded around my back, pulling me into his chest.
I register Colton telling us he's calling their other brother Maverick. Good. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a lawyer. It won't matter that Tyler tried to kill my sister. The cops are still going to investigate. I don't care. Let them come after me. As long as Bree is ok, I can handle anything else. Live through anything else.
"Breathe, Cara. Just breathe,” Declan whispers.
I thought I was breathing. But as I try to match his steady in and out, I realize I'm on the verge of blacking out. Eyes locked on my sister, my head resting on his shoulder, I follow his lead, breathing in and out with him.
"Good," he murmurs, stroking my hair. The longer he holds me, the more of my weight I let him take. He doesn't stumble. He doesn't tire. Just holds me up as easily as Colton does.
Maybe I could get used to this new body of his.
