Page 12 of Queen of Ruin

“Obviously. I need strong painkillers.”

“Got a prescription?”

“No.”

He lifts his head and slowly looks me up and down. Hot sweat breaks out across my shoulders and immediately soaks into my T-shirt while my heart hammers so loudly, it’s a wonder he doesn’t hear it.

“What kind?” he drawls.

“Any. Strong as you can give me.”

“Any allergies?”

“No.” Not that I know of.

“Fine.”

Within ten minutes, my bank account is painfully lighter, and I leave the pharmacy with painkillers burning a hole in my pocket. Oddly, that was more terrifying than being held at gunpoint by Amber.

My heart remains fast like the frantic sprint of a rabbit and doesn’t calm until I’m off the bus and letting myself back into my apartment.

“Amber?” I call for her immediately, relieved that none of the doors look kicked off their hinges. I didn’t notice any unfamiliar cars in the street either, so maybe the cops really haven’t tracked me down yet.

Reaching my bedroom, I nudge open the door.

Amber’s fast asleep on the bed with her beautiful, light auburn hair spread out across my pillow. Her skin is pale, eyes sunken, and she’s not breath⁠—

She’s not breathing?!

“Amber!” Flying across the room, I collide with the side of the bed and grab her arm. “Amber, wake up!”

“Wh-what?” Groggy and weak, her seemingly motionless body springs to life with a deep breath and she slowly opens her eyes. “Diego?”

“Oh, my God.” I sink down onto my knees beside the bed. “I thought you were dead.”

“What?” she croaks again, painfully slowly pulling herself into a sitting position. “Why did you think that?”

“Your skin is so pale and I couldn’t see your chest moving, so I thought—” I cut myself off, panting. “Holy shit. I thought you’d died.”

“You took so long, I thought something happened,” Amber says, wincing sharply. “Then I g-guess I fell asleep.”

“Here.” Pulling the painkiller box from my jeans pocket, I press it into her hands. “Painkillers. Take them.” Back on my feet, I rush into the bathroom where I grab her a cup of water and return to her side. “Don’t overdose, but take what you need.”

“Uh…” Her eyes widen and she frowns at the back of the box, then shrugs and pops four straight out of the foil. Amber crunches them like candy, chases them with several gulps of water, and sinks back into the pillows. “Holy shit. I feel like I’ve died.”

Pink spots seep through the bandages covering her body, and given that it’s been over twelve hours, they definitely need to be changed.

“I’m reminding you again that I’m not a doctor,” I say with a light smile, forcing a few deep breaths to calm my heart. “But I think I need to clean some of your wounds, if that’s okay?”

Amber nods, and her eyelids droop, so I sneak away as quietly as I can and head to the kitchen to retrieve my medical kit.

She looked dead.

She really did.

I can’t leave her alone for that long again. No matter who she is or what she’s done to end up like this, I can’t leave her to die alone in my bed.

I let my brother die. I can't let it happen again.