Page 123 of Dark Surrender

“I guess so. I don’t know. Angel said Sunshine carried Dark to one of their trucks, put him inside, and took off. They’ve sent brothers to local hospitals, but so far, no luck.”

“Sunshine wouldn’t…” I hedge, and Kali picks up exactly what I mean.

“Kill himself? No. He wouldn’t do that to me.”

Kali sounds convinced, but I’m not so sure. If you watched your son die, I can’t imagine what you might do to ease the pain. I’m not a parent, but those bonds are strong. Then again, my brain is all over the place right now.

It’s like I’m here, but I’m not.

This is real, but it isn’t.

Kali nods off with her temple against the window. When I try to sit up so I’m not resting on her, she pushes my shoulder back down with her eyes closed, leaving me no choice but to sleep.

Hopefully, when I wake up, this nightmare will be over, and it will all have been a joke. A sick, twisted, unfunny joke.

But something tells me… deep down… I’m not walking out of this nightmare anytime soon.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Iris

On a cozy leather couch in a picturesque cabin with a fancy fireplace and thick overhead beams that look nothing like the cabin I grew up in, I sip orange chamomile tea from a World’s Best Mom mug, curled up with a throw blanket as my world continues to crumble.

It’s been two full days of radio silence.

Not a word from Sunshine or Dark.

Kat, the sweetest woman and mom of four, taps the book on the end table next to me as she passes by, then takes a seat in an oversized chair. “Have you tried it yet?” she asks, referring to the alien smut she’s been plying me with to keep my mind off reality. She may not admit it, but that’s what she’s doing. That’s also why we’re here. Not home. Home is where reality sets in. Home is where I walk into my new house alone, without him.

I never made my bed before we left. I didn’t have time.

His butt print is probably still there where he sat watching me dress.

Or his scent.

I bet my blankets still smell of him.

Shaking my head at the book, I set my mug next to it and check my phone for the millionth time today. Sola told Dee what happened when they returned. Ever the supportive sister, she’s been texting me the only way Dee knows how.

Dee: You sleep?

Me: Yes.

I could go into detail about how Kali and I share a children’s bedroom, since Kat and Ryker sent their kids to spend time with their grandpa, grandma? I dunno. Someone. All I know is they’re not here, and I’m sleeping in a twin bed belonging to one of their daughters. But Dee wouldn’t care. Did I sleep? Yes. That’s all she needs to know.

On the couch beside me, dressed in shorts and a green T-shirt, Kali speaks up. “Is that your sister or Cell?” she asks, nodding to the phone in my hand.

“Dee.”

“How is she?”

“I don’t really know. She doesn’t say much. But I’d say she’s probably doing much better than we are.”

“True.”

“What about you?” I nod to her phone.

“It’s Fog.”