Page 48 of Kill Me

“As sure as I can be. If I’m wrong, and I get hurt, take Ted and get her out before you call for help.”

“Lulu would have my balls for sale in her shop if I did that.” X pales.

“More like you’d be a new belt, bro. Promise me, X. Get her to safety and then get help.”

“Harley, I don—”

“X. Please. I wouldn’t ask you if it weren’t important. But this is.”

“Okay, I promise. If she cuts my dick off and I bleed out, I’ll be haunting you in the afterlife.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” I wink at him. “Look after Ted for me.”

“Can we try some positive mental attitude in this situation? You’re acting like you’re already dead. You’re supposed to be the doctor here, not me.” He shakes his head at me.

“Expect the worst, hope for the best, bro.”

Years of weekends with my dad taught me how to tie different knots for all kinds of different situations, and I know the perfect one for this instance. I tie a bowline knot around my waist. There’s a tree to the left of the gate, so I pull out the rest of the rope and throw it over what looks like a sturdy branch to use as my anchor before tying it around the trunk of the tree. Pulling on the rope to make sure that it’s safe and not going to fall over on top of me, I start to climb up the tree.

Once I’m at the top, I manoeuvre through the branches as quietly as I can, but I miss my footing, and a branch snaps. My legs dangle as I grab onto a remaining branch. My breathing is ragged. The bark leaves indents in my palms as I steady my breathing.

“Bro, are you okay?” X asks helplessly from the other side of the fence.

“I’m okay. Just took the wrong step, that's all.”

The trunk of the tree isn’t visible on this side of the fence, but there is a bin just underneath. Amateurs. The tree is only about eight feet tall, so I can easily drop onto the top of it. The impact of my bodyweight causes the lid of the bin to cave in, and I find myself ankle-deep in the facility’s rubbish. Nice.

“I’m in,” I say to X, reassuring him I’m alive.

“Thank god for that.”

I climb out of the bin and move to see the other locks on the fence. The bottom one is also a spring bolt. But the one in the middle is just a ring latch. I would imagine that having signs that tell you you’ll be electrocuted is enough to deter any issues and not need to pay to upgrade the security around here. Adding to that, they're probably highly medicated. I pull the bolt to the side, lifting the ring latch. I pull the gate open, and Ted bounces at me. Just before impact, I lift my legs to minimise the noise of sounds from me falling again. We’ve made enough excess noise now. I don’t need to risk anymore.

X walks through the gate behind Ted, smacking me on the shoulder. “Glad you survived, and my dick won’t be on display for all of the women in town to admire. Appreciate it.”

“You’re such an asshole.” I laugh as I attach Ted back to my waist. There are lights on in the big house, but it’s quiet. Walking through the long grass, my previous assumptions of the back property looking dilapidated are quite honestly way off the mark. Broken windows, rotting wood, holes in the roof, a crumbling chimney and what seems like candlelight flickering in the windows are all I can focus on.

There’s no way she’s in here. No one could survive it without losing what little of their mind they have left.

I go to storm through the door, but I’m stopped by X grabbing my arm.

“Bro, breathe. You can’t charge in there like a bull in a China shop. First of all, you don’t know who else you could trigger. And second of all, if she’s already had ECT, there’s no telling what we're about to walk into.”

“I need to get to her.”

“A few more minutes won’t hurt. Ground yourself. Take a breath. And then we go in with Ted and bring your girl home.”

I’m reluctant, but he’s right. Just a few more minutes until I get to see that killer smile and eyes that burn into my soul.

Chapter Thirty

Quinn - Present Day

Ow! My brain hurts. My mind is foggy.

But there’s silence. No voices. Peace blankets me even if it’s temporary.

My pain is back tenfold, and my muscles ache. My jaw and cheeks feel like I’ve been smiling for hours, and I could swear there’s a brass band playing inside my skull. I can feel my hair sticking to my forehead from the sweat leaking from my pores.