Page 205 of Barinov

The monitor next to me explodes into a frantic beeping as he inches closer.

I blink hard, forcing my eyes shut before snapping them back open. The figure vanishes, leaving nothing but the cold glare of Manhattan staring back at me.

My mind knows the room is empty, but my pulse doesn’t give a shit. It keeps hammering against my ribs like a trapped animal, matching the frantic beeping of the machine.

“Zeke?” Marisol’s voice sounds far away.

I shake my head, sucking in a deep breath as I force myself to look at her.

“Sorry,” I whisper.

“What just happened?” Marisol asks, panic in her voice.

“Nothing,” I lie. “It’s nothing.”

She pinches her brow. “Bullshit,” she says, giving my hand a firm squeeze. “But I’ll wait until you’re ready to talk about it.”

Nodding my head, I force out a quick, “Thanks.”

Marisol slaps my thigh with the back of her hand. “Scoot over.”

I do as much as the IV lines and plastic monitoring wires will allow.

She lies down next to me, sliding her leg over mine and resting her hand on my chest over my racing heart. “I thought I lost you,” she whispers, her voice slightly muffled against the rough cotton of my hospital gown.

Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I pull her in tight and bury my face in her hair. The sterile smell of the hospital fades, replaced entirely by her.

“Never,” I whisper, leaning down slightly to press a kiss to the top of her head. “In all honesty, I should probably be thanking you.”

She stills against my chest. “What?”

“Every time I was about to give up in there, I would see you,” I admit, the truth pouring out of me. “I’d hear your voice, Mar. Telling me not to give in. To be strong. To find you again.”

She sniffles, pulling back just enough to look up at me with wet eyes. “My voice?”

I nod, tightening my grip around her to shut out the rest of the world.

“Your voice.”

Chapter 52

BELLA

Mine and Zeke’s penthouse

10 days since we’ve been back.

I’m awakened by the sound of Marisol’s screaming voice echoing down the hall.

“B! Get in here!”

Beside me, Cade rolls over to look at the alarm clock. 3:16 A.M. blinks back at us in bright, neon red.

He groans into his pillow, a sound worn thin by exhaustion. “Not again.”

I untangle myself out of our sheets and scoot to the edge of the mattress, tugging on a pair of leggings. “I’ll be back,” I whisper.

“I’m coming too,” Lex mutters, already rolling out of bed.