AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll help you put this on in the car. Hold your purse, you’ll need it.”
With that, Jason carries me out of the apartment.
* * *
The rideto the hospital is miserable. I’m aware of each and every place that I’ve been hit. The bullet wound on my shoulder burns and breathing hurts. I place my head against the window and close my eyes, willing this all to go away.
“Hey, we’re almost there. Can you try to keep your eyes open for me? By the looks of things, you could have a concussion, and I’d rather you not fall asleep.”
A concussion… If only I was that lucky. Maybe then I wouldn’t have new memories to replay with horror. I try to force my eyes open but only get about halfway. My stomach lurches as everything blurs around me.
A hand lands on my thigh. “Stick with me, dollie.”
Briella. My name isBriella. I want to scream that at him. My good hand curls into a fist as I think about reaching over and attacking him. As much as the guys would like to believe otherwise, my life isn’t a game and I’m not a goddamn toy. I’m a person. One that makes mistakes, that’s far from perfect, but still, I deserve respect. I deserve to live my life without having to worry all the damn time about everything I’ve done. I’ve worked so hard to keep my sins a secret. Moving out of state to put distance between myself and the body I left in a trailer. Letting three guys use me in every way imaginable to keep what I’d done to Jackie from spilling out.
But the energy it would take to yell, hit, and bite him isn’t worth the effort or the pain it would inspire. So I sit there silently, allowing angry, helpless tears to roll down my cheeks. I attempt to lick my dry lips only to find that my bottom one has split open when saliva slides over the cut and causes it to burn.
“Hey, keep your eyes open.”
When did they close? With a great deal of effort, I force them back open.
“Talk to me,” Jason demands. “Tell me how Danny knew to look for you at our place.”
I shake my head slowly, not wanting to discuss any of it. Not even sure if I have the energy to talk about it.
“Come on, dollie. Is there anyone else involved? Does he have an accomplice?”
“N-no,” I manage to croak out.
“What about Pianna? He wanted to kill you, but what about her? Did he have a plan in place for her? Do we need to contact your friend?”
Pianna. She’d been right this whole time. Joey had been stalking her, or rather, an extension of Joey had. EvenIthought it had been Joey when Danny walked into the room. A panicked, anxious person like Pianna clearly wouldn’t have noticed the differences at a distance.
“He had too hard of a time…” I try to push the pain in my jaw away to continue. “He couldn’t get to her.”
“Alright, good. One less person to worry about.” His hand squeezes my thigh. “Only a few more minutes and we’ll be there.”
And then what? The doctors will stitch me up and then the police will come and arrest me? I’m sure by now Grant and Trip have made the logical next step by calling the police.
Jail. That’s what this is all going to boil down to. My shoulders sag forward, and I give up trying to keep my eyes open.
* * *
“—highlyadvise to stay in bed for the next week or two. You’re going to be on a lot of pain medication and sore until the swelling starts to go down. Let me make sure all your prescriptions have been put in the system and I’ll be right back,” the blonde nurse gives me an empathic smile before leaving me alone.
I stare up at the ceiling with my one good eye. The other has swollen shut at this point. The fluorescent lights are too bright, but it’s better than looking around the hospital room. I hate it here. Hospitals have always made me uncomfortable. This time is no different. I shift, trying to get comfortable. With three fractured ribs, it’s impossible. Simply breathing is difficult. But my ribs aren’t just the sole cause of my pain. My hand is in a cast after they reset my broken thumb and my shoulder has been all stitched up. Bruises pepper my body beneath the hospital gown. I can feel each one as I shift to get comfortable again.
“Dollface?”
I flinch at the sound of Jason’s voice as he enters the room. He’s been here at the hospital with me forhours. Because we’re not related, he’s been kept in the waiting room, only allowed to see me during certain times. But each time he’s allowed back, he’s stuck close, hovering and weirdly maternal, making sure I have everything I need. Despite having told the doctor and nurses my injuries are from a car accident after a stray bullet flew through my window, I brace myself whenever Jason returns, expecting the police to be right behind him.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” he asks. I hate the soft voice he’s using. It’s like he’s approaching a wounded animal. “The nurse came and got me. She said we could go home soon.”
Home? Where’s that? My trashed apartment, or is he talking about his place, where I’d been assaulted? Neither feel like home to me. They both seem as inviting as a jail cell.
“We can grab some food after this, whatever you want,” Jason continues. “There’s a place with some great milkshakes nearby.”
To my surprise, his hand slides into mine. The contact is so startling that I turn my head toward him. The pity in his face makes me feel small and helpless.
