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Journey was drunk but not as bad as Jenni. She was out of her mind, swimming in alcohol. Something in my gut says there’s something odd going on in our club. Why were these two even permitted? I’m sure Jenni got a VIP coin, allowing her entrance. But they’re too young to be inside the walls of Rave.
I shake off the weird feeling brewing inside me and reach down for her plain black shirt on the edge of the bed. I freeze when her hand snatches my wrist away from her shirt, holding it tightly.
“Don’t take her,” she says through a rasp. “Leave Sunshine alone,” she begs with tears glistening in her glazed-over eyes.
My body stiffens at the fear in her eyes. Her tone leaves no room for arguments as she pleads again.
“Dude, you grunt in your sleep,” Jericho remarks with a frown, sitting opposite of me. “Are you sleeping all right?” He raises a brow when I push my breakfast around on my plate.
‘Fine,’ I sign, refusing to look him in the eyes.
“You… speak, Shepp,” he says in a low voice. “I hear your screams.”
I hear your screams. It repeats in my mind. My screams? My fingers caress my throat as I ponder his words, and my eyes shut on their own. The dreams that plague me when I close my eyes send shivers down my spine. It makes me not want to sleep at all. But I have to.
‘I said I’m fine,’ I sign with a scowl, wishing he’d back off. Since I lost my voice, I’ve been plagued with nightmares of the night over and over again.
“I did it! It was me! Leave Sunshine out of this!” She sobs now, shouting in my face with a pleading look twisting her features. “Please.”
Her words stab me in the heart. Her heartfelt pleas, begging an invisible villain.
But why? What’s happened in her life? And how do we not know about it? We know almost everything about her. Well, whatever we’ve dredged up over the years through our lawyer.
I wave a hand in front of her face, attempting to catch her gaze and bring her back from the brink of falling. She doesn’t flinch again. She’s completely lost to whatever nightmare is holding her in its grasp.
I have to let her ride it out. Never wake a person in the midst of a nightmare.
“Please don’t hurt her. She’s just a little girl. She didn’t do anything wrong! I did it!” More tears leak down her cheeks, dripping down her chin and landing on her fluffy comforter.
What is she talking about?
My breath stalls when her fingers loosen from my wrist, and she winces.
“Please don’t leave me in the dark, Sir. Please don’t leave me here to rot! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.”
She scuttles away from me, moving back on her bed until her back hits the headboard with a loud thud. Through the darkness of the room, I see her trembling form, attempting to get as far away as possible from me. Her glazed eyes look me up and down with fear written across her expression.
Desperation spears through me to gather her in my arms and soothe the ache clawing at her. My mind races a million miles a minute. My hands reach out and then retract, torn between wanting to scoop her up and hold her. And staying back while silently hoping for her nightmare to cease.
“I didn’t mean to,” she whispers again, shaking her head. I freeze at her confession. “It was all for Sunshine. She’s my sister. All for her. She didn’t deserve that. Please…” she trails off with the please, shaking like a leaf in bed. “Please! Sir! Please don’t hurt her! She’s only a kid, and her heart. It’s bad. She needs her medicine.” Snot and tears flow freely down her cheeks as she makes no move to swipe them away.
She draws her knees into her chest, hopelessness settling in on her dropping face.
“I was protecting her.”
Fuck this.
My heart thumps wildly when I slowly move forward, aching to soothe her dreams away. My fingers brush through her hair slowly, combing through her curls when her eyes connect with mine.
The lights are off, and no one’s home inside her mind. She’s fallen down into the dark abyss, unable to resurface.
“Please!” she shouts in my face with desperation, attempting to flee from my grasp. No, Sweetheart. You can’t escape me. I’m here to protect you. “Please don’t. I’m sorry.” Her sobs echo through the room.
I pull her into me, but she fights me off, pounding her fists into my shoulders and chest. With each hit of her fist, my resolve flushes down the drain.
I open my mouth, willing my voice to work for once. I haven’t… I can’t…
I squeeze my eyes shut. If I could just soothe her with words. If I could just hold her tight and whisper in her ears that she’s going to be okay. That we’ll find her apparent sister, Sunshine, and bring her back.
