Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
The moment she sees my eyes, a relieved sigh rushes out of her. “You fucking took long enough. I was about to kill you myself.”
I can’t produce a smirk, but she seems to understand. Fuck, I hurt. My body feels like it’s on fire.
Everything slowly starts coming back to me, and I try to jerk into action. But restraints keep me in place. Not restraints…but tubes, IVs, wires, and the like. I’m in a hospital.
“Don’t push yourself,” My father says, trying to gently shove me back down.
“You fucking idiot!” Hawke says, no longer asleep. He bounds over and pulls me in for a big hug. “I actually thought you were dead. Don’t you ever fucking do that to me again.”
My head spins as I try to recall everything. “Billie. Where is she?”
My mother clicks her tongue and looks away. “Who cares.”
“Where. Is. She?” I growl.
“She’s safe,” My father confirms.
“Yeah, but she ran like a fucking coward,” Hawke seethes.
I lean back, relieved to hear she’s safe. “How long have I been out?” How much have I missed?
My mother looks at her perfectly manicured nails. “Three days. They only removed the tube from your throat this morning. The doctors say you’re lucky to be alive, but I knew you’d pull through. Everyone told me I was crazy for making you both microdose on poisons. But, well, look at us now.”
And I know that means my mother cares. But three days?
I stare at Hawke. “Where is she?” It’s the only thing I need to know. I didn’t think twice about drinking that poison. And, to be honest, although we’d built immunity to poisons over the years, there was no guarantee I’d survive. In fact, I’d made peace with the possibility I wouldn’t.
As long as she was safe.
“We don’t know. She did a runner after everything blew up,” Hawke says. When I stare at him, waiting for more, he clarifies, “Dutton found out.”
Oh. I’m assuming by the response, it didn’t go well. Not that I give a shit.
“Eli?” I ask because I do care about him. I don’t want us to have to start over. I don’t want to take this from Hawke and me, even though I’ve been selfish all this time.
“You still have a job if that’s what you’re asking. But I think it’ll be some time until you’re up for a challenge.”
I smirk. “That, in itself, sounds like a challenge.”
An uneasy feeling runs through me.
She ran.
Although I love my mother and my family deeply, if I was going to wake up again, she was the first person I wanted to see. She was terrified in that room, and maybe it was selfish to ignore her pleas, but I was never going to risk her like that.
I move slightly, and my leg begins to throb, reminding me that I’ve also been shot.
Fuck me, my body’s a mess.
“Where is she?” I ask again.
Hawke and Anya share a look.
“No one knows,” Hawke says.
“Someone always knows where little chaos is,” I reply.
“Not if she chooses to run. Good riddance.” my mother scoffs.
“No, Mother,” I say, trying to soften my tone.
Her forever-etched scowl deepens, and River rests his hands on her shoulders. “They’re not going to be your little boys forever, Anya. You have to let them make their own decisions,” he says softly.
She clicks her tongue. “First, it’s girlfriends, then it’s babies. Then it’s not coming over every week and having dinner.” She begins to spiral, and I squeeze her hand.
“It’s okay. I’ll still come over for dinner. And don’t worry, Hawke will be single forever.”
“Hey!” Hawke says, but it relieves the tension in the room.
“He’s the one I’m most worried about bringing me unexpected babies. Being a grandmother would not look good on me.”
My father chuckles as he kisses her cheek. “Everything looks good on you, Red.”
A shadow looms on the other side of the closed door, pacing back and forth, but doesn’t enter. Hawke raises an eyebrow and opens it to reveal Dutton.
His blue eyes, so similar to Billie’s, find me, and I’m certain he’s about to kill me. That’s until I notice the hand slipped into his. Posie stands behind him, stroking his arm as if to calm him down. I can only imagine how he reacted. He most likely tried to kill me even when I was on my deathbed. I should probably pat down my chest just to make sure he didn’t carve a message into my chest while I was out.
Dutton clears his throat. “I’d like to speak to Ford.”
“You have a lot of balls walking back into this room.” My mother sizes him up.
“Mother, it’s okay,” I say, barely holding her back with my words.
“I’m not leaving you alone in here,” Hawke says stubbornly and leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
Dutton seems okay with that. My mother eyes him, and my father places a hand on his shoulder as they follow Posie back outside.