by Ella Miles
I stick my hand out the window, the chilly air cooling my warm skin. I try to calm myself down so when I beat Sebastian’s ass when he stops, I don’t break his nose like last time. Though he deserves worse.
Squealing breaks bring me back to reality.
Sebastian swerves.
I slow and pass him, as his car tumbles into the ditch on the side of the road. Flipping once and landing upside down.
I scream, my voice high pitched as I witness the accident.
I pull my car off the road in front of his wrecked car slamming on the brakes, and jump out, preparing myself for the worst. I sprint to the upside down driver’s door.
I grab the door handle to open the door, but it won’t move. The window is open, but luckily it was too cold to put the top down, or this could be a lot worse.
I reach inside, undoing his seat belt.
“You okay, Sebastian?” I ask.
He coughs and smiles. “That was fucking insane!”
I exhale a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. He’s fine, just drunk. I pull him out of the car and inspect him for a second. He has a small cut above his eyebrow, but he seems fine. I’ll call an ambulance after I check on Naomi so a doctor can check him out, and he’s booked for drunk driving, again.
But he’ll be fine, because as much as I want to kill him for being so stupid, he’s still my brother. The only person who loves me. I won’t let him rot in jail, or ruin his life for fucking up again. I will find a way to put an end to this. Even if it means taking away every one of his fucking cars.
When I ensure Sebastian is okay, I race over to the passenger side and pull the door open. Naomi has undone her seatbelt and falls into my arms smiling.
“That was wild!” she shouts, equally drunk and happy. I inspect her quickly, and she doesn’t appear to have a scratch on her either. Which is good, because her family would definitely sue if she’s injured. They will probably sue anyway, unless Sebastian agrees to marry her, or some shit like that.
I sigh, pulling my phone out to report the accident to the police, and call for an ambulance for the two crazy idiots that are now laughing, holding each other like they got out of the theater after watching a hilarious movie, instead of being lucky for surviving a car accident.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
I exhale again, trying to remain calm. This isn’t the time for lectures. That will come tomorrow, when Sebastian’s no longer drunk.
“I need to report an accident on Highway 101, just past exit seventy-one.”
“How many cars are involved?”
“One.”
“Can you tell if anyone was injured?”
“Both of the passengers in the car appear fine, besides a few minor cuts.”
“The police and ambulance are on their way and should be there in…”
A moan grabs my attention, and I turn back around, ignoring the woman on the phone. I stare at Sebastian and Naomi who are both still cracking each other up. They didn’t make those groans.
“Sir. What is your name sir? Any other information you can give me?” The woman keeps asking me questions, but I ignore her, pulling the phone from my ear as I move to the front of the car.
Moaning. It sounds like a woman’s moan, and it sounds terrible.
I don’t see anything, initially. I look under the front of the car and see nothing.
The moan grows louder. It hits my soul and sends me into a panic. There is someone out here.
My eyes scan the darkness, searching. I finally spot the white T-shirt reflecting the light from the Jags’ headlights.
I run faster than I thought possible to her, bending down to a woman lying in the dirt on the side of the road. She’s wearing nothing but a white T-shirt and underwear. Her toned legs stretch for miles. I would know her body anywhere.
Larkyn.
I search around for her bike or the car she was thrown from, but I find neither. She walked home. This is my fault. I should have made sure she got into a car, not walk on the side of a highway in the dark.
I grab the phone and pull it back to my ear.
“There is a woman injured. I think she was hit by the car while walking on the side of the highway,” my voice is shaky as I speak.
“Is she conscious?”
“Larkyn? Can you talk to me?” I ask, tapping her gently on the shoulder.
A soft moan escapes her lips.
“She’s not speaking, just moaning.”
“I don’t want you to move her. The ambulance is caught up in a storm, a tree fell blocking their way, but they should be there in less than ten minutes. Without moving her, check to see if you notice any obvious injuries.”
My eyes water as they search over her body. She’s injured, everywhere. Blood coats her skin, but I can’t tell where it’s coming from.
The operator said not to flip her over, but there is so much blood pouring around her body. I need to know. I flip her over, cradling her head as I do, to prevent any damage.
I see a massive piece of glass sticking into her stomach, along with smaller pieces of sticks and glass all over her body.
She moans again but doesn’t open her eyes. Her breathing is frail and shallow. I check her pulse, and it’s just as weak. I don’t know what to do about the blood. If it’s better to leave the glass in, or not.
“There is a large piece of glass sticking out of her stomach and a lot of blood. She’s barely breathing, and her pulse is weak,” I tell the operator.
“Okay, stay with her and make sure she continues breathing but don’t touch the glass.”
“How much fucking longer?” I ask, knowing she won’t make it much longer without assistance.
“Nine minutes.”
My eyes widen as she strangles her breath. Her breathing stops for a second.
“Breathe Larkyn!” I shout, not allowing her to die in my arms.
The phone falls from my hands, and I glance over at my car, then Sebastian and Naomi. Both thankfully stopped laughing, realizing the seriousness of their fuckup.
The wind picks up, and I know it’s going to be longer than nine minutes. Storms in this town come from nowhere, and destroy everything in their path. This is one of those times.
The hospital is five minutes away; less, if I drive as fast as I want to. I’m not waiting.
I scoop Larkyn into my arms and race toward the car.
“Get in the fucking car,” I shout to Sebastian and Naomi.
They do, Sebastian sits in the back, holding out his arms to hold Larkyn, as I lower her into the car.
Her eyes flicker open at me, and I swear she peers into my soul at that moment. Then, they close again as if I imagined it.
“Make sure she’s still breathing. If she stops, tell me,” I shout at Sebastian as I hop into the driver’s seat, speeding as fast as I’ve ever driven to the hospital. I hope Sebastian is now sober enough to notice if she is breathing or not.
Sebastian fucked up.
I fucked up.
And now Larkyn is paying the price.
She moans again, letting me know she’s still breathing.
Thank fuck. Keep breathing Larkyn. I can’t live with myself if you die.
4
Larkyn
A machine beeps rhythmically next to my head. The sound isn’t supposed to be heard. It’s supposed to become background noise. But my headache controls me. It’s as if you found all of the jackhammers in the world and used them all to drill into my head at the same time.
I’d take the jackhammers over what is happening in my head right now. My head is worse. A simple beeping is enough to make me want to rip off my ears and throw them at the machine, in hopes it will stop.
I keep my eyes closed, though I’m awake. Even with my eyelids shut, the light is too bright for my sensitive eyes to handle. Now I want to carve out my eyes, too.
Great, at this rate I won’t have any body parts left.
“Larkyn, are you awake?” the e
vil bastard asks.
I lie still, hoping Kade will go away if he thinks I’m asleep.
“I saw you ball your hands into fists, and you frowned when you heard me speak, so I know you are awake. You might as well talk to me,” the son of a bitch says.
Kade’s not going away. He feels guilty for what happened. That guilt won’t go away if he leaves. Maybe if I talk to him, he’ll leave.
“Turn off the lights,” I say.
I swear I feel the bastard grin. “I’m that bad to look at, huh?” Kade asks.
My lips tighten, but I refuse to frown or show any emotion for Kade. He and Sebastian are cruel. They don’t get to witness my suffering.
“No, I have a headache that hurts like a motherfucker, and the light is making it worse,” I say, not adding I don’t want him to see me in pain.
Kade turns off the lights without any more argument.
I slowly open my eyes. My eyes don’t burn from the light, but I wouldn’t call the room dark. The closed blinds let in far too much light to dampen how much agony I’m in.
Kade narrows his eyes at me and reaches out to touch my hand, as he sits on the edge of my bed. I pull my hand away and hide it under the covers so he can’t attempt to touch me again.
“You’re pissed, that’s good,” Kade says.
“How is being pissed a good thing?”
He smirks. “Because it means you remember what happened. The doctor was afraid you might not remember. The accident might have fucked with your head.”
“Of course I remember your brother almost fucking killing me!”
He cocks his head. “And yet, you’re looking at me like you want to kill me as well, even though I saved your life.”
I huff and glare at him. I want both King brothers out of my life. I don’t want to think about either of them again. I wouldn’t be in the hospital for the dozenth time if it weren’t for these assholes.
I glance at the door, afraid Sebastian is going to walk in and want to apologize. I’m not ready for that. I don’t want to see him. Ever.
“Don’t worry, Sebastian isn’t here,” Kade says.
I exhale, after realizing I had been holding my breath.
“But Serena may walk in at any moment. She hasn’t left you, except to get coffee and occasionally food when I demand she leave,” Kade says.
I smile. At least I have one friend. But that means… If Kade knows Serena hasn’t left my side, then he hasn’t left my side either.
He looks at me with his big smoldering eyes, and my anger falls away. Kade did save my life, and then he stayed with me. I can hate his brother all I want, but I can’t hate him.
Nope, definitely can’t hate him when he’s looking at me with hungry eyes.
I force my eyes away, and the bastard chuckles like he knows the effect he has on me.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
“Like I got hit by a car.”
He winces. “I’m sorry.”
I sigh. Kade’s sorry seems sincere. When he speaks, his whole body matches his mood. His eyes grow heavy, his voice softens, and his body stills.
“It’s not your fault, but I feel like shit. I want to rip my head off…” I move to sit up more. “Fuck, that hurts.” I grab my side.
He frowns. “You had a sizable piece of glass stuck in your large intestine. They removed the glass along with part of your intestine. They removed your appendix too.”
My eyes widen. “What else?”
He blinks, and I swear I saw a tear there. “You have been unconscious for forty-eight hours. You have a concussion, that’s why your head hurts so much. Glass in your stomach. Small shreds of glass in your legs, stomach, and head. A couple of broken ribs. Lots of internal bleeding. A couple of broken bones in your left wrist.”
I look down and see the small cast on my left arm for the first time. How did I not notice that? Oh yea, because my fucking head hurts so badly I can’t think of anything else.
“And a couple of broken bones in your ankle. The doctors were amazed you didn’t break more bones.”
The last part hurts the worst. Broken bones in my ankle. That will take forever to heal. I won’t be able to run for months.
Tears.
Dammit.
No.
Kade holds my gaze, reaches out, and touches my hand over the covers.
I let him.
I need the comfort.
“The doctor wants you to stay in the hospital for another day or two. And then, she’ll set you up with a rehab program to help you gain your strength back. She gave you pain medicine a half hour ago, but I can call her back if you want more?”
“No, thanks.”
He runs his hand through his hair, and I permit myself to look at him closer. He’s still wearing the suit he wore two nights ago. The collar is open with multiple buttons undone, revealing a chest that looks hot, dark, and delicious. Then, I see the red blotches. Blood. My blood.
“Do you want me to call your family? Your emergency contact lists Serena, so they called her. But she said she didn’t have any of your family members’ numbers, and they never found your cell phone.”
“I didn’t bring my cell phone. And, no.” I don’t offer him any more explanations. I sure as hell don’t need my father lecturing me for walking home in the dark on a busy highway. If he finds out, I’ll deal with the lecture later.
“Okay,” he says, rubbing his neck.
My throat locks up, and my hand trembles a little in anger thinking about Sebastian, but I need to know. “How are Sebastian and his date doing?”
Kade moistens his lips and smiles softly. “Sebastian is a jackass, but he and Naomi are both fine. Sebastian was lucky, only a cut on his forehead requiring stitches. And Naomi has a little back pain from the collision.”
I nod. I hate them, but I’m glad they aren’t injured.
“Sebastian would like to apologize when you’re ready to hear it. I told him that would probably be months or years from now. He understands. He’s offered to give up his driver’s license, and do some community service. He will also pay all of your hospital bills, and pay you well for your emotional damages.”
The words Kade is speaking make sense, but I don’t want to hear them.
“No, thanks.”
Kade grimaces. “You can sue him, but you’ll lose. Sebastian has a highly paid lawyer who doesn’t lose. If you fight this, you will be out lawyer’s fees and get no reimbursement. Sebastian won’t lose his driver’s license or do community service, and he definitely won’t spend a night in jail, if that’s what you are after, as much as he deserves it.”
My eyes flicker to Kade’s. Though he is defending his brother, his eyes say Sebastian deserves worse than he is getting.
“I’m not going to sue him. I don’t want his money or apology or any of it. I don’t want to think about Sebastian again.”
Kade’s body stiffens, and his face grows red before he pulls his phone out. “Make sure Larkyn’s hospital bills are taken care of.” Then, he ends the call.
I frown.
“You can’t do that.”
“I just did.”
I sigh. I should let Kade pay my hospital bills. I don’t have enough to cover them, and I don’t want to have to go to my father for this.
“Paying for your hospital bills isn’t enough though. What else can we do for you? Sebastian will do anything to make this right.”
I peek under the covers and see the brace on my foot. I wince at the black and blue covering my legs. This accident is going to ruin my running career.
“He can’t make this right. I don’t want to be near him. And I sure as hell don’t want his money.”
“Then, let me make this right,” Kade says, his head dropping a little in embarrassment.
“You did when you saved me.”
He shakes his head. “That’s not enough. I shouldn’t have let you walk home that night. You wouldn’t have been out there in the dark if I hadn’t made sure
you had a ride home, instead of treating you like crap. I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you.”
Damn Kade, and his sincere apologies. His puppy dog eyes and sad face, which somehow still shows his dimples, make me want to grab his face and kiss him. Then accept his apology immediately. I restrain myself, mainly because moving that much would hurt like a motherfucker.
“Kade, I don’t—”
“Stop, I’m making this up to you. I understand you don’t want to deal with my brother, and you’re right. He doesn’t deserve to be forgiven any time soon. But let me be nice so that I can have a shot at forgiveness sometime in my lifetime.”
He grins.
And I grin.
His grin reaches his eyes when he knows he’s winning.
“I’m stubborn. I won’t take no for an answer. So you might as well start thinking of ways I can help you.”
I bite my lip, trying to stifle my smile, but it’s a useless endeavor.
“Okay.”
He tightens his grip on my hand over the covers, and I regret hiding my hand away in the first place.
“So what will it be? Money? A new car? A broken faucet that needs fixing?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You know how to fix a broken faucet?”
He shrugs. “I know how to hire a plumber.”
I shake my head. Of course, his ways of helping are to give me money. I don’t want his money, though. If I won’t take my father’s, I sure as hell am not taking a King’s money.
What do I want?
To be healed, but Kade can’t help me with that. He already covered my hospital bills.
I need a place to stay after graduation, but I don’t want to take his money.
My car could use a tune-up, but no, no money.
Graduation is coming up. I could use a new dress for the graduation party my father is throwing, so for once, I could meet his unbelievably high standards. But again, that would require Kade’s money.
My face lights up when the perfect idea creeps in. I shyly peek over at Kade. Do I have the balls to ask him this?
He’s looking at me eagerly, squeezing my hand twice, trying to coax words out of my mouth. I don’t have a choice but to ask him or come up with another way for him to pay me back, fast.
