place? Have you thought
of that?” Roman asked.
“No.” I glanced uneasily at my front
door. I hadn’t considered that possibility.
“You shouldn’t be alone.” Roman said.
“I’ll stay the night. He’s stable right now but that could change and do you
really want him dying on you in the middle of the night?”
“God, no.” I shuddered before giving Roman
a weak smile. “I’ll make up the guest room. Thank you, honey.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe you should stay in
the guest room with me.”
“I can’t. He might wake up in the night
and need me.”
“He’s not going to wake up. I gave him a
shot of pain relief and that combined with the alcohol will keep him out for
the night.”
“Should you have given him that?” I asked
worriedly.
Roman shrugged. “It’s not a great idea but
I also didn’t want him screaming and thrashing around in pain in the middle of
the night and ripping open his sutures.”
“I’ll feel better if I stay in my room,
just in case he does wake up,” I said. I double checked the lock on my front
door before turning off the lights and following Roman to the guest room.
Chapter 5
R iley
I climbed the stairs slowly, dread filling
my body, as I watched the bedroom door grow closer. I was dreaming, the same
dream that had plagued me off and on for the last three years. Although I
wanted to stop - I knew what was beyond that door - my feet propelled me
helplessly forward.
I almost hadn’t gone over when ma called,
worried about the noise she could hear upstairs. A creaking, she had said.
She was worried it was rats in the walls again and the real fear in her voice
was what finally got my ass off the couch and heading over to my childhood
home.
I moaned softly and tried to stop my dream
self from reaching out to turn the doorknob. My body betrayed me and my hand
grasped the knob and turned. The door opened with a soft squeal and I swallowed
down the sobbing scream that wanted to burst from my throat when I saw her feet.
She was barefoot, she had always hated wearing shoes, and her feet swung back
and forth in the heavy, cold wind that was blowing in from the open window.
I tried to back away, tried not to look up
at her swollen and black face, and made another harsh, sobbing moan. I didn’t
want to see her again, I would go crazy if I did and I tried to turn and run as
a burning pain shot through my side.
“Andrea,” I whispered her name as more pain
flooded through me. “No, please God, no.”
The pain and the sorrow was filling me up,
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, and I really was going to go crazy. I would
end up just like her and there wouldn’t be a single person to mourn my death.
I wouldn’t –
“Riley, it’s okay. Stop moving, honey.”
Her voice, warm and familiar, spoke in my
ear and I reached out for her like a man drowning. Her hand clasped mine, our
fingers linking together, as I fought to swim out of the darkness that
surrounded me.
“Shh, honey. You’re okay. It was just a
dream. Go to sleep.”
I wanted to see her, wanted to look into
those dark eyes that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for three long
goddamn months, but I was so fucking tired and my side throbbed and burned with
a pain that made me sick to my stomach.
Her hand, delightfully cool, stroked across
my face and her mouth pressed against my ear. “Go to sleep, Riley. You’re
safe here.”
I squeezed her hand and drifted into the
black.
* * *
Her hand was on mine again, their fingers
pressing against my pulse, and I opened my eyes with effort, blinking at the
bright light and staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. My eyes wanted to close
again, I was tired and weirdly weak, but I rasped, “Hello, kitten.”
I turned my head to smile at her, the smile
changing to a grimace at the sight of the large dark-haired man sitting next to
me on the bed.
“Hello yourself,
of that?” Roman asked.
“No.” I glanced uneasily at my front
door. I hadn’t considered that possibility.
“You shouldn’t be alone.” Roman said.
“I’ll stay the night. He’s stable right now but that could change and do you
really want him dying on you in the middle of the night?”
“God, no.” I shuddered before giving Roman
a weak smile. “I’ll make up the guest room. Thank you, honey.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe you should stay in
the guest room with me.”
“I can’t. He might wake up in the night
and need me.”
“He’s not going to wake up. I gave him a
shot of pain relief and that combined with the alcohol will keep him out for
the night.”
“Should you have given him that?” I asked
worriedly.
Roman shrugged. “It’s not a great idea but
I also didn’t want him screaming and thrashing around in pain in the middle of
the night and ripping open his sutures.”
“I’ll feel better if I stay in my room,
just in case he does wake up,” I said. I double checked the lock on my front
door before turning off the lights and following Roman to the guest room.
Chapter 5
R iley
I climbed the stairs slowly, dread filling
my body, as I watched the bedroom door grow closer. I was dreaming, the same
dream that had plagued me off and on for the last three years. Although I
wanted to stop - I knew what was beyond that door - my feet propelled me
helplessly forward.
I almost hadn’t gone over when ma called,
worried about the noise she could hear upstairs. A creaking, she had said.
She was worried it was rats in the walls again and the real fear in her voice
was what finally got my ass off the couch and heading over to my childhood
home.
I moaned softly and tried to stop my dream
self from reaching out to turn the doorknob. My body betrayed me and my hand
grasped the knob and turned. The door opened with a soft squeal and I swallowed
down the sobbing scream that wanted to burst from my throat when I saw her feet.
She was barefoot, she had always hated wearing shoes, and her feet swung back
and forth in the heavy, cold wind that was blowing in from the open window.
I tried to back away, tried not to look up
at her swollen and black face, and made another harsh, sobbing moan. I didn’t
want to see her again, I would go crazy if I did and I tried to turn and run as
a burning pain shot through my side.
“Andrea,” I whispered her name as more pain
flooded through me. “No, please God, no.”
The pain and the sorrow was filling me up,
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, and I really was going to go crazy. I would
end up just like her and there wouldn’t be a single person to mourn my death.
I wouldn’t –
“Riley, it’s okay. Stop moving, honey.”
Her voice, warm and familiar, spoke in my
ear and I reached out for her like a man drowning. Her hand clasped mine, our
fingers linking together, as I fought to swim out of the darkness that
surrounded me.
“Shh, honey. You’re okay. It was just a
dream. Go to sleep.”
I wanted to see her, wanted to look into
those dark eyes that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for three long
goddamn months, but I was so fucking tired and my side throbbed and burned with
a pain that made me sick to my stomach.
Her hand, delightfully cool, stroked across
my face and her mouth pressed against my ear. “Go to sleep, Riley. You’re
safe here.”
I squeezed her hand and drifted into the
black.
* * *
Her hand was on mine again, their fingers
pressing against my pulse, and I opened my eyes with effort, blinking at the
bright light and staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. My eyes wanted to close
again, I was tired and weirdly weak, but I rasped, “Hello, kitten.”
I turned my head to smile at her, the smile
changing to a grimace at the sight of the large dark-haired man sitting next to
me on the bed.
“Hello yourself,
Similar Books
