I’m vaguely aware of my body moving, but I can’t see through the pain radiating through every part of my body. I’m fairly sure Storm is carrying me, but I don’t trust my own mind in thinking he would come rescue me in the first place. Maybe I’m dying, and this is my version of seeing my life flash before my eyes. Or perhaps I’ve already died and I’m in my own version of heaven.
I’ve never given much thought to heaven and hell and which of the two I would find myself in, but I’m a good person. I’ve never hurt anyone, I’ve always been polite and honest, so perhaps I’ve lucked out for once in my life and I’m about to find myself at the pearly gates.
But then again, would you feel pain in a place as pure as heaven? Surely not. And the agony coursing through my veins is enough to make it hard to breathe.
“How is she?” a different voice from before asks.
“We need to get her to Doc as soon as possible,” Storm rumbles. His voice seems strained, almost like he’s barely holding it together. Perhaps he’s frustrated about having to come save me. After all, he thought he was rid of me. He thought he could get on with his life and never have to deal with me ever again.
“Elijah is setting up the explosives and then we’ll pull the men out at the same time we go,” the man tells him, but I can’t drag my eyes open to look at him.
“Make it quick,” Storm growls as we start to move again. I almost don’t want to open my eyes, because then he might think I’m capable of walking, and I’ll lose the warmth that’s holding me together. It’s not time to fall apart, and it won’t be until I’m alone again. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go back to Rawdon, but I could start again. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to choose my own next steps when they’ve always been chosen for me in the past.
We come to a stop and some of the pain becomes more manageable. The jostle of each step he takes makes it hard for me to breathe, not that I can complain. Storm saved me… again. He saved me from being raped, and he saved me from a life of misery with a faceless man.
“I’m going to get you out of here soon, baby girl. Just hold on for me.” It’s the pain in his voice that disarms me, because I know he shouldn’t exhibit any weakness, not when we’re still in enemy territory at least, and here he is, barely holding it together. The part of me that has always been a little too hopeful wonders if maybe he’s realized he made a mistake. Perhaps he’s here to take me home. But I know better than to trust that part of myself. She’s only ever led me astray, and that’s the last thing I need when my life is already a dumpster fire.
He shifts me in his arms and I can’t swallow down the hiss of pain. At this point, I think it’s the only thing keeping me conscious. The agony won’t let me rest despite how foggy and overwhelmed my mind is.
“I’m sorry, Ayvah. I’m so fucking sorry—” His words are cut off by shouting.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” the voice I now realize is Elijah yells as heavy footfall fills the otherwise quiet space and then we’re moving again. Each step makes my stomach roll with overwhelming pain. I just want it all to stop.
The next few minutes are a blur of agony and movement. Warm bodies surround Storm and I as we make our escape from what I still assume is an underground bunker, and the moment the cold Chicago breeze hits my oversensitive skin, relief floods me. I’d resigned myself to a future no one should have to live, and even if Storm is only saving me as a means to an end, I will always owe him my life for saving me not once but twice.
“Doc is meeting us at Rayne’s,” Elijah tells Storm, and as he lowers us into the car, I allow my body to relax into him and my mind to drift away to a peaceful place I never thought I’d see again.
I’m vaguely aware of hushed voices as the car moves, but I can’t focus on anything anyone is saying. All I can focus on is the comfort I’m dragging from Storm. Even if it’s short-lived, it’s exactly what I need right now.
