I’M PACING THE living room when I hear the bedroom door open and close shut. Next, I see Chance coming down the hallway that leads to the master suite.
“Move up the wedding,” I demand, walking toward him.
He drops his head, running his hand though his hair and looking conflicted “I don’t know—”
“Move up the fucking wedding,” I bark.
“Sin, man.” He raises his eyes to meet mine. “She’s in bad shape. Tried to commit suicide.”
I shake my head. “No, she didn’t.”
“She needs to be admitted.” He ignores me. “For observation. A seventy-two-hour hold—”
I land a fist to the middle of his nose, knocking him to his knees on the floor.
“Goddammit,” comes his muffled growl. “I think you broke my nose this time.” He looks up at me, blood dripping down his face onto the carpet.
“Say that again, and it’ll be your jaw,” I warn.
He gets to his feet, and I take a step back so I don’t snap his fucking neck. I need him right now. Just a little longer.
“Listen.” He raises his hands, watery eyes softening. “She’s not well.”
“She’s fine.”
He shakes his head. “Jesus, Sin, listen to yourself. She’s in the bedroom, puking her guts up because she went out to a party and took drugs. She can barely stay conscious. Whatever you said or did was too much for her.”
He’s right. I did this to her. I’ve pushed her too far. But I can fix it. “She didn’t do this.” She may have went there planning on doing something, but Holland saw an opportunity and took advantage of her. He wanted to hurt her, to hurt me. She was his revenge for Marcus. My little demon wouldn’t do this to herself. She’s stronger than that.
“Maybe you should give up.” He sighs. “Everyone has a breaking point. Her father got the job done, one day she will too.”
I step into him, my chest hitting his so hard it pushes him a step back. “Are you going back on our deal?” I’m tired of listening to what he thinks I should do. Or who he thinks she is. He has no idea.
He looks away from me, and after a long second, he shakes his head. “I’ll make the call. Make sure she shows up and that she’s sober.” With that, he turns and walks out of the front doors, slamming them both shut.
A soft sob hits my ears and I ignore Sarah. She sits with Gunner over on the couch. They haven’t left. Sarah wanted to wait and see how Elli is doing and Gunner didn’t argue with her. Plus, he had a text about fifteen minutes ago that Prickett is on his way here.
Tyson and Gavin enter the living room. “How is she?” I demand.
“The Narcan worked.”
“But she’ll be okay?” I urge.
“Yes. I’ve given her something to make her comfortable.” He looks around the room. “Where is her husband…?’
“I’m her husband,” I snap, interrupting him.
He looks at Tyson, who nods, and then looks back at me. “She needs to rest, but she’ll be okay. You can call me if you have any questions or concerns.”
I walk into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water, needing to try and calm my nerves. Tyson follows me. I fall down into one of the barstools at the island and run a hand down my face. “How bad was it?” I ask through the knot in my throat. I have cameras in the bedroom but couldn’t bring myself to watch them. Afraid it’d have me barging in there to protect her. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t intervene. It would have made it worse for her.
Tyson shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “She passed, if that’s what you’re asking. Congratulations. She’s all yours.”
Dropping my head, I interlock my fingers behind my neck, letting out a long breath. “Yeah, but at what cost?” Will she forgive me? No. Do I care? Also no. She’s mine now. No one can ever take her from me. I’ll spend the rest of my life—no matter how short that will be—fighting to protect her.
Dropping my hands onto the island, I look up at him.
“We all pay a price, Sin. Some more than others. What it ends up costing us depends on how bad we want it.”
Looking over to the entrance of the kitchen, I see Gunner walk up. “Prickett’s here.”
I jump up from the barstool and run back into the living room. “What the fuck happened?” I demand. Gunner had said that Prickett had some information for me. He had seen her as well at the party.
Prickett sighs, coming to stand in front of me and Tyson. “I was in the game room when Elli entered with Holland. He went to Mack and said she needed something special. Mack questioned it but Holland had assured him it would be fine. Elli questioned what it was. Holland told her it was the best Molly. She, of course, believed him and took it. After Holland removed her from the room, another girl who had seen the exchange went over to Mack and said she wanted some ecstasy. Mack said he didn’t have any.”
“What the fuck are you saying?” I demand, trying to figure it out.
“I’m saying what Mack gave her and what Holland told her it was, were two very different things. After Gunner found her in a bedroom and carried her from the party, Holland was overheard bragging about giving Elli a pill laced with fentanyl. And then I guess she also snorted some that she thought was cocaine.”
“Fuck, she’s lucky Gunner found her when he did,” Tyson speaks.
“Were you able to get Holland?” I demand, looking at Gunner. I haven’t asked because of the situation he found her in. My plans to fuck him up were put on hold.
“No. I found her in the bedroom. I needed Prickett’s help to get her out of the party without anyone seeing what was going on and to the car. I came straight here, and I had Sarah follow us in Ellington’s car. That way it wasn’t left behind for anyone to see. I figured Holland would go back to check on her in the bedroom, and I wanted him to shit himself wondering where the fuck she went.”
I run a hand through my hair, frustrated. I’ll get him.
“I went back in with every intention to get him for you, but he was surrounded by people. I figured I’d let him run his mouth. When you’re ready, let me know and I’ll help you,” Prickett adds.
I nod.
“It doesn’t make sense.” Gunner frowns. “I asked her where you were. Then asked her if you knew she was there. Holland asked why you’d care what she is doing.” He shrugs. “I thought they were friends, but after the way he ran his mouth about what he did to her, that’s obviously not the case. He just left her there. In the room alone. To what? Die? Thinking others would see it as an overdose? Possible suicide? Everyone knows her dad succeeded years ago.”
That’s what I’m thinking Holland’s plan was, but I tell them the truth as to why he did what he did to her. “I killed his best friend.”
_______________
I WALK INTO the master bedroom to find her lying in the fetal position on the bed, eyes closed. Crawling in bed next to her, I push her hair from her face. She’s shivering. I pull the comforter up and tuck it under her neck.
“I’m sorry, little demon,” I whisper, kissing her forehead. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”
Her dark lashes flutter open, unfocused ice-blue eyes look around until they meet mine. “S-in?”
“I’m here, Elli.” Fuck what Tyson said. I’m not leaving her. There’s no one else here to make sure she’s okay. I don’t want her mother or Linc to know what happened. She’ll throw her in an institute. Toss her into a rehab center and leave her there, never checking on her. Linc will just fuck her, possibly feed her addiction with more drugs.
I’m all she has. I’m all she’s ever had, and I’m not going to let her down anymore.
My phone starts vibrating in my pocket, and I pull it out to see it’s Amelia. I reject the call. Placing my cell back in my pocket, it goes off again and I see she’s texted me this time. I open it up to see it’s an announcement.
Chance has moved up his wedding to Elli. Just like I told him to. I grind my teeth. Of course, she would send me that. She wants to rub it in my face that the woman I love is marrying someone else.
If she only knew.
Elli gets my attention, rolling away from me. She struggles to get comfortable and shoves off the covers. “What can I do?” I ask her, placing my hand on her back.
She’s still dressed, and she’s covered in sweat. Her body trembling. “Elli?” I say, giving her a shake but she doesn’t answer. I get up and lean over her, feeling her head, she’s burning up. I lower my hand to her neck, to feel her pulse. It’s racing.
Her body jerks and she sits straight up.
“Elli?” I ask, watching her place her hands out in front of her face and she starts to dry heave.
I pick her up in my arms and rush her to the en suite bathroom. I barely get her in front of the toilet in time before she gets sick. She’s so weak she can barely hold her head up, so I do it for her while also holding her hair out of the way.
Once she’s done, I strip her down to her underwear and carry her back to bed. I get her a cool wet rag and place it on her head and put a trash can next to her. I pull out my cell and call Tyson. Everyone left about twenty minutes ago. It’s just me and her here.
“Hello?”
“Something is wrong,” I tell him in greeting. “She’s getting worse. Not better.”
“Hang on, I’ll add Gavin to the call.”
I wait impatiently as I grab her a water from the fridge and rush back to the bedroom. I know Gavin had said she needs to stay hydrated. She needs to sip on some water, especially if she’s going to be getting sick again.
Gavin connects to the call. “Tyson—”
“What the fuck is wrong with her?” I snap, interrupting him. “She’s vomiting. Shaking, her pulse is racing, and she’s sweating, like drenched in it.”
“Everyone is different, but she can be experiencing side effects.”
My teeth grind. “So you gave her something to fix her but it made her worse,” I growl.
“Narcan only works on opioids. If she swallowed or snorted anything else, it will not have an effect on those drugs. Plus, Narcan in most cases is only in your system for thirty to ninety minutes. But it can trigger the onset of withdrawal symptoms in the body.” He pauses. “It could also be that many opioids remain in the body longer than it takes the Narcan to wear off. Meaning, she could be experiencing the effects of the overdose now that the Narcan is out of her system.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair, watching her lying in bed, her eyes closed once again. The doorbell rings and my eyes snap up.
“I can—”
I hang up on them and pocket my cell, pulling the top sheet only up to her neck. Knowing she’s burning up but also not wanting her naked if someone is here. Walking over to the tall dresser, I yank open the top drawer and grab my gun, tucking it into the back of my jeans, making sure my T-shirt covers it. I turn on the fan on my way out of the room and shut the door behind me.
Making my way to the front doors, I come to a stop when they open, and three men enter the house like they fucking own it. Three men that I didn’t give this address to, but somehow know exactly where I am. Which means they know where Elli is. “Brothers.” I nod to them as they all stand in the grand foyer, dressed in black, covered in ink, looking like they want to cut my head off.
“We’ve come to deliver a package,” one says, stepping to the side. Another grabs the man who was hidden behind him and shoves the guy forward. “You’ve got one week to deliver, Easton.” He calls me by my first name, and I step closer to them, wanting to protect Elli who is down the hallway behind me. I don’t want them anywhere near her. “Or we come and collect.” His blue eyes look around, taking everything in before they meet mine again. “And we’d hate to have to destroy everything to get what is owed to us.”
ELLINGTON
I ROLL ONTO my side. My hands grab at my stomach, and I groan. I feel nauseated. My body is shivering. Everything hurts. It’s hard to breathe.
“You’re okay, Elli.” I hear Sin’s voice, but I don’t see him. My eyes are tightly shut. I’m probably imagining it.
“What’s wrong with her?” I hear a voice ask off in the distance.
“She’s fine.” Sin’s voice is much louder, he’s closer to me. I feel his hands grab at my shoulders, avoiding answering the question. “Go wait for me in the other room.”
I reach out and grab a hold of a pillow. I pull it over my face, the light too bright it’s hurting my eyes even though they are closed. I feel like I’m spinning, my body jerking involuntary.
“I will not—”
I sit up, abandoning the pillow as saliva fills my mouth. “I’m … going to be sick,” I manage to mumble to no one in particular.
My hair is grabbed, and something is placed on my lap. I throw up, my stomach muscles tightening, the acid burning my throat. So much to the point I’m dry heaving. Tears sting my eyes, making what little vision I have blurry.
“You’re okay.” Sin rubs my back. “You’re going to be okay.”
I fall down onto my back and roll over into a ball, shivering.
“What the fuck is wrong with her?” that far off voice demands.
I hear Sin sigh. “She’s having withdrawals.”
“She’s an addict?”
“No … yes. She was drugged. Needed Narcan. I think it’s thrown her into withdrawals.”
“Christ.”
I feel the bile rising again, and I can’t hold it down. Hands grab me and lift me up into the air, I bury my face into the hard chest and wrap my shaking arms around his neck.
“Make yourself useful and remove the sheets. There’s a clean pair folded on the dryer,” Sin calls out before I hear a door slam shut and then he’s placing me on a cold floor just as I get sick again.
_______________
I OPEN MY eyes and don’t feel like I’m dying, so that’s a plus. Not my normal self, but better than I remember.
Rolling over, the curtains allow a soft glow into the dark room, and I see Sin is lying next to me, eyes closed and lips slightly parted. He’s sleeping. I’m so confused where he came from. How I got home. And why he’s still here. Shouldn’t he be with Amelia? And where did Chance go? Did I imagine him being here in this room with Tyson and the doctor? No, it was real. Chance reminded me exactly what my life will be like once he marries me—hell.
Sitting up, I look over at the nightstand to see an empty bottle of water. My mouth is so dry, I need something to drink. Getting to my feet, I wobble a little before getting my balance under control. I open the bedroom door and make my way down the hallway, using my hand on the wall. There’s a throbbing sensation right behind my eyes and I feel nauseous.
Entering the kitchen, I open the fridge and grab a water. When I shut it, I see a figure standing over in the corner and I scream, my heart racing and causing me to sway on my feet.
“Elli?” I hear Sin call out before rushing into the kitchen. He flips on the light, and I turn to face him to see he’s wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs and holding a gun in his right hand. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his hard chest heaving at his heavy breathing. His eyes dropping to my bare legs, making sure I’m physically okay as they quickly run up over the T-shirt of his I’m dressed in.
“I saw someone.” I turn around to point them out, but my breath gets lodged in my throat. He moves out of the corner, stepping toward us and I take one back, matching it. I bump into Sin, and it makes me yelp in surprise.
“Elli—”
I turn to face Sin once again. “I’m hallucinating,” I rush out.
He places his gun on the counter and cups my face in both of his warm hands. I’m trembling, trying to catch my breath. Heart still pounding and that throbbing sensation behind my eyes now intensifies. “What’s wrong with me?” I whisper.
His blue eyes soften as they roam my face. “You’re fine, Elli.”
I lick my lips. “No. I went to a party … did drugs.”
He sighs heavily. “I know and we’ll talk about that later, okay?” One hand releases my cheek to push hair from my face.
My legs are shaking. To the point my knees are knocking into one another. “Sin, I’m seeing … things.” My throat closes up on me. What did I take? How long have I been out? Is Sin even here? Am I dreaming?
“Take in a deep breath,” Sin says, doing so himself, hoping I’ll follow.
I don’t. Instead, my shaking hands come up to wrap around his wrists and I close my eyes tightly, hoping that when they open, I’ll be lying in bed by myself. And this will be a nightmare. Maybe it’s a bad trip.
“Elli?” Sin barks my name, and my eyes spring open to see him still holding on to me. “Take a breath. You’re okay.”
I shake my head the best I can as tears start to sting my eyes.
“It’s true, princess,” the man speaks behind me, and a whimper escapes my parted lips.
Sin nods his head at me as if to give me encouragement and then lets go of my face, placing them on my shoulders and turning me around. I stare wide-eyed at a set of blue eyes I haven’t seen in years. He doesn’t look the same, but I’d recognize him anywhere. “D-dad?”
