She stares at me for a beat before huffing out a laugh. “That’s a start. I’ll take it. Baby steps. But we’re all here for you. Whether you want it or not.”
Keeley hangs around until I get discharged, and then offers to walk me to the hotel our team owner booked, so everyone could stay close by. And by everyone, I mean all my teammates that opted to stay until they knew Reed was okay. Something we still don’t know.
Refusing her offer,politely, I consider taking the next flight out of here, but think better of it. Because like my teammates, I can’t leave without checking in on Reed, and on top of that, there’s still the tiny issue of me being investigated by the police.
While they’re not presently charging me with anything, I was advised not to leave Florida until they had Reed’s and Hayley’s statements.
And despite the fucked-up shit I often say and do, I’m not stupid.
After finding Reed and Hayley asleep, I tell Keeley I’ll be back in the morning and grab my bag—reminding myself to check that I have everything since someone else must have packed up my original hotel room. Avoiding my teammates, I slip out, needing a clear head and a proper night’s sleep before I throw myself into that situation.
I need to be free.
Only the second I make it outside and into the warm night air, my legs lock in place, my body heavy as the weight of the past twenty-four hours crushes my soul.
No, it’s been longer than twenty-four hours. The tension hasn’t left me since our flight first touched down on the Jacksonville runway.
It’s been years since I was last here, and that’s not by accident.
I left home a few weeks after my nineteenth birthday, and I never looked back. If I could have avoided it forever, I would have.
But here I am, and God, it’s worse than I ever could have imagined. As if I needed more of a reason to hate the place where I grew up.
I swear it’s cursed.
For me, anyway.
An image of her lifeless body scars my already fucked-up mind, and I slam my eyes shut—as if that will help—swallowing back the bile rising in my throat.
I want to escape, but with my lids closed, my thoughts drift into unwanted territory, and the events of last night torment me again, making me relive every heart-pounding moment.
Hayley’s terrified call for help.
The adrenaline coursing through my veins.
A flailing body slamming into mine.
The anger.
The heartache.
Hayley crying in my arms.
But the one moment that hurts the most, the one I’ll never get over, is the split-second decision that could cost a man his life. The moment I pushed Hayley aside, racing forward, tackling…
I jolt assomething pulls me out of my thoughts, and it’s not until the world around me comes back into focus that I hear it again.
“Zane?”
Huh? I glance up and immediately regret it.
“Fuck, it is you.” My high school best friend steps into the bright hospital lights, his eyes wide as he takes me in. “Blair said you were here, but honestly, she’s my sister, and I only believe half the shit that comes out of her mouth.” He laughs to himself and I force a soft smile. At least I’m not delusional. Blairwashere. And she decided she didn’t want to see me again.
Not that I blame her. I probably would have run, given the chance.
“What the hell happened?” Cade reaches out to do God knows what but thinks better about it, letting his hand fall to his side. “You look pale.”
“Thanks.” I huff out a laugh. He’s always been one to tell it like it is. “I got in a knife fight.”
