If I stay, I’ll fucking kill him, and as much as he deserves it, I can’t do it here. Not in the open. Not with thousands of people around us.
“Does she know?”
I stop dead in my tracks, the question ringing in my ears.
“She doesn’t, does she?” he goes on.
“Gemma, keep walking,” Liam urges.
However, I’m already turning around.
“Know what? That I’m out here looking for who attacked her?” I ask.
Rad chuckles. “Yeah. Of course, that. What else could it be?”
I stare at him for a beat, ready to wrench myself out of Liam’s grasp if he says anything else.
“Right,” I reply. “What else could it be?”
Liam tugs on my arm again, and I turn around for good this time.
“It was good seeing you again,” Rad calls out.
My feet nearly stop moving again. Liam grabs my arm, and I let him lead me out of there.
I’ll be seeing you again very soon.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
BONNIE
Outside sounds are an echo.
Because all I can fucking hear is a flatline.
I’m sitting on the burgundy couch, staring at a mustard yellow spot on the dressing room rug. I think someone’s tried touching my arm, but anytime someone comes close, I flinch.
There’s dried blood on my knuckles, on the shallow cuts on my palms. I can taste the iron tang of blood from my split lip when I bite my mouth. I think there’s skin under my nails? And god, fucking hell, the back of my leg hurts.
Even so, I’m dissociating so hard that the rest of the world is moving like a dream in front of me.
People are arguing. I’ve heard the word hospital a few times. I think the police tried coming in a few minutes ago. I keep hearing the sound of someone sweeping up glass, though I can’t tell if that’s happening right now, or if it happened hours ago.
I’m not okay.
I think someone attacked me.
I think someone hurt me.
I think my brain is blocking a lot of shit that could hurt me right now, and I don’t know if I’m grateful for it.
“—to know who the fuck touched her,” I hear Zeb saying.
“For the fourth time, Gemma and Liam are out looking,” Kade replies. “I don’t know what she thinks she’ll find.”
“Someone has to know something, right?” Reed asks.
Kade sighs. “I don’t know. With the commotion going on and everyone running because of the shooter… it’s likely no one heard a thing, and any injury could be blamed on the pit.”
