She hangs up and aims a panicked stare at me.
“What happened?” I ask her.
“My aunt…She fell…I have to go…”
“Shit…”
Kendall digs through her purse. “I-I’m sorry to leave like this, but I need to go to her.”
“Of course…” I notice her hands are shaking as she tries to grab her keys. Gently, I cover my hand over hers. “Kendall, wait. You can’t drive like this. You’re too upset.”
She shakes her head even before I finish speaking. “I have to get to her, Liam. She fell and she might be hurt and…”
I give her hand a soft squeeze. “Let me drive you.”
She frowns. “I don’t need you to do that.”
“Kendall. There’s no way I’m letting you drive like this. I’ll take you.”
She blinks at me. “You drank though.”
“I had a shot of tequila an hour ago. I’ve barely had two sips of my second drink. Look at me. I’m huge. It would take a lot more alcohol than that to have an effect.”
She lets out a breath. “Okay. Thank you.”
I toss cash onto the bar top and touch her arm. “Let’s go.”
I follow her out of the pub and down the street to where her car is parked. She hands me the keys, and I hop in the driver’s seat. She tells me her address and I head in that direction, careful not to speed so I don’t get pulled over.
When I ease to a stop at a traffic light, I glance over at Kendall. Her big brown eyes are shining with unshed tears.
It feels like a punch to the gut seeing her like this, in so much pain, consumed with worry.
Emotion surges through me. I grab her hand in mine. “It’s gonna be okay,” I say.
She turns to glance at me and sniffles. “Thank you.”
The light changes and I speed ahead. For the rest of the drive, I hold her hand in mine.
Chapter 20
Liam
Ipull into Kendall’s driveway and kill the engine. I hand her the keys, and she jumps out of the car and runs to the front door of her duplex.
She’s in the house before I even get to the door.
“Auntie!” she calls out. “Auntie, where are you?”
“In here, anak.”
I follow Kendall to the kitchen on the right side of their house. I make sure to stay behind Kendall. Her aunt doesn’t know that I’m with her and I don’t want to be the first one she sees. That might freak her out.
When I see her aunt lying on her side on the floor, covered in what looks like soup, my heart breaks.
“Auntie, oh my gosh.” Kendall crouches down over her.
“I’m sorry, anak,” Christina says. “I was trying to heat up some soup on the stove, but I tripped on the rug and tried to grip the counter as I fell, but I grabbed the soup pot by mistake.” She lets out a chuckle. “And that’s the story of me on the floor.”
