“Zeta.”
I spin around at the sound of Valeria’s voice, instantly on my guard.
I suck in a gasp as intense pain slices across my belly, ripping through my insides like a deadly tornado. I’m instantly light-headed, swaying on my feet as an icy-cold chill tiptoes up my spine. My breath catches in my throat, and I’m gasping for air as my hands instinctively move to my stomach.
Valeria’s glare is evil incarnate as she stands right in front of me, flanked by her posse of bitches. “That’s for blowing my boyfriend,” she snarls. She twists the knife in deeper, and warm liquid bubbles up my throat. “And that’s just for being you.”
My eyelids flicker open and shut, and I stumble backward, my hands cradling my stomach. I glance down, barely hearing their laughter as horror engulfs me at the sight of so much blood oozing from the deep wound.
She roughly yanks the knife out, and I scream as indescribable pain rips through my body. Blood gushes out of my stomach like a river overflowing its banks, and I crumple to the ground. I land on my side with a thud, my head slamming painfully into the asphalt.
Blood leaks out of my mouth as I frantically clasp my hands over my stomach, desperately trying to stem the blood loss. In the background, the sound of approaching footfall mixes with the shrill ring of a whistle, but over it all, I hear Ryder repeatedly shouting my name.
My eyelids shut, and I shiver as a cold, bristling wind washes over me, freezing me from my head to my toes. Darkness is calling, beckoning me with a seductive promise of no more pain.
Before I black out, I feel his hands on my face. “Baby, please open your eyes.” His voice is riddled with torment. “Stay with me, Zeta. Open your eyes.” Forcing my eyes open, because I hate to hear the pain in his voice, I feel an immediate sense of peace as I stare into his beautiful yellow-green eyes. Tears spill down his cheeks as he whispers my name.
“Ryder.” I try to speak over the blood frothing in my mouth, but my voice is muffled and indistinct. “I’m sorry.”
“Baby, shush. Don’t try to speak.”
A gurgling sound emits from my throat, and I’m struggling to breathe. My eyes pop wide with fear as it dawns on me that I’m dying. Tears seep from my eyes as I stare at him, wanting his face to be the last thing I see, knowing it’s the only comfort I can take in this moment.
“Don’t give up, Zeta,” he begs, his voice breaking. “I need you to fight because you are everything to me.” A look of determination ghosts over his face. “I love you. I love you so much. Please don’t die because I can’t exist in a world without you in it.”
Darkness encroaches, summoning me with an invisible reach I can’t avoid. I try to fight it. I try to force the words from my mouth to let Ryder know I love him too, but I’m not strong enough to resist.
The last thing I hear as my world turns black is the sound of Ryder crying and pleading with me not to die.
11
Ryder
The car ride from juvenile hall to the hospital seems to take forever, and my anxiety increases with every second that passes. My feet and hands are handcuffed, and I’m sitting stiff as a poker in the back seat alongside Powell. That dickhead Watson is driving. I’m only here because Zeta begged that I be permitted to visit her. Apparently, she had a bit of an episode when her stepfather showed up at the hospital earlier today, and her therapist, Dr. Reynolds, spoke to the administration, explaining my presence would help calm her down.
I can’t wait to see her. I spent several hours last night thinking she was dead, and I almost lost my fucking mind. I paced my cell nonstop, in between bouts of crying and futilely hitting the wall with my bare fists. My knuckles are torn to bits, but I welcome the pain. All night, I’ve been beating myself up for pushing her away for so long. Chastising myself for my jealous, bitter feelings. I know she did what she did for me, but every time I’ve closed my eyes, I see her—on her knees, sucking his cock into her beautiful mouth—and I’m enraged.
But her almost dying puts things into perspective.
We can’t change the past, but we can salvage our future.
A future that was almost torn away when she nearly died.
I’m done punishing the both of us, and I hope she’ll give me the chance to make it up to her.
“Ryder!” She calls out to me the minute I step foot into the room, her face lighting up as I shuffle toward her as fast as I can with my leg restraint.
She’s wearing a hospital-issued gown, sitting up in the bed, propped against a bunch of pillows. She looks pale and drawn, but she’s still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
“Zeta,” I rasp, my voice overcome with emotion. I want to hug her, but I’m restricted by my cuffs. I pin pleading eyes on Powell.
She walks toward me with a wary expression. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“You won’t, and it’s not as if I can do anything with you in the room.”
“You’re unpredictable, lately,” she murmurs, unlocking the restraints from my ankles before moving to my wrists.
“I’m here for Zeta. There’s no other agenda. I swear.”
