“Okay, good. You’re really close. We’ll be there.”
“Hurry, Alek.”
I run back to Victor, who’s still lying on the ground, grunting in pain. His hands are on the side of his chest. I slide my phone into my pocket and place both hands over his. Tears pour from my eyes. I let this happen. I broke the Bull.
Victor opens his mouth and blood from his nose gets in. He spits it out. He takes my hands and puts them on his heart.
“I love you,” my voice is a whisper.
He takes a deep breath and whimpers. “Finally.”
Then he shakily lifts up on his elbows and pulls out his cell phone.
“Call my father. Team doctor.” His voice is barely audible.
“We’ll drive you to a hospital.”
But my words die as soon as Victor puts the phone to his ear, already dialing. He says the names of two hotels and that he needs Phil, who I assume is the doctor.
At that moment, Alek’s voice echoes. I’m thankful he got here so fast.
“Tia? Tia?”
“We’re here.”
Alek and Abi jog to us and kneel next to me.
“Fuck.” Alek scans Victor’s body.
We hear a loud screeching of tires, and Victor’s dad’s imposing body looms over us.
Two other guys, who I remember seeing at the gym, sprint to us and lift up Victor into a standing position. He’s able to walk, but he’s holding the right side of his chest. At a minimum, one of his ribs is fractured.
Nash barks orders to the guys helping Victor, and then he turns to me with the same expression Victor had when I first told him about Charlie. I swallow his unspoken threat and explain what happened without details about Charlie’s background. I only tell him that the attacker is a person I know.
“Where are you taking him?”
I stand in front of Victor’s dad and straighten my back.
He frowns. “You don’t get to ask questions. This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you. You’ve only brought pain to his life. And now this before his big fight?” He sneers. “Get the fuck out of my way—or better yet, get out of this city. The state.”
“Don’t talk to my sister that way,” Alek growls, stepping next to me.
“It’s okay. He’s right,” I say, and Alek’s head snaps in my direction.
My knees wobble and my body feels like I’ve not only been hit by a train but also dragged by it for miles on the metal tracks. Every single cell of my body hurts. My lungs constrict, leaving no space for air. Spots flash in my vision, and the last thing I remember is Alek and Abi dragging me to the car. Everything is a blur—how we get to the hotel, my room, Abi sitting me on the bed. It is as if I’m in a movie and everything is happening around me, but I’m not really there.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
When I open my eyes, darkness encircles me. I rub them hard to make sure I’m not sleeping, that I’m not in one of my nightmares, but no, it’s the real world—a different, worse kind of nightmare. At least when I dream, an attacker hurts me—but now a person I love is hurt instead. So much worse. Nausea makes its way to my throat.
I stand up slowly. Abi and Alek must have taken off my shoes and placed the blanket on me. I need to see Victor, to know he’s okay. I call him three times, text him, and wait. I’m pacing wall to wall in the hotel room. All kinds of scenarios andwhat-ifsare going through my head. What if he has a broken rib? What if they punctured a vital organ? What if Victor has internal bleeding? I squeeze my phone, my palms growing sweaty.
I’ll find him. My fingers twitch, making it hard to type on the small keyboard of my cell. I search for nearby hospitals and call three of them, but they haven’t admitted him. I can’t decide if this is a good or a bad thing.
Maybe there’s coverage on the TV. I turn it on and start flipping through channels. They’ll cancel the fight and announce it. After twenty minutes, my thumb hurts. I’m rocking in one place. Where is he? I throw the remote on the bed.
What have I done?
