“Aiden—no!” My voice cracks, filled with panic. The thought of him ending up in prison because of me is unbearable. “I couldn’t survive that.”
His chest heaves on the screen. For a moment, I don’t recognize him; he looks feral.
With effort, he reins it in, his shoulders slumping. “Fine. I won’t do anything stupid. Not yet, anyway.”
I squeeze my eyes shut in relief.
“Why aren’t you at your mom’s or Heather’s?” he asks.
I explain why I’m at a hotel. My voice keeps breaking, and every time it does, shame sinks deeper into my gut. I’m a grown man, talking like a scared kid.
I hate myself for it.
“You did the right thing,” Aiden tells me, his voice steady again. “You got out, and you’re safe. That’s what matters. You need to get some ice on those bruises. I’ll be on the first flight I can find. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Shaking my head. “No, I can’t let you do that.”
My voice is thin and weighed down by exhaustion. The thought of him dropping everything for me feels too much. “My mom and Heather will be home tomorrow. I’ll be fine.”
His gaze penetrates me to my core. “Are you kidding? There’s nothing that will stop me from being there for you. I need to do this.Please.“
His pleading guts me.
“Okay,” I breathe out, giving in.
I’ve missed him, and now the thought of him being is the only thing keeping me from unraveling.
“I’m going to hang up and start packing. I’ll text you my flight details. Send me the address of your hotel and your room number. I’ll be there in the morning.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, because that’s all I can manage.
“I’m not letting you go through this alone,” he says firmly. “I care about you too much.”
He offers me a soft smile before the screen goes dark.
Following his advice, I stagger down the hall to the ice machine. My ribs hurt so badly that I can barely carry the bucket. A woman in her pajamas passes me in the hallway, but looks away quickly.
My face must look like roadkill.
Back in the room, I choke down the lukewarm burger I bought earlier. It tastes like ash in my mouth.
I take painkillers and a sleeping pill with flat soda, then strip and step into the shower. The hot water makes the damage scream, and my nose bleeds again, red spirals running down the drain.
By the time I crawl into bed with the ice packs, every nerve is on fire. The sheets scrape my skin like sandpaper, and each move I make sparks fresh waves of pain.
My ribs throb with the memory of Ray’s boot.
The shadows in the corners twist and swell until I swear I see him standing there, waiting for me to close my eyes.
To calm myself, I keep repeating, “Aiden is coming. Mom will be home tomorrow. I’m not alone.”
The sleeping pill pulls at me, dragging me under.
I cling to the one thought that doesn’t hurt—Aiden will be here in the morning—before darkness consumes me.
Chapter 10
Aiden
