“Who’s they—” Rush began.
But I couldn’t stop myself from snatching the knife from his hand and slamming it into the center of his chest.Trafficking?They were going to fucking useour girlfor trafficking?!I stabbed him again and again and again, my sight filled with red.
From rage and from blood.
João wrapped his arms around me and hurled me to the other side of the room.“We could’ve used that fucker.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I said, dusting myself off and heading to the door.“He’s dead now.”
All that mattered to me now was making sure Astrid was alive.
CHAPTERNINETY
ASTRID
A slow,steady beeping drifted through my ears.I slowly blinked my eyes open, adjusting to the low light in the room.My lips were cracked, my muscles aching, like I had been hit by several cars in a row.
Above me, the ceiling was a soft, pale beige.I tilted my head slightly to the side, wondering where I was and why it was so quiet.When I turned, I sawhimsitting right by my bed—hood up, legs spread, and arms crossed.
Arch.
His head was tilted slightly, but his heavy eyes were focused on me.
“Arch,” I whimpered, my voice coming out broken.“Where am I?”
After stiffening for a moment, he stood up.“The hospital.”
“Why?”
“You almost died,” he said, heading to the door.I didn’t know why I’d expected any softness from him, especially after he told me that I almost died, but I’d expectedsomethingother than that.“I’ll go get the others.”
Before I could say another word, he was out the door.I stared at his retreating figure through the small window and furrowed my brow.No hug, no relief, no biting insult that meant that he cared.
Just a, “I’ll go get the others.”
A couple of moments later, Cairo threw the door open and hurried into the room.He scanned the machines before approaching, then fell into the same chair that Arch had been in and grabbed my hand.
“You’re awake,” he said gently.
I gave him a soft nod.“Do you have any water?”
He grabbed a cup from the side table and lifted it to my lips.I drank some down, my gaze lingering on the door to see if the others were here too.Don’t get me wrong; I loved Cairo, but I wanted to see the others.
The last thing I remembered was leaving Diya’s house.
“Diya?Is she here?”I asked.
Cairo set down the cup on the table, tense.“Why don’t you ask Calix about her?How are you doing?Do you need me to get a nurse?You’re breathing now, which is a good thing, right?Feel any different?”
“I’m fine,” I said.“What happened?”
“A lot.”He drew the pad of his thumb across my knuckles.“You almost died.”
“That’s what Arch said too.”
“When we found you in that storage container, you weren’t breathing.”
My eyes widened.“Storage container?”
