“I know your stomach hurts, but you need to eat anddrink.”
“Everything hurts,” I scoff. “I feel like I’ve survived a hurricane.”
“You did. Hurricane Phil.” Joseph stands up. “I’ll bring you some crackers and water. That should settle your stomach.”
Nothing can settle my stomach or ease the aches and pains in my body. The only thing that can do that is the one thing that caused it in the first place. As much as I don’t want anymore of that shit, I’ll fucking take it if it makes the pain disappear. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing, so I don’t vomit all over the floor, thankful for the cold sweat beading on my overheated body.
The crinkling of a wrapper makes me come to, and when I do, I swear that I’m dreaming again. Bobby sits across from me with a sad smile on his face, looking almost as rough as Joseph. We stare at each other for a moment, and then I smile.
“How you feeling, hellcat?”
“Like shit warmed over, but thanks for asking.”
He hands me a couple of crackers, then gets up and peeks out of the curtain. “I don’t have a lot of time,” he says, sitting back down.
“Why? Am I getting ready to wake up?”
Bobby draws his brows together and shakes his head. “No, Phil will be back soon.”
Clutching the blanket, I push myself up in the bed. “Grab my clothes. We can get out of here before he gets back.”
“I’m sorry, Hazel. We can’t leave.” He rubs a hand over his face and groans in frustration. “Even if I wanted to, I have no idea where we are and have no way of getting you guys out of here.”
I’m never going to see the outside of this tomb Phil has trapped me in. It has become my coffin. If I’m going to die here, I’d prefer to die by the needle, allowing the fire to consume me completely. At least it would kill my pain and emotions first. My head droops in defeat. It’s no longer a question whether or not Phil will win. He’s already won.
“Listen,” Bobby says, lifting up my chin. “I’m going to get you out of here. It will be soon. I promise you that. Phil is supposed to meet with Cash tomorrow. As soon as I figure out where we are, we are coming for you. Until then, you have to stay strong and pretend I’m not even here. Phil thinks I’m working for him. If anything makes him think differently, he could kill us both.”
“He’s back. Move it,” Joseph says, poking his head inside the curtain.
Bobby quickly leans forward and brushes his lips on my forehead as the door slams shut. A second later he’s gone.
Stay strong. I nibble on the cracker and wince when the salt hits my lips. Reaching for the bottle of water,I can barely grip it, let alone lift it to my mouth. If this is what I’m like after a couple of weeks, I don’t want to find out what a couple more will do to me. I hope this all ends tomorrow. One way or another.
CHAPTER 20
CASH
TIMEhas never moved so slowly for me. Every minute of each day has dragged to the point of being painful with each glance at the clock. I swear I could hear Hazel’s voice in her apartment—sense her presence. But the longer I stay here, the more it feels like someone else’s place, and I’m just a stranger sleeping within empty walls. The same could be said for myself. Will Hazel feel the same way when she returns?
I’ve pushed myself away from Dale over the past week. As he grows closer to Cady, giving her the support she needs, I’ve grown weaker. Watching the two of them together hurts. I know I shouldn’t feel this way. She needs someone after all she’s been through. I just can’t help but think about Hazel and what she’s going through. Is she suffering alone? Is Joseph or Bobby able to keep an eye on her, or give her the support she needs? All this support that everyone else is giving to each other, and I’m here, alone, living on a wing and a prayer. It infuriates me.
I’m exhausted. My brain hasn’t stopped spinningsince I got back, and it keeps me tossing and turning at night. I try to focus on the short period of time Hazel and I spent together, but it just makes it worse that they may remain just that. Memories. Then a barrage of scenarios attacks me, one after the other, reminding me that the memory in my office with her may have been the last time I would ever see her again. I was so sidetracked with everything going on that day, I didn’t think to take extra time to set that moment in stone so I wouldn’t forget. The harder I try to remember every facial expression, the sound of her voice and the way I felt, the fuzzier it becomes. I’m losing her to the emptiness that consumes me.
I’m pulled from drowning in the depth of myself when the door flings open and Cady and Dale charge inside. She’s more alive today than she’s been in days. Dropping her bag by the coffee table, she stands before me with her hands on her hips.
“Jimmy got fired today,” she spouts.
“Okay. I’m sure it was for a valid reason,” I respond with raised brows.
“Sure was. He got busted buying drugs.”
That sure gets my attention. I sit up straight on the couch and watch her reaction. “What kind of drugs?”
“Snap.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absofuckinglutely. I was nearby when Roger started yelling, so I went to see what was going on. Isaw Dustin and Bobby hauling ass to their car and taking off.”
