Her cries cease, and her tears dry on her cheeks. Looking down at her, I can see the exhaustion in her eyes as her lashes slowly begin to flutter closed.
As she drifts off to sleep, her breathing slow and steady, I hold her close, vowing to do whatever it takes to fix this. To make things right.
34CECILIA
My mouth is dry and my head aches when I wake up the next morning. Sun filters in through the windows and I squeeze my eyes shut against the bright rays.
Where—? Realization dawns on me. Everything that happened. Austin trying to drown me. Parker and Gregory standing guard close by and … letting him.
Bile rises in the back of my throat.
Not a dream.
Fuck.
Shifting, the body beneath me lets out a soft groan.
What?
Oh.
I’m still in Gabriel’s lap. His arms cage me in, his head thrown back against the sofa and lips slightly parted. I can’t believe he fell asleep sitting up like this. That can’t be comfortable.
Carefully, so as not to disturb him, I climb out of his lap, stifling a groan of my own as my body screams at me in protest. Fuck, just moving hurts. My entire body feels like one giant bruise.
A floorboard creaks, and my head jerks up to find Julio beside the stairs.
“Morning,” he says, his voice soft as he brings a mug of coffee to his lips.
“Hi. Umm … Morning.”
He tilts his head, a silent suggestion to follow him, so I do. Julio leads me into the kitchen where he pours a second cup of coffee before handing it to me. “Milk and sugar are on the counter,” he says.
“Thanks.” I curl my fingers around the cup, the warmth seeping into my skin. “What time is it?” I ask.
“Just after seven. Everyone else is still asleep.”
I nod.
Adding milk to my coffee, I slip onto one of the bar stools and try not to think about what Gabriel and I did on this counter. God, I hope he disinfected it.
A blush steals over my cheeks, and I duck my head. Now isn’t the time for those kinds of thoughts.
I wonder what’s going to happen now.
“Do you know—” I cut myself off, too afraid of the answer to voice the question. But Julio must know what I was about to say because he answers me anyway.
“Holt’s at PacNorth medical,” he says, and I stiffen. “Under guard, so not as a free citizen.” That’s a relief. “He’s been arrested, and from the sounds of it, he’s being charged with attempted murder, assault, attempted manslaughter, and reckless endangerment. When the hospital discharges him, he’ll be transferred into police custody. After he’s booked, the judge will schedule an arraignment and we’ll go from there.”
Swallowing hard, I nod. “How long do you think until …”
“I don’t know,” he says, rubbing the back of his tattooed neck. “The hospital isn’t going to disclose his injuries to just anyone, and I doubt his parents feel like sharing.” He shrugs. “Could be a few days. Could be longer. Gabe did a number on him, but for all we know, his injuries could all be superficial. Bruises and swelling. Or it could be more serious. Broken ribs. Some internal bleeding.” Another shrug. “There’s no real way for us to know.”
Taking it all in, I try to tell myself this is a good thing. As long as Austin is recovering, he won’t have time to worry about me.
Only I don’t believe that. Austin tried drowning me all because he lost his position on the soccer team. What will he do to me now that I’m the reason he’s been arrested?
Fear sinks its claws into my skin, its icy tendrils creeping up my spine and constricting around my heart.
