The three of us turn as one when we hear Jude laugh behind us. He’s got Savy on his arm who’s back to having that flat empty stare as she takes in the three of us and then the crowd behind us. When she spots Hunter and his date, her fingers tighten on Jude’s arm and he whispers something to her that has her relaxing slightly. I can’t stop staring at her sky-blue eyes, so much brighter from not being hidden by her thick glasses. I clear my throat and move closer to them.
“Hey, I, um, I’m sorry about the other day,” I tell her. “I was being an ass. I was in a mood and well, I’m sorry.” She holds my gaze but doesn’t respond and it annoys me that I can’t read her. “You look incredible tonight, Savy.”
Those baby blues slide away from me like she doesn’t believe me and Beck moves in for his attempt.
“Darlin’, you take my breath away in that dress.”
That finally gets a reaction from her but not the one I think he was hoping for. A tiny fake smile pulls at her lips as she tilts her head at him.
“Hmm, well, I guess I missed the mark again, then. I was going for hot enough.”
He tries to apologize but she turns slightly away from us when a waiter interrupts.
“Champagne, miss?”
As she takes a glass filled with pink bubbles she hits the waiter with a real smile that has me sucking in a breath at how truly beautiful she is.
“God, yes! Thank you.”
She places a hand on his arm to hold him in place as she tips the glass and drains the entire thing in one long drink, sets it back on his tray with another smile, and takes a fresh one, nodding that he can go. The fact that she needs to pound alcohol to make it through the night is a testament to what assholes we are.
“We should find our table, doll. Rubbery chicken awaits!” Jude teases but the smile slips off his face. “Hey! You okay?” He asks her with a hint of concern making my eyes lock back on her face.
There’s a range of emotions traveling over it as she starts blinking faster and then she sucks in a jagged breath. Her eyes start to widen as fear creeps into them and I’m already reaching for her arm when the glass of pink champagne slips through her fingers and shatters on the floor. Her hand comes up to her throat as panic fills her face and she starts gasping for air. Her other hand clutches at my arm that reached for her. Her eyes latch onto mine as she starts to sway and I know she’s going down so I dart closer and catch her, gently lowering her to the floor.
Jude hits his knees beside us as Tate and Beck start yelling but I don’t hear any of them. I’m locked in on sky-blue eyes filled with terror and panic as she claws at her throat and makes the most horrific little gasps as she tries to suck in air.
“Allergic to…”
“Call 911…”
“Fucking snap your neck if…”
“Didn’t do anything…”
“Her purse…”
“EpiPen…”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I absorb the words being yelled all around us but I can’t break eye contact with this girl that I dismissed as nothing. I can’t break eye contact because I know differently now and I’m about to lose her. Because I see it. I see the moment she gives up, stops fighting. The terror and panic recede and in its place comes resignation and then regret. Her hand releases its death grip on my arm and shakily lifts up to my face to brush her cold fingers gently over my lips and then fall away when the last of her strength leaves her. Her lips are tinged blue from lack of oxygen and I’m just about to lean down to try and force my breath into her starved lungs when my sight is blocked by blue satin and crinoline as Jude flips her skirts up and slams an EpiPen brutally against her thigh.
I claw the skirts back down to reveal her face but she’s gone. Her eyes have rolled back in her head and she lies limp in my arms and all I can do is beg but it comes out more like a prayer.
“Breathe, Savy, please. Breathe.”
I lower my head closer to her lips. She doesn’t make a dramatic gasp like in the movies but I hear it, I hear that first small intake of air and then another and another and it makes me want to weep in relief. Her breathing comes faster and I pull back to scan her face. Her eyes are open but she’s not seeing me or anything right now so I tuck her closer, sliding her head into the crook of my neck, and hold on until the paramedics peel her away from me.
JUDE
Iwant to rip, shred, stab and paint this whole fucking room in red as the EMTs wheel my doll out. They would only let one of us go with her in the ambulance and Tate barged ahead claiming to be her boyfriend. That’s fine, it’s fine. We’ll follow them to the hospital as soon as I get some fucking answers because somebody in this room is going to pay.
It happened so fucking fast. One minute she’s shooting champagne like a champ and the next she’s clawing at her throat while Ash holds her in a death grip. Hearing that toxic cunt laughing and saying my doll looked like a fat blueberry as her face turned blue had me almost committing murder in a suit. Better that I didn’t, bloodstains are hard to get out of fine fabric, I’ve tried often enough. The hand I wrapped around her throat was inches away from snapping it when Beck hauled me off of her and yelled at me to find Savy’s purse. Precious seconds were lost because some rubbernecker had kicked it under a table after she had dropped it as they tried to get a better look at my girl’s trauma.
My head turns to scan the crowd and then the floor where I almost lost her, taking in the puddle of pink-tinged liquid and shattered glass. Ash is still kneeling there and I see the shake in his hand as he picks a piece of that glass up to stare at it. That won’t do, Winter Hill boys don’t kneel and don’t show weakness to circling sharks so I snap my fingers at Beck to get his attention and he helps me pull Asher to his feet. My childhood mate shakes himself and his eyes clear when they land on me. He snarls at me and I catch a hint of the old neighborhood in it that only comes out when he’s extremely angry.
“What the fack just happened?”
“I don’t get it. She’s allergic to strawberries but I didn’t see her eat anything. Did you?” Beck asks as he plows both hands through his hair.
