Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Her chest heaves as she struggles to breathe, each inhale a desperate gulp for air. Her skin takes on a clammy sheen, beading with sweat, and she shakes uncontrollably in the grip of a full-blown panic attack.
“Frankie, please,” I whisper, heart pounding. “You’re safe.”
She can’t hear me. She’s too far gone, lost in the depths of hell. The sight of her like this, so vulnerable and broken, it shatters me. It makes me realize just how deep her wounds truly go.
“Frankie,” I say again, hoping somehow my voice can reach her, bring her back to me. “I’m here. You’re not alone. You’re safe.”
She doesn’t respond, her eyes wide and unfocused, still caught in the throes of panic. Her breaths come in rapid, shallow gasps, and she clutches her head, rocking in the fetal position.
I can’t fucking bear it.
Footfalls approach from the hallway, heavy and determined. I release a sigh of relief.
Leo bursts into the kitchen, his eyes instantly locking onto her trembling form on the floor. His expression hardens, and he rushes to her side, kneeling beside me.
“What happened?” He glances at my bleeding neck, reaching for her.
“Wait. Go slow.” I stop him with a hand on his chest. “I triggered something, a memory, and she pulled a knife on me. How often does this happen?”
“Never.” He looks shocked, his brows knitting. “Kody does this sometimes, but not her.”
“How long does it last?” I whisper. “With Kody?”
“Sometimes minutes, sometimes hours, depending on the severity and trigger.” He bends over her, his movements slow and deliberate. “Frankie, it’s me. I got you, love. You’re safe.”
He leans in close to lift her.
“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!” She screams over and over, sobbing and scrambling away until her back hits the pantry door. “Please, don’t hurt me again.”
He looks stricken, sitting back on his heels and grabbing his head. “What the fuck? What the fuck?”
“Hey.” I snap my fingers in his face, halting his mini-freak-out. “How do you pull Kody out of it?”
“We don’t. I mean, she did once. But I don’t know how.”
Kody rushes in, his posture taut like a bowstring drawn to its limit. His black eyes sweep over her, and he steps closer, his presence an oppressive shadow that consumes the light.
He crouches beside her, his expression blank as he gently cups the back of her head.
“Frankie, it’s me, Kody.” His voice, though gruff, holds a note of desperation. “Snap out of it.”
Her eyes remain wide, unseeing, as she coughs and wheezes, hyperventilating.
He tries everything—commands, firm touches, stern reminders of who she is—but nothing breaks through.
Leo paces back and forth, unable to stand still. His fists clench at his sides, every exhale a snarl of distrust aimed at me.
“Frankie, look at me.” Kody crowds her without making physical contact. “He’s dead. Gone. He can’t hurt you anymore. Look at me, goddammit. See me.”
“No needles. No needles. Please, no more needles.” Her panic escalates. Her feet kick out, and she fights her way across the floor, putting distance between her and us.
I watch helplessly, my own anxiety rising with her terror. Measuring my breaths, I try to calm my growing anger—at myself, at the situation, at the lack of control.
“What the hell did you do to her?” Leo strides over, his temper unraveling. “What triggered this?”
Fuck, this isn’t helping. They aren’t helping. But I’m desperate, so I give him the truth.
“She was at the sink. I didn’t announce myself. I came up behind her and put my hands on her hips. I thought…” I shake my head. “No, I wasn’t thinking. My touch, my presence, something triggered her. She grabbed a knife and…”
I gesture at the cut on my neck.
Too bad my ferocious girl didn’t have a knife the night Denver took her.
Leo’s eyes narrow, his expression dark. “You fucking sneaked up on her?”
“I didn’t know it was a trigger.” I narrow my eyes right back. “That would’ve been an important fucking thing to tell me, don’t you think?”
“We didn’t know.” Kody hovers over her, his frustration boiling over into barely concealed rage.
Before any of us can say more, footsteps echo down the hall.
Reporters.
Some of them are still on the island, and if they walk in on this…
The knife on the floor. The blood leaking from my throat. Frankie curled up like she was attacked.
“Fuck!” I tear off my shirt, sending the buttons flying, and use it to sop up the red mess coating my hands and chest.
“I’ll deal with them.” Leo storms off, leaving me and Kody with Frankie.
I draw in a steeling breath and move closer, lowering beside her. Kody glares but doesn’t move to stop me. My hand trembles as I reach out, brushing her hair away from her face.
She doesn’t react, doesn’t seem to hear or see anything around her. Her mind is somewhere else, somewhere horrific and unfathomable.