Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
I hated it when people gossiped about my family, and I’d be damned if I’d do it to him.
“You ready to go dance some more?” Peaches asked.
“Let’s get a drink first,” I told her, smiling. “I have a new job to celebrate.”
An hour later, I was done.
My feet were covered in blisters, my hair was damp with sweat and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun. (Okay, my afternoon had been pretty fun, but for an activity that involved wearing clothing, this was right up there.)
“I need a cigarette,” Peaches announced. “Come outside with me.”
She took off down the stairs and I followed her through the lounge on the ground floor. Beyond that was a patio overlooking the river. It was covered with cheap plastic chairs and tables, with maybe ten or fifteen people talking quietly as they shared a drink or a smoke.
“I lost my shoes,” I told Peaches, settling into one of the chairs to put up my feet. “I know I set them under one of the tables, but now I can’t remember which one.”
She waved her hand. “They’ll turn up.”
“Yeah,” I said, leaning my head back to look up at the stars. I reached up to touch my emerald necklace, thinking about my mom. She’d already had three kids by the time she was my age, and she’d been pregnant with a fourth.
I couldn’t even imagine.
“Your phone’s going off,” Peaches said, blowing smoke out of the side of her mouth. I frowned, reaching for my purse.
Lexi.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.
“You have to come home!” she shouted, her voice cracked and broken. In the background I heard noises—were there people in the apartment? “You have to come home right now! I don’t know what to do and I think she’s dying!”
Next to me, a group of men burst out laughing and I covered my ear, trying to hear better. “Lexi, calm down. You need to tell me what’s happening.”
“It’s Mom,” she said, and I heard a sob. “Kayden, sit here. Sit here, I’m gonna hold you until Randi gets home. She was blue, Randi. I found her on the floor and she was blue!”
My stomach clenched. Oh fuck oh fuck oh FUCK!
“Did you call 911?” I asked, my voice steady, even though my heart felt like it might explode.
“They’re here now.”
“Okay, give me five minutes. I’m on my way.”
“Don’t leave us,” she begged, her voice going soft. “I’m so scared, Randi. We need you. This is really bad and—”
“I won’t leave you,” I promised, grabbing my purse. Then I was running through the lounge, out the door, and into the parking lot. Peaches shouted something behind me, but I ignored her. Lexi started sobbing into the phone. As I ran, her words repeated in my head with every step, over and over and over again.
She’s blue.
She’s blue.
She’s blue.
Chapter Ten
Flashing lights cut through the night as I pulled around the corner. The big fire truck was parked in front of the apartment building at an angle, with an ambulance right in front of it. I don’t know how fast I was driving—fast enough that the car skidded to a stop when I slammed on the brakes. Then I was out the door and running, praying desperately that Lexi had been wrong.
This had to be some kind of mistake—Mom had been fine when I’d left.
She’d hugged me goodbye. She’d been playing cards with Kayden. She was going to stop smoking and now I had a job and our family was going to be okay, even if she did like her rum and Cokes a little too much.
I flew up the stairs, only to be blocked by a firefighter at the door.
“It’s my mom,” I gasped, desperate for information. “My sister and brother… They’re inside.”
He caught my shoulders, steadying me. “They’re working on her right now. You need to stay out of the way. Do you understand?”
“What’s happening?”
His expression stayed absolutely neutral. “All I know is that they’re taking care of her, and that you need to let them do their jobs.”
“What about my brother and sister?”
“They’re in the living room,” he said. I tried to pull away, to get inside, but his hands tightened. “Hey, listen to me.”
“What?” I asked, trying to see past him.
“They’re scared,” the man said, his voice serious. “You need to be strong for them right now, okay? Can you do that?”
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. My thoughts were racing way too fast, but I knew he was right. I needed to pull my shit together. Now. I pushed the panic down through sheer force of will, then opened my eyes and nodded.
“I can do this.”
“Yes, you can.”
He let me go, and I pushed past him through the door. There was another firefighter waiting inside, and I heard noise from the back bedroom. Off to the right, Lexi and Kayden sat on the couch, clutching each other.