Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
“Did anyone see you?”
“We wore masks,” I reply.
“Can we hurry up, please?” Crystal asks. “There’s no time for any of this. They’re dying.”
“What if the doctors there tell the cops?” Kai asks.
Mr. Rivera clears his throat. “They won’t because the specialist working there is on the goddamn board.”
“Oh …” Dylan mutters. “Well, why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
Suddenly, two people knock on the door. “Who called for an ambulance?”
Mr. Rivera steps aside. “You’re just in time.”
CRYSTAL
It feels like the wait takes ages.
I just sit and chew on my lip while the clock keeps ticking and the doctors are busy trying to save both their lives. I pray they make it out alive.
A nurse here at the clinic kindly looked at my wounds from his father’s bullwhip and cleaned it up nicely, and she said I was lucky that I didn’t require stitches, only some medical glue.
Ares and Blaine aren’t as lucky.
The guys and girls from the Skull & Serpent Society and the Phantom Society have already gone back to their homes, patiently awaiting the news via text. I didn’t expect them to stay, of course, but it is rather silent with just the two of us in this waiting room and a clock slowly ticking away at time.
“Here.” Caleb pushes a can of Coke into my hands. “Drink.”
“I’m not thirsty.”
“Gotta keep your fluids up. It’s important,” he says, opening it for me. “Now drink.”
I do what he wants just so he’ll stop telling me, but he was right … my throat was dried out. “Thanks.” I take another sip. “How long do you think it’ll take?”
“I don’t know. Could be minutes. Hours. Days.”
I nearly choke on my Coke. “Days?”
He smirks. “Knowing both of them, probably hours before they start begging for you.”
A blush creeps onto my cheeks.
“How are you feeling?” he asks. “Your back must hurt.”
I gently smile. “It’s fine. I can take it. Besides, Ares and Blaine have got it way worse than I do.”
“True. But … I don’t want you to hurt, so take your medicine.” He places it in front of me.
Suddenly, the doc comes in, and I forgot all about what we were talking about and can only focus on him.
“Mr. Navarro has just come out of surgery.”
My eyes light up. “How is he?”
“Doing good under the circumstances,” the doctor replies, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “We’ve removed one bullet from his body, and cleaned out both wounds and sutured them. He will need plenty of rest and allow for healing, though.”
“Of course,” I say. “Can we see him?”
The doctor nods.
“What about Ares?” Caleb asks.
“He’s still in recovery. I will let the nurses know to call you when he’s awake.”
We nod and quickly walk into the corridor that leads to Blaine’s room. When I see him reading a book, I nearly burst out into both tears and laughter.
“Don’t they have anything better to read here? This is dreadful,” he says, flipping through the pages.
I run up to him and hug him tight, and he groans in pain. “Gently, darling, be gentle with me.”
“Sorry,” I mutter, quickly leaning away, but he cups my face and leans in to kiss me instead, and my heart nearly sings out of joy.
His kisses make me feel light as a feather, like I could float up into the sky, and they take all the destructive emotions swirling inside my mind away until all that’s left is his undying love for me.
He smiles against my lips and murmurs, “Now, this is what’s worth dying for.”
I smile back as he rubs his nose against mine. “I’m glad you’re still alive, though.”
He snorts. “You’re the only one in this room.”
“Ha ha,” Caleb responds. “Good one.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Like I got run over by a truck, but I’ll manage,” he says, tucking his own hair behind his ear. “I’m just glad they managed to take out the bullet. But my God, is it painful to take a breath.”
“Glad to see you’re back to your winging self,” Caleb muses, slapping him on the back.
Blaine coughs. “Should I put a bullet hole into your body, see how you take it?”
“Please don’t,” Caleb retorts, snorting.
“Thought so. Now get your hands off me, piglet.”
Caleb narrows his eyes at him. “You what?”
“Okay, enough, enough,” I say, laughing it off. “You guys can throw fits at each other when everyone’s healthy and back at Spine Ridge.”
Caleb rolls his eyes. “You sound just like Ares.”
“Maybe you just require a hard hand from time to time,” Blaine says, winking.
“Says the guy who enjoys getting choked out by small girls,” Caleb retorts.
I scoff. “Who are you calling small?”
Blaine laughs out loud, but it swiftly turns into a moan from the pain, and then a sigh. “I really should not be laughing. Stop making all of this so goddamn funny.”
“Whoops,” I say, hiding my snort.