Page 33 of Broken Bonds

“I won’t, Ryan. I promise I won’t.” She held the phone out to me. I bit back a sigh; this couldn’t be good.

“I don’t know how much she’s told you, Ace, but she’s the strongest person I know, and if you break her, I swear to God, I don’t care about your bad background, I’ll become your worst nightmare,” Ryan growled before I could even manage a hello. “You better not give her any mixed signals. Your job is to keep her safe because I can’t be there.”

“Yes, I know, Ryan,” I said, staring at my feet as I continued walking.

“She’s vulnerable, Ace,” he snapped. “Donottouch her.”

I bit back another sigh. I was too tired for this shit. “Nothing has happened. I told you nothing would.”

“Better not be,” Ryan snapped.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m doing as you asked me. I’m keeping her safe. She’s hydrated, and she’s eaten.”

“What about warmth?” Ryan demanded. I scowled at my soaked boots. “Rest? She might get sick, Ace.”

He was quickly wearing on my nerves. Why hadn’t he just gone to the beachhouse instead of her? Why had she been the one to go? But I didn’t say any of that out loud.

“I can’t help the fact that we’re soaked to the bone, and she might get sick. I’m doing my best in a crappy situation, bro.”

Ryan heaved a tired, worried sigh, and some of my anger bled out of me, too. I knew he was worried. But I couldn’t help but place some of this blame on his shoulders, too. A better brother would’ve gone to the beach house so she didn’t have to.

“Just get her to safety,” Ryan grumbled.

What the fuck did he think I was trying to do?

“Stop being an ass,” I snapped. Celine was ahead of me now, and I picked up my pace to walk beside her again. “Did your dad find out if there’s a shelter at the school he mentioned?”

“Yes,” Ryan assured me. “According to the location I have for you guys from Find My Friends, you’re just short of two and a half hours away.”

God, that felt like so far still. “What’s the school’s name so I can check maps for how far it is?”

“Atlantic Community High, but if you find something closer, go there instead. I don’t know how much longer she’ll be able to walk. She has some underlying injuries that have never healed.” Well, that was certainly something I should have known before all this shit. Seriously, why hadn’t she said anything? Her parents? I glared at the back of Celine’s head for a moment.

“Okay, we’ll call later when we make it. Hopefully, there’s power at the shelter and a phone charger so we can keep in touch until you’re allowed back into the area. Worst case, we’ll stay there until it’s safe to travel, and then, I’ll get us transportation to your house.”

“Please tell Celine I love her. And take care of yourself, too, bro.”

I grunted. “Yeah, I’ll tell her. Bye.” I pocketed her phone, not knowing how to answer him. I wasn’t used to anyone caring about me anymore. Hadn’t been used to it for a long time.

“Tell me what?” Celine asked, looking at me.

A quiet, barely-audible sigh escaped my lips. “He loves you.”

We didn’t make it before dark. The sky was pitch black as we sought shelter beneath another gas station overhang, and I could hardly see in front of me anymore. As much as I didn’t like it, Celine and I would have to spend the night there and just hope for the best. Celine was clearly afraid, fear lingering in her pretty eyes, but I didn’t know how to help her. So, I did the only thing I knew to do, using warmth as an excuse to do so.

I wrapped her shaking body up in my arms.

We ended up sleeping like that, huddling together for warmth, and it was everything I had needed foryears. The silent warmth, the feel of a woman’s body against mine—Celine’s body—her softness, the sweet smell of her damp hair… I wanted to share everything with this girl. I wanted her to know that I understood how much pain she was in. Fuck, I wanted to take that pain and make it my own just so she didn’t have to live with it anymore.

But more than anything, I just wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone.

The next morning, things were looking even worse than they had the day before. I got us on the move as soon as possible, knowing we needed to hurry to reach shelter. The water from the ocean was already past the beach. We didn’t have much time.

An hour passed, and the rain stopped, but our relief was short-lived because five minutes later, it started pouring again—harder. Celine was starting to lag behind, not keeping pace withme anymore. I wondered what Ryan meant last night about her injuries not healing all the way. Did it have something to do with the limp she was beginning to sport?

I slowed down to walk beside her. “I heard you screaming the other night.” I didn’t know why I blurted it, but suddenly, I needed to know why she’d been screaming. If she was really as wrecked as me when it came to our history. If she relived the same horrors each night, just like I did.

“What are you talking about?” She wouldn’t look at me, her gaze firmly rooted on the ground. “I don’t scream in my sleep. Maybe you were dreaming about me,” she snapped. I always used anger to hide the truth, and I wondered if she was like me. If she was trying to deflect or brush me off, much as I did to everyone else when they dug too deep.

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