Page 34 of Broken Bonds

I scowled at her. “Don’t try to blame it on a dream. I heard you! You screamed the first night, which woke me, and the other night, too. If you hadn’t been screaming your head off, I wouldn’t have woken up and heard the water rushing in. You were screaming his name over and over.” I started to walk faster when I saw a green BurgerFi sign.

We had to be close. ThankGod.

“You must’ve misheard,” Celine muttered, agitation coloring her tone. “It was probably just your inner voice waking you up to save yourself. You know—God? I don’t rememb?—”

“Cut the crap, Celine!” I barked at her. She flinched, and I felt horrible. But she couldn’t hide from this. “I heard you screaming his name over and over. You were dreaming about the accident, weren’t you? You were reliving that nightmare. You don’t just recover from something like that overnight. It takesyearsto move on.” I stopped walking, and she slammed into my back. I turned to look at her, into those clear blue eyes, but she saw something in mine that made her glare at me.

“Why do you want to know? Maybe it was a dream about sex.”

Did she think I was stupid? Did I have to say it out loud for her to understand? I had nightmares, too. I knew all the signs, and hers matched.

I barked out a laugh. “After everything you shared with me, I know for certain you were reliving that accident. You’ve been having those nightmares since that night, haven’t you?” She wouldn’t look at me. I heaved a tired sigh. “Don’t lie to me, Celine. Don’t eventhinkabout lying.”

Should I tell her she wasn’t alone? Could I stand to be that open, that vulnerable?

“You knownothing,” she spat, looking out to the ocean, but I needed her to look atme. I needed her to see that she shouldn’t be fighting against me, that I just wanted to help her.

She suddenly turned around, and when her eyes met mine, they were red-rimmed. Shit, I was making her cry. This wasn’t going how I expected.

“Princess, maybe I can help.” I didn’t know why I told her to look at me when her eyes were locked on mine. I didn’t know what to say anymore. I was reeling.

She scoffed. “What makes you think I need help? You can’t be all nice to me one minute, telling me you want to kiss me, then act like an asshole the next day. I’ve dealt with enough abuse and heartache. I don’t need to go through this again with another guy like Aidan. I’ve just recovered from him!” I couldfeelmy gaze hardening as she compared me to her douchebag ex-boyfriend. “I don’t want your help, Asshole, and I don’t want your pity. I don’t want anything from you other than to get home and forget this ever happened!” she shouted.

She pushed past me and kept walking, her steps quick—much faster than before.

I saw it before she did—the big wave crashing over the wall. The water flooded rapidly flooded the road, but everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She wasn’t looking up.

Fuck, she was going to get hit with the water!

“Celine! Watch out!” I shouted, terror lacing my voice, but I was too late. Too fucking late.

Wave after wave crashed through the barrier toward her and pulled her flailing body away from me. Why wasn’t she swimming? She’d lived near the ocean her entire life. Didn’t she know how to swim with the current?

I was running toward her, but then, I sawhim—Jack. My little brother. I heard his small voice calling my name, getting distorted when he swallowed the water. I blinked, finally seeing her again, her voice screaming my name. Waves were crashing into my legs, and I was losing traction.

I couldn’t let her die. I wouldn’t lose her. Not her, too.

Jack’s voice rang through my ears.“Acey, help!”His small hands reached for me through the waves, but a wave knocked me off my feet, and I was pulled away from Jack. From Celine.

“NO!” I roared, fighting to get my feet under me again.

“ACE!” Jack faded once more, and Celine’s voice broke through my haze. She was so far out now. Too far. I didn’t know if I could get to her before she got sucked out to sea.

Suddenly, the water that was pulling me away left as quickly as it came. I fell to the ground, the asphalt ripping open my bare hands and making them bleed. I couldn’t hear Celine anymore. I couldn’t move. I heard more water coming, and the next wave crashed against the barrier.

I surged to my feet, but Celine was already gone, drowning beneath another wave. I pushed to my feet, running in her direction, but she wasn’t even fighting anymore. Another wave hit before receding, yanking her even farther away from me. Another followed quickly.

There was Jack again, holding her hand.No!He couldn’t fucking take her from me.

“CELINE! SWIM!” I was running as fast as I could, but it wasn’t fast enough. It wasneverfast enough.

“Mom, I need you to sit down.” I heard her mumble something to Hank in the background.

“I’m sitting,” Mom began, an edge of nervousness to her voice. “What’s going on, Ace? Is Jack having his nap?” I closed my eyes, pain shooting through my heart. Tuning out the sound of the loud police department, I listened to my mother’s even breaths coming in and out over the phone. I just needed her with me. Needed her support. My body was being crushed beneath the guilt and the pain.

“Something bad happened, Mom. Really bad.” I couldn’t tell her like this. How was I supposed to tell her? I was going to throw up.

A small, warm, delicate hand gripped mine. I opened my eyes. The officer who had been by my side since the police arrived at my house was sitting next to me. She had been with me since they pulled Jack’s body from my arms—a strong, resilient force, holding my hand through it all, coaxing answers out of me that felt impossible to give. And for the life of me, I couldn’t remember her fucking name.

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