Page 148 of Twisted Collide

“Thank you, son.”

His words feel like a gunshot in my heart. I hang up, but I want to tell him he shouldn’t call me son.

I let him down.

But most importantly, I let down the one person who I truly ever felt peace with.

My hellfire.

65

DANE

Hudson:What happened to Josie?

Hudson:Never seen coach take off like that.

Hudson:Hello?

Hudson:Anyone?

Hudson:Am I the only one who’s here?

Aiden:I’ll find out.

Hudson:Oh thank fuck, I thought you all left me.

66

DANE

The fluorescent lightsof the waiting room flicker a harsh glow above me.

I squint my eyes, a headache brewing behind my lids.

Who knows how long I’ve been sitting here, and I still haven’t heard anything. Robert went back to see if he could find someone to give us news on Josephine.

The door swings open, and my heart lurches in my chest but then drops when an elderly man walks toward the exit.

Not him.

I wonder how much longer it will take for someone to come out here. My back hunches forward, and I lift my arm to knead the muscles tightened by my neck.

This chair is not the most comfortable.

I can’t believe she fell.

I can’t believe I failed her.

No matter how hard I try, her scream plays on repeat in my mind.

Over and over again, I hear the sound.

Over and over again, I see her fall.

Every time I replay it in my mind, I can still feel the skin on her arm slip across my fingertips when I finally reached out for her.

None of this would have happened if I had only reached out when she first asked me.

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