Page 77 of Fatal Attraction

I froze, whipping back around and stalking around the bar and through the small opening which led behind the bar. There was nothing back here except for a giant walk-in cooler.

And then I heard it again…a frail, whimpering voice calling out for help.

Horror washed over me, and it was then when I’d noticed the broom, the handle stuck directly under the lever.

“FELIX!”

I charged, snapping the broom in half with a vicious kick, then chucked the broken pieces behind me, opening the cooler door and cursing at the top of my goddamn lungs when Felix’s body fell hard against the floor, shivering like he was having a seizure.

His breathing was erratic and there was frost clinging to his hair, eyelashes, and clothes. His lips were blue, and as he shivered harder, begging for me to help him, I kneeled down and grabbed him, hauling him close to offer him my body heart.

“Percious,” he weakly muttered over and over. “Percious…”

I had no idea what the fuck that meant. Without wasting any time, I grabbed my phone, pissed when I saw I had no service. Left with no otherchoice, I shoved my phone back in my pocket and then hauled Felix out and into the sun. I tried again once we were outside and I had one of Felix’s arms slung over my shoulders.

“Captain,” I screamed as Felix continued to violently shake against me. “I have him. He was locked inside the fucking beer cooler! He’s suffering from hypothermia and he’s not far from going into shock. I need an ambulance NOW!”

I didn’t give Cap time to respond before I hung up and carried Felix out to my car, immediately turning on the heat. Rounding over to his side, I knelt beside him and grabbed his hands, rubbing them fast and praying the ambulance would get here soon.

“Percious,” he whispered over and over again, his pupils blown. “Percious.”

“Felix,” I rasped. “You’re not making any sense.”

His eyes rolled back then, and I frantically shook him, needing him to stay awake. “No, no, no. Don’t do that. Stay with me. Help is on the way.”

“Percious,” he mumbled under his breath.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Felix. What is Percious? Is that a person?”

His eyes fluttered shut, and his body went limp. Panic lit my soul on fire when I checked for a pulse, finding nothing. Quickly, I got him out and then laid him flat on the gravel, administering CPR.

“Wake up,” I furiously demanded, pumping against his chest before I brought my mouth to his, offering him oxygen. “Come on, Felix.”

I did it again, and again, starting to lose hope.

“WAKE UP! GOD DAMNIT WAKE UP!”

Thirty Three

Perry

“Fuck,” I muttered, walking in the room to find Charlotte unconscious with a massive puddle of sweat beading across her forehead and down her pale face. “Oh, God!”

I had supplies in both hands: tweezers, antiseptics, gauze, and a bunch of other shit I’d snagged from the pharmacy while I was out. Peter was awake, scowling at me as I sat in front of him next to Charlotte and began ripping at her shirt, exposing her wound.

I shot her.

I… I fucking shot her.

This wasn’t supposed to happen!

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I examined the damage, knowing I’d fucked up. “This is going to hurt, but I need you to stay with me.”

“She needs a fucking hospital,” my cousin shouted as I began disinfecting her wound, which had Charlotte’s eyes snapping open with an excruciating wail tumbling off her lips, the sound stinging my auricles.

“You have to stay still,” I told her the louder she cried, her chest heaving. “I’m trying to help you.”

“Don’t fucking touch me,” she weakly snapped. “Go to HELL!”

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