Page 32 of War

His name leaves Jericho’s mouth and crashes into me with the force of a semitruck.

That makes no sense.It’s suicide.

A myriad of emotions turn over within me.

“He shot you?”Callan’s voice is hauntingly low.

“No—” Jericho barks out a cough, his face contorting in pain.His hands fly to his stomach, flattening against it to hold the stitches in place.He winces, his skin paling.

“Daddy?”Kitty panics, grasping his face in her hands.

“Get him some water,” Callan orders, seizing a remote clipped to the side of the bed and raising the mattress.Kitty holds a cup of water to her dad’s lips as I step toward the bed, a spectator making herself known.

“Do you want me to get the nurse?”I ask.

Wide, stunned eyes clash with mine.Knocking the cup from Kitty’s hand, water splashes against the bed and down Kitty’s legs.Jericho points to me, panic and shock twisting his features.

“Her,” he wheezes.Trying again, he chokes out, “It’s her.”He grips Callan’s arm, attempting to pull him closer to his mouth.“That’s her.She shot me.”

A gasp whips through my lips, my hand going to my chest.“What?”Callan, Kitty, and I ask in unison.Jericho’s brow crashes.His gaze racks over me.I move closer, standing beneath the light directly over his bed.

“She’s different but the same,” he croaks out.

“Harley.”I clutch a fistful of my sweater to stop my nails from creating moon shaped dents in my palms.“He’s talking about Harley.”

Dread spreads through me, its icy fingers engulfing me with fear.

“Who the fuck is Harley?”Jericho scans the room, his gaze bouncing between us all.

“Did you kill her?”I grit out, a haze washing over my vision.The room spins.

“Harley’s her sister,” Callan informs him.

Jericho takes a few deep breathes, a rattle wheezing from his chest with each exhale.

“Then who the hell is she?”The strain to talk is evident on his bright red face.He pauses, maneuvering himself against the mattress into a more upright position.

“Answer the question,” I demand, my tone harsh.

“She’s with Callan, Dad.She’s his ol’ lady.”Kitty turns to me.“Calm down, Rogue.”

How dare she tell me to calm down.Harley’s bruised neck and dead eyes assault me.A fresh wave of anger surges inside me.

“Since when do you have an ol’ lady?”He looks to Callan, a sneer slashed across his lips.“And why the hell is this bitch barking at me?”

“Dad, she’s with me.”Callan’s tone is deep, firm.

My legs tremble.Unable to hold myself up properly, I grip the bed for support, my head hanging between my arms.Why is the floor moving?

Wait—it’s not the floor.

It’s me.

I’m falling toward it.

“Rogue!”Callan’s voice distorts, wrapping around me as darkness creeps in until there’s nothing but black.

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