Page 129 of Muted

Eyeing him curiously, a thought pops into my head that I hadn’t put together until just now. “You know her, don’t you? Vincent said—”

“Yes.” My mouth snaps shut at his interruption, and then fury washes over me.

“Why didn’t you help her? If you knew her, you had to know what she’s been dealing with all these years in this piece of shit town.”

“Know what, Ahearn?” he snaps at me, straightening up and frowning at me. “I met her as a child and made sure she was placed in a safe home. Anything beyond that was never on my radar. Don’t mistake my attitude today as not giving a fuck over what’s happening right now.”

Both of our heads drop to the woman laying on her back between us when a pained, weak cough passes her lips. Inhaling sharply, I wait to see if she’s coming around and then blow out a gusty breath when she furrows her brows and moans lowly.

Leaning over her, I plant my hands on either side of her head and bring my face inches from hers. “Babygirl, you coming back to me?” I whisper, eyes darting all over her face for more signs that she’s waking up.

Her eyes crack open, and my heart skips a beat.Jesus…Her eyes are the most vivid shade of sage green I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s like I’m seeingherfor the very first time.

“They’re so green,” I whisper.

So much emotion is written in the depths of her eyes, every secret she’s hidden in her soul telling me all I need to know, before finally crushing my hope.

Pain. Sadness. Regret. Guilt. Acceptance… Rejection.

I read her final message just before they fall shut again, shoving me out on my ass.

I’ve lost her.

Every sound stops as I beg her silently to open her eyes once more for me. There’s a discernable heaviness weighing me down, the world around us paused as I hold my breath, willing my heart not to beat until she gives me permission to keep moving forward with her. But the space around us is just a void. Empty.Muted.

“Susu.” My voice cracks, calling to her. Her head only falls to the side by an inch or two, but she’s turned from me. “Baby. Tell me how you’re feeling.” I’ll beg for anything from her. Any response to keep me from wanting to crawl into that grave if she’s not going to stay here with me.

Her throat works like she’s attempting to say something, but the way her face scrunches up in agony before she stretches her neck back to ease those muscles I know are constantly bothering her, lets me know I won’t hear her voice right now.

Running my hand over the side of her head where I know there are no injuries, I attempt to soothe her. “It’s okay. Don’t force it right now. There’s an ambulance on the way to get you checked out.”

I bend down and brush my lips across her soil covered cheek, my heart sinking when she flinches and I feel pressure behind my eyes. Blinking quickly to force it away, I smile softly at her. “You’re safe, now.”

Whether she heard me or not will always remain a question until she wakes again. Her body loses all the tension she was holding in her muscles from the aches and pains she must be feeling as she drifts away.

Sitting back on my heels, I stay right next to her as we wait for backup. My mind whirls in circles as I try to decide how I’m going to fix everything I’ve fucked up with her. First and foremost, I won’t be leaving her side while she recovers. The need to ensure she’s taken care of is strong, and I don’t give a rat’s ass if I have to shut the bar down for a month to sit next to her.

She’ll need them too. I have to get that right in my head as an inevitable conclusion to the situation we’ve all found ourselves in. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I lean to the side to tug it free from my back pocket.

Nothing but a spam notification, but it reminds me I need to update Theo and Vance. Opening our group chat, I text with one hand while placing the other on her stomach once more to keep feeling those slow breaths fill her lungs.

Me: We found her. She’s injured, but safe. I’ll let you know what happened and where we’re headed when the ambulance gets here.

Chapter 37

Doloroso

Vance

~The Night Before ~

“Can I make you anything to eat, Vance? I’ve got some leftovers from dinner tonight. Or are you thirsty? There’s probably some of Ronnie’s good whiskey above the fridge. Ronnie, would you grab the step stool so I can reach it?”

Elaine is flitting around the kitchen, clearly beside herself with worry and nervous that I’m sitting here. Their apartment is modest, and I’m not so disconnected that I can’t tell they’re embarrassed.

“A drink would be lovely, Elaine. Why don’t you point it out to me, and I’ll grab it for you?” I offer. Standing up and opening the cabinet for her, I wait until she directs me to a bottle, which is about two-thirds full. Removing it from the cabinet, I ask, “Glasses?”

She winds her fingers together, nodding her head to the same cabinet. “The nice set is up there as well.”

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