Page 81 of (Un)Spoken

As I looked at him, he just shook his head. “Don’t ask.”

“Theo needs medical attention,” I huffed out. “Tori went to call an ambulance.”

“Should be out front,” Cole grunted, shoving Eloise off to the side. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, enough to show she was still alive but unconscious. Hopefully, she'd be out for a while. Rage simmered in my veins, staring down at the woman who’d made my life hell for thepast year. All the nights I spent worrying, all the time I missed out on, all because she thought she was entitled to a part of me.

As much as I hated that my actions had led Eloise to this place, I knew most of the blame lay on her shoulders. I might have made a mistake, but she was the one who escalated it, unable to accept I would never be hers. Honestly, if it wasn’t me, she would have found another target and made their lives hell instead.

Cole placed his hand on my shoulder, breaking me out of my spiral. “Go get Tori. I’ll stay with Theo until the ambulance gets here.” He walked over to the gun, emptied the chamber, and tucked it in the back of his jeans. “Hurry, Adam.”

I nodded and rushed to open the door. My chest almost seized when I looked around, finding four cop cars with their lights trained on me. My legs started to give out with the weight of relief. It was over. It felt like it had been years of my life, but in reality, it had only been hours. And now, it was over. I was free.

My legs started to buckle as the adrenaline drained from my body, but I stayed standing by sheer force of will. The officer who’d interviewed me at my cabin stepped forward first, holding his gun out at his hip. “Is she subdued?”

I nodded, unable to form words. Even though I’d tried to keep hope, there was a small part of me that thought I would die in that tiny room, that Theo and I would never get to hold our loved ones again. But standing here, in the middle of a parking lot, I inhaled slowly, closing my eyes as the officers and paramedics rushed behind me. It wasn’t until I heard my name called that I opened my eyes.

The floodlights blinded me, but I knew she was there.Victoria rushed out from behind a couple of officers who were trying, but failing, to keep her away from the building.

As she ran across the pavement, I walked as quickly as I could, catching her in my arms as she jumped toward me. I held her tighter than I ever had before, savoring the sweet smell of her shampoo and the way she fit against my chest.

This moment—this was what I fought for.

Why I refused to give up, even in our darkest hour.

Because I would go through all of it again just to have my girl back in my arms.

Tears filled her face as she pulled back, searching my face. “Tell me you’re safe. Please tell me she didn’t hurt you.”

“I’m okay, trouble.” I glanced behind my shoulder, seeing the paramedics pushing out the stretcher with Theo on top. Calla broke out of the crowd, moving over to his side. She let out the most anguished sob as she held her husband’s hand, cradling it close to her chest.

One of the paramedics tried to block her path. “Ma’am, you need to move. We need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible.”

“Then do it,” Calla snapped. “But there’s no way in hell I’m leaving him, so you better figure out how to work around me.”

As the paramedics moved them both to the back of the ambulance, we stood there, watching as they attended to Theo and drove away. No one said a word, mesmerized by the cycling lights as they faded into the distance, sending up silent prayers. If anyone would make it out of this through will and sheer determination, it would be Theo.

When the siren finally died out, our attention was drawn to the front of the office, Cole walking outside with the rest of the cops trailing behind him. Eloise was at theback of the pack, her arms held by two officers at her sides. While the officers pushed her into the back of their patrol car, Cole came to us, offering an apprehensive smile. Victoria rushed forward, pulling her brother into a tight hug. But when she let him go, she slugged him in the shoulder. “Don’t youeverput yourself in danger to save me ever again.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “No promises, trouble.”

FORTY-SEVEN

Hours ticked by as we sat in the hospital waiting area, desperate for any news about Theo. With each passing minute, our anxiety only grew, unsure of what was going on behind the scenes.

When we met up with Calla, all she knew was that he’d lost a lot of blood and had been rushed into surgery. The doctors were trying to repair the damage inflicted by the knife, but they wouldn’t know how bad it was until they opened him up. They promised Calla they would update her on his state, but the last one had been hours ago. Now, she sat off to the side of the surgical waiting area, staring at the blank space on the wall.

Devyn was right at her side, holding her hand, even though Calla never said a word. On the other end of the room, Gray stood watch, his eyes never traveling far from the two sisters. Opposite them, Cole sat in one of the chairs with his head against the wall, Alex curled into his lap like a kitten. Her eyes were closed, but they opened every time someone shifted, on high alert for any news.

In our own set of light blue linoleum chairs further down, Adam and I were side by side, staring off in the direction of the surgical hallway. There was barely any sound, just the quiet voices of the nurses fluttering through the halls. Given the late hour, no one else was in the waiting room, so our group took up most of the chairs. Vending machines and a coffee bar sat against the far wall, but none of us even glanced in its direction, too worried to think about food.

Adam’s hand curled around mine, holding it tightly in his lap. He hadn’t let go since we’d left the office park, holding onto me like he was afraid this all was an illusion. I couldn’t blame him. After only minutes with Theo, my stomach was in knots, terrified about what would happen to him, the guilt of being unable to help sooner weighing on my chest.

I couldn’t imagine how Adam felt.

But he was locked up just as tightly as Calla, barely saying anything to any of us. The police tried to speak to him, but given the extent of his ordeal, they agreed that he should get checked out by medical personnel before giving a statement. As one squad car drove away with Eloise locked in the back for processing, Adam and I went in another, letting them drive us to the hospital. Behind us, everyone else piled into Cole’s truck, sticking with us every step of the way.

The thirty-minute drive to the hospital was horrible, every minute making my anxiety grow in my chest. Even though Adam was safe at my side, the impact of the day’s events was far from over.

Once we arrived, Adam reluctantly let the staff check him over, declaring he had a concussion but no other significant injuries. While I almost crumbled at the relief, Adam’s face only tightened, as if he felt guilty that he wasn’t the one who was grievously injured.

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