Page 54 of Forget Me Twice

I suppose the cold hard truth is everyone with an addictionalwaysthinks they’re being more subtle than they actually are. Why would I be the exception to the rule? Fucking idiot.

I look at Axel. “Sensing some hypocrisy here, King. Shouldn’t you be making me a customer, not joining in on…whatever this is?”

Axel shrugs, spreading his hands. “Nothing personal, new girl. Just trying to make it to graduation.”

Asshole.

To Sloane, he says curtly, “It’s in the front pocket.”

I suppose that does give me some unexpected insight into Sloane’s influence at school. Sounds like she’s not above bribery tactics herself.

Movement from my periphery announces the arrival of Reid. She saunters over to Axel’s bag, rummaging around in the front compartment until she pulls out a pre-loaded syringe. She holds it up triumphantly before walking over to place it gingerly in Sloane’s hand.

“What’s in that?” I ask suspiciously. Even though I have no real sense of self-preservation, I still like to be armed with the knowledge of exactly what I’m inflicting upon myself. It’s a little island of sanity in my usual stream of madness.

So I know what itlookslike, but I’ve already underestimated these fuckers. Something tells me that what is in that syringe, it’snotbeen prepared for my health.

“Ash.” Sloane confirms, and her smirk is pure villany. “Mostly.”

Mostly?

“It’s anAsphodelhot shot?” I ask in a hard voice, watching her wave the syringe around cautiously and tugging at the meaty hands still gripping me. “What else is in it?”

She lifts her shoulders and drops them in a dramatic shrug. “Do you really care?”

I go to snark out something desperate in response—like how I don’t like track marks and prefer to take my drugs up my nose like any respectable closet junkie—but I don’t get a chance to answer because Brett clamps a hand over my mouth.

At the same time, Liam grabs the collar of my jacket, yanking it back over my shoulders and peeling down the leather sleeves, effectively trapping my hands. The two of them wrestle me forward.

Both forearms are now stretched awkwardly at each side. Glancing down, I can see the prominent veins in the creases of my elbows, even in the dim lighting.

The hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up, adrenaline beginning to trickle in at the thought of the imminent drug high. I wish I had the good sense to feel scared, but the reward system of my brain only cares about the promise of dopamine.

Aw, hell.

Sloane looks at me from beneath her lashes. I expect her to monologue me to death, but she doesn’t give me more than another cruel, victorious smirk.

I bet it probably looks a lot like the ones I gave her in our last two encounters.

I’m not smirking now.

No, instead I’m watching as she angles the syringe up near the stretch of skin over the joint of my arm—right where the veins are most visible—before driving it roughly in and depressing the plunger.

The hypodermic needle breaks through the flesh with a sharp pinch, followed by an awful burning as the concoction dumps directly into my bloodstream.

My breath sucks in with a pained hiss, and I try my best to bite into the meaty palm of Brett’s hand, but the grip he has on my face presses my lips back against my teeth instead.

Fuck.Fuck, that really fucking hurt.

Fire spreads swiftly up my arm, sending an ache up through the limb and into my chest. It seems like whole minutes pass before I can feel anything past the initial scorch of the injection.

But then, feel it I do.

At first there’s just a few sparks, like a puff of embers from a bonfire into the night sky. Then the drugs take root and the flames roar to life—surging outwards in hot, rolling waves through my nervous system like a hit of epinephrine.

It had started out with the feverish, cleansing rush ofAsh, but this—this is more likeAsh’s huge, angry cousin; out on bail after spending years behind bars getting ripped and then coming home with an axe to grind.

The heat builds and builds, searing my insides until they must be blackened and stripped of any flesh. I gasp, desperately needing the oxygen, and feeling like every blood vessel in my body is dilating to capacity. I bet my pupils are blown to hell.

---