Page 91 of Misery and Ecstasy

“No. I-I’m serious, Liv. You have to swear to me you won’t tell him.”

Olivia sighs like she wants to scream at me. Like she wishes she could reach through the phone and shake some sense into me. But this is for the best.

“Fine, McKinsey.” Oh god. She used my full name.

“I promise not to tell the crazy-ass who threatened to burn this entire building down to get to you that you’re not even inside of it any longer.” Irritation mixes with defeat, both clear in her voice. “I’ll be sure to also not let him know that you convinced the doctors to let youescapewithout tellingeitherof us.”

Well, when she phrases it like that it sounds bad. Is it too early to blame my erratic behavior and thinking on this tumor?

“Just so you know, I’m not going to forgive you for keeping us in the dark. And when he does finally find out, I’m not even going to try to convince Draven to give you a pass.”

“That’s fair. Thank you, Liv. I love you.”

“I love you, too, McK.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

DRAVEN

Olivia walks out the entrance to the ER with a coffee in her hand and turmoil on her face.

Her eyes are rimmed in red.

Something’s happened.

Standing, I brace myself for whatever news she’s bringing me.

“What is it? What happened? How is Kins? Can we see her yet?”

She shoots me a look like I need to chill the fuck out. Pressing my lips together, I open and close my fists in agitation. Olivia opens her mouth like she’s going to talk but changes her mind, like she’s not sure how to tell me what she knows.

“Fucking spit it out, Olivia.” She’s killing me, making me imagine the worst.

“McK’s not here.” She sniffles before rubbing her nose.

What?

“What do you mean she isn’t here? Where the fuck is she?” My head is fucking spinning, trying to make sense of what she’s saying.

“She just called me. They transferred her to Park Hospital a little while ago.”

“I’m gonna fucking kill somebody!” Before I can take one step back toward the entrance to the ER, Royce and Atticus are on me.

It takes both of them full-on bear hugging me on both sides to keep me from making any type of forward progress.

“Get the fuck off me!” I see red, yelling so loud I almost don’t hear what Olivia says next.

“Draven!”Teeth grinding, I look at her. “They found a tumor in her brain.”

I immediately stop fighting. My world plunges into a silence so loud, it feels like my eardrums could explode. It’s so thick I could drown in it.

What did she just say?

Royce and Atticus loosen their hold on me now that I’m not struggling against them. My legs give out, and I fall to my knees on the sidewalk. Quickly, each of them grab me underneath my arms to help hold me up.

“She needs us, Draven. Both of us. We have to leave,now.” Her voice fails toward the end, and I watch as she wipes the tears from her eyes. “Give me your keys.”

Holding her hand out, she waits expectantly.

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