Page 54 of Tangled Hearts
Hurt flashes across his face as his facade falls. Fuck. I’m fucking this up so badly. He tried so hard to get a reaction out of me, to pretend I hadn’t hurt him. To pretend he was okay, but he’s not. I have to stop doing this. “Eli.”
“No.” The word is quiet. Final. He walks ahead of me, catching up with the kids.
I walk in silence. Alone, yet again. Hey, at least this time it’s deserved. Within a few minutes, the kids and Eli are far enough ahead of us that I can’t hear them talking to each other, even though I canseethem talking. Eli’s smiling, his head thrown back at something Wren said. So fucking beautiful, my God. I am really fighting a losing goddamn battle.
They round a bend in the trail, disappearing from my view. I keep my pace steady, even though I don’t like that I can’t see him anymore. It doesn’t sit right with my soul. I’m working to convince myself that it’s fine and I’m being fucking dramatic when Warren appears around the corner, running full speed toward us.
“War?” Holden shouts from behind me, concern in his voice, but not panic. It’s probably fine, but what if it’s not? What if something happened?
“There’s a man. Something’s wrong with Eli. He’s breathing funny.”
Oh absolutely fucking not. I sprint, tossing the backpack off my shoulders and letting it hit the ground behind me.
When I round the corner, my lungs are on fucking fire. Goddamn elevation. But that doesn’t even matter to me once I spot Eli. He’s on his knees in the dirt, his chest heaving and his eyes wild, clutching at his throat. Wren’s standing behind him, crying, her hand resting on his shoulder. And maybe worst of all is the random man kneeling in front of him with his hand on Eli’s other shoulder.
I see red.
I run toward him and shove the man out of the way, dropping to my knees in front of Eli. “What’s wrong, little doll?”
He shakes his head. “My d-d-dad?”
He wants Beck and Roman? I turn around, and they’re rushing around the corner, taking in the same scene I just did. I look back at Eli. He shakes his head. “No. Bio.”
What the actual fuck? I look around, trying to find the stupid fuck. My search is interrupted when Eli makes a strangled sound and pitches forward, his hands landing on my thighs. “Help,” he gasps.
My entire world narrows to him. Fuck everyone else. My brother. His dads. All of it.
The guy beside me pipes up. Why the fuck is he still here? “He saw me standing there, and I think he thought I was someone else. I don’t know, man. He just started freaking out.”
I grab Eli’s face in my hands and force his gaze up. Wide, frantic eyes meet mine. His false bravado is gone—just pure desperation and panic are staring back at me.
I haul him into my lap, wrapping my arm around his back. “You’re okay.”
Eli shakes his head. “You are,” I repeat. “Breathe. You can do it.”
Another headshake. Fuck, this is so much worse than last time.
“I’m sorry,” the man says, trying to move closer to Eli. “I’m so sorry, kid.”
“Back the fuck up,” I growl, squeezing Eli tighter to me, holding the back of his head and tucking his face against me so he doesn’t have to look at this guy.
Movement catches my attention; Beck kneels beside us with Roman. Wren’s hand disappears from Eli’s shoulder as Julian ushers her away. I pull Eli even closer. No fucking way are they taking him away from me. His chest heaves against mine. “Feel my breaths?”
He nods. Choppy. “Good. Follow them.”
He tries. God, he tries so fucking hard. “Come on, little doll,” I whisper, hopefully low enough that no one else hears me, but even if they do? I don’t know that I really fucking care at this point.
A shuddering breath, a slight slump in Eli’s body. “He can’t hurt you now, Eli.”
A hand lands on my back. Not Eli’s. Beck’s. I look at him. He looks so fucking worried. But not mad. Just worried and sad. He nods at me. Not that I needed his permission.
I slide my hand into Eli’s hair. “Take another breath for me.”
His chest rises and falls, shallow but better. “Good. So fucking good,” I murmur. “Come back to me.”
Eli shudders in my hold, then nods and just… fucking falls apart. His body goes listless as he lets out a broken sob that cuts right through me. It’s quickly followed by another and then another. His body shakes as he breaks down. Roman whimpers, but I can’t focus on that.
Beck lets go of me, and I catch him turning toward Roman. “He said bio dad,” I say, holding Eli a little tighter. “I think he thought that guy was him.” I catch sight of Holden, and he’s staring at us, confusion marring his features.
