Page 1 of The Fix
Prologue
She woke with a scream on her lips, attempting to draw back her chest and fill her lungs with the air needed to expel the sound of fear and horror. But her body continued to disobey, a small trickle of air the only sound leaking from her mouth.Where am I? Why is it dark? Why can’t I move? Am I dead?
She envisioned a flash of faces, leering at her, moving closer. One in particular. The betrayal pierced her somewhere inside, where she still felt pain.Why? Why?She’d turned and run. Away from him, from them. But they’d caught her and ... Another flash, a bottle at her lips, liquid pouring down her throat as she fought and gagged.
The pierce of steady beeping broke through her consciousness. A machine. Close by. Was she in a hospital room? Relief descended. She’d been rescued. She was being cared for. She would heal.
And then I’ll seek retribution.
Who knew revenge better than she?
The squeak of a door opening slowly sounded, and she tried to lift her head, but it felt like a bowling ball attached to her neck.
A shaft of light appeared, and in that light, she saw a tube protruding from her mouth and, far above her, a ceiling encircled by crown molding she knew well.God. No. It can’t be.But, as if in answer,a soft whir met her ears, and her body began rising along with the bed beneath her.
He stood there at the footboard, a wicked smile on his wolfish face. “Hello, Posey.”
And that’s when she knew for certain she was still alive. But it would have been better had she died.
Chapter One
Cami was in no mood for a party. And yet there she was, clad in a bikini with a Jell-O shot in hand as a boisterous game of chicken fight was being played in the pool next to her. Her boyfriend, Hollis, had invited every member of the varsity football team and cheerleading squad to his house for a pool party. It appeared they were all having the time of their lives. Except her.Buck up. What is wrong with you?Except that she knew exactly what was wrong with her. She’d been plagued by a deep fatigue and lingering nausea for the last week. And her period was MIA.
She plastered on a smile as she gazed around nonchalantly and then, confident no one was looking her way, dropped the small plastic cup filled with spiked red Jell-O into a hydrangea bush.
The sun beat down on her bare shoulders, and a fellow cheerleader on one of the O-line’s shoulders let out a shriek of laughter as she was knocked into the water by the whack of a pool noodle.
“Hey, Cam,” Tia said as she approached, handing her another Jell-O shot.Great.Her friend tipped her head back and used her tongue to scoop out the shot, and then swallowed and grinned.
“Here, have mine too,” Cami said. “I’m not feeling it.”
Tia’s brows dipped, and she peered more closely at Cami. “Are you okay?” Tia asked, adjusting her bikini top that had ridden up. “You do look slightly green.”
Cami gave her a halfhearted smile and stepped to the side to avoid the incoming tsunami caused by a linebacker who’d just cannonballedinto the deep end. “I’m fine. I think I just ate something that didn’t agree with me.”
“I hope it wasn’t one of the hot dogs. I saw Ray drop half the package on the ground, and then throw them on the grill anyway. He assured me ‘fire cleanses.’” She did air quotes and rolled her eyes.
Cami barely suppressed a grimace as she looked away. The talk of hot dogs had notched her nausea up at least a few levels. A couple more and Tia’s French pedicure would be covered in vomit. “I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be back.”
“Okay—”
Cami dipped around a group of guys goofing about near the covered patio and headed for the pool house. “Hey, Cam, what’s the rush?” Kent, the team’s fullback, asked, his head tilting as he leaned to the side to make a show of checking out her ass.
“Secret mission. I’m not at liberty to discuss it,” she shot over her shoulder with a flirty wink.
“Sounds hot.” His laugh drifted behind her as she turned into the air-conditioned space.
She walked to the bathroom at the back and locked the door behind her. “Damn,” she muttered when she found that her period wasstillMIA. “Don’t panic.” There might be other explanations than the one she was most worried about. Cheerleading practice had been intense lately, and she’d been working out more than usual. Plus, finals were coming up, and she’d been stressed. Her dad expected her to maintain a 4.0 GPA on top of all her extracurriculars, which—back to current concerns—included sex with her boyfriend for an entire weekend last month when his parents were away on business. She’d lied to her mom and dad and told them she was sleeping over at Tia’s.
She’d gone on the pill, though, and she hadn’t missed one. She’d protected herself. She’d beensmart.
So where the hell is my period?
Cami washed her hands and then grabbed the hand towel hanging next to the sink and stared at her reflection. Tia was right—she lookedlike she might have eaten an ant-covered hot dog.Oh God, don’t think of that food item.She pressed her lips together and pulled in a breath through her nose. Other than appearing a little peaked, as her mom would say, she looked like herself—glossy auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail, wide hazel eyes, and a face and body that had caught the attention of the star quarterback of their high school football team. Hollis Barclay III was arguably perfect—rich, gorgeous, and obviously headed for greatness—and Cami was the envy of all the girls in school, likely of all the girls in the small town of Aspen Cove, Virginia.
God, he’d freak if—
She tossed the towel aside and turned away from her reflection. Nope. She wasn’t going to spin out of control. This might be—it probablywas—a false alarm.
