Page 63 of Ky
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ky
So, getting the flowers back to the house had been both frustrating and hilarious. I only wished Chris could have seen it. I ended up putting them under my shirt and tucking the bottom into my pants, thankful that none of the stems had thorns. Because getting my junk pricked every time I shifted around probably wouldn’t have been worth it.
As I pulled up into the driveway I just hoped that I hadn’t crushed them too much.
I was giddy and nervous at the same time. And yes, I said giddy. Because that was how Chris made me feel sometimes. The thought of seeing him right then certainly did. I may not have wanted to admit it before, but I was completely ready to let it out now. I wasn’t going to let my insecurities and hesitation hold me back anymore. I was going all in. I only hoped I wasn’t too late.
I dismounted and breathed in the last fading light of the day as it tucked itself away.
Then I made my way up the stairs to the front of the house. As I unlocked the door and pushed it open, a stillness hit me right away. I looked back to make sure that his car was still in the driveway, and sure enough, it was. It wasn’t unusual for Ingram to take a nap at odd hours of the day, but Chris was usually up and hanging out somewhere.
I shrugged it off, thinking that maybe he went out for a late afternoon jog or surf. I’d make my way down to the beach if he wasn’t in the house.
The house was dark as I stepped inside. Something about that didn’t sit right with me. I closed the door behind me then moved further into the front hall, trying to remember where the switch for the light was. I fumbled around for the switch. I stepped closer to the wall and my boot slipped in something on the floor. My hands went out to brace myself on the wall, the flowers dropping to the floor and landing with an oddly loud crinkle sound. My hand connected with the switch and I flipped it with lightning speed. The light above me came on and I looked down to see what was spilled all over the floor.
“Chris!” I said on a sharp inhale as I dropped to my knees.
His eyes narrowed like he was trying to focus on me but couldn’t.
It was then that I realized that what I’d slipped on was blood—his blood. He had one hand firmly placed on the left side of his abdomen and the other one was wrapped around the side of his neck. Both hands were covered in blood.
“No, Chris, stay with me,” I said, panic slicing through my words. “Please, please. Don’t leave me. You’re going to be fine.”
I placed my hand over the one on his stomach. He groaned and his eyes fluttered closed. I whipped off my shirt and cut off in one quick move, then I carefully slid his hand out of the way so I could look at how bad the damage was on his stomach. Blood poured out of the gash and by the way the wound was, I could tell it had been made by a knife. I held the shirt over it with as much pressure as I could, hating that I was hurting him.
I needed something else to stop the bleeding on his neck. Fuck.
“Stay with me,” I whispered and his eyes opened and looked into mine.
I needed to call an ambulance. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I pulled out my phone, my hands were coated with blood and making it hard to grip and unlock it.
“Ingram,” Chris whispered and his eyes cut in the direction of the living room.
“No,” I said as I dropped my phone.
I had never been so torn in my life. Maybe that was a shitty thing to say given all the tough times that I’d had been forced to make a choice before. Like leaving Ingram, for one. But it was the truth.
“Save her, Ky,” he said in a whisper and I still didn’t move. “Go, now.” His words came out guttural and firm.
I jumped, got to my feet, and ran further into the house.
“I would stop right there if I were you, Kynaston.”
It had been years since I’d heard that voice, and though it was a bit worn and older sounding, there was no mistaking it.
“Ronald,” I grit out as my father came into view. “Mother, Timothy.” I greeted them with a disgusted tone.
“Where is she?” I barked as I looked around.
Where the fuck was Ingram? What had they done with her?
I was going to kill them. And I wasn’t even kidding.
“On her way to where she belongs. I am very, very unhappy that I had to leave and enter this filthy world to come and get her.”
Timothy spoke and I gritted my teeth at his every word. His arrogance was enough to make me want to choke the life out of him.
