Page 3 of Red Queen (Red Thorns Crew 3)

“Now.”

He put his hand on my shoulder. “She’s gone, Max.”

I gripped his wrist. “You’ll be the next one in that pool if you don’t fucking do as I ask. Now, breathe!”

Stayin’ alive. Stayin’ alive. Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah.

With every pump of my hands, I saw my life slipping away. I felt my future falling to the wayside. Everything I’d ever held dear was right in front of me, and I couldn't save her. I couldn’t get her to breathe. Panic gripped my voice. Rupert and I fell into a rhythm that seemed to grow less and less useful as time ticked by.

Three minutes without air.

Four minutes without air.

“Max, we need to--”

I growled. “Breathe.”

“Max, you have to stop.”

“Damn it, Dani. Breathe!”

Rupert wrapped his arm around my neck. “Max, get back.”

“Dani, breathe! Breathe, please!”

“Come here. Max. You have to--”

I struggled to get away from his grasp. I raked my nails down his forearm and heard him hiss. But he didn’t relinquish me. I watched Dani slip further away from me, growing smaller as Rupert pulled me back.

“We have to call the guys,” he whispered.

I shook my head. “No.”

“We have to make sure she--”

“No!” I shrieked. Never in my life had I ever heard that sound come out of my face. A desperate, wanton plea for him to shut the absolute fuck up. I ripped away from his grasp and rushed back to Dani’s side. I slid her hair off to the side, gazing into her doll-like face.

Then I dipped my lips to her ear.

“I know you can hear me. I know you’re a fighter. And I’m begging you, on my knees--with everything I am--I need you to wake up.”

I threaded my fingers back together and pressed my palms back into the same place. I heard Rupert coming back for me as I started pressing harder. Faster. As quickly as my body could work. I fought with Rupert. I kept knocking his hands away from me. And as I bent down to breathe life into her body once more, I felt him fist my shirt.

“Max, don’t make me do this.”

I drew in a deep breath. “Wake the fuck up!”

I slammed my open palms against her chest in frustration. I wanted to cry out to the earth and curse its existence. Why? Why in the world did things have to go like this tonight? Why was I born to such a fucking maniac? Why did I have to lead this kind of a life? Why did Dani have to pay this price for--

“Max!”

I growled. “What?”

“Look.”

The first thing I felt was water splashing against my face. And the second thing that happened were my ears twitching. I heard coughing and sputtering. I felt the body beneath me writhing in pain. Broken moans combined with guttural coughs sounded against my eardrums as my eyes looked up to Dani’s face.

A face with its eyes open.

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