Page 51 of Make Her Bleed
"Where am I?" she asks softly.
"The hospital. That should be obvious," I hiss, more irritated at the situation itself than with her. She can't see and the only clue would've been Nurse Jane.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Why?" I gape at her, stunned by her question.
"You could've just left me there or called whoever helped me after the accident but you brought me here. Why?"
Why? How the fuck am I supposed to explain that my ever-absent conscience wants her to live? That I can't just let her die?
"Yeah, I could've. Be grateful that I didn't let you bleed out." I avoid answering the question.
I'm not angry at her but at myself. I'm the one who couldn't just leave her there. I can't explain that Teigan's memory pushed me to bring her here.
That would make her think I'm anything but an unfeeling demon. It's dangerous for her to believe otherwise. After all, I am the reason she's about to go into surgery.
"You didn't want me to die," she says as if she can read my mind. "Why is it so hard for you to admit you want or don't want something when it doesn't make you look like a psycho?"
Why? Isn't that the million-dollar question?
"What makes you so certain I actuallywantyou alive?" I try to keep my voice level but even I hear the tension clear in my tone.
"If you didn't, I'd be dead right now. You would've left me on the side of the highway after the accident. You just want me to be afraid that you might actually kill me but I know you won't. The fear you see in me is for pain, not death. You lost your head when you threw me down the stairs but if I'd died, you wouldn't have been able to forgive yourself, would you?"
My arms shake as I stare down at her. Emotions I consistently avoid run through me at her accusation.
Could I have let her die? Would I have grieved her? I guess I'll never know.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
ROWE
The tick I always have in my jaw from anger that I bottle up is more prominent today. I see it as I wash my hands in the bathroom after suiting up in my gear for football practice.
The guys and I have all bombarded Kai with texts about his absence but we've heard nothing back.
The other guys have been gossiping about what could be going on but I haven't made a single peep.
Kai made his stance perfectly clear. Knox fucked up by trying to push the boundaries Kai set up and of all people, Aria suffered for it.
I wanted to beat the shit out of them when I saw her tumble down the stairs, like a sack of bricks. Knox and Kai.
We're all smart enough to know we can't touch Kai, though.
We can't save her from him, even though I desperately want to. I want to put her in my car and drive off. Take her to the east coast where my aunt and uncle are before hopping on a plane to whatever country she wants.
We wouldn't make it far.
"Any word?" Knox asks as I grab my helmet and push past him, leaving the locker room silently. "Dude! What is your problem?"
He follows me into the hallway but luckily, it's empty. I drop my helmet and turn to him.
"You want to know what my problem is, Ward? You're my fucking problem," I growl with anger. "You couldn't leave it alone, could you? You had to push and now, you know what? She's the one suffering for your stupidity. You challenged him, and he's taking it out on her." I push my hands against his chest and shove him into the wall.
"Fuck off, man. You think we aren't all fucked up about this?" He pushes back and I grab him by his throat, pinning him against the wall.
"Yes, we're all fucked up but you seem to be the only one who isn't grasping that Kai is not going to answer. Why, because he's busy torturing her because of you. You poked the fucking bear, Ward, and now she has to deal with the claws!"
