Page 68 of On The Run

The cop didn’t bother asking me what I meant. He just pulled out his phone. My eyes closed. The heat was blasting in the car and the blanket felt cozy, but I wasn’t getting any warmer. Why? I just wanted to stop freezing.

“Aiden?” My head snapped toward the cop. How the fuck did he know my name.

“Aiden, do you know a man named Kai Rinaldi?”

Kai? Holy fuck, he did it. Max did it. He found the number and got in touch with Sage. Were they close? Was Max with them? There were so many questions I’d never be able to formulate. Instead, I started sobbing and nodding my head furiously.

“Aiden, breathe, please. I’m taking you to a hospital. Kai knows one that will be safe for you. He’s coming.” Oh shit. Fuck. I was going to be ok. I’d be ok. “He said to tell you Pops is safe. He’ll be ok.”

I sobbed harder. Pops was ok. He was alive. Whatever Giovani did to him, he survived because he was a fucking fighter and he taught his son how to be one too. “And he also told me to tell you that Max is here with him. He’ll meet you at the hospital.”

That was exactly what I needed to hear. All the fight left me then. I did my part. My people were safe. Max was on his way to me. I didn’t miss my chance. I would be able to tell him all of my hopes and dreams of a future with him. I was getting my second chance at a real life.

I slumped against the back seat, and everything went black.

PartThree

Chapter30

Aiden

Wakingup in the hospital sucked. Unfortunately, it wasn't my first time, and it was always the same fucking person that put me here. Just like last time, my eyes fluttered open when I could no longer ignore the incessant beeping. They felt heavy, and keeping them open was a struggle, but I couldn’t close them again. Not now that I was awake and aware enough to have a conscious thought. I wasn’t going back into the dark, not without a fight.

I turned my head to the side, trying to take in my surroundings, but the motion was slow and awkward, and everything was blurry. And I was thirsty. So fucking thirsty.

I was able to make out a vague shape to the right of me that I was pretty sure was a person. “Water,” I managed to croak. Did my voice really sound that rough, or was it just off to my ears?

The vague shape started to move and then something cold and cool was touching my tongue. “Sorry,tokki, ice chips are the best I can do.” The relief was instant, so I didn’t care what it was. The burn eased in my throat, though not completely.

Something about the voice was familiar, warm, and comforting. I wasn’t able to piece enough together to place the name that came with it, but I knew I was safe with him.

“T-Thanks,” I choked out.

Something touched my hair. A hand. “Shh. Get some rest,tokki. I’ll be here when you wake up again.”

I smiled. Or at least, I think I did. It was hard to tell if my mouth actually made the motions, but I hoped so because I wanted that voice and the man attached to it to know how much I wanted him to be here the next time I woke.

Shivers tore through my body. I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees, huddling as close as possible in an attempt to stay warm. It did nothing to ease the bone-breaking chill. If anything, it made it worse. My teeth were chattering so hard, I thought they may break, but I couldn’t stop it. Nothing I did was getting me any warmer.

I needed to move. If I stayed here, I would freeze to death. I tried to stand, but I was too weak. An invisible force held me down, laughing at me every time I attempted to stand. I started to crawl. Each movement was sluggish, like fighting through molasses, but I kept going.

A stabbing pain shot through my hand and up my wrist. With a cry, I sat back on my knees and looked at it. Blood poured down from an open wound in my palm. A jagged piece of glass protruded out of the cut. I pulled it out and tried to move again. The floor was covered in glass. There wasn’t an open spot in sight.

Tears threatened to spill, but something told me I had to keep moving. I crawled forward. Glass crunched under my palms and my knees as I did. It was excruciating as I cut myself up over and over again. I didn’t know why, but I knew staying would be worse. That the only way to survive was to keep crawling. I pushed forward.

I clenched my jaw, blocking the pain from my mind. I made it about three more steps when something cold and wet hit my neck. I looked up just in time to see a torrent of rain pouring down out of nowhere. It didn’t make sense. Wasn’t I inside? But the ice-cold rain continued to beat down on me, soaking me. Water dripped from my hair and into my eyes. It made my grip on the glass-filled floor tenuous, and I kept slipping.

“Keep going,tokki. You’re almost there.”

That voice. I recognized that voice. It promised safety and comfort. Warmth. I kept crawling forward, toward the sound.

“That’s it,tokki. Just keep going. I know it’s painful, love, but you’re almost there. You got this. Just keep going.”

I crawled forward as fast as I could, but as I got closer, it sounded farther and farther away. The exit that seemed like it was just in sight was still miles away. I was slipping on the glass, and it was impossible to stay on all fours. I lay on my belly, ignoring the pain all down my torso as the rough glass bit into my body. I army crawled forward, but I wasn’t moving anywhere. I was stuck.

“Please!” I cried. I tried screaming, but it was barely a whimper.

“Tokki. Aiden. Keep going.”