Page 104 of Fearless

New men arrive, and my heart drops into my feet that they’ll see her broken and weak and continue with her.

But thankfully, two new women stumble into the room and steal their attention.

Time slows to a stop as I wait for her to move. But eventually, she rolls onto her side and coughs, spitting out a glob of fuck knows what before she opens her eyes and looks right at me.

Something passes between us.

Understanding maybe.

I might not be out there being hurt, but I’ve experienced what she’s feeling right now.

The pain.

I have felt that pain so keenly in the past that it breaks my heart to see someone else suffer the same.

Her movements are hesitant and gentle, but eventually, she manages to get to her feet and leave the podium behind.

The second she gets to the curtain, she stumbles forward, using it to keep her up.

Slipping from my hiding place, I run around to where she is.

I stop in front of her, unsure if she’ll want my support or not.

Her eyes lock on my feet and I swear I stop breathing as she lifts her head, taking in every inch of me.

All the air comes rushing out of my lungs when our eyes collide.

Hers are dark and bloodshot. Her pupils are blown wide, hinting that she’s already high on something.

Whatever she’s taken, it’s probably the only thing fueling her right now.

Her lips part, but the words don’t come.

She fights to say something.

I’m about to tell her that it’s okay and demand she take me wherever she’s going when she finally speaks.

“How did you find us?”

25

ALANA

All I can hear is my own heart pounding in my ears as I repeat her whispered words over and over.

“Us?” I finally breathe.

She shakes her head, wrapping her thin arms around her battered and broken body.

“You need to leave,” she says, taking a hesitant step forward.

“No, wait,” I say in panic, reaching out to grab her arm.

She’s so thin and frail that I release her almost instantly, afraid that I’m going to hurt her more than she already is.

“Who is us?”

“Alana,” she warns.

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