Page 34 of Voracious

Bernadette stays sitting on the bed as I push myself to my feet and tackle their legs, feeling punch after punch landing on my side until they do their usual bullshit and bring more guys in to beat the shit out of me.

12

STACEY

“Is she okay?” I hear Aria ask as someone carries me upstairs – dogs barking behind us. “Is that blood?”

“What the fuck happened?” Ewan. His voice is faded, as if he’s a few steps behind us.

Barry’s voice is next. “She was attacked. I’ve given her Narcan, but she needs fluids. She’s both in shock and drugged.”

“Oh dear,” Aria replies, hurrying after us.

Barry isn’t waiting around – my head flops as he takes two steps at a time.

“Second floor. My office – I have all the supplies in there.”

When I open my eyes, I can see the details of the wallpaper, the swirls of white and sage, the family portraits that line the main stairway that dominates the manor.

Relief fills me that it wasn’t all a dream, and Barry really is carrying me through the manor. That I did see Kade. He’s alive, but I can’t remember if he was okay. Was he? Did they hurt him when we left the airport?

I can smell him – the rich fragrance of his aftershave – but it’s mixed with the tang of copper, and I can faintly taste vomit at the back of my throat. I lift my hand to my face to shield against a blinding light as we get to the second floor.

My breath hitches, and I startle myself when I notice my bloody hands.

I can hear the gurgling from Phil as I slashed his throat from behind, and when the other tried to pin me to the wall with his elbow, my reflexes won, and I stabbed the blade Chris slipped me right into his artery.

When I lost control and ended up with the largest one on top of me, ripping my dress down the middle, I kept stabbing him until he went limp on me and fell from the bed. I think his blood hit my face too.

Did I actually do that? Did I imagine it all? Dream it?

Am I dead? Did I kill them?

My stomach recoils, and Barry turns me just in time for me to vomit all over the floor – yellow bile spilling from my mouth and burning my nostrils and eyes. My stomach twists in revulsion at the thought of having three people’s blood all over me.

I wipe my mouth with my sleeve and notice I’m wearing a suit jacket.

My mind works for a second – Kade covered me. Wait, my dress is ripped. Did they touch me?

Barry holds me closer again and walks us to Aria’s office. It’s dark, the sun just starting to rise over the Munros in the distance. She clicks on a lamp, and Ewan brings up towels, a bottle of water and a pile of Luciella’s clothes.

Barry sets me down on a soft couch, and I close my eyes again, needing sleep, needing to escape, needing to forget the past twenty-four hours.

Then my eyes ping open. “Where is he?”

Barry stops typing on his phone. “Who?”

“Chris… Did you catch him?”

His eyes narrow. “You need to tell me who Chris is.”

I try to sit up, but get dizzy and lie back down again as Aria tells me to relax.

Blinking, Barry frowns and folds his arms while Aria sinks a needle into my arm, connecting IV fluids to a stand and checking it over. “Was Chris the one with you last night? The one who said you were his girlfriend and told me to fuck off?”

I somehow nod, my lip trembling. “Yes. He’s not my boyfriend.” But before I can say anything, my stomach twists again, and I tip to vomit into a paper bowl Ewan holds up for me.

A hand towel wipes at my face and mouth, and I lift my gaze to see Aria giving me a warm smile. “You’re okay, sweetheart.” She looks at Barry. “I think we should let her rest, and then you can give her twenty questions.”

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