Page 65 of Deceit & Desire

“She won’t wake up, Rick,” he rasped, his voice broken. “I don’t?—”

His voice caught. My heart ached for him as he gathered himself and sucked in a shuddering breath, forcing himself to keep speaking.

“I don’t know what to do.”

I knelt beside him, shrugging off my jacket.

“She’s cold. We need to warm her up and get her some help. We should call an ambulance or something.” My words came out clipped and practical, but they felt hollow. Fear clawed at the edges of my control, threatening to break through.

Roman didn’t argue. He took my jacket with shaking hands, draping it over Zoe like it was the only thing tethering her to this world.

“How much help can we even get her out here?” he whispered, his voice raw. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, Rick. What if we don’t have forty-five minutes for an ambulance to get here? Look at her. What if—what if that’s too long?”

His words hung heavy in the air, a weight I couldn’t shake. Outside, the faint slam of Landon’s SUV door echoed, but inside, it was just us. Just the suffocating quiet. Just Zoe.

I didn’t have an answer. Couldn’t have one. My gaze dropped to her unmoving form, her unnatural stillness cutting through me like a knife. I’d seen tough moments before, but this—this was different. It was too quiet. Too still. And it left something sharp and heavy lodged in my chest.

The barn felt too small, the air too thick, the weight of everything unsaid pressing down on me. Roman’s grip on Zoe tightened, his fingers pressing against the fabric of my jacket like he could will her back to life. The flickering barn light cast pale shadows across her face, making her look even more fragile.

And God help me, I didn’t know if she’d open her eyes again.

Chapter26

The Bravest Person I Know

PLAYLIST: “ENDS OF THE EARTH” BY LORD HURON

ROMAN

The barn felt colderthan it should, even with the night air creeping in through the cracks in the old wood. My fingers trembled as I adjusted Rick’s jacket over Zoe’s shoulders, trying to shield her from the chill seeping into her skin. She was so still, her breathing shallow, and every second felt like it dragged an hour behind it.

I swallowed hard, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what to do. Zoe needed help—real help—and we couldn’t afford to wait for an ambulance to navigate the back roads out here.

Then it hit me.

“Rick,” I said, my voice sharp enough to snap him out of whatever storm was brewing in his head. He looked up from where he’d been pacing near the door, his hands flexing into fists like he needed something to punch. “Mr. Brandt—he’s got that live-in nurse, Miss Smith. Go get her. Now.”

Rick blinked, then nodded, already moving toward the door. “On it.”

I didn’t waste time watching him leave. My focus stayed on Zoe, my hand resting lightly against her cheek. Her skin was cold, but there was still a faint trace of warmth. That small mercy was the only thing keeping my panic at bay.

“C’mon, sweetheart,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You’ve gotta wake up. You hear me?”

Her eyelids didn’t even flutter.

I clenched my jaw, my throat tight as I shifted to cradle her closer. She’d been fine earlier. Tired, sure, but she was always trying to push herself too hard. Now, seeing her like this, so pale and fragile, it was like the world had flipped upside down, and I was scrambling for a way to set it right.

The barn door creaked behind me, and I turned, half-expecting Rick back already. But it was just the wind, the faint sound of Landon shouting at Cody carrying in from outside.

“Hold on, Zoe,” I whispered. “Rick’s getting help. Just hold on.”

The seconds felt like hours, each one dragging painfully by as I kept checking her breathing, whispering words I wasn’t sure she could hear. Then, in the distance, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed, and Rick’s voice rang out.

“I’ve got her!” he called, breathless.

Miss Smith followed close behind him, her bag slung over her shoulder and her expression calm but focused.

“Move,” she said briskly, kneeling beside us. “Tell me what happened.”

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