Page 102 of Puck Lust

She purses her lips.

“Carter,” a voice calls out.

I turn to see Sam running into the room with Brixton right behind him. “Is he okay? Have you heard anything yet?”

I shake my head. “They won’t give me any information.”

Sam turns his attention to the nurse. “Listen, we’re the only family he has. You have to let us see him.”

She sighs and motions for us to follow her into a corner where she speaks in a hushed voice. “He’s in surgery right now. He came in with a gunshot wound and lost a lot of blood, so the doctors are working on repairing his arm. The airbag prevented him from going through the windshield, but when it deployed, it knocked his head against the window, giving him a brain contusion. We need to see how things look when he wakes up in a few hours.”

She leans toward me and drops her voice to a whisper. “And for the record, I just saw a video on Reddit of you two kissing, so I know he’s really not your brother. But I’ll keep your secret and make sure to keep you both posted.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

She walks back behind the desk and I pace in front of the row of chairs.

“I can’t believe this is happening. How the hell did he get shot? Where did he go after that press conference?”

Sam shakes his head. “I have no idea. I tried calling him after he took off, but he didn’t answer.”

“He was in a bad area of Oakland,” Brixton says, shaking his head at his phone screen before he turns it to show us another social media post.

A chill slips down my spine. “But why? What could he possibly be doing there? Alone? Why didn’t he…?” I swallow hard, my voice trailing off.

Because I know the answer to my own question.

He didn’t tell me where he was going or what he was doing because in his mind, it’s over between us. I lost my right to know, to help him, and to support him.

“You know how headstrong Jack is. Whatever he did, wherever he went, he had a reason. Let’s just be thankful it wasn’t worse.”

I start pacing again. “Goddammit, he’s hurt and it may be really bad. He should have told me. I could have helped.”

“And you might have gotten yourself shot, too.” Sam clasps a hand on my shoulder. “I know you’re beating yourself up right now but stop. It won’t help Jack.”

“I messed up so badly. He hates me, maybe worse now than he ever did before.” I scrape a hand down the front of my face. “I tried to tell him how I feel after the conference but he didn’t care.”

“I never told you it would be easy to win his forgiveness.”

“I won’t ever stop trying,” I say.

Sam nods. “Good, because he needs someone who’s willing to fight for him like nobody else ever has. Prove to him that you’re that person.”

“I will.”

Because I can’t lose him again. I won’t survive.

And when he wakes up, I will find a way to make him believe that.

THIRTY-SEVEN

jack

The pain hitslike a strike of lightning before I even crack open my eyes. Everything fucking hurts.

I part my dry lips to let out a moan. My mouth is so dry, it feels like it’s full of sand and cotton and chewed-up Saltines.

“Ahh,” I yelp, bringing a hand to my bandaged head. “What the hell happened?”

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