Page 257 of Keep This Promise
“So, you’rehim? The guy Ryan warned us about?”
“Yes, I am . . .him. So ridiculous that I had to use my husband’s name when I was dealing with people, but alas, women and men have gender bias issues.”
What I don’t understand still is how she went from helping runaways to this. When did it become about more? “Kate, all of this is horrible, but what you did isn’t better than letting them die on the streets. You were selling these girls.”
She shakes her head. “No, we were giving them a roof over their heads and letting them do what they were doing before. Our organization offers options. They can get clean and work hard at a new life, or keep taking the drugs. Guess what they always choose . . .”
Of all the people in the world, she should be more aware of why that is their choice. She knows what happens when someone is addicted to drugs. It’s not a choice. It feels like a life sentence to them, and it’s our job to help them see otherwise. Still, right now, debating that won’t change anything, and I just need to help Sophie.
Sophie twitches, and I move toward her, but the gun moves to my back. “What did you give her?” I ask, looking at the woman I love.
“You want to save her, get me my money. I don’t give a shit about helping people anymore. I just want to disappear.”
“I don’t know what bank,” I explain again.
“So, you want to give up?”
“No, I don’t. All you said is there is an account number, so I’m . . . I’ll give you anything, but if you hurt Eden, or you don’t let me save Sophie, you get nothing, and you’ll just have to kill all of us and never see a penny. I’ll find that account, Kate, just don’t do this. Don’t hurt them.”
Kate’s eyes narrow, and she jerks her chin, which is when I feel the gun come away from my back. “If you call out, yell, or tell a soul, I’ll kill you. I’ll kill everyone you love. You have one hour to get the money into this account, Holden.” She hands me a slip of paper with a number on it. “I’ll text you what to give Sophie once I’m free of this building.”
She straightens herself and walks out. I rush to Sophie and gently roll her onto her back. Her lips are blue, her pupils are small, and her pulse is slow, she’s not breathing. I immediately start CPR and then wait to the count of fifteen, giving Kate time to escape before I yell for help.
“What happened?” Jackson is in the room in a heartbeat.
I don’t know what to say, so I just shake my head. “I need a crash cart! Hit the blue button there!”
He does, and the blue sirens blare, letting the hospital team know someone isn’t breathing. I keep doing chest compressions and breathe into her mouth. One, two, three, four, five. I count as I press the heel of my hand down.
Nurses flood into the room with the crash kit, and a second or two later, a bed is wheeled in. We lift her onto it, and then I straddle her hips, continuing CPR. “Do you know what happened?” asks a doctor I’ve never seen before as we roll Sophie out and then into another room.
“She was injected with something. There’s a puncture wound in her shoulder, and there is a second needle on the tray table next to Eden’s bed. I’m assuming whatever Sophie was injected with is the same as that.”
Jackson immediately turns and runs back out into the hallway shouting, “Guard Eden!”
“And you don’t have any idea what it is?”
I shake my head. “No! I went into Eden’s room, and Sophie was on the floor.” What would Kate use? Think, Holden. What were the toxicology reports on those girls? I go through the list of drugs. Some weren’t fatal, but they were always some form of an opioid. “Someone get Narcan!” I yell.
Within a few seconds, they are opening the tube and spraying it up her nose.
I keep pushing on her chest, forcing her heart to beat, focused only on saving her.
The nurse looks at the clock. “Dr. James, I can take over.”
Sweat is pouring down my forehead and burning my eyes, but I don’t stop. I don’t care that my breathing is labored. I need her. I love her. This is too fucking much.
“No, I have it,” I say, continuing to push against her heart.
“Two minutes,” she says.
“Be ready to dose her with Narcan again,” I instruct. “Wake up, Sophie. We didn’t find Eden only to lose you.”
“Are you sure it’s an opioid?” Dr. Gage, the ER doctor, asks.
“It has to be.”
It has to be. I need it to be because, if I’m wrong, she’s going to die.
