Page 22 of All In
Kacey stepped under the stream of water and shivered.
“Cold,” she murmured through clenched teeth. “It’s like rain. Cold rain.”
The water fell over her tangled hair and pale, goosefleshed skin. Her face crumpled, and her hands clutched her chest between her bare breasts, over her heart.
Here it comes,I thought. The worst. The lowest. The most excruciating. The demon king of pain. What I was too fucking scared to face myself.
“The rain,” Kacey whispered, the water dripping off her lips and chin. “Up at the Basin. I danced for him in the cold rain. I danced for him…”
She slowly slid down the tiles, collapsing to the shower floor. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rocked back and forth under the water. Great howling wails filled the small stall.
I stood frozen a moment, my chest tightened, my own grief trying to well up in an echo of hers.
I shut off the water, took a towel and bent into the shower to wrap it around her before lifting her up. She felt like nothing in my arms, yet she clung to me hard as I carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. I lifted Jonah’s glass orb out of the way and set it on its stand on a near-empty bookshelf.
I’m not going to let you down, bro,I vowed as I set it down, and curled up next to Kacey. I wrapped my arms around her and she clung to me.
She cried forever. Hours, maybe. I lost track of time, but just held her, stroked her wet, tangled hair, and rocked her gently.
“Is it over?” she said.
“Almost. You can sleep.”
I tucked her blankets tighter around her, watching as her breathing deepened. Her chest rose and fell in long, even waves. Even though her face was splotchy red and her closed eyes puffy, the tense edges of her expression had relaxed.
I exhaled from my bones, eased off the bed and left her to sleep. Leaving the bedroom door ajar, I staggered down the arrow-straight hallway to the couch. I could hardly keep my eyes open. Every muscle howled in protest as I sank into the ratty cushions.
“Holyshit,”I muttered, and then I was gone, but only for a few hours.
I shot awake in the deepest part of the night. Creeping into the bedroom, I found Kacey still sleeping on, deeply and peacefully, and I knew then that she’d be okay. She’d fought the hardest battle and come out the other side.
I lay back on the couch, covered my eyes with the arm, and let out another breath, this one loose and shaky.
That was a close call, bro,I told Jonah.But she made it. She fucking made it. You’d be so proud of her.
My thoughts began to scatter like beads of oil over water as sleep took me again.
Proud of Kacey. She loves you so much.
Loves you…
CHAPTER
SEVEN
I woke up feeling as if I’d been running for miles and miles—and months and months—chased by a monster that wanted to drown me. And now it was over. I’d won.
I lay on my back, my bones sinking into the mattress. Had it always felt this soft? A deep sigh gusted out of me, and I closed my eyes against the too-bright light filling the window of my bedroom. The last few days—three? Four?—were like some awful, twisted nightmare. I remembered it in bits and pieces, sweat-soaked and agonizing. My body felt wrung out, squeezed dry, and I suspected that if I tried to talk, my voice would be hoarse from screaming.
Teddy…
I’d screamed at Teddy. He had run from the monster with me, catching me when I stumbled, and helping me keep my feet. I fell down a hundred times, but without him, I don’t know that I would’ve gotten back up again. And last night, I’d been on the verge of shattering into a million pieces until I felt Theo’s arms around me, holding me together. I remembered the sound of his strong heart beating in my ear, and how afraid I was until he said, “I’m here.” And then I could sleep.
I climbed out of bed, my arms and legs full of lead, my head thudding in time with my pulse. In the living room, Theo lay on the couch, eyes closed. He was too big for my ratty old couch—one arm and one leg were dangling—but he lay deep asleep despite the shaft of sunlight slanting across him.
It felt a little intrusive, watching him sleep, but I couldn’t help it. I’d been alone for so long, and Theo had materialized out of thin air on Baronne Street all those nights ago. Profound gratitude that he was there, lying on my too-small couch, brought tears to my eyes. I brushed them away and felt the puffy skin. My hair fell around my shoulders in a rat’s nest and I stunk. Badly.
I retreated to my small bathroom. A small cry caught in my throat at the reflection in the mirror. I looked as if I’d been punched in both eyes and now had mild shiners. I touched the mess of my hair and wondered if I might have to cut it off.
