Page 94 of Crash
“What time is it?” I sniffed, wrapping my arms around his familiar form.
“I got the last flight,” he said, holding me tight. “It’spast one am.”
“I’m sorry, Ren must—”
“Don’t you worry aboutRen.She knows the score. Shit, she drove me to the airport herself.” He kissed the top of my head. “You wanna tell me about it?”
Pulling away, I sat beside him, staring out the window. Thinking back to all those books I’d read, none of them really did justice at describing how empty and broken I was feeling. I guess words were never enough to describe a pain so deep you felt like disappearing. It was almost like I was floating up in space in the infinite silence, waiting for a black hole to draw me in and take me to someplace far, far away, never to be seen again.
Right now, I didn’t see a way I could ever recover from this.
“Vee?”
I glanced at Ash and shrugged.
“Whenever you’re ready, squirt. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I went to his room,” I said after a few minutes of silence. “Josie gave me a key, and I was going to surprise him.” I snorted and shook my head, a few fat tears splashing on my lap. “There was another woman in his bed.”
“Fuck,” Ash cursed, his hands curling into tight fists. If he wanted to go punch on with Lincoln, I wasn’t going to stop him.
“It was Andrea. He was with her before me,” I muttered, staring out the window at the buildings beyond. “He screwed her a couple of times, but he said it didn’t mean anything.”
“Andrea?” he asked, looking absolutely enraged. “I warned him about her.I fuckin’ warned him.”
I glanced at my brother and shrugged. “What’s the point?”
“The point is he fuckin’ hurt you. I warned him, Vee. I warned him if he hurt you he’d have to deal with me.”
I stared at him blankly before saying, “I just want to go home.”
He took a deep breath and let it out in one long whoosh. “Have you eaten anything?”
I shook my head.
“You should eat something. I’m going to order us some room service,” he said, stroking my hair. “Then I’m going to book us on the next flight home.”
I nodded, my eyes feeling swollen and sore.
“Get some rest, okay? I’ll let you know when the food is here.”
Sinking down onto the bed, he pulled the covers over me and tucked me in like he had in the days after the attack…and the days before he was shipped off to prison.
I listened to him on the phone and wondered if the kitchen was still open, and when I heard him getting what sounded like one of everything from the menu, I guessed it was. Then he hung up and made another call.
“Josie.”
I closed my eyes and listened as Ash spoke with her. He’d tell her what happened and then she’d tell Lincoln where we were…
“I need you to book me and Violet on a flight back to Melbourne.” There was a pause as she replied. “Maybe you should ask him that. All I need is for you to get us home. Can you do that?” Another pause. “Good. Make it first class,” he said with a snort. “Book it on the asshole’s card. He owes her that at least.”
My phone vibrated in my hand, and I glanced at it absently. Lincoln’s name appeared at the top of a text message and despite myself my gaze ran over his words.
Vee, you need to let me talk to you. I didn’t know she was there. I hadn’t heard from her in ages. Don’t let her come between us.
The phone vibrated again and other text appeared.
I love you.
