Page 118 of When We Fall: Part Two
My voice finally broke until it was hoarse and barely audible.
“Foxy. Fox,” I continued weakly. “Please. Foxy…”
“Easy, easy,” Ryder said, putting me into the backseat. He crawled into the back with me, holding me as I rocked myself.
My fingers and lips were numb. I was sick. I was going to die. If this were real, I was going to die too.
“You have to breathe, pretty girl,” Ryder said gently. “I need you to breathe. Evenly. Deep breaths. Come on, red, I know it hurts. Fuck.” He held me tighter. “You need to be OK. Please. Breathe. Anson will be here soon. He’ll be here to help.”
I rocked faster, my head spinning.
There was no way. Fox was upstairs. He was coming home. This was just a bad dream. He was sharing a room with Ethan. He promised. He promised me he’d never leave.
Maybe he was already home. He was waiting for me. He was running us a bubble bath. We’d watch a movie when I got there…
The door opened as I continued to rock and breathe fast.
Ryder released me, and another set of warm arms replaced his as Anson slid in next to me.
“A-Ani. F-Foxy is OK, right?” I choked out. “He-He’s upstairs with Ethan, right? He’s at home, waiting?”
“Oh, baby,” Anson said, his voice strangled. “Rosalie. Please. Your voice. Fuck, baby.”
“Tell me. Tell me Foxy is waiting for me.”
“LeeLee, baby, Fox is gone. He’s gone. He-He died.” He gripped my face and forced me to look into his eyes. “He’s gone.”
“No. No. No,” I rasped out weakly, shaking violently. “No. NO! NO! NO!”
Anson tried to hold me, but I fought against him. My fists hit any part of him I could, but he wouldn’t relent.
“I want him! I want Fox! I WANT FOX!”
Anson let out a soft sob as Ryder turned in the driver’s seat and fought with me, trying to hold me as Anson drew up meds in a syringe.
“No. No! NO! Don’t. I want Fox. I want Fox. He’s here. I know he is!” My voice wasn’t there. It was a weak whisper as my chest heaved. I was going to die. I was going to die and find him. Dominic flooded my mind. Maybe if I did what he did, Foxy would come back.
He’d come back.
He promised.
The pinprick met my skin, and within moments, the familiar warmth of being drugged filled my senses. I blinked at the tears rapidly, my heart shattered.
“Fox,” I whimpered weakly, my body going limp in Anson’s arms. A tear slid out of my eye. “Foxy…”
Anson hugged me fiercely against his chest.
“It’ll be OK. I promise,” he managed to say. “Fuck, please be OK.”
The darkness made everything OK.
Maybe I’d find Fox within it.
I let go and allowed it to take over, saying a prayer that I was really waking up from a nightmare and not about to slip into a bigger one.
THIRTY-SIX
COLE
