Page 105 of The Monster I Am
Three male police officers step past Dean Lannister, the lead one holding a pair of handcuffs as he marches toward me.
Before I even involuntarily try to dodge them, rough hands are grabbing me, shoving my hands behind my back as cool metal encloses around my wrists and binds them together.
“Wait!” I plead but a deep voice cuts me off, my eyes frantically searching for Archie. “Arch!”
I hear him yell my name, finally spotting him being detained by one of the other officers.
“Archie—Call Lark!” I manage to croak out before we’re dragged apart and I lose sight of him completely.
“Bexley Spencer, you are under arrest for the charge of battery against Ms. Olivia Winston.”
Chapter thirty-three
Hunter
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The incessant rhythmic beating should bring a sense of placidity, but all it does is cause my temple to twitch uncontrollably.
I can feel a migraine forming, my mood deteriorating rapidly while I try to ignore the pounding behind my eyes. It’s that disgusting smell again—the chemical odor that hovers permanently as if anyone needs a reminder that they are in a damn hospital.
Grabbing the side of my skull, I dig my fingers into my temple, partially aware that the action catches Tai’s attention. However, despite my silent request that he keeps his mouth shut, his exhausted voice floats over.
“You okay, H?”
“Fine,” I snap back quietly.
No, I’m not. And it’s a stupid question to ask. I have half a mind to call him out on his unnecessary question but that’s just me being a dick.
I’m exhausted. I now understand why Duchess jokes about caffeine IVs. Though, even that wouldn’t help my situation.
Sleep would possibly rectify my physical ailments but that is not an option when we’ve just endured a cataclysm of war.
So, yes. I’m unfortunately aware that I’m in a bad mood, but it’s completely justified. Therefore, I don’t give a fuck.
“Alright,” Tai murmurs, and I’m struck with a pang of guilt at his equally depleted tone. You know it’s bad when even the rambling Tai Beckett doesn’t push the point. Especially toward me.
We’ve been friends for that long that he’s one of the sole people on this earth whowouldcall me out for being a bastard or argue that I’m clearly not fine. Even he’s given up.
My eyes drift to the limp figure in the bed—the other individual who would tear my ass apart for my shitty behavior. That’s the only reason I’m not smashing the cunt of the machine that’s drilling into my skull.
Because it’s telling me he’s alive and kicking.
I nearly missed Tai’s phone call yesterday, mentally beating myself up for rolling my eyes when his name flashed across the screen. I was annoyed that he was interrupting when I’d be spending all damn night with him soon.A lovers’ retreathe had called it. Probably why I was scowling at the sight of his call.
Tai never misses an opportunity to make light of our little sharing situation. Well, to be fair, I started it after I made fun of him for missing our study session where Bexley became the educational topic. However, I’m pleased to report you can successfully override sleep deprivation with a good fucking.
We’ll call itscienceor some shit. Whatever works to defuse the situation since Bexley chewed us out the next morning. It was a good verbal smackdown, probably because it was the most rested I had seen her in weeks.
Yeah. You’re welcome.
I picked up the call anyway, ready to scold him, but before I could speak, I was silenced by his rattled tone asking if I had checked the tracker app.
Fifteen minutes later I was heatedly arguing with paramedics in the back of an ambulance, demanding they take the route to Ridgeview Medical Center instead of the public hospital while an unconscious, bleeding Rylan lay next to me.
I was closer than Tai, getting to the scene of the accident first. We were still on the phone, and I didn’t have it in me to relay what I was seeing. Tai already knew something was wrong after the app alerted him to a possible crash, but knowing andseeingare two very different things.
The mangled mess of metal, shower of broken glass, and stench of oil will replace my nightmares of fire and smoke for the foreseeable future.
