Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Then I would have lost him.
I shook my head. Because as much as I loved his parents, saw what losing them had done to him . . . I wouldn’t have handled losing him. He thought he was dependent on me. I was missing a fucking limb if he wasn’t with me.
Dread blanketed me as I turned in to the road I used to turn in to every day. It felt cold all of a sudden. Driving down the road made my skin break out in bumps and ice trickle down my spine. Sensing it again, Sia kissed the back of my neck . . . right over the numbers that caused Hush so much pain.
I held my fucking breath as we entered the Durands’ property. The first thing I saw was the pile of wood that used to be their home. Sia’s hands tightened on my cut. My hands tightened on my handlebars. There was a truck parked off to the side.
Then I noticed a familiar pair of boots at the side of the house. I launched from my bike; Sia followed quickly behind. My feet ground to a halt when I rounded the corner.
A fucking wash of tears pricked at my eyes when I saw the scene before me. Hush, on the floor, beaten and fucking covered in mud, shivering . . . between two makeshift crosses.
Love doesn’t see color . . .
I turned my head away for a second and ran my hand through my hair. I fought the fucking iron fist that had just slammed into my chest and put a death grip on my heart.
“Hush,” Sia cried, her voice a damn pained whisper. “God, baby, what have you done?” She bent down and ran her hands over his beaten face. Her tears splashed onto his cheeks. Then she froze. I followed what had captured her attention. In his hand, Hush held a picture. The only picture we’d been able to salvage from the rubble before we’d hitched a ride on a passing truck and got the fuck out of town.
I heard Sia’s breath hitch. She took the picture from Hush’s hand and brought it to her chest. Her eyes closed as she cried. Cried for a couple she’d never known. Her shaking hands placed the picture safely in her pocket.
She almost fucking destroyed me. Because the Durands would have loved her. They’d have fucking taken her in just like they did me. She’d have gained them as her family too.
And she’d have loved them.
“Hush,” she whispered and pressed a kiss to his lips. Hush’s leg moved. I walked closer, waiting for him to move again. My blood felt like ice in my veins. Please fucking wake up. Please. “Hush?” Sia tried again. A low moan left Hush’s mouth. He was caked in mud. His lips were blue. I wasn’t sure if it was from the beating he’d taken, the cold, or both. Anger shot through me where I stood, as I thought over who could have hurt him. I wondered if he’d searched out Jase and the rest of the dipshits. Then—
“Sia?” a familiar voice croaked.
It was like coming fucking home.
Sia nodded, unable to speak through the tears. She guided his head to her lap. My eyes moved from my brother to the crosses that were hammered into the desecrated land. A fucking pained noise left my throat when I saw what he’d carved. Mamma. Papa.
He’d never been to see his mamma’s grave. And we had no idea what had been done with his papa. Thrown in with other people who had no one to claim them.
“What happened to you, baby?” Sia whispered. Hush’s eyes were open. Bloodshot, dull, and real fucking tired.
He tried to get up, but he had to hold onto his ribs. Sia looked back at me, her stunning face stricken with grief for my broken brother. My feet slowly moved me forward. I dropped down into the sludge of mud he lay in. His blue eyes found me, then he broke down. Sia held him tighter. The brother didn’t even complain if she was hurting him. Instead he hung onto her like she was the only thing keeping him alive. Sia cried as she held him. Held him in the place that was his fucking hell on earth.
Then a hand came out for me. Closing my eyes, I reached out and clutched Hush’s hand and fucking just held on.
Hush finally pulled away from Sia. He dropped my hand. I moved behind him and helped him sit up. There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t covered in mud. Hush’s breathing was shallow and pained. His disoriented eyes suddenly started searching all around him.
His photograph.
“Sia’s got it,” I said and watched him still. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“We need to get you clean and dry,” Sia said.