Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
“Gotta go, guys. We’ll figure everything out. Pretty sure you know these kids’ parents. I’ll supervise whatever needs to be done.”
“Go on, I’ll handle Ace. Then drive your mother to town,” Dad offers. That leaves me with telling Liam my ass will be with him.
“Someone will get Case for me?”
“Without a doubt,” Trey pipes in. I nod, turn on my heel, and catch up with Liam.
“Ridin’ with you. Don’t give a fuck what you have to say. No way am I hanging back. Not when that’s Sutton’s address and Shane is who he is.” Liam doesn’t say anything for a beat.
“You gonna keep your cool and not go off half-cocked, you can ride with me. You do something stupid, like beat a person…” We’re at the doors to his SUV.
“Understood.” At this point, I’ll do whatever the fuck it takes in order to make sure Sutton is okay.
“I’d hate for it to be your ass behind bars.” Liam puts the vehicle in Drive, hits the sirens, the lights are on already, and he’s pushing the SUV to its limits the entire way to Sutton’s place. Never in my life did I ever hate living this far out of town until today. The need to be the one driving and taking over consumes me as much as the rage and worry swirling through my system. I swear to god, Shane Sullivan is a dead man walking.
NINE
SUTTON
My whole body feels numb. I also feel warm and cocooned inside a bubble. I squirm, trying to become aware of my surroundings. I’m not at home; the smell of antiseptic, a beeping sound, and hushed voices tell me that. The last thing I remember is the sirens blaring, being lifted onto a gurney, and then everything went dark. My body must have gone into fight-or-flight mode yet again.
“Shhh, rest, baby. You’re okay.” The voice is of a man I least expect. I’m not sure why; he and his family have done more for me than anyone besides my mom did. God, how I miss her. She was so strong and brave, unlike the woman I’ve been lately. It figures the day I find a version of my own, my life turns to shit, and I almost met her on the other side. Thank god I didn’t. I still have so much left to do in life.
“Ry,” I croak, my voice breaking at the end. I try to open my eyes, but they’re too heavy, or the drugs they gave me are too damn strong.
“Sutton, breathe for me.” It’s then I realize my chest is heaving. The drugs aren’t strong enough to numb all of the pain, and if I keep it up, I’m going to have a panic attack next. “There you go. You’re getting there.” Through each soft-spoken word, Ryland is holding my hand in his and the other is cupping my cheek. It takes a few more breaths for me to calm down. The tenderness and soreness in my ribs are still there, but it’s a dull throb.
“Ryland,” I say his name again, blinking my eyes, trying to get them to open. Another worry pops up in my head. What if Shane did more damage than I thought? Could I be blind? Obviously, my ribs are bruised badly. My whole body feels like it went ten rounds with Mike Tyson, which makes me worry if I have an ear or not. I lift my hand that isn’t held, attempting to feel the side of my head.
“Don’t touch, Sutton. You’ve got medicine there as well as a few bandages.” Instead of dropping my hand back to where it lay, Ryland holds it up to his lips and presses a kiss to my knuckles. This I need to see. Plus, I’m sure I’ve missed out on a whole heck of a lot.
“Water?” I ask. My throat is dry, and when I’m finally able to open my eyes, I can manage nothing more than slits.
“Gotta wait on the doctor, Sutton.” Ryland must use his foot to drag the chair closer to the edge of my bed. There’s a light screech, and he’s yet to let go of me in some way, shape, or form.
“Ugh.” I lift my head up for a moment only to drop it back down. “Ouch.” I wrinkle my nose. I’m not liking this at all. There’s so much I need to do. There’s my boss I need to call, my house I need to get back to even if I’m scared shitless. There are valuables I really don’t want Shane to get ahold of. Then there’s my class I’m meant to be at tonight.
“Easy, baby. We don’t need you hurting yourself more. Now, I’m going to step outside and grab a nurse. Will you be okay for a minute?” I don’t respond. My body is locking down, my grip in his hand tightens, and that must be all the answer he needs. “Alright, I’ll sit right here. Mom should be here in a little bit. She had to go to the store for a few things. We’ll sit back for a spell and talk about anything and everything. Alright?”