“I need you to clean up this putrid mess!” Amber points to the body lying closest to the wall, a man who obviously wet himself. A putrid yellow puddle forms around his body, but since he’s unconscious, he doesn’t know.
But without fail, my stomach lurches, and I swallow it back. “It would be my pleasure,” I say.
She laughs at me in the snide manner that suits her so well. “I’m sure he doesn’t miss you one bit. He never could keep his pants on.” She tosses me a napkin and leaves.
A passionate, angry retort bubbles up within me, but I refuse to give in to her rude behavior. I unfold the napkin and throw it on the urine, watching it soak up. Then I grab a sheet and start scrubbing while holding my breath so I don’t puke on this poor man. I try to push his body aside to clean under him, but he’s too heavy and he just moans.
Three guards slam through the door and swarm the man I’m cleaning. They shove me out of the way as Bruno enters behind them. Their eyes narrow into slits and their mouths pull down at the corners.
“Leave,” Bruno whispers in my ear.
“What?” I ask.
One of the guards pulls out his pistol, pushes it against the man’s temple, and executes him—right there on the floor. A scream catches in my throat as Bruno shields me. They stomp heavily out and leave his body lying there in a mix of crimson blood and urine.
As soon as they pass, I crumble on the floor, gasping for air. My ears ring with the explosive sound of the gun. The image of the patient’s body, the bodies in the street, and Claire on the platform bleeding her life away grasp at every thread of sanity I own.
“It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay,” Bruno says. He kneels down next to me.
It’ll never be okay as long as I’m here. I want to scream at him.
“It’s seven. Let’s go… but first you need to snap out of it so we can walk out of here. I’m not carrying your ass.” He pulls me up and brushes me off with worry etched on his face. His large eyes give nothing away, but I sense anger. I wonder if he’s as bothered as I am over the deaths of innocent people.
Straightening my back and wiping my face, I enter the hallway. Amber stands at the nurse’s station, flirting with Zane. She didn’t need me to clean the room; she just wanted to humiliate me. The way she smiles and flips her hair makes me want to go psycho and overturn the huge desk in front of her. I seethe under my skin and give her the nastiest look I can muster.
Bruno walks beside me and we ride silently in the elevator.
I stumble through the parking lot, unaware of my surroundings while deep in thought.
“Someone’s back early,” Bruno says.
CHAPTER 13
Our eyes meet and it feels like time freezes. The ball cap Cole’s wearing doesn’t hide his bloodshot, pained eyes as he motions for us to get in. My stomach drops. He’s leaving me. I know it now. My heart shatters within me and it takes all my strength to climb in and secure myself. I’ll never survive this… never breathe again without him.
As soon as we clear the guard checkpoint, he peels out into the streets. The sun’s falling behind the walls and the moon begins to show its full white face. The heavy moisture in the air is as thick here as in the hospital.
We travel in silence. Only Zeus’s subdued kisses distract me from my inner turmoil. I gave him my heart when I wrote that letter. I was such a fool to imagine we could’ve had anything… such an idiot for thinking he’d accept me for the battered girl I am.
Not once does he glance in his rearview to look or even speak to me. But I stare at him. His jaw clenches and his knuckles are white on the steering wheel. Oh God, he probably doesn’t want to tell me he caught Keegan. My hands ball into fists. Don’t cry. Please don’t cry.
Cole parks the Jeep in the garage and Bruno gives him a sympathetic look before leaving.
I dread the silence as he leads me to our building. The fence still leans into the street, looking warped from the pressure of the crowd this morning. The heavy metal tanks park along the curb, and the makeshift checkpoint is thriving as people go back to their quarters. A crude area has been set up to load bodies from the explosion and some of the citizens add more to the pile. A large lantern grossly lights them. The sun disappears, leaving darkness except for the lights the guards carry and the red burning of cigarettes.
Zeus nudges the back of my knee, pushing me along. The little energy I have left drags my corpse up the stairs and into his room, ready for Cole to say he’s done with me.
But he doesn’t.
Instead, he runs his hand down my face, wiping the tears as they pour down my cheeks. Looking into his face, I sense his anger, yet I see compassion in his eyes. The way he cradles my face with his hands and kisses the top of my head only confuses me.
“Did—did you find Keegan?” I ask. I can’t stand here until I know the truth.
“I did…”
“Oh God!” I pull his hand away from my face and looking down.
“I couldn’t do it.” His husky voice belies his feelings, and I glance up with hope.
“Wait, you found him and you didn’t arrest him?” I can’t let it go until I know Keegan’s safe, regardless of his offense.
He sighs, looking frustrated, and then puts his hands on his head. “I wasn’t strong enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“I knew where he was hiding, but all I could think about was how much I’d hurt you if I turned him in.”
Three knocks on the door cause us both to jump. I step back and wipe my eyes as Cole opens the door.
“Seriously, what the hell do you want?” Cole asks.
I peek around Cole and see Crazy Bill drunk as a skunk, leaning on the doorframe and staring at Cole.
“You’re definitely not Melinda,” Crazy Bill says. “I thought this place looked different.”
Cole shakes his head and grunts. “You’re something else, you know that? Let me show you to the exit.” He looks back at me and rolls his eyes. “Be right back.”
“Okay,” I say.
The suspense is killing me. I try to find my bearings as I wait for him to return and continue our conversation. I need to know what happened to Keegan. Did my stepfather make him leave or did he leave of his own accord? I need Cole to reassure me that everything will be okay, but I’m afraid he’ll reject me… even though he should. I shuffle backward until my back finds the wall for support, glancing at the ceiling as tears overflow from my eyes.
Cole returns, opening the door carefully, as if he’s afraid to disturb me. “Tell me. What do you need me to do?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how to make it better. My stepfather—”
“I swear to God if I ever see that bastard, I’ll kill him.” Cole locks the door behind him and slams his fists into the door.
I start to sob. My lungs gasp for air as the room seems to strangle me.
“Come here,” he says. My legs won’t move so he rushes over and pulls me into his chest, securing me with his arms. “I’m so sorry. I’ll never let him hurt you again. Ever.”
My knees give way and he swoops me into his arms, carrying me to his bed and holding me tight. His smell, oh my God, his smell is enough to make my head spin. He didn’t kill my brother and he’s here… here with me. My skin burns with the need for him. My entire body aches just being this close and not giving in to the desires I know we both have.
He wipes away my tears with his calloused hand and kisses my forehead. “Here, this might make you feel better.” He pulls something small out of his pocket, takes my right hand, and slides a gold band down my index finger. Instantly, I recognize it and my heart collapses with gratitude and shock. I thought the Hole would strip the humanity from everyone who was forced to endure this purgatory, but I’m reminded, once again, that love can exist anywhere regardless of the circumstances.