24. Cleo
Inever knew simply blinking my eyes could be painful. Every inch of my body hurts. I’ve only moved inches since Shawn left me. Inches is all I can muster but my phone is close. After he finished recording, he tossed it onto the sofa. It’s mere feet away, and now, I’m almost there.
When I reach it, I call Zeke. Yes, I could call Nitro but Zeke is the first person that’s come to mind. As the phone rings, I lay my head on the floor. The damn room is spinning.
“Cleo! Cleo!” Zeke answers, his voice frantic.
I open my mouth to reply. To tell him I’m okay, but I don’t even know if that’s the truth. No sound comes out. Just a hoarse whisper.
“I’m coming, baby!” he promises. “Fuck, I’m sorry!”
The phone disconnects but I know he’s on his way. I can hold on until he gets here. I force myself to stay awake, willing my eyes to stay open and only blinking when absolutely necessary. My breaths come as a wheezing noise, which can’t be good. All I want to do is sleep. I’m ready to give in when Zeke arrives. Shawn didn’t even bother to lock the door on his way out.
“Shit, oh shit. I fucked up. I fucked up so bad,” he mumbles, kneeling in front of me. His hand trembles as he covers me with a blanket. “This is going to hurt, baby.”
His warning doesn’t register until he’s lifting me in his arms. Pain radiates through my body but I can’t cry out. I rest my head on his shoulder, clutching my phone in my hands as he carries me out.
Instead of his bike, he’s in an SUV. He gently lays me down on the back seat and I curl into a ball, silently sobbing. The motion from the ride lulls me to sleep and I wake when Zeke is holding me again.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” Zeke says. “She’s going to need a doctor.”
“What the hell happened to her?” Nitro demands. “Oh my God. What the fuck did you do?”
“It wasn’t me. Look, I brought her here. Do you think I’d do that if I was the one who hurt her? I’ll take care of him. I swear.”
“The Rebels will handle it,” Nitro replies. “Take her inside and get the fuck out of here. You may not have done this, but that doesn’t mean you’re not responsible.”
I cling to Zeke and manage to say, “Stay.”
“Either I stay or she comes with me back to the Devils’ clubhouse.”
“Let him stay, Nitro,” Peyton says. “This is about Cleo. Not him. I’ll get the doc.”
“You can stay for now but this is not an open fucking invitation.”
Zeke nods, following Nitro inside the Rebels’ clubhouse. Peyton and Lizzie both try to help me, promising all they want to do is clean me up until the doc can get here and check me out.
“No,” I choke out. “No. Only him. Only Zeke.”
“I’m here, sweetheart,” he whispers. “I’m not going anywhere.”