Victorious Vice (Bellamy Brothers #6)

31. Raven

31

RAVEN

T he dream starts the same way every time. I’m lying in that cold, sterile bed, staring up at the ceiling with its blinding fluorescent lights, the smell of antiseptic burning my nose. My body feels weak, so impossibly heavy. I try to move, but it’s like I’m trapped, frozen under the weight of it all.

I hear the beeping of machines, a steady reminder of how fragile I am. A nurse stands at the foot of my bed, her face masked but her eyes sad. I know what’s coming before she says anything. I’ve heard it before. “Your white blood cell count is not good. We’re going to start another round.”

My heart clenches. Another round. Another wave of poison coursing through my veins.

The room tilts, spinning in a way that makes me feel nauseated, but I’m stuck. I can’t get out of the bed. I can’t leave. I see my reflection in the window—pale, bald, with dark circles under my eyes like bruises.

I’m not me. I’m some shell of a person I used to know. My skin is gray, my lips cracked. I look like I’m already dead.

An instant later, I’m in the chair for chemo. The IV drips, and with every drop, I feel the toxin eating away at me. My hair falls out in clumps, and my bones ache like they’re breaking from the inside out. The taste of metal on my tongue, the sickening churn in my stomach. I want to scream, but no sound comes out. It never does.

Faces blur in and out—doctors, my mother, friends I haven’t seen in years. Their mouths move, but I can’t hear them. It’s like I’m underwater, drowning in silence, while they watch me fade away. My heart pounds, but it feels too slow, too heavy, like it could stop any second.

Any second now, it’s going to stop.

Then there’s the darkness.

It’s all black. Empty. And in that moment, I’m sure I’m dead. Gone. But something pulls me back, yanks me out of the void. The beeping returns, faster now, and I’m gasping, clawing at the air, trying to breathe, trying to fight for something—anything. My chest heaves, but my lungs feel like they’re filled with lead.

And then that crackly, female voice. “Remember…”

“What do I need to remember?” I try to call out, but my voice catches in my throat. Only a hoarse whisper comes out.

“Remember, Raven…”

A face. Blurred, hard to make out. But I can see gray hair tied up in a bun. It’s familiar, comforting… But I can’t figure out who it is.

I reach out to see if I can see the face more clearly, but I’m yanked back to the hospital room.

I feel a hand on mine, warm and gentle. My mother’s hand. I’m back in the hospital bed, but this time it’s different. This time, I hear the doctor’s voice.

“You’re in remission.”

The words echo, but instead of relief, fear washes over me. What if it comes back? What if this nightmare never ends?

And who is the woman with the blurry face? What does she want me to remember?

I wake up for real then, soaked in sweat, heart racing, and the darkness of my room closes in around me. It’s over. It’s done. I’m alive.

But the dream always finds me.

The sheets are soaked with my sweat.

Where am I?

Yes, my room at Mom and Dad’s.

The room where Brick Latham was killed.

I came here.

I came to Vinnie.

Vinnie!

I slide to the other side of the bed.

“Vinnie?”

Where did he go?

I jump out of bed.

I look around.

No sign of him.

Even his tuxedo, which was thrown over a chair when I came into the room last night, is gone.

I throw on the T-shirt I was wearing, grab an old pair of lounging pants out of my closet, and make my way to the kitchen.

My father and Jared are having a cup of coffee.

I expect them to say something about the fact that I was in the room with Vinnie, but neither does.

Good. I’m twenty-nine years old, after all.

“Where’s Vinnie?” I ask.

My father raises his eyebrows. Does he think Vinnie told me where he was going?

“He called a car early this morning. He said he has business back in Austin. I’ll be joining him there later.”

“What business do you have with Vinnie?” I ask.

Dad brings his mug to his lips. “Nothing you need to be concerned about.”

I shake my head, sighing. “Everything about this concerns me, Daddy. I love Vinnie. And I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” He takes my hand. “And I need you to stay here. Your mother and Robin are coming home this morning. Your mother needs to know you’re safe.”

“What? Did you think I was going to run after Vinnie?”

“No. Jared has his orders.”

I shake my head. “Fine. You win, Daddy. You and Vinnie and Jared, you all win. I’ll stay here like a good little girl. But I need you to do something for me.”

“And what’s that, Raven?”

“If you love me, Dad, and I know you do, please do everything in your power to protect the man I love. Please protect Vinnie.”