Chapter Four
Waverly
Iopen my eyes to find myself surrounded. Everyone seems to be looking down at me, and I don’t recognize any of them…except Sadie. What stupid thing did I do now? Fall down and knock my stupid self out? Wait, is that…Boston?
“She’s awake! Memphis, she’s awake!”
Memphis? Who is Memphis?
And do they have to shout so loud when my head is going to explode?!
Then those eyes come into focus, and things start to come back to me. I dreamed of those eyes. I dreamed of a knight coming to rescue me from danger, only he didn’t have a sword; he had a gun. And there was fire burning through my skin, but it was going to be okay because I was with him.
Wait a minute! Someone was fucking shooting at me!
I try to sit up, but strong hands hold me down and force me to stay right where I am.
I bring my hand up to touch the place my head is aching and find a cast on it.
What the fuck happened? Where the fuck am I?
And who is the hottie with the midnight rain eyes that leave me feeling off kilter and a little feverish?
“Easy, baby girl.”
What now?
I look for some clue from my best friend, but all she does is give me a smile that answers none of the thousands of questions going through my head.
“Wh…where am I?”
What the fuck happened that I woke up with a man with absolutely devastating eyes calling me baby girl and acting like he has every right to do so? I can’t stop my breathing from coming out in ragged pants or my heart from thumping too hard.
“Hey,” the man draws my attention back to him and pins me with those eyes, “breathe, baby.”
I hate myself a little for doing exactly what he says and following his breathing pattern like it is my own.
“Do you remember the party?” I turn to look at Boston and see some family resemblance between him and the man on my other side keeping me from falling apart.
The same nose, same chin, but their eyes are completely different.
Are they related? Party? I was at a party!
“Oh my God! Did they find him? Did they find the kid they took?” My breathing goes erratic again as I relive watching two men try to shove a person in a car.
“They took someone?!” Those midnight eyes go even darker as he asks the question.
“They…they put him in a car!” My chin is taken in a firm but soft grip.
“Don’t try to get up, baby girl. Stay with Sadie and Boston.
I’ll be back.” Why does he affect me the way he does?
Why do I want to listen to him? I give him a nod and wait for him to leave the room.
“Who is that?” I look to my bestie to tell me, but it’s Boston who speaks.
“He’s my brother, Memphis. He’s a cop. I called him when we heard the gunshots.
” Brother? Gunshots! I…was running through the woods, so worried about Sadie.
They were trying to kill me! Someone was trying to kill me!
Nothing else being said by them makes it to my brain as I struggle to take in enough air and fight the feeling that I have to keep running.
Memories of my night flash through my brain fast enough to make me dizzy.
I have to…hide or something. And it can’t be safe to be around me.
Sadie is in danger just being here. I make a mad dash out of bed but regret it immediately as my legs go out from under me, my hand stings, and the world tilts as the floor rushes up to meet me.
And the last thing I hear is the sound of his name.
It follows me into the darkness that wraps around me and echoes through my heart until it’s all I know.
Memphis.