Chapter Twenty-Eight
MERCS
When Kiera’s having a rough day, it always wrecks me.
No matter how strong I try to be for her, hearing the weakness in her voice cracks me straight down the middle.
Today’s one of those days. She’s exhausted, nauseous, barely able to hold a conversation, but she still called, just to hear my voice.
That’s who she is.
Brave, even when everything hurts.
And I’d give anything to make it better. Anything to fast-track her treatment, to get her healthy again. But the debt I now owe Vex is suffocating. I’m in deeper than I’ve ever been, and every day I feel the weight of that choice pressing down harder.
Still, I’ll find a way.
I have to.
But right now, my girl is downstairs at the after-party, waiting for me.
So I pocket my phone, take a breath, and head to the elevator.
The shitty instrumental mood music playing overhead doesn’t register, because all I can think about is Effa.
I’m ready to drink, dance, and finally let go with the woman I love.
The elevator dings, doors slide open, and I step out.
At first, I’m not really paying attention. The dull bassline from the party filters through the hallway. I smirk, picturing the chaos inside.
But then, I freeze.
Right in front of me, just beyond the lobby, I see her.
Effa.
In Jett’s arms.
My blood turns to ice.
She’s leaning on him like a deadweight, her body limp, her eyes glossy and unfocused. She doesn’t look drunk—she looks drugged. Her limbs aren’t moving right and her legs buckle. Her head tilts back like she’s barely holding on.
What the fuck?
There’s no way she’s this wasted in the thirty minutes since she came down here. No way.
Jett’s arm wraps tighter around her waist as he starts dragging her away from the bar.
Away from safety.
Away from me.
My heart drops.
My jaw clenches.
And then I run.
My boots slam against the tiled floor, echoing with purpose. My pulse thunders in my ears.
I don’t stop to yell, I just move.
Jett doesn’t see me. He’s too busy watching Effa, studying her like a predator sizing up prey. She stumbles again, barely able to keep her balance, and he grips her tighter, hauling her close like a goddamn prize.
Rage explodes inside me.
Effa lifts her head just enough to see me.
Her lips part.
“Mercs…” she whispers, barely audible. “H-help m-me…”
That’s all it takes.
I hit Jett like a fucking freight train.
“Get the fuck off her,” I roar, shoving him so hard he stumbles backward, his arms yanking away from her.
Effa collapses like a marionette whose strings just snapped, her knees buckle, and she slams to the floor. Her head hits the marble with a sickening crack.
Time stops.
“Effa!”
I drop to my knees beside her, panic ripping through me.
She’s pale, deathly pale. Her eyes are half-lidded and bloodshot. Her chest is rising and falling in shallow, erratic bursts. She’s panting, struggling for breath like each inhale is a fight.
Andi rushes over, her boots screeching against the floor. “Oh my God! What the fuck?”
“Effa, baby, I’m here,” I whisper, grabbing her hand, my voice trembling. “Stay with me. Please.”
“Mercs…” she breathes, weak and shaky. “My heart…”
Her hand is clammy, and her skin is burning up.
I hold her tighter, trying to keep her anchored. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
“My heart hurts. I’m so hot. I can’t—” She chokes on her next breath, her eyes rolling back.
Then, her body seizes.
Her back arches violently, her limbs twitching and jerking. She lets out a guttural, terrified moan as her body convulses.
“Fuck!” I cry out, grabbing her shoulders as she thrashes. “Andi, help me!”
Andi drops down beside me, hands steady.
“We need to keep her from choking. Roll her, now!”
Together we shift her. Her body jolts, her legs kicking out as another wave hits her.
“What the fuck did you do to her, Jett?” I roar, turning back, only to find the bastard gone.
Vanished.
Panic claws at my throat.
“Andi!” I bark. “Call medics. Now! We’re losing her.”
Effa seizes again, harder this time, before finally going limp.
Still.
Too still.
“Effa,” I plead, lowering my ear to her mouth.
Nothing.
There is no air.
There is no sound.
My chest collapses.
“Andi…” I whisper. “She’s not breathing.”
Andi pales, scrambling to start compressions.
My hands hover uselessly above Effa’s chest, fear ripping me open from the inside out. “Effa! No, no, no, baby, please… stay with me.”
Her name tears from my throat like it’s the only word I’ll ever speak again.
And for the first time in my life, I’m truly afraid.
Not just for her.
But because I know…
If I lose her, I’ll never come back from it.
TO BE CONTINUED