Page 21

“No.” Standing up straight, I wrapped an arm around my midsection. “I'm not going, I won't.”

“You are and you will.” His voice crushed the air, firm and demanding. “I'm not giving you a choice.”

“Look, you do what you have to do, but I'm not going. You don't want to hurt me, no matter what horrible things you've done in the past. If you did, I wouldn't be standing here right now.”

“Horrible? Sweetheart, you have no fucking clue what I'm capable of.” Stalking towards me, Porter stopped inches from my face. “Are you still hurting?”

Nodding, I put more pressure around my ribs. “I need a hospital, Porter.”

His lips curled up, lids hooding. “Do you think you can run or fight right now if you had to?”

Glaring at him, my brows dipped into my nose, wondering why the hell he would ask me that. He could see how badly I was hurt, he knew there was no way I could do either of those things.

“Well, can you?”

“You know I can't. I'm fucking hurt, how the hell could I?”

“That's what I thought.” Wrapping an arm around my back and one under my legs, he lifted me off the ground and cradled me against his chest.

“What are you doing? Put me down!”

“I will. . .” His voice fell silent as a light smile teased his lips. “When we get there.”

Cringing with pain as he adjusted me in his arms, Porter pressed me tighter to his chest. There was nothing I could do and he knew it.

He had just used my injuries against me, taking advantage of the pain stopping me from doing anything to protect myself.

“This isn't fair,” I said, giving him an angry glare as I looked up at the underside of his face.

“Life isn't fair, you're old enough to understand that. I suggest you get used to it.” With heavy strides, he started walking. “It could always be worse you know. Besides, you're the one who said you couldn't walk anymore, so I'll take that burden off of you.”

“Don't tell me what's fair and what isn't. Because this, this is fucking bullshit. The only burden I have is being here with you, I'd rather you just leave me.”

“Call it what you want, I don't really care. You're coming back with me, that's it. So you can either whine about it like a fucking child, or suck it up and deal with it.”

“Who do you think you are?”

“I'm the guy who's going to make sure you live through the night, how about that?”

“I don't know if I'd call this living.” Huffing under my breath, I tucked my arms under each other, wishing this horrible nightmare was over already.

Bobbing and rocking in his arms, he strode down the side of the road like he didn't have a care in the world. I could feel him taking in deep breaths, I could hear his heart beating against his ribs as it pumped the blood through his body to keep him going.

I half expected this man to not have a heart at all. How could he?

But it was there, lulling me into a trance as the wind blew against my hot cheeks and my body succumbed to the aches and pains. My eyes began to shut, and I found it harder and harder to stay awake.

Sleep was calling me, taking me away so my muscles could heal and my mind could clear. And I allowed it, giving it full control to take me.

I had no other choice. I couldn't walk, I couldn't run or fight, not without giving my body time to mend.

Porter's heart thumped in my ear as my lids closed one last time, soothing me into blackness.

Until I saw the sun.

I had a dream. It was one of those dreams where you know you're sleeping, but you can't wake up. You're dug in like a tick, trapped in the unconscious world your brain had created.

I was walking down a road in a small country town. It was a place I had never been to and never seen, but in my mind I knew it existed. There were dusty old buildings, all of them abandoned and desolate.