Page 121 of Beautiful Trauma

My stomach lurched, and before I could turn away, I vomited at their feet. To my surprise, they didn’t chide me. Instead, they stood frozen with the same looks of horror etched on their faces.

After swiping my hand across my mouth, I asked the question I feared to form into words. “So what happens after the torture?”

When no one responded, my lungs clenched in agony. Unable to breathe, I staggered back. My hands came to my chest to try to pound some air into them, but it was useless.

Lev’s hands gripped the bars tightly as he pressed his face between them. “Breathe, Mila!”

I continued wheezing as the cell began spinning around me. The logical part of my brain argued it wasn’t possible to die of a panic attack. But the part that was defeated and broken hoped I was wrong. I welcomed the potential death to come. If Kellanwas going to be killed, there was nothing left for me here. Not after all the family betrayals.

As the floor rushed up at me, I slipped under.

Bright light enveloped me. Was I dead? Was this heaven? “Kellan?” I choked out.

“He’s still in the torture cell.”

I jerked my eyes open. At the realization I wasn’t in heaven but in the medical bay with my siblings, a sob tore from my lips.

“Why…didn’t….you…let…me…die?” I wailed.

“Because you can’t die from a panic attack,” Kira reasoned.

“Like we would let you give your life for a man you barely know,” Aleks argued.

“Fuck you,” I snarled as I swiped the tears from my cheeks.

His jaw clenched as he tore a hand through his hair. “I’m out of here. There’s no reasoning with her!”

After he stormed out, Lev and Kira remained hovering at my bedside. “Leave me,” I moaned, as I turned away from them.

“But you need us,” Lev protested.

“You betrayed me!”

His dark eyes popped wide. “I swear to God that I only told Kira.”

“And I didn’t tell anyone,” she replied. “I swear on Mama’s memory.”

“So do I.”

“Then how did Father know?”

Lev threw his hands up. “He probably had cameras in your apartment and the gallery. Maybe he had eyes on the flight logs coming into Philly and knew Kellan was in town. This is Father we’re talking about. He has infinite abilities when it comes to finding information.”

I shuddered at the thought of being watched by him and his men. “Are you cold?” Kira asked.

Before I could I could say no, she gave me a pointed look. “A little,” I lied.

With a nod, she pulled off the bulky sweater she had on. “It’s always so cold down here to me that I threw this on before I came to see you.”

Since I was still stiff from banging the bars, she helped me put it on. Glancing up at her, I murmured, “Thank you.”

When she smiled, it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s my favorite because of the pockets.”

Sensing she was telling me something, I slowly brought my hands into the pockets. When I felt the steel of a gun in one of them, I momentarily froze. But quickly I recovered to play along. “Mm, these feel so good.”

I cleared my throat and then winced in pain. “I’d kill for a smoothie right now. My throat’s like razor blades.”

Kira turned to Lev. “Could you go upstairs and have Vera make some smoothies for Mila?”