Page 167 of Lost Lyrebird

“Lily…” I rasp, my voice is hoarse, hardly audible.“It’s…Lily.”

Mateo looks at me, frowning, his eyes darting around the wreckage and madness that is my bedroom.He scans the walls, and his eyes widen.“The girl?”

I nod and grip his shoulder tightly.The world is going dark and tilting sideways.“Don’t… don’t let me forget.It’s her.It’sLily.”

“Okay, okay,” Mateo says.“Just calm down.I promise, I won’t let you forget.”

But that’s not enough.I grip him harder, desperate, the fear clawing at me and pulling me under.“Say it.Say her name.”

“Lily,” his voice steady and sure.“I won’t forget.”

I nod, my chest heaving as I try to hold on.““L-l-lily…” I whisper, as the blackness invades my vision.“M-my b-b-bird.”

I slump against Mateo and feel his arms come around me.A flat surface rises up underneath me.I can’t forget.

My phone buzzes on the counter.The name flashing on the screen is the last one I want to see.

Goose.

I tighten my grip on the kitchen sink, staring out the window, trying to focus on anything but the ache in my chest.I’m torn on whether to answer it.He’s been MIA, and this is proof at least that he’s okay.I want to verify it for myself, but I also can’t open that door again because once open, it’s so hard to shut out.

The phone stops vibrating for a second, but then it starts up again.

“Damn him,” I mutter under my breath.My hand shakes as I reach for the phone, and on the fifth ring, I finally swipe to answer, snapping the phone to my ear.

“Goose, I said all—”

“Lily?”

It’s not Goose.The voice on the other end is panicked, hurried, and not that of a man, but younger.

“This is Mateo,” he says in a rush.“You don’t know me.But I live with Goose.And he’s… he passed out.I think he took something.Pain meds or something, and there’s alcohol everywhere.He’s bleeding too.I called 911, but I don’t know when the ambulance will get here, and I don’t know what to do.I don’t know his insurance or how to give CPR.I tried to reach Bodie and Raven, but no one’s picking up.”

My hand flies to my mouth, and the other I use to brace myself against the counter.“Wait, slow down.You said Finn’s passed out?Is he breathing?”

“Yeah, but he’s out cold.The ambulance should be here soon, but I… I don’t know how to handle any of this.”

My breath hitches, and the floor suddenly feels like it’s sliding out from under me.“I’m coming.I’ll be right there.”

I don’t even think about it.I hang up andrun.

I fly out my front door and race down my front steps.My legs pump beneath me, feet pounding the pavement as I race toward Goose’s place.My pulse thrums in my ears.The warm evening air is balmy against my skin as I cut through it and push my body to its limits.My muscles burn, and my breathing comes in short, sharp bursts.

My plan had been to keep as far away from him as possible, but now…none of that matters.

When I finally reach Finn’s place, I practically fall through the front door.

“Mateo?”

My eyes fly around the spacious studio apartment with a huge open area, and then to the door on the right that’s Finn’s bedroom.

“In here!”he calls out and appears in the doorway of another room on my left.

He waves for me to follow him.When I enter the room, I very nearly trip over a liquor bottle.The room is in total chaos, papers strewn all over the floor, pill bottles, piles of journals scattered around, and yeah, more liquor bottles.

But it’s the sight of Finn lying on the floor with blood on his face that sends a wave of nausea through me and nearly takes the strength from my knees.

I rush forward and fall to his side.Resting my hand over his chest, I confirm for myself that he is still breathing.The sigh that leaves me is full of relief.I check his pulse, which is slow and weak.