Page 149 of Salvage Him

It was bad enough he kissed her on the cheek and held her hand in front of me. It took every bit of control I had not to snatch him up by his scrawny neck and throw him across therestaurant.

I growled, thinking about what he had done to her over the lasttwodays.

She looked tired and worn out. She wore heavy makeup around her eyes, but the bags were visible. Her beautiful brown skin was pale. When she looked at me, when it registered in her mind that I wanted her, I saw the spark. The cloud lift, and my beautiful sweet pup camealive.

We shined brighter when we were together. Right now, I was in a dark place. I felt it all around me, consuming me as the minutes ticked away. The longer it went, and she didn't walk through that door, the darker my worldbecame.

I peeked at the time; it was1a.m.

Ilostit.

I smashed the club down on the wooden workbench so many times, it molded to the corner of the surface. I threw it across the room, and it smashed a few dishes I had sitting on the kitchen counter. I picked up a chair and smashed it against the wall. It shattered into a thousand little pieces, wood sprayed and cut into my hands and face. I tried to pick up the matching table, but my muscles were exhausted, and my brain was mush. I manage to lift it waist high before I collapsed on thefloor.

She wasn'tcoming.

The devastating thought hit me like a ton of bricks. Hot tears ran down my face, and I curled up on the floor and cried. The pain was new. I had never felt this kind of pain. Not when my mom died. Not when I broke my arm in the fourth grade. My arm hurt like a motherfucker. The pain in my chest hurt much, muchworse.

In time, my arm healed, but I wasn't going to recoverfromthis.

She thought Paul couldhurtme.

She had broken my heart and ruined myworld.

My phone rang,and I jolted up out of a crazy sleep. I was disoriented, and my body achedallover.

"What?" I roared in thephone.

"Mr. Crawford." I pulled the phone away and looked at thecallerid.

"Jason." I scrambled to my feet. "What'sgoingon?"

"The police are here. They said Mr. and Mrs. McIntyre were in a car accident last night,"Jasonsaid.

"What?" I yelled into the phone as I searched my pockets. "Where is she? Issheokay?"

"They said she's in serious but stable condition." He said the words like he was reading them to make sure he got them right. "She's at BaylorSouthwest."

I ran over to my dresser and pushed it out of the way with agrunt.

"Thanks, Jason. I appreciate youcallingme."

"Sure, no problem. I hopeshe'sokay."

"I'll let you know." I headed for the door. "I gottogo."

"Harrison." His voice dropped involume.

I stopped atthedoor.

"Yeah."

"Mr. McIntyreisdead."

"Whoa." I placed my hand on the wall to steady myself. I didn't know how to feel about that news. I wasn't sure how Brooklyn would feel. "Okay. I'll call you once I find out how she'sdoing."

I hung up and calledJustin.

"Hey, buddy,"hesaid.