Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” I said as my eyes caught on one of my hands. It was covered in blood and the skin around my knuckles was shredded. “Do what you can—” I began to say when Micah suddenly moaned and shifted a little in his seat.
“King, hang on,” I said. I leaned across the console and ran my fingers along Micah’s cheek, ignoring the blood that was still seeping from the multiple cuts that had torn open his pale skin. “Micah, honey, can you hear me?” I asked. I cursed myself for the endearment because I really needed to stop doing that. I had no clue why it was something that fell so easily from my lips whenever I spoke to the younger man.
Micah moaned and to my surprise, he seemed to lean into my touch.
“Micah, I need you to talk to Christopher and Rory, okay?” I said. I reached for the phone and disconnected it from the car’s speakers so I could hold it right up against Micah’s mouth. He tried to say the kids’ names, but they were barely audible so I knew that even with King’s phone on speaker, the children were unlikely to hear their uncle’s voice. I stared desperately at the phone as I considered my options. I could drive to the location but there was no guarantee that my presence would make any difference, even if either child recognized me. If anything, I could do more harm than good because Micah had no doubt warned the kids to stay away from me.
I once again told King to hold on and then set the phone down in the cup holder. I settled my hand on Micah’s cheek and said, “Micah, I know you’re really tired right now, but I need your help. Christopher and Rory need your help.”
Not surprisingly, once I mentioned the children’s names, Micah stirred.
But he didn’t open his eyes.
I wasn’t sure I’d get any more than that, so I continued. “Micah, I need you to tell me something only you and your niece and nephew know. Do you guys have a code word or is there something about them that only you would know?”
Micah didn’t respond. I gave him a gentle shake and repeated the question. This time, his face drew up in a frown, though his eyes remained closed. He clearly wasn’t interested in sharing his secrets with me.
I leaned across the console and whispered into his ear imploringly. “Please, sweetheart, you can trust me. I know you don’t believe that—”
“Aska,” Micah choked out before I could even finish my plea. His eyes were still closed but they were no longer relaxed.
“Aska?” I asked in confusion. I stroked my fingers back and forth over his cheekbone as I tried to figure out what he was trying to tell me. I was still partially leaning over the younger man’s body when his eyes fluttered open. They glittered with pain and confusion but there was something else there too when they met mine.
Something I desperately wished I could put my finger on.
“Alaska,” Micah managed to get out. “Alaska.”
With that, his eyes slipped shut again. I frantically checked his pulse just to be sure and found it fast and shallow. Shock was likely right around the corner, so I leaned back in my seat and threw the car in gear before snatching up the phone.
“Did you hear that, King?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’ll call you when I’ve got them.”
He hung up before I could say anything else. As I swung the car into traffic, I was suddenly grateful for all the construction jobs King and I had done in New Jersey when we’d been kids. It meant not having to take the time to search out a hospital in my phone’s maps application since I knew Hoboken was the closest. Despite the late hour, the streets were still busy and I ended up weaving through traffic at harrowing speeds as my concern for Micah grew. While his external injuries were horrific enough, I was terrified about any unseen internal ones that could even now be stealing his life away.
“Hold on, sweetheart,” I murmured, though I knew he couldn’t hear me.
My body felt hot and tight by the time I pulled into the emergency entrance. There was a bustle of activity as several people worked on getting someone out of an ambulance, so I didn’t bother to call for help. Instead, I jumped out of my side of the car and darted around the front of it. I managed to keep my hands gentle as I plucked Micah from the passenger seat and pulled him up against my chest. He didn’t make a sound which had my fear ratcheting to new levels.
I hurried to the entrance of the ER. The doors slid open as I neared them and as soon as I was inside, I called out, “Need some help here!”