When I'm With You (Little Hollow Series, #2)(60)

“Would it be alright to have a few minutes while you’re awake?” One of them says.

I nod slowly. “Sam, can you wait outside please.”

She squeezes my hand and I hear the gentle click of the door closing behind her.

“My name’s Sergeant Hernandez, and this is Sergeant Daniels.” Daniels smiles at me and I look from him back to Hernandez. “We were two of the six police officers first on the scene, we’re glad you’re looking better than a few days ago.”

A few days ago?

“I’m sorry, how long have I been here for?” I ask.

Daniels answers. “It’s been four days, ma’am.”

My breath hitches and I shiver, four days.

“Before we ask you any questions, we just wanted to let you know that there’s nothing for you to feel unsafe about. All the perpetrators have been apprehended. And you-”

“Why does everyone keep saying there were more than one? There was only my Uncle, and I killed him.”

They look at each other. “Ma’am, there was one dead on arrival, and two others. We took one out at the scene and the other was arrested shortly after.”

No, this isn’t happening! I gag and Daniels grabs a kidney shaped tray from beside my bed and I retch into it, feeling the burning in my stomach and throat as I do. They’ve both turned around to give me some privacy, but turn back as I clear my throat. “You’ve… you’ve got the wrong people, they were there helping me. They saved me. I killed my Uncle.”

“Just get her… help.”

My throat constricts and I choke out, “Hunter-” Then the sobs are for a completely different reason, he was trying to get me to safety. “You shot him.”

Hernandez steps forward. “We were just doing our duty, ma’am.”

“Stop with the ma’am!” They look at each other. “He was trying to get me help and you shot him.” I stare daggers at them both. “Get out!”

Daniels holds his hands up. “We still need to take your statement-”

“Fuck you and your statement, I’ll give it when I’m damn well ready.” My fists flex and the ache in my bones and muscles is more apparent with me being wound so tight. “Get. Out.”

Hernandez takes a card out of his chest pocket and places it on the nightstand. “Give us a call when you’re ready, we’re sorry for upsetting you.”

They both give a quick nod and walk out, leaving me in my misery. My body is screaming desperately to hear his voice again. My safety net.

I crawl under the covers on the tiny hospital bed and cry until I can’t cry anymore. I cry for what we had, and I cry for the person he used to be, the ghost of the memories we once shared playing through my head.

I wake up alone, just like every other birthday. Only today is my sixteenth birthday. I don’t know why I was expecting it to be any different from any other I’ve had, but I still can’t stop the disappointment from radiating through me.

I shower, get dressed and grab some coffee on the way out the door to school. I’m not looking where I’m going and hit a hard wall of muscle.

“You should watch where you’re going,” a deep voice says, making the butterflies in my stomach swarm.

I look up into his swirling brown eyes that are filled with humor. “Yeah? You shouldn’t stand in people’s way.”

I start to take off down the sidewalk and he runs to keep up with me.

“What do you want, Hunter? I’m gonna be late for school,” I say irritated, this is the first time I’ve seen or heard from him in two months.

“It’s your birthday,” he states.

I roll my eyes and take a sip of coffee out of my flask. “No shit, Sherlock Holmes.”

He chuckles and cupss my elbow to stop me from walking. “I thought you’d want to do something?”

I shake his hand off my arm and he follows me again as I walk ahead. When I don’t say anything, he huffs and turns on his heel, walking back the way we came. I fight with myself but my willpower doesn’t equate to much when it comes to him, so I stop and shout out, “What did you have in mind?”

He turns with a cheeky grin on his face, showing his bright white teeth through his stubble. He knew what he was doing. “The range?”

I smile wide back at him never being able to stay mad, and nod, school can suck it. We walk back to his house and I jump on the back of his bike, wrapping my arms around his waist tightly as we ride toward the clubs shooting range.

We stay there until my hands go numb, pulling them into his own, he blows on them to warm them up. “Wanna go grab something to eat?”

I smile up at him. “Sure.”

Why am I suddenly feeling really shy with him? I’ve known him all my life. Maybe it’s the way he keeps looking over at me like he wants to say something?

He takes me to my favorite diner, the one that does the best mac’n’cheese, and we order our usual. The waitress walks away and I shift under the intense stare Hunter seems to have me in.

I huff. “Have I got something on my face? ‘Cause all this staring is really starting to make me feel like I do.”

A burst of laughter erupts from his mouth making him sound carefree, but it’s a huge contrast to the expression twisting his features. He looks sad.