Fighting Solitude (On The Ropes #3)(10)

And it made it clear that he probably did.

It also burned so badly that I was afraid the blisters would be visible on my skin.

I focused on the TV, hoping the pain didn’t show on my face.

“Why? Do you have a boyfriend?”

Nope.

Not even close.

“Kinda,” I replied instead.

“Seriously?”

I didn’t turn to look at him. I pulled my feet under me and settled into the corner of the couch. “So, what movie are we watching?”

“Liv—”

“I’m fine with action. But it better be good. None of that sci-fi crap.”

I could feel his eyes locked on me for several beats, but I refused to look at him. He was allowed to have whatever girlfriend he wanted. We were still best friends. Nothing had changed.

Though it didn’t feel like that as I curled into the corner of the couch, fighting back irrational tears and feeling more like a girl than I ever had before.

I didn’t even make it halfway through the movie before I was lulled to sleep by the loud noises of car chases and explosions.




My body shot upright as I was awoken by the most terrifying sound in the world.

Silence.

Panic built in my chest as my eyes struggled to take in my surroundings.

The room was pitch-black—not even the light from the moon peeked in. I definitely wasn’t in my bedroom at home, and my groggy mind was too overwhelmed to remember where I’d fallen asleep. I just knew I needed to get the hell out of there. Tears built in my eyes as I pushed to my feet and darted to where I hoped there was a door. I hadn’t made it far when my leg slammed into something, and I tumbled forward in a fight to stay on my feet. I crashed into something else just before a heavy weight fell on top of me and knocked the air from my lungs. A whole new level of fear spiraled out of control within me.

My eyes had adjusted enough for me to see the large frame of a man rushing toward me. It wasn’t large enough to be my dad, but it was menacing nonetheless.

“Daddy!” I shrieked, flailing my arms and legs, frantically trying to escape whatever or whoever was restraining me in my own personal version of hell. “Stop! Don’t touch me!” I screamed at the shadow of a man when he lifted me off the ground.

“It’s just me, Liv. I’ve got you.”

“Quarry?” I squeaked, relief flooding my system.

“You’re okay. I won’t let anything hurt you. I swear.”

I immediately burst into tears, and he wrapped me tight in his arms. Front to front, he hugged me as if he were the one losing his shit—not me.

Just then, the door swung open and a flashlight illuminated the room as a symphony of children’s cries filtered in. The welcome chaos was music to my ears.

“Jesus Christ, what the hell is going on? You two woke up all the kids,” Flint growled.

“Hey, shut the f*ck up, dickhead. She was scared.”

“Oh,” he replied in understanding. “You okay, Liv?”

My body shook as I dangled in Quarry’s arms. I couldn’t even form a coherent thought, much less an answer.

“What the f*ck happened to the TV?” Quarry barked, holding me even tighter.

“The power went out,” Flint replied. “I’m gonna call Slate. You two good?”

“She’s fine. I’ve got her. You go take care of the kids.”

The lights suddenly flickered on only long enough to taunt me before plunging us back into darkness. Another round of sobs overtook me. I wasn’t scared of the dark. Well, not exactly. It was just that silence tended to linger in the darkness.

“I…I…n-n-n-need my headphones,” I cried into Quarry’s chest.

“Flint?”

“Yeah. Give me a second. I need to grab Riley first,” Flint answered before disappearing along with the flashlight.

Darkness once again cloaked the room, and I scooted impossibly closer to Quarry’s chest, finding the immediate relief I desperately needed.

I’m safe with him. Always.

The power flashed one last time before staying on for good.

“Holy shit,” Quarry breathed as we both took in the room.

The DVD player, the Xbox, and the cable box were all knocked to the floor, and the entertainment center that had once housed them lay on its side with one door completely broken off.

“Are you hurt?” He quickly stepped away and raked his eyes over my body, searching for any sign of injury.

I wasn’t, but it was then that I realized what a mess I probably looked like.

“Don’t look at me.” I quickly ducked behind him and buried my tear-stained face in his back.

He chuckled and pulled my arms around his waist, resting his hands on top of mine. “She’s okay,” he said to himself.

“I’m not okay. I look like one of those girls at your school right now.” I sniffled.

“Nah. They aren’t cool enough to be like my Rocky.”

Suddenly, my Rocky didn’t sound so bad.

I rubbed my face in the cotton of his tee to dry my eyes. “Thanks. Ya…know. For that,” I told his back.

He didn’t even have a chance to reply before I heard Flint’s voice heading in our direction.

“Yeah. Everyone’s fine, Slate. The kids are back in bed, and I’m just about to give Liv her iPad. We’re all good.” He paused, “I’m not sure I can say the same about your entertainment center, but all of the homo sapiens under the roof are alive and well. Okay, I’ll ask. Hang on. Hey, Liv? You want your parents to come back?”