Both my hands hurt, and people are still staring at me.
“Show’s over. Give her some damn privacy,” Liam yells.
I fumble with my dirty puke stained shirt but can’t get it off. “Let me help you. I won’t peek at anything or do anything inappropriate. I swear.”
“Okay.” I don’t have the energy to care either way. I turn my back to him, and he lifts my shirt over my head and replaces it with the one he loaned me. “Thanks.” He finishes tugging it down.
“What happened to your other hand, slugger?”
“Broken glass.”
He opens the passenger side door of his white Dodge Challenger Demon.
I slide down in the leather seat and close my eyes after giving him the address. I hope I never wake up or if that when I do that this has all been some twisted dream and that I never even ever met Killian Hendrix.
**
“Liri, wake up.” Liam nudges my shoulder. “This the place?”
I rub my eyes with the back of my right hand and observe my surroundings. “Yeah. Thanks.” Every single part of my body aches. My soul is tired.
“You gonna be okay? I’m worried about you.”
“One day. Just not today. I’m still breathing. That’s gotta count for something.”
He offers me a sympathetic smile. “He’s an idiot.”
“Don’t defend him.”
“Okay.” He runs a tattooed hand through his dirty blond hair.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“No problem. It’s the least I can do.”
“I doubt he will ask but if he does…don’t tell him where you brought me. I can’t see him.”
“Sure. Yeah. I can keep a secret.”
“Later, Liam.”
“Later, slugger.”
I grin. “Don’t make me laugh right now. I have the worst headache.” I exit the car and walk slowly up to the door. Liam idles, waiting to make sure I get inside then roars off.
Mom is waiting in the foyer for me. “Sweetheart.” She takes one look at me and opens her arms.
“Mom,” I mumble out sounding like a broken little girl. I welcome her tight embrace. I need a hero and tonight it’s her.
“What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. I just want to go to bed.”
“Okay, but in the morning, we’re going to talk over pancakes.”
My stomach grumbles but it still feels sour. “Don’t mention food right now.” I cover my mouth afraid I will throw-up again.
She kisses the top of my hair. “All right. There’s extra toothbrushes in one of the drawers in the guest bathroom.” I nod and trudge up the stairs.