We get him in and I climb in with him, wanting to hold his hand the whole damn way. Slade closes the door and races around to the driver’s seat, taking off in no time. “Just hold on, Bro. We’ll be there in five minutes.”
Blake doesn’t respond, just nods and focuses on breathing.
I squeeze his hand. “How did this happen?” I cry, hating seeing him like this.
“Lucien,” he says through a clenched jaw. “He fucking came for me.”
“For you?”
Blake nods. “He thought you were dead. He thought he’d killed you both in that crash and,” groan, “he thought that meant he had a better chance of taking me home. I failed you, Sky. I told him that he’d never see you and me again and that’s when he realized you were alive. This could have been over, but he’s just going to keep coming back.”
I put a hand over my mouth, desperately trying to hold back my sobs. I need to be strong for him, more now than ever.
Blake squeezes my hand, forcing my eyes to his as he looks at me with complete devastation. “I’m never going to play basketball again.”
I fucking break.
The one thing I promised this kid when we left hell was that I was going to make all his fucking dreams come true. I promised him the NBA. I promised him a safe home, a life filled with love, joy, and happiness and all I’ve brought him is pain and crushed dreams.
If I was just stronger…if I were able to handle what Lucien and Marcus were doing to me, this never would have happened. Slade wouldn’t be fearing for his family every single day, Daniella wouldn’t be watching her back, and Shay and Ben…they would still be happy together with his secrets still well and truly buried.
I shake my head in horror. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. All of it. If I never made you run in the first place, you’d all be safe. You’d be home with your friends on your team. I’m so, so sorry, Blake. I did this to you.”
“Don’t,” Slade growls from the driver’s seat as he races through the streets. “You’re not the fucking monster, Skylah. He is. Do. Not. Put. This. On. Yourself.”
I meet his eyes in the mirror and instantly tear them away. He’s wrong this time, so damn wrong.
We pull up at the hospital in four minutes and Slade comes to a stop right in the ambulance bay. I throw myself out the door and race toward the entry, barging through with every ounce of energy I have. “I NEED HELP,” I scream to anyone who will listen.
Nurses and doctors appear out of nowhere. Someone comes racing with a wheelchair while another comes with a stretcher.
I lead them out to find Slade halfway through getting Blake out of the Dodge and the male doctors rush in to help. “What happened?” someone questions, looking to Blake who’s in too much pain to respond.
“His leg was crushed,” I cry. “I don’t know what with but you have to save it. To him, his life wouldn’t be worth living if he couldn’t play basketball. He has to be able to play. He’s going to the NBA one day. He’s a star.”
The doctor meets my eyes and gives one firm nod before rushing away with my brother, leaving me and Slade out in the cold, terrified of what comes next.
Chapter 9
“Seriously, Sky? Do you have any idea what time it is? I told you if you were going to spend the night drinking and being stupid that you were responsible for getting yourself home. Have you heard of this thing called Uber?”
“Shay.”
“Seriously, I’m going back to bed.”
“SHAYLEE. Don’t you dare hang up,” I rush out, terrified of her ending the call before I get a chance to explain. She needs to be here for Blake just as much as I do and if she finds out in the morning after he gets out of surgery, she’ll never forgive me. “Blake’s been hurt. You need to get down here.”
She sucks in a sharp gasp and I hear her throw herself out of her bed and begin rushing around her bedroom. “What? He’s been hurt? What do you mean? How? What happened?”
“He…”
“Oh, God,” she cuts me off. “Please tell me it’s not bad.”
“It’s bad, Shay. Lucien-”
“Don’t fucking tell me that bastard had a hand in hurting another one of my kids?” she demands, refusing to let me get a whole sentence out.
“He did, Shay. You need to get down here. Blake’s being rushed into surgery as we speak. He refused to go home with Lucien and he broke his leg.” She sucks in a gasp and I try to keep strong. “He crushed it, Shay. It’s not just some clean break that he’ll recover from in a few weeks. He might never play again.”