Breathe Me (A 'Me' Novel) (21 page)

Fuck.

I didn’t even see if her mom was home. I tore through the house screaming her name and searching every fucking closed door until I found her on the floor in a fucking mess of a room with that asshole from the other day standing over her and an empty pill bottle on the floor. I had lost my shit on Matty when I popped him one, but my anger then was fucking chill compared to now. My rage took over as I charged homeboy away from her and started pounding out her hurt on him, because if I couldn’t do it to her bitch of a mother, he was the next best fucking thing. Guilty by association, dickhead.

“Who the fuck are you?” a shrill voice slurred from behind me, catching me off guard and letting the asshole get one on me. Too much beer makes people think they are fucking Superman, and that was all I needed. Meet your kryptonite, bitch. She screamed as I continued to beat the shit out of this lowlife, and I didn’t give two fucks when I heard her on the phone, clearly calling the police. When he stopped screaming and my fist was raw and bloodied, I turned my attention to Harley. I let my rage swallow the attention she needed, and I prayed I wasn’t too late. After doing CPR and getting her breathing again, I called an ambulance. Her mom hadn’t even bothered to notice Harley was barely breathing. My boots ate up the carpet as I crossed the room and got in her face good, causing her to back into the door. I couldn’t kill the bitch, but she was going to feel my anger and heed my fucking warning.

“You fucking cunt, you did this,” I spat as she stood there not fully understanding that I was fighting to not fuck her up. “Your time is coming, and it’ll come even quicker if you so much as speak Harley’s name. You feel me, lady?”

She slowly nodded, then scurried out of the room like a fucking rat. The bitch.

I scooped Harley into my arms and waited, whispering shit I had no idea was in me to say. Shit like I needed her and not to leave me and to keep fighting. I whispered that shit until the ambulance arrived and took her from me. I hopped in my car and followed Harley, asking anyone who was listening to not let it be too late.

* * *

Harley woke up after two days of being in the ICU. She had numerous broken bones, a concussion, and a bruised windpipe. I should have gone to jail, but the neighbors were witness to years of abuse, and the dude I fucked up was out on bail and wanted nothing to do with the assault charge they slapped on Harley’s now missing mom. To the police and everyone else, no one said anything about suicide. Since she had been taking the pills daily, they didn’t run any further tests. But I knew the truth. I heard it in her voice when she told me she loved me. She had given up. She was awake, but she wasn’t really there. She refused to look at me no matter how fucking pissed I got at her. She just stared out the window of her hospital room. She had checked the fuck out. She had one visitor, Ember, and Harley refused to even let her in the room. The only sound that came from her was when I told her that the police were looking for her mom and there was a warrant for her arrest. Harley had sighed with relief, and then went back to staring out the window.

When it was time for her release, she didn’t even protest as I wheeled her out, then guided her to my car, or as we took off and left fucking Dacula once and for all. After an hour, I had enough of the fucking silence and pulled over, threw off my seat belt, and crushed my lips to hers. There was no way I was allowing this shit, and I knew how cocky it sounded, but she would always respond to me on this level. So I kissed the shit out of her until I felt her lips loosen underneath mine and open up for me. Although she didn’t move to touch me, I could tell she wanted to, and after nibbling her lips once more, I pulled back.

“Deklan…,” she started in on what I knew would consist of some bullshit she had made herself believe to be true before I put my finger to her lips, silencing her. I searched her eyes, looking for that girl I met what felt like ages ago, asking her to let me in again. I was met with pleading eyes, willing me not to push.

I placed my hand over my favorite part of her, her heart, and swore to her and to myself. “I got this, okay?”

She closed her eyes for a long minute, then nodded her agreement. I adjusted myself in my seat and took her hand, like she had done mine, and drove us home.

I had this, and she had me, and I fucking hoped that would be enough.

Look for the next “Me” novel,
Hurt Me,
coming soon!

Acknowledgments

This part is always tricky because I want to thank so many people, because it took a select few to bring this story to life, but I will try and make this as short as possible, maybe. Theresa, as always, thank you for being my BB and so much more! Riza, you are and will always be the best at what you do! Shawana, you, my friend/PA, were the presence I didn’t know I needed so much! Joshua, you’re my soul mate and bestest BGF a girl could ever ask for! To my readers, I can simply be humbled that you want to keep reading stories that make my soul happy, thank you.