Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
And last night?
Last night I wasn’t there for him when he needed me.
I sit down hard on the couch, the phone slipping from my hand.
I grab it and place it back against my ear.
“Hawk? Are you there?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m here.”
“We’re waiting to hear about his prognosis. We don’t know much yet.”
“What hospital?” I ask.
She rattles off the name. I add it to the computer in my brain. The eternal to-do list that’s always there.
“Where Dad is,” I say, more to myself than to my sister.
“Yeah. We haven’t told Dad yet.”
I gulp. “I’m on my way.”
“Good. Looks like Falcon and Savannah just arrived. Mom’s been here with me all night.”
“Vinnie and Raven?” I ask.
“They just got here, too. They went out for some breakfast.”
Fuck.
I feel like the lowest scum on earth.
My brother was crying out for help last night…and I was too busy fucking Daniela.
Everyone answered their phone.
Everyone except for me.
Silence fills the line. My mind is a whirl of thoughts. Eagle in the hospital. Dad in the hospital. Our family falling apart, one tragedy after another. I swallow hard, try to push past the lump in my throat.
“I’ll be there soon,” I tell Robin.
I want—need—to say so much more, but the words are stuck.
“Okay,” Robin says, her voice barely a whisper. “Just hurry, Hawk.”
I hang up and sit for a moment, staring blankly at the coffee table. The weight of my brother’s condition, the guilt, the worry—it all presses down on me until I feel like I can’t breathe.
But I fight it off. Now is not the time for self-pity. I have to keep it together—for Eagle, for Mom, for Dad.
And for Daniela.
Time to take her home.
After the greatest night of my life.
Which may have just turned into the worst.
2
DANIELA
I’m about to pour a second cup of coffee when I grab my phone to return Raven’s calls.
Hmm. She left voicemails just a few minutes ago.
I listen to the first one.
“Daniela, it’s Raven. Please call right away.”
Okay…
The next one.
“It’s me again, Dani. Hawk’s not answering his phone. Are you two okay? Please call. It’s urgent.”
Urgent?
I gulp.
Urgent?
I quickly return the call.
And get sent straight to voicemail.
“This is Raven. I’m busy at the moment. Please leave a message. If you’re calling about the Raven’s Wings Foundation, please contact my assistant…”
I stop listening until I hear the beep.
“Raven, it’s me. I’m fine. Hawk is fine. I promise you. I’ll be home soon.”
She sounded really upset. I guess I can’t blame her. I told her and Vinnie that I would probably be spending the night here at Hawk’s, but of course she’s concerned. Who wouldn’t be, given my background? She doesn’t even know the whole story.
If she did, she’d never let me out of her sight again.
I set down my phone.
Hawk enters the kitchen, his face rigid and much paler than usual.
I raise my eyebrows. “Hawk? Is everything okay?”
He draws in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I need to take you home. And then I need to get to the hospital.”
“Hospital?” I grab his hands. “What is it? Your dad?”
He shakes his head, clearing his throat. “My brother.”
“Falcon?”
“Eagle. He…”
“What?” I wrap my arms around his waist.
“He was the one who kept trying to call me last night.” He rubs at his forehead. “Even came here. And I…”
“Oh my God. I have several phone calls from Raven. Voicemails that say I need to call her back. That it’s urgent. I just thought she was worried about me, even though I told her that—”
He places two fingers over my lips. “This isn’t your fault, Daniela. This is all on me.”
“What’s all on you? I don’t understand.”
He gulps, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Eagle. He OD’d last night. He’s in the hospital, and I’ve got to get there right away.”
I widen my eyes. “Oh my God… I should’ve answered Raven’s calls.”
“No. Like I said, this isn’t on you.”
“But—”
“No.” He breaks away from me. “My brother needed me last night, and I wasn’t here. I was too busy…”
He doesn’t need to finish the sentence.
He was too busy with me. Making love to me. Being with me.
I cast my gaze to the floor. “I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t on you,” he says once more.
I swallow, look back up at him. “You don’t need to bother taking me home. I’ll go with you. To the hospital.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t ask you to do that. Not after everything. Not after—”
This time I stop him with fingers to his lips. “Stop. Stop it right now. I want to be at your side. I’ll get dressed quickly. We need to get to the hospital.”
He nods, finally acquiescing. “If you don’t mind.”
“Why on earth would I mind?” I run my hand up and down his arm. “I care about you. This concerns you, so I want to be there for you. And for your brother. And for Raven.”