Chase the Pain (Amatucci Family #1) - Sadie Jacks Page 0,2
me of my headache. It joined the ocean of throbbing sensations overtaking my body.
I relaxed into it. Rode the swells as they buffeted my body.
Finally.
Finally, I could truly feel.
Someone slid something cold and wet over my forehead. Cold and pain were my least favorite combination. Someone was looking to get her ass kicked.
I squinted open one eye. Glared at Talia. “Get that away from me.”
She chuckled as tears filled her eyes. “If you don’t like it, you’re going to need to move it yourself. But don’t move your lower body.” She wiped a hand under her nose. “What the shit was that, Willow Koa Chase?”
I winced. Shit, I was in deep trouble if she used my full name. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d heard it. From anyone. I stiffened my upper lip. “I don’t know what you mean.” I looked away from her as I tried to lift a hand to grab the cold rag from my face.
She slapped my hand away. “Touch it and I’ll make them give you morphine.”
Betrayed by my best friend. The agony. I lowered my hand to my belly like the good little girl I was supposed to be portraying.
Her laugh was wet as she lowered her head to mine. She moved the wet cloth, pressed the gentlest of kisses to my cool skin, and replaced the cloth. “Don’t ever do that again. I can handle myself. You know that.” Her voice was a low, ragged whisper.
I shook my head slightly. “I just reacted. Had he not stumbled into the table, it would have been fine.”
“Doesn’t matter. He’s getting tossed out and they’re pressing charges.”
My eyes widened. “Seriously?”
She nodded, her beautiful face caught between desperation and vengeance. “He’s lucky I had to get to you. Or he’d be dead.”
My lips ticked up at the corner. “D-E-D, ded.”
Tears escaped her eyes as she laughed. “Don’t make me laugh, Chase. I’m furious with you.” She swiped her fingers under her eyes. The mascara left a crazy trail of black smeared over her cheeks. “We’re waiting for the ambulance to get here.” She watched me, held my gaze.
Terror shot through the lovely pain. Made it spike hot and hard. “You can’t. You can’t let them take me to the hospital, Tali.” I tried to escape. Tried to roll away, to get to my feet.
She held me down with pitiful ease. “We have to, girl. The table might have done some serious damage. And when he landed on top of it?” She shook her head. “It’s either the hospital or in-house call. And if you choose the latter, then you better do whatever Rafe tells you. Even if that means going to the hospital.”
I shook my head as tears burned at the backs of my eyes. Either way, I could end up in hell. Hooked up to machines where they counted down the beats of my heart like some kind of nuclear apocalypse clock. “I can’t go there, Tali. I’ll do anything, but I can’t go there. You know that.” I grabbed one of her hands in mine. “Hell, call my parents before you let them take me to the hospital.”
Her dark chocolate eyes widened. Her brow furrowed. “You can’t mean that. You haven’t seen them in ages.”
“I’d rather brave my parents than…” I trailed off. She knew what I was talking about. Who I was talking about. I didn’t need to voice the words. Neither of us needed to relive that time in my life.
She heaved a sigh. “Let me get Rafe.” She looked up and over towards the bar area. “Lex, they can come over here.”
The terror leaked away, leaving me bobbing and floating on the pain once again.
“And bring me another cool rag, please.”
I reached up, pinched her leg. “No more rags.”
She ignored me.
I wiggled my toes. Or tried to at least. I wasn’t sure they were still attached to my body. I couldn’t really feel anything below mid-thigh other than a deep pulsing along the line where the table had crashed into me.
Three handsome faces moved into my eye line.
Seriously, how the Amatucci family produced five gorgeous children should be chalked up to sorcery of some kind. It was almost unfair. I probably would have thought so more if I’d been on the outside of the family. But since they’d all but adopted me, I guess I could forgive them their good looks.
Turo, the oldest Amatucci sibling, got to me first. His dark brown eyes, five o’clock shadow, and