Delinquents Turned Fugitives - Ann Denton Page 0,43

we climbed in, the smell of Ramen noodles immediately overwhelmed me and I cringed. I glanced down at the stained carpet, guessing that someone last night had spilled their dinner and we were all suffering the consequences.

I was almost glad to get out, until the tinge of formaldehyde replaced the near-urine smell of ramen. That's when I had to steel my stomach.

Gray turned me to face him. He put my cheeks in his hands, which was a surprisingly tender gesture for him. "Look at me, nemesis. You're the most badass person I know. This will not break you. Know why?"

I shook my head.

"Cause you won't let it."

He pulled me through the double doors into the room lined with metal drawers. Instantly, I wanted to pull back, to leave, to walk away and never come back. A shiver that had nothing to do with the room's temperature coursed down my spine. A million rocks piled up in my stomach building a wall and blocking my voice, making me choke, weighing me down, breaking me.

Grayson did all the talking. I just stood there like a robot. But unlike a robot, I felt everything. A memory of my mom braiding my hair flitted through my head. A random memory of her laughing and kissing my dad in the front hallway while I held up a hand and pretended to be disgusted popped up and then was replaced by her tear-streaked face at Dad's funeral.

I didn't even hear when the coroner opened the drawer and slid out the long metal table. I didn't realize until Gray squeezed my hand and nudged me forward as the other man lifted the sheet covering the body.

My mother's face stared blankly up at me, eyes as cloudy as if she'd just taken Calm. Half of her hair was perfect, the other half a tangled mess, matted with grass and blood from the giant, gaping hole in her neck.

Grief slammed down on me and my knees nearly buckled. I turned and collapsed into Gray's arms, unable to look a second longer.

"I'm so sorry," the coroner said. "But I'm going to need you to confirm a few things."

Nothing Claude had ever done to me hurt as much as those next few minutes confirming my mother's identification information. Because never before in my life had I been so alone.

Now, I had no family.

Zero.

None.

Unless I could bring Matthew back.

I was still in a pained daze when we got back to the farmhouse. Each of the guys pulled me in for a hug, but I was so numb I hardly felt them. I tried to pull up the drive and determination that had fueled me for so many years, but I couldn't. I just felt... empty.

I made my way up to my room and curled up on top of the mattress, staring at the wall until eventually sleep overtook me.

A hand on my shoulder jerked me awake. I'd been dreaming about running through the forest, searching for Matthew, like he'd gotten lost on a hike or something. My heart cramped inside my chest, like it had been running too.

I scrubbed a hand across my swollen eyelids. Moonlight drifted in from my window. I'd slept the day away. I turned to face whoever had woken me up and was surprised as hell to see Andros looming awkwardly over my bed, his face painted in shadow. His dark blond hair was slicked back and to the side. His strong brow was furrowed and he ran a hand across his square jaw, drawing my eyes to his tattoos.

"You've been asleep for ten hours. And we were worried."

I stared up at him, not quite processing.

He rubbed his lips together awkwardly, like he was trying to find the right thing to say. Only, there was no right thing to say.

Part of me wanted to ask why he was the one in here. Of all the guys, I had kind of expected Evan. But, then, Evan would only make me cry harder, because seeing him would bring up all kinds of memories. Maybe he knew that.

Eventually, Andros decided words were useless, and held up a bottle of whiskey, the liquid glowing amber in the dim light of the moon. "Thought maybe we could drink this."

I shoved up on the bed and leaned against the headboard, before scooting over and letting him join me. When he sat down on the bed and swung his legs up, he created such a divot in the mattress that I couldn't help but slide