“Hello there, mister. How are you feeling?”
I open my eyes to the biggest, warmest, most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen.
“River.” I try to sit up, but my head feels like scrambled eggs.
“Take it easy, big man. You have a concussion.”
“I do?” I reach for the spot where the beam hit me, patting it softly. I don’t feel anything. No lump. No cuts.
“Yeah. You were hit really hard.” She brushes her hand over the side of my face. “But of course you heal pretty fast.”
“What happened to Keni?”
“A bunch of us heard your conversation and told the police. She’s been arrested. Her brother, too. Huff, you need to know that I would never—”
“Don’t say anything. I know you wouldn’t keep me in the dark like that.”
“Good.” She takes my hand, cupping it in between hers.
“What is it?” I can tell she’s got bad news.
“The doctors aren’t telling me anything—I had to drama my way in until your parents get here—but the internet is exploding. A bunch of the guys on the team are telling everyone it’s true. If they stop taking the drug, they’ll die. They’re demanding someone cut a deal with Morris.”
“Morris?”
“Keni’s brother.”
Oh. The mad chemist.
She continues, “His lawyers released a statement saying that Morris is refusing to give anyone the formula. And, from what MJP is saying unofficially, they’re confirming the drug’s side effects are real. Once the level drops too low, the person dies. It’s why they stopped the trials. The heart just swells up and stops.”
Well, crap. That doesn’t sound good.
River adds, “Morris says he’ll keep making the drug if he’s given immunity. Him and Keni.”
“No. That’s not right.”
“I know. But it’s that, or watch half the football team, half my sorority sisters, and my best friend in the entire world kick the bucket.”
“Best friend?” I ask.
“And boyfriend.”
I smile. “I love hearing you say it.”
“Huff, I’m going to ask you to do something that I know is crazy. Totally insane. But no judge is going to let Morris out. This is way too big. Half the world doesn’t even believe this is real, and we’re almost out of time.”
“Please don’t tell me you want me to break him out of prison. I won’t do it.”
“I want you to break in. Talk some sense into him. Tell him to give us the formula. There’s a lab that says they’ll help us—the families—and make a batch. They’re out of the country, so once they do that, someone has to pick up the drug and bring it here. Without going to jail.”
I try not to laugh. She’s right. That’s totally insane. “You want me to break into a prison—”
“Jail. Morris hasn’t been tried yet. But all you need to do is point out to him that no one believes him, and it’ll be too late for Keni by the time they see the proof.”
The plan is crazy. I could get shot. I’ll definitely be arrested. “I can’t do it, River.”
“You don’t have a choice because I’m not living without you.”
I hadn’t thought about that. It kills me to imagine her going through the kind of pain I’ve lived with. Losing someone you love changes everything.
“There’s more,” she says.
“Oh. Super.”
“It’s pretty bad, too.”
“Can’t wait to hear what’s worse than knowing I’ve been exposed to a super-roid that turns you into a murdering psycho before exploding your heart.”
“They know.”
“They who? And what?”
“Everyone. Everything. You were filmed lifting that steel beam. It’s on every news channel.”
“Crap. I forgot about that.” I throw my head back. It really does keep getting more magical.
“Huff, I’m really scared. Nothing I’ve heard is good news about this drug. If that stuff is as hardcore as the guys are saying, you never should’ve come up for air that night.” River covers her face and sobs gently.
I want to laugh. This feels like the story of my life. I can’t do anything normal. I can’t even die like a regular guy. Nope. Not me.
But here’s the thing: I saw what that garbage did to Blake. Keni, too. Aggressive is an understatement. And I would rather die than become a man who would hurt River like that. I really worry that I could. I’ve lost control too many times already, starting with the night Blake died. I didn’t try to save him or care he was dying. I basked in it. I wanted to watch him go. Then I stalked Manda at that resort and swore I would murder her.
I know firsthand how the rage takes over, and now all I can think about is what will happen if I keep taking this stuff to stay alive? What will I do to River? My family? Anyone who pisses me off?
“I’ll go see Morris, but I won’t be taking any more of this stuff, River.”
“What?” Her teary eyes go wide.
“It’s not up for discussion. I won’t do it. I won’t become addicted to something that will turn me into…them.” River knows who them are. Mandas. Blakes.
River looks out the window of the room and whisks a tear from her cheek. The rain has stopped. At least there’s that.
“River? Do you understand?” I can’t risk killing her in a fit of rage.
River pulls a piece of paper from her purse and shoves it in my hand. “This is the name of the lab.” Then she digs out something else from her bag and shoves it in my other hand.
It’s the stupid red cape she bought me. “Why are you giving me this?”
She shrugs, looking down at our touching hands. “If your mind’s made up, then I want the world to see you the same way I do. At least once.” She covers my hand with hers and squeezes tightly. “Ever since you came to my pigtails’ defense, you’ve been my hero, Huff. Shouldn’t everyone know what kind of guy you really are?”
God. What did I do to deserve a girl like River? And what did I do to deserve so little time left?