My hands start shaking and my palms become sweaty. I look to Elio, who I naturally seek out when I start to get like this. Of course, he’s already noticed my symptoms and his smile gets even bigger.
Elio tilts his head and leans forward, but Big Man shoves him back.
“What’s the matter,principessa?“ he asks. “Need your medicine?”
Big man growls and knocks Elio out. I don’t understand why they’re not killing him.
“Get her out of here,” my father snarls.
Dream Man is on me in an instant. He scoops me up, bridal-style, and carries me out of the room.
“I need my medicine,” I say, starting to panic.
Dream Man sets me on my feet and tugs my shaking body into his. “Please,” I rasp. “He has my medicine.”
“What the fuck is happening?” Dream Man snaps, holding me close to his chest.
“Elio began creating an addiction to sedatives even before she tried to escape and got shot. He was going to use it to force her compliance. Keeping her down would steal her ability to fight him,” Tyjae says behind me.
He did what?
“You didn’t think that was important to mention?”
The chest I’m against rumbles under my ear as he speaks, the words coming out as a growl. I hold onto that sound, trying to use it to ease the panic that keeps growing, growing, growing.
“That ranks pretty high on the fuckery scale, but it’s about the least fucked up thing he did to her,” Tyjae snaps back. “We didn’t exactly have time to chat.”
“I just want to lie down,” I groan, no longer wanting to listen to the fighting.
It’s hard to wrap my head around this whole situation. Exhaustion weighs me down, fucking with my ability to sort through the messed-up conversation with Elio. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve had the medication Elio was giving me, but I’ve slept through the whole flight from Italy to America.
I lie on the floorboard of the SUV, trying to battle the wave after wave of nausea now assaulting my body. I can feel myself spiraling downward, the withdrawal making me desperate enough to beg for the drug. I just want this hell to stop.
I heave, uncurling myself from the ball I was in and pushing to my knees. A hand rubs at my lower back, only causing me to fall back down to get away from it. My skin’s too sensitive.
“Mal, baby, do you know how long it’s been since you had your last dosage?” a deep voice asks, but I can’t put a face to it.
I can’t answer the question. I don’t know how long it’s been since we’ve been in the car or the flight.
“At least twenty-four hours,” I say, giving it my best guess.
The effort to remain conscious is too much. I stop fighting and slip back into the blackness, drifting under and letting sleep take me.
33
Nathaniel
“She’sseizing!”Delaneyyellsout, and Xana rushes in to help her. “Nate, give me your belt!”
I move on autopilot as I watch my daughter contort and shake on the hospital bed.
“Nate!” Delaney screams again, but I can’t process her words.
Chantelle’s beautiful face steps in front of me, jerking at my waist until my belt slips through the belt loops before handing it to Delaney. I can hear yelling coming from outside the room, but it fades away as I get lost in the heavy, frantic beat of my heart pounding in my ears.
No one knows when Malia had the last dose of lorazepam. Tyjae said on the flight home that she believes Elio was mixing the drug. She had mentioned this to Malia, too, before the incident. But she was never privy to what it was exactly.
Malia’s body falls still, and I lurch toward the bed before hands grab me and pull me back.