Pained by Vera Hollins

Author:Vera Hollins [Hollins, Vera]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-31T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

I GOT INSIDE AND PUT my bag on the backseat, feeling like I’d entered a new realm. I was in his car again, with his distinctive fragrance ever-present in the air, but this time I was driving, and it felt strange. I had to push his seat forward so it could fit my height, and my hands trembled as I adjusted it. My old, cheap car couldn’t even compare to his, and I was slightly dazed as I looked at so many buttons on the steering wheel and dashboard.

I started sweating despite feeling cold. I glanced at Hayden and blew out a sharp breath because he was staring right at me. “Put the key in the ignition and start fucking driving.”

I clamped my teeth together, blushing. Okay. I could do this. I put the seat belt on and waited for Hayden to do the same. He didn’t.

“Hayden, please, put your seat belt on.”

“No.”

“No? But—”

“I’m injured all over my chest and waist,” he snapped and opened the glove compartment. He took out a package of tissues and glared at me. “Drive.”

I took a long breath and started the car. I stepped on the gas pedal too hard, unused to its mobility, and the car jolted us back into our seats.

“Fuck!” he cried out, and beads of sweat formed on his temple. “Are you trying to kill us?!”

I inhaled another deep breath, willing myself to focus. “I’m sorry. It’s just that your car is not some old can like mine,” I mumbled and slowly increased the speed as I exited the parking lot, following Blake’s and Masen’s cars. Mel had already driven off.

He turned on the heater and wiped the blood off his face and hands with a tissue, tuning me out. I fixed my gaze ahead, making sure Masen and Blake were in my line of sight so I wouldn’t get lost in these dark, eerie alleys. Hayden remained silent when he finished cleaning, turning to look through the passenger window. I didn’t fail to notice his uneven breaths or how rigid and wired he was.

Pain surged through me when the images of tonight’s fight barreled into my mind, urging me to hurry and take him to a doctor. “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

He didn’t turn to look at me. “No.”

“I have to. You could be—”

“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” His angry eyes sliced into me. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

“But—”

“No! Do you think this is the first time I got this banged up? I got beaten too many times, and this is nothing. Stop butting into something that doesn’t concern you.”

I clutched the steering wheel, distressed because it had always been this easy to get into an argument with him. “Hayden—”

“Shut the fuck up and just drive.”

My hands clenched around the wheel. “It does concern me. You... Hayden, I felt horrible watching him beat you like that. Each time he punched you...” I drew in a shuddering breath. I was nervous because I was about to tell him my feelings, but I had to.

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