Page 97 of Save Me

“It’s okay, Mads.” Micah’s voice is calming as he puts the puppy in Princess’ cage, and I realize he’s using the same tone with me as he did with the dog.

My face gets hot. Does he think I’m a scared puppy that he needs to baby? I don’t need to be babied.

Micah puts his fingers up to the cage with endless love and patience on his face. He whispers softly, and then I realize that the endless fog I’ve been wrapped in has receded a bit. As I watch Micah, I realize he’s also been through an intense amount of stress, yet he’s here…loving on this dog. Like, fully loving.

How? How does he love so goddamn much? Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous? And fucking painful? What fucked up masochistic game is he playing?

Princess has stopped stomping and now climbs up into Micah’s lap. “Ah yes, my Princess.”

Princess sticks his muzzle in Micah’s face and starts licking.

Micah splutters. “Okay, my king! Cheese and crackers, let up!”

Princess does not, and Micah falls back to get away from him.

“Ack, no more celery, poop mouth! Get away from me!”

Princess is relentless, pursuing Micah’s mouth. I watch them, and an overwhelming of…some warring emotions wash over me. It’s a mixture of something warm and…safe mixed with an overwhelming adrenaline drop.

Vaguely, I hear that instinct in the back of my mind. Safe? How dare I feel safe?

I try to shove it down. Micah is helping. Can’t I just accept that right now? Have a single fucking moment of peace?

But the voice is relentless. Nothing is safe right now. Arthur is dead. The cops are going to be after us, and the world is full of shit-ass people. We have a literal curb-stomped puppy.

Slowly, my heart rate increases.

Nothing is normal now. We killed someone.

Nothing will ever be the same.

My heart is thumping, and my skin feels hot. I have so much energy, and I don’t know where to put it. I stand up, feeling like bugs are running under my skin. My muscles feel like they’re being electrocuted, and I meet the gaze of the puppy hiding under the box.

Anger washes through me. How dare someone make the dog feel like that? Rage like I never even felt for myself boils through me. How dare they? The dog has done nothing wrong.

Vaguely, I realize that the dog is the least of our worries right now, but what am I going to do about literally any of the other problems?

This one? I can do something about this one. I can find the owners and make them pay.

As soon as I have the thought, relief hits me. That’s it. I’m going to find whoever did this to this dog and make them feel the same way. Then maybe this cloud of impending doom will go away. Maybe, just maybe, I can feel that warmth again.

I stalk to the door, and Micah sits up. “Where you going?”

“I’m gonna beat their ass.”

Micah scrambles up. “Oh?” He follows, then I see him stop short. I know he wants to follow me, and I see the moment he remembers I hate to be followed.

There’s a tiny softening in my chest that mixes with the rage in a way that feels…oddly good.

“You can come with,” I say, headed toward the door.

“Freak yeah!” Micah is beside me in an instant. “Quick question, who we gonna jump?”

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

I could jump for joy. Maddox wants me to jump someone with him! This is the best day of my life! Freaking heck, I don’t think I could be happier. Mads wants me to go with him, even though I thought he was completely done with me. But he’s not.

Because he’s back, and he invited me to go with him.