Instinct » Liam Dunbar [Book 3]

27

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN » FLATLINE
"I'm not dying for you."

☽

I jolted awake suddenly, my heart leaping in surprise at the sound of my phone ringing loudly.

I let out a tired groan, my vision blurring slightly as I began to peel my eyes open. I rubbed my tired eyes, glancing to my left, only to find the other side of the bed empty. I frowned for a moment, before deciding Liam had probably gone downstairs for a glass of water, or something along those lines.

I propped myself up on my elbows, leaning over to reach blindly for my phone buzzing on the bedside table. "Hello?"

"It's me," Theo responded dryly, sounding as if he'd only just woken up himself.

I exhaled in heavy disappointment. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hang up?" I asked, stretching my hand out to turn on the bedside lamp. I squinted slightly, my eyes stinging from the sudden burst of light.

"Because Liam's in trouble."

I paused for a moment, my heart dropping as silence filled the other end of the line. "What do you mean Liam's in trouble?"

"The hunters," he said. "They have him trapped at the hospital."

I shifted to the edge of the bed, placing my bare feet down firmly. "How do you know?"

"Scott called," he replied. "I'm on my way to pick you up."

"Okay," I said, glancing round the room for a moment, before I remembered that it definitely was not my bedroom. "T, wait–" I cut off, inwardly cringing as I braced myself. "I, uh– well, I'm not exactly at my house."

There was a confused silence on the other end of the line. "What? "Where are you then?"

"Uh..."

~

"So you're telling me you had a hot hookup with your ex, and then he disappeared in the middle of the night without warning?" Theo questioned, raising his eyebrows as we headed through reception.

"Basically."

Theo looked as if he was about to reply, likely with some sort of witty remark, until he came to a sudden halt, throwing out his arm to stop me in my tracks. He stiffened, his back tensing as he straightened up. "Stop–"

I slowed to a stop, glancing up at him unsurely. "What is it?"

"Listen," he said firmly, pointing up to the ceiling above us. I stood still, straining my ears to listen out for whatever, or whoever, was above us.

There were multiple heartbeats, a few too many for me to bother counting. Every person up there sounded as if they were carrying a lot of heavy armoury. But most alarmingly, in one of rooms nearby, there seemed to be a difficult struggle between two people.

I moved past Theo, swiftly nodding in his direction as I started to make my way towards the elevator. "Let's go."

Once Theo was inside, I pressed down hard on the button for the next level, as panic began to build within me. I listened closely as the doors shut, taking us up to next floor, where even further commotion seemed to be sounding.

"Go ahead Liam, run." Gabe's taunting voice bounced around, sending my hear racing in fear. "It will be more fun that way."

Panic soared through me as I launched myself towards the buttons on the side, forcefully slamming my hand down on the floor number to open it. I watched the doors closely, as I repeatedly pressed the button, becoming frustrated with every second that passed. "Fucking hell just–"