Love Rush (LarssonSiblingSeries#4)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Not wanting to drag him into my mess, I send out a quick message telling him that my roommate called to say she wasn't feeling so good and I came back to check on her. I apologise for leaving so suddenly and tell him to thank his family for inviting me.

Rodger glances my way. "An ambulance is coming. We need to keep the girl here."

I nod, not knowing what to say. Sure, I've blown it with him. "Okay."

The girl we called an ambulance for is now sleeping on the sofa. I walk over to her and reach for the blanket sat on the floor to cover her shaking body. I'll bet she's freezing. When I get closer, I see how young she looks. Twenty-seven at most. And, this is her life?

"So cold," she slurs, eyes rolling closed.

I pat her shoulder. "Help is on its way. I'll keep you safe."

The whites of her eyes are starting to yellow when she opens them to look at me. "Thank you," she whispers.

My lips turn up, so I smile softly. It's all I can manage. "It's okay. Try to sleep it off."

I find myself wondering about her situation. Does she have a family? A home? Friends? Genuine people, who care about whether you live to see another day. Loyalty isn't something you get when you're homeless. Especially, because addiction is the only way for a lot of vulnerable people to cope with the stress of the streets. Everyone is out to get their next fix. Not to help you.

"I'm going to flag the ambulance down," Rodger says, aiming for the front door.

My fingers go straight into my mouth in a nervous habit, teeth bearing down on the sensitive skin near my nails. I don't know what I'll do if this house gets taken away from me. I'll be back to square one. Back in the dark hole. The pit of my stomach aches with dread. The unknown showing it's ugly head.

"What's your name?"

I jump out of my thoughts and stare down at the girl on the sofa, who's watching me with a washed out gaze. "Tilly," I whisper, "and, you?"

"Mia," she says, rolling her lips.

I smile, hearing several heavy footsteps approaching. "That's a pretty name."

The paramedics crash into the room as her eyes close again. I step back to let them do their job, watching them rush around Mia, checking her blood pressure and asking questions. When the word antidote is mentioned; I know it's serious. Overdose the likely cause.

Jonas stumbles past me, and I reach out to stop him from moving. "What the fuck did you give to Mia?"

He shoves me away. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" I raise my voice and then lower it a fraction when the paramedic looks over. "The poor girl is almost comatose. You're one destructive, selfish man. Just because your life has gone to shit, it doesn't mean that you have to drag everyone else down with you."

"Excuse me-"

"No," I cut him off on a long hiss. "Well done, Jonas. You've succeeded in ruining one more person's life. Mine, too! I'm going to lose my home because of you. You promised me visitation rights to Annabelle which was obviously another of your evil lies. I hope you're happy with yourself. Now get the hell out of my face. Forever!"

Levi

The night is winding to a close. Betty is now lounging on the leather sofas in the Number One pub, Finn curled up next to her. They're so loved up it's almost sickening. Edward and Delilah left a while ago, using the excuse of Beau, even though it was the plan for him to stay the night with Delilah's best friend, Poppy.