Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains. It was fully morning, and clearly a bright one.
Another fit of coughing from Rhys made my stomach drop. Was he running a fever? Had the wound gotten infected?
I hurried over to where he was lying and pressed my hand to his forehead. ‘God, you’re burning up.’
‘Danger... It’s dangerous... Mirabelle...’ he muttered, his voice thick with sleep and fever. ‘No, don’t... Mirabelle... look out!’
‘Rhys? Rhys, wake up.’ He was twitching, trapped in some nightmare. I called his name again, but he didn’t stir.
I shook him gently. ‘Rhys! Wake up!’
‘Hmm?’ His eyes flew open, and he stared up at me, disorientated. He winced and shook his head slightly, as if trying to clear it. ‘It’s fine. I just need some water.’
As he tried to sit up, I gently pressed him back down. ‘Stay there. I’ll get it for you.’
I poured a glass of water and handed it to him. ‘Are you feeling any better? You’ve definitely got a fever. That wound must be infected. You said you bought antibiotics?’
‘Yeah, they’re in the bag.’
I upended the bag of supplies onto the bed, picked out the packets of ibuprofen and antibiotics, and placed them in his hand. ‘Here, take these. Then try to get some proper sleep. Let’s hope the fever breaks.’
He nodded weakly and swallowed the pills.
I fetched him another glass of water and helped him drink.
Walking over to the window, I lifted the edge of the curtain just enough to peer outside.
Where were we? Nothing looked familiar. The street was quiet and nearly empty. It must be a small town, somewhere out of the way.
Waiting around helplessly wasn’t an option. I thought about slipping out to make a call, but the fear of running into the kidnappers was too strong. It would have to wait until nightfall. Darkness would offer better cover.
Rhys was asleep on the bed. There was no question of me joining him. I sank into the armchair instead, my thoughts spinning in messy circles until, without meaning to, I fell asleep.
I woke up to find Rhys was gone.
Before I could panic, he pushed the door open and came in.
‘Where did you go? Did you go out again?’ I looked at him.
‘I went out to get some food,’ he said. ‘Eating nothing but bread and milk all day isn’t healthy. Have some meat.’ He pointed to a box of takeaway steak.
‘Ugh...’ The sight of the meat made my stomach turn again. Finally, I couldn’t hold it in any longer and rushed to the bathroom, where I was sick.
‘Are you okay?’ Rhys came in, gently patting my back. He handed me a tissue and poured a glass of water. ‘Drink some water.’
My whole body felt weak and uncomfortable. I sat down heavily, took the glass from Rhys, had a small sip. My stomach settled a little, and I sighed.
‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately.’ My body seemed to be falling apart. I felt terrible, incredibly sleepy, and exhausted all the time.
Rhys said, ‘You haven’t been resting well, and you haven’t been eating properly either. It could just be an upset stomach. When we get back to Skyline, we’ll go to the hospital for a thorough check-up and get you back on track.’
I nodded. My eyelids were so heavy, and I felt like sleeping again, but my stomach was too unsettled to let me. It was a miserable feeling.
I must have drifted off again, and at some point, Rhys had gone out.
I missed Ashton. I missed him so much. He must be going out of his mind with worry.
Rhys returned, carrying a large bag of fruit.
‘I bought apples, tangerines, and grapefruit,’ Rhys said. ‘What would you like?’
‘Not now, maybe later. I’ve got something to ask you.’
‘I lost my phone. You can’t use yours. But why can’t we borrow one?’
He asked, ‘From whom?’
‘There must be other people in the hotel.’
I said, ‘The front desk, for example. We could borrow their phone.’
Rhys thought for a moment. ‘It could be risky.’
Rhys looked away. ‘You’re right... I’ll go and make the call now.’
As Rhys turned to leave, I grabbed his sleeve. ‘I’ll come with you. I want to call Ashton.’
‘Okay.’ Follow current novels on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵
I could tell he was really reluctant. Did he not want me to come?
But he still led me out of the room. That was when I realised how small this so-called hotel really was. It was probably a private residence converted into a bed and breakfast. There was no one at the front desk. Rhys knocked on a door on the first floor. He knocked for a long time before an older woman came out, wearing pyjamas and an impatient look on her face.
‘What do you want?’ she demanded.
I said, ‘Can I borrow your phone? I need to make a call.’
The woman looked at Rhys, who nodded.
She handed me her mobile phone. I’d memorised Ashton’s number and dialled.
Soon, the call connected, and that familiar, lovely voice came through. ‘Hello?’
‘Ashton, it’s me,’ I said, my voice catching.
‘Mira? Tell me where you are. I’ll come and get you right now.’
‘Where are we?’ I looked at Rhys.
‘Give me the phone. I’ll talk to him.’