Page 99 of Shattered Silence Duet

I whimper.Am I paralyzed?The thought terrifies me, and the beeping noise starts to speed up with my heart rate. If I can’t speak or write…No, no, no. It can’t be true.I squeeze my eyes tight shut with worry.

“What is it?” Jasper asks from my other side, as he holds my left hand.

My throat is so dry, I worry if I don’t get a drink right now, my throat might close over. Hoping he understands, I open my mouth wide.

He frowns. “Your mouth… hurts?”

I make an exaggerated swallow. It hurts, and I grimace.

“Your throat! You want water!”

I nod in relief. Max holds a straw up to my mouth, and I drink greedily. It instantly soothes my parched throat. I keep sipping until the cup empties and Jasper is right there with another one. I drink until my throat finally doesn’t feel like sandpaper anymore.

“Alright, now she’s awake. It’s time you boys leave so I can speak to her in private,” the woman, Julie, says. I grip the twins’ hands as hard as I can and shake my head.

“See? She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Max tells her smugly.

She sighs. “It doesn’t matter. She’s underage.”

I shake my head again and look at Dom. He stares at me, his eyes narrowing as he tilts his head. I stare back at him, willing him to read my mind.I’m not seventeen!

Wishing I could type or write to make him understand, I look at my right hand. I can feel Max’s grip, so I’m not paralyzed. I try wiggling my fingers, and they barely move. Frustrated, I throw my head back and blow out a breath.

“Max, can I sit there for a minute?” Dom asks, coming to my side.

“Sure.”

Max releases my hand as Dom takes it and sits on the edge of the bed. We stare at each for a moment and I start to wonder what he’s thinking.

“Come on now, I’ve been quite patient. Everyone out. Chief, can you please have them leave?” The CPA agent says briskly, clearly getting annoyed with nobody listening to her.

“She was violently attacked and has been in a coma for twelve days, she literally just woke up. We’re the only people she knows, and you want us to just walk out of here?” Gideon asks angrily as he stands behind Dom, facing her with his arms crossed. “Not going to happen. The least you can do is give us a few minutes to make sure she’s okay and understands what’s happening.”

Dom’s thumb strokes over my hand and my attention moves back to him. He’s staring at me so intently, as if he’s trying to see inside my head. For once, I wish that was possible. I squeeze his hand as hard as I can, which isn’t very hard at all.

Dom’s eyes narrow again. “You want to tell me something?”

I nod.

“Something important?”

I nod emphatically.

He continues to stare at me for a moment before he pulls out his phone, opens it, and holds it where I can see it, guiding my hand over the keys. I try to press the buttons, but my fingers have no strength. Tears of frustration trickle down my cheeks.

I wish I could just speak!

Wait… my eyes dart to Atlas, who’s standing behind Jasper, staring at me with his arms crossed. Did I… Did I call him for help? The last moments before I passed out are a little foggy, but I swear I spoke… just that one word.Help.

I’ve always felt sick when I’ve attempted to speak in the past, but these men have helped me overcome other obstacles, why not this one too? I lift my chin again, and Jasper places the straw in my mouth so I can take another sip.

The guys have all gathered around me now, and I glance at each of them, clutching Dom and Jasper’s hands, afraid that they’ll be forced to leave if I let go.

“Okay, guys, I’m sorry, but it’s time to go now. She can call you from her foster home when she’s settled,” the man—the police chief—says, sounding regretful.

The guys look heartbroken, and I don’t want to be the cause of that pain. I also don’t want to live another day without them in my life. Staring at Dom, I swallow, then open my mouth and quietly rasp out, “I’m twenty-one.”

Dom’s eyes widen as pure shock covers his face.