Page 62 of The Auction Block

"What are you going to do, bro?"Caleb.

A stuttered breath makes my chest tighten. I want to see what's happening, but my brain is in nothing but darkness.

"I don't know," Blake whispers.

"I think she loves you, man. Don't give up on her."

Quiet cries bounce inside my head, fading as the blackness closes in. I will my eyes to open, but nothing happens.

Fuck!

Voices rise again, but I'm still in some alternate place.

I'm never drinking like that again. Ever.

"Why does she have to go into the auctions? If you can find them, why not just have them raided?" Blake's pissed.

"Honestly, this is the way Jax has always done it. We don't question it," Dresden says conflicted.

No, Dres, don't tell him about that shit.

"So, she gets used as bait and no one stops to wonder why?"

"Blake, we're a very efficient team. Lily never complained, and in ten years, we only had a couple fuck ups," Dresden says, sighing.

"Is there a chance we can get her to change her mind?" His fingertips lightly caress my cheek.

Damn it, Lily, wake up!

"I wish. She's a stubborn bitch when she puts her mind to something."

His voice fades and the blackness, laced with fear and pain, sucks me under again. I need to wake up and ease their minds. I have to make this right before leaving.

"Is she okay, Teresa?"

"She'll be okay, Mr. Mason. Too much booze knocked her out. She'll be hungover, but, no worries."

"She's been passed out for almost twenty-four hours. Is that normal for drunken stupors?"

"She drank a lot, I think. She be okay, though. Don't worry."

"What are we going to do," he asks, his voice strained.

"Keep trying, Mr. Mason. Keep being there. Remember what you told me when I first met you?"

"Never give up and never lose hope," he whispers.

"I think the same thing applies to her."

"Ugh." I groan, opening my eyes. The room's unfamiliar, and my stomach lurches. "Fuck." I roll onto my side.

A trashcan appears in front of me as I sit up and heave. I squeeze my arms around it, my stomach bringing up all the alcohol left there. I cough and vomit, shakes rolling through my body. At least I'm awake, finally.

Fuck me!

Delicate hands pull my hair back from my face. I heave into the trashcan again. The bed shifts next to me, and a firm hand splays across my back.

"Get it up, Lily," Blake coaxes.