Silence

Chapter Thirty-Three

Cole

I swallowed hard.

She just spoke. Help me. Her voice, her tone, her words splintered my heart.

"Oakley?" I mumbled in disbelief. I was scared and elated. She'd spoke to me, but it was to ask, beg, for help.

"Cole," she repeated. Her voice was quiet and broken. I'd always wondered what she would sound like now. My eyes started like a bitch.

Keep it together.

She coughed. "Help me."

Oh, God. I snapped into action, no longer fixed on the fact that she'd spoken. "What's wrong? Where are you?" I questioned, and frantically searched for my keys while my heart was beating all over the place. "Oakley, where are you?" I repeated sternly.

Please, just tell me, baby.

Something was really, really wrong, and I was terrified.

"Um," she whispered, trying to catch her breath as she sobbed. It took her a minute to explain to me where she was, but I got it. Her voice sounded like it agony to use.

I kept her on the phone, sprinted downstairs and out to my car. I just need to get to her. Right now. She was on her own near a layby off the motorway. What the hell was she doing there?

"Cole?" Mum shouted, jumping up as I ran past her and Dad on the sofa. I should probably stop to tell them, something could've happened to Max, but I was too distracted to think straight.

A journey that should have taken thirty minutes didn't even take twenty. I slammed my breaks on and pulled over at the side of the road where she thought she was. Jumping out of my car, I shouted, "Oakley? Oakley?"

Seconds later, she appeared from behind a row of trees. She stumbled on the uneven ground as she made her way to me. Why was she hiding?

I closed the distance between us quickly and wrapped my arms around her. "What's wrong?" I mumbled against the side of her head. Thank God, she's okay.

Her body trembled under mine and she gasped for air.

"Oakley, calm down."

Sobbing, she tried to calm down, but she was breathing so hard and gripping me so tight her nails cut into my skin. Whatever had her so terrified send chills down my spine. I stroked her hair and whispered into her ear until I felt her relax.

I just had to get her to calm down. "I need you to tell me what's wrong, okay?"

She nodded against my shoulder. I gripped her upper arms and tried to pull back to see her, but she clung to me tighter and whimpered, burying her head in my chest. "What is it?"

"I– I don't want you to l-look at me," she whispered, her voice cracking and body shaking with silent sobs.

My stomach twisted with unease. I was almost to scared to ask. "Why wouldn't you want me to look at you, baby?"

She was quiet for a minute. "I can't... I can't do it again."

"What can't you do?"

She shook her head and dug her fingers in my back harder. My back stung, but I didn't care. "You can tell me anything, you know that. Why is this so hard for you to tell me?" I asked her. "Oakley, please, what can't you do?" I was getting desperate, and I just needed to know what was wrong so I could fix it. "Why are you alone?" Where the hell was Max?