Between Life or Death (Stark's Daughter 6)

Chapter 7

Lucas' guitar music fills the open and bright house. I smile as he sits on the living room sofa, his fingers strumming the guitar strings. Zeke is stood in the kitchen, cutting the stems off the roses he bought me as an apology. I lean my head on the sofa and smile at them. Zeke wanders up behind me and kisses my forehead and pulls back. He then places the back of his hand on my forehead to check my temperature. I have a fever, a consequence of the drug.

"Are you okay, Skye?" He asks and Lucas stops playing his guitar to glance over at us.

"Yeah, Im fine." I lie as a sweat drop trickles down my neck and into my top.

"Skye, go to bed. You're ill." Zeke whispers into my ear as he bends down behind the sofa, but i can see the look of worry on his face in the mirror opposite.

"Im fine. I want to stay here." I reply and Zeke kisses me again and walks out.

I forgave him, after a day. My time is too short to not forgive him.

Lucas picks up his guitar and marches to his bedroom. I turn on the TV and watch a comedy movie. I laugh weakly at the jokes. Then Zeke joins me, draping a blue blanket over us as Zeke pulls me into his body. His slightly cold body helps me to cool down and he plants kisses down my neck.

*

"Im thinking of doing a new big project." My dad announces, sitting at the desk in his basement.

I swing my legs on the bar and lean behind me to find a bottle of diet coke, Im driving home.

"Oh, yeah? What sort of project?" I question.

This will be the last project I do, i want it to be good.

"An airplane!" He admits and i burst out laughing.

Dads face drops from the excitement that showered his face before. He looked like a child in a toy shop.

"Wow. That's a massive project. But you already have your own private jet." I point out.

"What if it transformed into a giant Iron Man!"

"You're drunk." I remind him as the smell of gin burns my nose.

"But it would be amazing! Wouldn't it?" Dad shouts.

"Shush. Aiden is asleep." I remind him, placing a finger on my lips.

"He's a deep sleeper. Can i admit something?"

"Sure."

"Im scared of the new baby coming." Dad admits.

"Why?" I question, raising my eyebrows in emphasis.

"Pepper nearly died giving birth to Aiden. How will she cope with the new baby?"

"Pepper is just as strong as you are. She'll be fine." I comfort.

I hear heels echo behind me and i spin around on the bar to see Pepper at the door.

"Why are people so sneaky around me? Im going to start putting bells on you guys shoes." I shout, throwing my arms in the air.

Pepper steps into the basement, dressed in dads joggers and hoodie, she presses her hands against her baby belly. Pepper sits on dads lap and wraps her arms around his neck. He smiles and kisses her.

"Don't worry Tony. Ill be fine." She whispers, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Ill speak to you later." I mumble and grab my bottle of coke and head out.

I start the car engine and pull out of the driveway. I swerve down roads and lanes. The watch on my wrist beeps and i try to find a layby to pull into.

Suddenly, everything goes black in front of me, i swerve in the road. Cars beep loudly and my vision returns. The last i see is a tree in the windscreen in front of my face, my head hits the steering wheel and i fling back. My neck snaps against the head rest and the dizziness fills me. I reach into the rucksack on the passenger seat and pull out one of the drug filled needles. The warm liquid fills my body as blood drips down my face and shards of glass pierce my skin.

The painful darkness spreads through my vein.

I don't remember anything.