With Every Heartbeat

“Man, you don’t think she’s still going to cough up a kidney, do you?” Ten asked incredulously. “Even after tonight?”

I nodded. “Yes. She will.” Because I would if I were her. “You guys coming with me, or not? It’ll probably take a couple trips to move all her things out.”

“That was Noel.”

Aspen’s voice in the other room made me sit up. Caroline had tucked me into her bed about half an hour ago. Then she settled in next to me and booted up a movie on her laptop. She was all about romantic comedies of the eighties. But tonight, I just didn’t care if Baby had been left in a corner or not. I couldn’t concentrate on anything except the ringing of the phone a couple minutes earlier, or Aspen when she appeared in the doorway to wave Caroline into the hall for a hushed conversation.

I shoved the sheet off me and hurried to the door to listen in on them.

“Did Quinn finally make it home?” Caroline asked.

Closing my eyes, I held my breath and waited to hear Aspen’s response.

“Yeah. And they’re headed over to Cora’s apartment right now to—”

“No!” I yelled, leaping into the hall. “He can’t.”

Quinn couldn’t hurt Cora, no matter what.

“Zoey!” Aspen covered her heart. “You scared me. I didn’t think you were—”

“We have to stop him.” I grabbed Caroline’s arm and started tugging her away. “He can’t touch Cora. He can’t hurt her.”

“Zo—” She tried to resist, but I was having none of it.

“We have to go.”

So, we went. Aspen stayed home with Noel’s sleeping younger brothers. But Caroline drove me to Cora’s apartment.

“There’s Oren’s truck,” she murmured when we pulled into the parking garage.

“And Quinn’s,” I uttered with dread. I wrung my hands, hoping he hadn’t done anything he’d regret, because if he knew about Cora, he would definitely regret it. And here I had thought Ten was going to tell him about her condition.

As we raced toward the front door, Henry held it open for us. “Evening, Miss Blakeland,” he said with his ever-present cheer. “Sure are lots of visitors in your place tonight.”

I thought he meant Quinn and Ten, and possibly Noel and Asher too. I had no idea someone else was there until I blew through the front door, with Caroline hot on my heels.

When the visitor I wasn’t expecting turned to face me, I skidded to a halt. “Mr. Wilder?”

What was Cora’s father doing here?

The room grew quiet, and he looked very grave. A scowling Cora had slumped herself against the opening of the hallway and moodily crossed her arms over her chest—wearing, hey, was that my nightshirt?—while Quinn sat on the couch with his face buried his hands. Asher, Noel and Ten seemed to stand guard around him. The three looked at me with sympathetic expressions.

“What’s going on?” I asked, though I was sure Quinn knew the truth now. If Ten hadn’t told him, Cora’s father would’ve clued him in to her health.

He must hate me right now.

But when he lifted his face and looked at me, I didn’t see hate. I just saw despair. “She doesn’t know,” he said, not talking to me but to the room at large. “Someone needs to tell her.”

Wait. What? I already knew about Cora. He couldn’t be talking about that; he had to know I was already aware of her defunct kidneys.

So what was he talking about?

I took a step backward and ran into Caroline, who instantly snagged my hand and gripped it hard.

Turning my attention to Cora and her father, I shook my head. “Tell me what?”

Cora sniffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m bored. I’m going to bed.”

As she turned away, Quinn surged to his feet and stepped into her path. “You’re not going anywhere.”

His hard tone and piercing gaze made me jump. I’d never seen him so livid.

Apparently, neither had Cora. Because she actually heeded his command and reluctantly came back around.

“Tell. Her,” Quinn commanded.

But Mr. Wilder lifted his hand, wincing. “Cor—”

Ignoring him, Cora glanced at me with a sneer. “Nine months before you were born, my dad fucked your mom.”

Half an Hour Earlier

Henry greeted us at the entrance of Cora’s building. I sent him a respectful nod, realizing this was probably the last time I’d ever see him, because once I got Zoey’s things out of here, I never planned on going near this building again.