✔Paint Me a Murder | Book 1

Chapter 12: Guilty Conscience

Silence engulfed the hospital waiting area. An undertone of bleach wafted in the air. Pacing back and forth around some empty chairs, Kazimir's shoes squeaked. Only a few people waited in the suffocating room, but none of them were there for Samantha.

Checking his phone for the umpteenth time, he cursed under his breath. Where was Jordy? Texts from Emmett popped up, but he ignored them. He'd figure out what to tell him later. The consequences that awaited him back at the hideout terrified him, but losing Samantha scared him even more.

Her poignant screams still pounded in his head. So much blood trickled from the hollow socket her eye used to be. It wouldn't stop. Droplets of dark red stained the sleeve of his hoodie, from when he'd helped her up. No matter how much he paced around the room, he couldn't get the image of Samantha almost dying out of his mind.

Nausea churned in the pit of his stomach. How could Emmett be so ruthless? Kazimir never wanted him to hurt her. He'd only wanted to scare Samantha. Not murder her or permanently disfigure her. If she lived, she'd lose half her sight. Painting graffiti or styling hair would be much more difficult for her now, being partially blind.

The frigid air wicked away his body heat, making Kazimir shiver. Why were hospitals so cold? It felt like being trapped in a freezer.

Blinking hard, he tried not to break down sobbing as he waited for updates from the nurse on Samantha's condition. She had no local relatives that he knew of. The only person he could call was Jordy.

"Kazimir!" His roommate burst through the door, almost out of breath. "I came as soon as I could. Left in the middle of my class. My professor understood. What the hell happened?"

Meeting Jordy's concerned gaze, Kazimir couldn't hold back the whimpers that escaped his lips. The words he wanted to tell him refused to form. It was all his fault. Samantha got hurt because of him. How could he explain that to Jordy? He'd never forgive him. He'd condemn him to hell for it.

A tight knot in Kazimir's chest burst free as he collapsed in Jordy's arms. Tears brimmed in his eyes and he sobbed against his friend's shoulder.

"I fucked up. I don't know what to do," Kazimir cried. "I don't want Samantha to die."

"Tell me what happened." Jordy gently patted him on the back. "We can figure this out, okay? They're gonna help Samantha too."

"You'll hate me forever."

"Why would I hate you?" Jordy loosened himself from Kazimir's grip, stepping back. "Did you do this?"

"What, no?" Kazimir removed his glasses, wiping away the tears that stained his cheeks with his hoodie sleeve. "After Samantha tried to kill me, I sought help from the Voiceless Rebels," he confessed. "They went after the hair salon and set her jeep on fire."

"Holy shit." Jordy raked a hand through his hair. "Why would you go to them?"

"I don't know. I was desperate," Kazimir murmured.

"What happened then? Did they shoot her?"

"No, he didn't shoot her. We found her in the old tunnel," Kazimir told him.

"That one y'all paint in?" Jordy asked.

Kazimir nodded. "Yeah, then she fought with... some guy."

Despite everything that happened, Kazimir couldn't bring it in himself to rat Emmett out. Not only to protect the gang leader, but to save their asses too. If Emmett learned he betrayed him and blurted his identity out to Jordy, there would be hell to pay. For both of them.