Page 70 of Won't Back Down

I didn’t want to betray Willa’s trust. She was so very private about what had happened to her off-island. But maybe it was time we opened the circle of trust a little and let in some friends who could help.

“It has to be her choice. But we’ve got plenty of space. You might as well stay the night.”

CHAPTER 31

WILLA

Iwoke to the distant sound of surf. For long moments I lay where I was, listening to the rhythmic ebb and flow. My limbs felt heavy, as if I were waking from a long sickness. It took way too much effort to pry open my eyes. Sunlight streamed in through the bedroom window, and the curtains billowed in the breeze. Something shifted around my legs—Roy, lifting his head. At least some of that sense of heaviness was him, curled up in the crook of my knees. With his heavy bulk lifted, the blood began to flow back into my legs.

When he realized I was awake, he scrambled over and began to lick my face.

With the rasp of a laugh, I half-heartedly fended him off. “Hey, bud. Hey, pal. Good morning.” My voice sounded like sandpaper.

Something creaked behind me, and I rolled over, expecting to see Sawyer. But it was Gabi rising from a chair by the bed. What was she doing here?

She poured water from a pitcher on the nightstand and extended a glass. “Here. Sip slowly.”

I shoved myself up enough to take it, grateful when the cool liquid slid down my parched throat. Roy glued himself to my side, his tail thumping so hard it shook the bed.

As I drank, Gabi searched my face. “Are you back with us?”

My thoughts seemed to struggle through a layer of cotton. “What happened?”

She dragged the chair closer and sat back down. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

I tried to think. “I… was playing with the dogs.”

Gabi’s dark eyes sharpened. “Is that really it?”

I sensed an urgency here that I couldn’t explain, so I tried harder to push through the fog. A low-level unease slithered through me. “I… had a panic attack.” A bad one, judging from the way my friend stared at me.

“That wasn’t a panic attack. I’m pretty sure it was a full-on PTSD flashback. You were effectively non-responsive to everyone except for Sawyer.”

He’d been there. Holding onto me. Keeping me from being swept away completely. He’d stayed. I remembered him wrapped around me after. Where was he now?

Gabi reached out to take my hand. “What the hell is going on, Willa? I’m worried about you.”

Before I could even begin to pull together an explanation, the door opened.

“You’re awake.” The relief in Sawyer’s voice was a balm. He crossed to sit beside me on the bed, taking my face between his hands and pressing a kiss to my temple. “How’re you feeling?”

“Fuzzy.” It was the only thing I knew for certain.

“Are you hungry?”

At the question, my stomach rumbled. “Starving.”

“I’ll make you some lunch.”

“Lunch? What time is it?”

“Nearly noon. You’ve been asleep for fifteen hours. I expect you’ll want a shower and a change of clothes.”

I realized I still wore what I’d had on yesterday. My skin felt tight and itchy, as if the saltwater had dried on it. Maybe it had. I couldn’t quite remember how I’d gotten back to the house.

“Do you need a hand?”

“I can help her,” Gabi put in.