Tate, meanwhile, stood frozen in place, a dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Sweat was dripping down his temple as he stood in the frigid temperatures of January. He knew something was wrong. He just couldn’t get his legs to move toward Audrey’s condo.
Looking back, he saw Lucas had Levi on the ground, his foot on Levi’s neck while he had his phone out in his palm. Tate looked back up and started taking shaky steps toward the open door. “Audrey?” he called, hoping like hell that she would appear in the doorway smiling. When she didn’t, he called her name again, and only got to the second step up to the porch when her limp feet came into view. He rushed up the stairs then, pushed the door open wider and saw her bloody body on the floor.
“Oh my God,” he said, rushing to her, picking up her limp body and wrapping her in his arms. Her head fell back, blood dripping from it as he lightly shook her. “Oh my God, please, Audrey, baby, talk to me,” he said, turning up her face.
Her eyes were swollen shut, her lips busted. and her face covered in bright red blood.
“Audrey!” he yelled, shaking her more fiercely. When she didn’t wake, he brought her body closer to him. He moved his shaking hands to her throat, pressing his finger to her neck, not feeling a pulse. “Oh God, Audrey, no, baby, please, don’t leave me, please,” he said, hot tears pooling in his eyes and falling down his cheeks. His chest was aching, his heart beating so fast he was sure it was going to pop out of his chest and run away. His body was shaking uncontrollably and he wasn’t sure he was actually breathing. Holding her close, Tate didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to move. He didn’t know how to think. “Baby, please, Audrey, love, talk to me, please, don’t leave me,” he cried, his lips dusting her temple as he held her close.
He had to help her. He couldn’t just sit there. Laying her back down on the floor, he moved his hands to her chest, pressing hard as he administered CPR.
“Oh my God, Tate.”
Tate looked up to see Lucas, his hands out in front of him and panic on his face as he crouched down beside them. “Fuck, is she breathing? Please say she’s breathing.”
Tate shook his head as the tears rushed across his face and down his arms while he continued the CPR. Sobs ripped through him as he blew air into her mouth and went back to the compressions.
“The ambulance is coming, hold on, Audrey, hold on,” Lucas yelled, but to Tate, it was like being in a bubble, everything around him far away. It seemed he was about to pass out, his chest cramping, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe as people moved around him.
“Tate, move,” he heard Lucas say. “The paramedics are here.” Tate finally looked up, and saw two paramedics standing behind Lucas. “Move, let them take over,” Lucas said again, and Tate nodded and moved away. The paramedics were on her within seconds as Lucas pulled him away, taking him in his arms. “Breathe, man, breathe.” Tate shook his head, moving out of Lucas’s arms and looking down at Audrey’s lifeless body as the paramedics worked on her.
He hadn’t saved her, he hadn’t brought her back.
He let her die, because he wasn’t here to protect her, just like he wasn’t there to save his parents and sister.
She was gone.
His hands went to his eyes, wiping away tears as he moved out the door. He braced himself against the pillar outside their condos and took in deep, shuddering breaths. A sudden wave of nausea hit him hard, and then he was vomiting over the side of his porch. Shaking, he expelled all of his stomach contents before standing up and resting his arms above his head. She couldn’t be gone, she couldn’t. It wasn’t fair! What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he get a break? Was he going to lose everyone he loved?
Glancing out at his yard, he saw cops, paramedics, and firefighters. Their neighbors stood in the doorways watching and talking to each other about what was going on. FBI agents were surrounding someone, and when one of the agents moved aside, Tate saw who they were questioning.