Seconds later it began again, and Charlie started barking—my ringtone always drove him bonkers.

With a sigh, I flung back the bedcovers. ‘I’ll go deal with that and be right back.’

‘I’ll be waiting,’ Dan promised as I padded out of the room completely naked.

The phone stopped ringing the moment I reached it, but I barely had time to register it was Adrian before it started up again. Although tempted to ignore him, I decided to be the bigger person, just in case it was something to do with Sax.

‘Hello, Adrian?’ I said in a tone I hoped didn’t give away the fact I’d just been laid.

He didn’t waste time with greetings. ‘It’s Payton. She’s been hit by a car.’

Chapter 55

55

Perth

Sharp pain stabbed at my chest and my phone fell from my grasp, clattering across the floorboards as I sank to the ground.

Dan appeared in the doorway, glancing from me to my phone. He stooped to pick it up. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘I … It’s …’ My words came in sharp, jagged breaths. ‘It’s Payton. Oh my God.’ Tears sprouted in my eyes. ‘She’s been hit by a car.’

His face went pale. ‘Fuck. Is she …?’

‘I don’t know,’ I whispered, staring at the phone in his hand as if it were a bomb.

‘Ashling! Ashling! Are you there?’ Adrian’s shrill voice shot out of it.

Dan pressed the phone against his chest. ‘Do you want me to talk to him?’ he asked softly, his voice full of concern.

I shook my head and held out my hand, my heart frozen as I lifted the phone back to my ear. ‘Is she—’

‘She’s shaken up, but aside from a few cuts and bruises she doesn’t seem too bad. However the doctors are currently checking for internal injuries and she did hit her head, so they want to keep her overnight for observation, in case of concussion.’

‘Internal injuries.’ I sagged against a cupboard. ‘How the hell did this happen?’

‘She was walking home from school—’

‘What was she doing walking home?’ It was a good ten-minute drive. ‘And what was she doing walking alone?!’

‘Calm down, Ash. She’s going to be okay.’

‘Calm down?’ I shrieked. ‘What happened? You were supposed to be looking after her.’

‘I’m sorry. Topaz was running late and Payton got sick of waiting so she decided to walk home herself. It wasn’t her fault. She was crossing at traffic lights and some loser ran a red. The police have taken him into custody. Topaz is beside herself, but we should be grateful it wasn’t a lot worse.’

‘Don’t tell me how I should feel!’ But the blame and fury I felt wasn’t for Topaz, the guy who’d hit her, or even for Adrian.

It was for me.