I brush Fielding’s hair out of his eyes and keep his head on my lap as I use the other hand to scroll through his contacts.

When I get to where “Dempsey” should be, there’s nothing. I switch over to his recent calls instead.

Random names and numbers are listed, but about halfway down, there’s one that says “Dumpy.” I click it rather than waste time comparing it to what I have in my phone.

It only rings once.

“Hello?”

Tears of relief flood my eyes, but I hastily blink them away. We’re not out of the woods yet.

“Dempsey, it’s Maddie Wheeler. Please don’t hang up on me,” I rush to get out.

“Maddie? What the hell? The caller ID said my brother was calling…” He trails off, checking the display on his phone, I’m sure.

“You’ve got some nerve—” he starts, but I cut him off before I lose him completely.

“Dempsey, listen to me. I’m with Fielding. We’re at a party. There were these guys, and they said he snorted something—” A sob rips through my chest unbidden.

If those guys come back… if Andrew finds me out here alone with no one but the unconscious dude in my lap… Fuck. I have to make Dempsey understand.

“Fielding’s hurt. They hurt him. I stopped them, but I don’t know—”

“Where are you?” he demands. There’s rustling in the background, followed by the faint rumbling of an engine.

“Haymarket Street. The house is on Haymarket. There’s a ton of cars… you can’t miss it. We’re out by the barn, but I need to get him out of here. If they come back…”

“I’m already in my car. GPS has fourteen minutes, though. Where are you right now?”

“I’m sitting with him in the grass. He’s so out of it, I can’t get him to stand.”

“Are you safe?”

Are we?

“No,” I whisper as my lip quivers with the confession.

If those guys come back out here looking for a fight… or if Adley decides to make good on his little stunt and prove a point… neither of us is safe. Another sob croaks out, and I curse myself for acting like such a sissy right now.

“Tickle him,” Dempsey demands.

“Wh-what?”

“Tickle him. Stomach, armpits—Fielding’s super ticklish. Unless he’s literally unconscious, that’ll at least get him moving.”

“Okay…”

“I’m going to stay on the phone with you until I get there. See if you guys can get to the road or somewhere safe. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I switch the phone to speaker and stick it in my back pocket, then make sure my wristlet is secure before standing. My legs are asleep from kneeling, which is probably a good thing because my left ankle has its own pulse and is twice the size of my right.