Love on the Rise: Book Two of The Against All Odds Series

by Gemini Jensen

  Taking the hotel-sized bottles of shampoo and soap, I work them over my skin in a rich lather before stepping back under the cascade to rinse them away. The scent of lavender floats through the air, and while I appreciate it, it does nothing to soothe my nerves. Working some conditioner in my hair, I allow it to sit for a few moments as the water runs over my back.

  I grab the razor and shaving cream and do a quick trim job everywhere, happy that my skin isn’t prickly any more. It’s not the best shave job in history, but it’ll do.

  As I stand here enjoying the water, my eyes drift downward to the hardened knot beginning to form on my stomach. It’s not quite what you’d call a bump yet, but there’s definitely someone in there. Mindlessly, I press my hand flat against the taut skin and begin repeatedly rubbing smooth circles over the area. Tomorrow, my death is planned. It’s also the day the person inside me is scheduled to die.

  “I’m sorry. I love you,” I whisper as I run my hand across my stomach, tears threatening to spill over my bottom lids. “I’m so sorry.”

  Startling me, Dimitri’s voice, muffled by the door calls, “Four minutes.”

  Stepping back into the stream of water, I massage my scalp to rinse the conditioner out. The movement of my fingertips calls to mind the few times Gray washed my hair for me. He’d always drag his fingertips across my scalp slowly making sure I enjoyed every moment of it. A small smile curls at my lips for the first time in days. If this is the end, I’ll cherish every moment between us and be glad God—or the powers of the universe, or whatever was at work when he and I were pushed together—allowed me the honor of spending the short time with him that I was allowed.

  Dimitri’s fist bangs against the door.

  “Time’s up,” he yells.

  Turning off the shower, I walk across the slippery black and white bath tiles of the floor to grab a towel. It smells surprisingly fresh but it might just be that I’m used to the stench of the other room. The floral scents of the shampoo I just used assault my nose and I practically groan. It’s so nice to feel fresh.

  Reaching for my clothes, I hesitate.

  “You don’t happen to have anything clean I can put on do you?” I ask through the door.

  The handle wiggles and I wrap the towel around my body tightly.

  A white fluffy robe appears through the cracked door.

  “You can use this and I’ll find something.”

  Without much thought, I grab the robe and immediately cocoon it around my body making sure to securely knot the tie around my waist.

  I’m not sure what’s gotten into Dimitri that he suddenly wants to prove there’s a side to him that holds a little compassion for other human beings, but I’m thankful for it nonetheless.

  Opening up the door, I step out into the room, my eyes landing on Mom to once again check for the rise and fall of her chest. The lighting seems a little more dim than it was when I went inside the shower room, but maybe he’s just decided to be nice enough to allow us some rest without the blinding light in our eyes.

  “Thanks for the show—” I’m shoved up against the wall and it takes me a moment to even understand what’s going on. He suddenly appears in front of me, grabbing my wrists and placing another zip-tie over them.

  “Did you think I was being nice to you for no reason?” Dimitri breathes into my ear as he presses against me more harshly.

  Well, no actually, I didn’t.

  I should have gone with my gut.

  I glare at him.

  “I wanted you clean. I’ve waited for the right opportunity and now everyone else is finally gone. I’m getting what I want before tomorrow morning rolls around. I’ve never much enjoyed necrophilia.” My skin crawls at his words.

  My knee thrusts upward but he blocks it, obviously expecting the move. He just laughs, jerking the knot on my robe and making it fall open. I feel his disgusting gaze as it drags across my skin like the point of a blade. Taking a step back, he jerks my bound wrists forward toward the corner of the room, and that when I realize he’s made a pallet on the floor.

  A pallet, I think as I correct myself, more like a fuck-pad.

  How romantic.

  “You don’t have to be this way,” I point out. “You’re not that bad looking of a dude. If you tried, I’m sure you could get a girl,” I attempt to persuade as he continues to jerk me in the direction of the blankets on the ground.

  “Don’t compliment me. I might think you’re going to enjoy it, and then I won’t be able to.”

  God, I was right. He did have rape eyes. He enjoys causing others displeasure. He gets off on it! Sick fucking bastard.

  At this point, he yanks hard and I lurch forward close enough for him to shove me to the ground the final few inches. I land on my stomach, kicking backward at him, but not landing anything solid. He rips my bound arms up above my head so that they’re useless and give me no leverage as he puts most of his weight on my legs.

  Jerking up the bottom of the robe, he reveals my ass as he leans down to whisper again in my ear. “Remember to scream as much as you can. That’s how I like it.”

  A crack of skin on skin smacks across my ass. “First, I’ll take you here. Then I’ll take your mouth,” his foul breath wafts across the back of my neck as I wriggle beneath him.

  I swear I hear each and every tooth of his zipper as he drags it downward.

  I hear his excited panting in my ear, even though he hasn’t gotten started.

  I hear my own pulse whooshing in my ears.

  I hear the tick of the second hand on the nearby clock.

  His hardness nudges at my thighs and I try to move away, but I can’t.

  Time practically crawls as I take in everything. Every sound. Smell. Noise.

  Then the click of a gun.

  “Don’t fucking move.”

  Am I hallucinating?

  “I will fucking kill you,” comes a low growl.

  Dimitri’s weight is wrenched off my compressed body, and I roll over, my gaze landing on a tall figure, shadowed due to the muted light falling across their back. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust and when they do I feel a slight glimmer of hope, although it’s still shaded by doubt that what I’m seeing is actually real.

  “He has weapons,” I say dully because Dimitri always has a gun on him as well as his stupid switchblade.

  The glint of light skimming across metal catches my eye, and I watch as Gray cracks the side of Dimitri’s head with the butt of a pistol, several times.

  “Okay, man,” Dimitri pleads, “I’m sorry. Just let me go.” I finally feel a glimmer of emotion, finally, a slight twinge of something other than numbness as I stare at the deep, open gashes painted over Dimitri’s face. The fear in his eyes elicits a hint of excitement in my bones, sweet revenge. But it’s not nearly enough to satisfy the intense hate I feel for him; it’s not nearly enough for things he’s done and almost did.

  Apparently Gray is thinking the same thing. “Trust me, you sick fuck. This is letting you go in comparison to what I really want to do to you. Fortunately for you, I’m pressed for time.” He points the gun directly at Dimitri, the end of the barrel only inches away. I cringe, expecting a loud bang, but it never comes. At least, not at the volume I was anticipating. I stare at the pistol in confusion, noticing it looks longer than it should, I’m guessing from a silencer.

  He doesn’t even hesitate to take the life of the man who nearly raped me. He doesn’t even flinch. For the second time in my life, fate placed me in the hands of someone who wanted to harm me in the worst of ways, but it also placed Gray in the right place at the right time.

  Making quick strides, he makes his way back to me, and when he graces me with the warmth of his caramel eyes, I’m sure I really am hallucinating. When he brings out a knife, I recoil. “Shhh. It’s okay,” his soothing voice assures as he slices through the plastic and frees me of my bindings. I hardly help him in lifting my arms to make it easier, because I can’t stop staring at him.
>
  Laughter bubbles up out of nowhere, and his brow furrows.

  “Oh my God. What a cruel joke. I knew my mind was playing tricks on me,” I say out loud.

  His big hands cup both sides of my face as his eyes bore down into my own. “Buttercup,” his gravelly voice commands. The use of my pet name is enough to chip away at my shock-induced state. “I’m here. It’s really me. I need you to get your shit together so we can all get out of here alive. Do you think you can help your Mom? She’s just starting to come around, but I’m sure you’ll have to carry most of her weight.”

  His words are like a blunt force knocking me back into reality. I suddenly realize he’s here by himself. He’s come alone.

  “Where’s Jameson?” Panic befalls my tone.

  “On his way——hopefully. I jumped the gun. He was trying to get someone to help breach the building with us but I couldn’t wait any longer. I had a bad feeling,” his gaze hardens, flickering back to Dimitri’s corpse which is now being outlined by a red pool seeping from his wound. “I’m glad I listened to my intuition. It wasn’t…” he hesitates, his eyes burning, “was this the first time anyone tried?” His voice sounds even more raw than my own as he asks the question. He needs the answer to be yes, and in my heart, I know that even if Dimitri had been able to rape me before, I’d lie to Gray in a heartbeat. It would destroy him otherwise.

  Thankfully, because of him, it’s not a lie I’ll have to tell.

  “It was the only time he’s had an opportunity to try,” I reassure him. A gust of air rushes from his body.

  Gray presses his lips to the bruise on my cheek, a feather light touch, before pulling me to my feet and hands me his knife.

  “Go free Althia,” he orders as he makes his way to the door, and glances down both ends of the hallway. He holds his position in an attempt to secure the room.

  Quickly reaching the bed, I cut the bindings and notice the dark imprints stamped into her skin once they’re peeled away. Her head lolls to the side and she groans attempting to crack open the eye that’s not completely swollen shut.

  “Mama, we have to move now. Gray is here,” I whisper.

  Disoriented, she blinks at me, her eyes landing on my lips as I speak to her. I’m not even sure she understands what I’m saying or what’s even going on. It wouldn’t shock me to find out she’s suffered a concussion, which further amps up my desperation to get us to a hospital.

  Attempting to pull her to her feet and swing her arm over my head, both of our weight buckles at the same time. We fall back onto the bed and I let out a moan of frustration. Normally, I’d be able to support the weight of my mother. She’s a tiny wisp of a woman as it is. But from what I’ve undergone in the past week, on top of the exhaustion that’s apparently normal with pregnancy, I can barely support my own weight.

  Gray jerks around to see what the commotion is.

  “I’m weak,” I mumble, feeling useless and ashamed. “I’m sorry. I’ll try again.”

  His eyes soften. “No, I’ll get her. Can you walk on your own? I shouldn’t have asked you to carry her in your condition anyway.”

  “I can walk. I’ll try not to slow us down.”

  Even carrying my Mom, Gray is so damn strong it won’t put a dent in his pace. I almost want to tell him to take her and come back for me, but I won’t risk him going in and out of the building twice.

  His large form jogs over and pulls me back onto my feet before lifting my Mom like she’s a giant sleeping baby. Walking a few steps, he turns back to make sure I’m coming. “Let’s go.”

  I attempt to follow, but he shakes his head at me.

  “You’re going to have to be point on this. I’ll need to make sure no one is coming up behind us.”

  My eyes widen. “But I don’t know where I’m going,” I argue.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you where we turn and which doors to go through. Don’t worry. I know this building.”

  I stare at his face, a mask of determination that transfers to my own. “Okay.” I nod. I trust him. He’ll always be the person who tries to keep me out of harm’s way.

  We walk down one corridor and turn down another long one. So far, there’s no sign of anyone.

  “So, you’re pregnant?” His tone is casual, but the fact he couldn’t even wait until we reach safety before broaching the subject means this isn’t a casual topic for him in the least. He hasn’t even asked much about what I’ve gone through, not that there’s been time, but he sure found a moment to ask about the baby.

  And something about that annoys me.

  “Yep,” I smack my lips on the p.

  “The stairwell is the door straight ahead. It’s two floors up until we reach ground level. You’ll exit into the lobby and go straight ahead to the front door.”

  I keep walking in the direction he says, trailing my hand along the wall for added support.

  “So, does the father know?” he continues on the topic of pregnancy.

  I glare at him over my shoulder.

  “Yes,” I grit out, continuing with the short answers as I’m now fuming. We have one long, serious talk coming.

  I can hear him huff in frustration, or from Mom’s weight, but either way that little huff is enough to satisfy my annoyance for now.

  Reaching the door, I grasp the handle.

  “Wait,” Gray commands. “Open it slowly, then wait before just walking in. Make sure there’s not someone waiting to ambush us.”

  I open the door slowly, stopping for a few minutes to listen. There are no sounds, no noticeable movement, so we continue. Walking up the steps makes my muscles burn from not being used in a while. I push through the discomfort knowing any moment of unnecessary weakness on my part could put us in danger.

  “Do you remember where I said to go?” he double-checks.

  “Yes. We still have one more floor after we reach this next one, right?”

  “Yeah. Then it opens to the lobby.”

  It seems like the walk lasts forever.

  Finally, the door comes into sight and I practically skip to it, finding a burst of energy I was lacking up until now.

  I turn back to see Gray lagging as he carries Mom cradled to his chest.

  “Are you getting old?” I ask to egg him on. Somehow, even in the most dire of situations and with exhaustion encasing my body like a second skin, I can’t help but tease him. Even with everything being thrown at us, the attraction and love I have for him overpower everything else. It’s illogical, especially considering the circumstances.

  He glares at me as he ascends the final few steps and comes to stand on the same landing as me. I jerk open the door and step into the lobby, sticking out my foot to hold it in place. I’m more concerned with Gray having an easy time passing through with Mom in his arms, than checking to make sure there’s no danger.

  As he walks through, I’m too busy staring at his handsome face to pay attention to anything else. He’s changed so much, and the news I’m going to deliver will change him even more. His watered-down whiskey eyes meet mine and despite a million questions passing between us, they’re still the best place for me to find the comfort and strength I’m seeking.

  I give him a timid smile, eager and nervous for the fact we’ll finally have some time alone soon. And for the second time tonight, I hear the click of a gun. Before I can turn to see what’s happening, I catch the glimpse of Gray’s expression. It’s a mix of emotions ranging from extreme anger to horror.

  I spin to find Dominic waiting for us across the lobby with a laser aimed directly at the center of my chest, a demonic grin stretched across his thin face.

  I don’t have time to panic because before I can even think, Gray strikes, hurdling himself in front of me lightning-quick, spinning his back to Dominic to shelter Mom who’s still in his arms.

  His caramel eyes find mine and there are so many things swimming in them, bursting to break free.

  Love.

  Protectiveness.

&n
bsp; Resolve.

  Acceptance.

  So many other things I feel during this single, solitary moment as our gazes clash.

  Then the gun goes off…

  Chapter Thirty

  I SPENT OVER a week in a decrepit basement specifically designed to break someone. Turns out I could withstand beatings and starvation. I could withstand having my freedom taken away. You could hold the most basic of needs just out of my reach and I still wouldn’t crack. I never faltered. Somehow, I held onto my mind and kept my sanity through it all.

  Until they took away the one thing that was my lifeline in there. My mind finally broke the moment Gray was shot. It shut itself down, going into a state of shock and staying there for a few days. Everything went black until I woke up in the hospital days later. I don’t remember any of the events following the moment that loud bang registered with me, his golden eyes closing. Jameson tried to help me piece everything together after I woke up, but I don’t recall any of it.

  Not firsthand.

  Apparently, Jameson arrived literally right as the gun went off causing him to react instantly. He killed his own brother without a second thought. Three ambulances were required for Gray, Mom, and myself. Jameson’s sitting here in front of me now, explaining everything but nothing really sticks. I’m still trying to come out of this trance I’m in, and to be honest, it’s difficult to shake.

  “How’s Mom?” I ask.

  His eyes soften in relief at my question.“She’s going to be okay. Luckily, the bullet didn’t pass through Gray into her. The only issue with her is the concussion, and her nose and cheekbones are both broken. Thankfully, from what they can tell, there was no brain damage. She’s still sleeping.” His voice trembles with anger as he speaks of her injuries. I don’t blame him.

  “The baby?” I suddenly remember as my hand falls to my stomach in fear.

  “They said the baby seems small for how far along you are, but if you maintain good nutrition and keep your stress at a minimum, they’re hopeful everything will be fine.”