Forever Saved

by Kathleen Brooks

  They crept quietly toward the storage unit. Jace could see Porter and Parker up ahead as they crept forward as well. Even Bliss didn’t make a sound as her large paws padded silently beside Jackson.

  Jace counted off the units as they passed them. 600, 602, and then finally only a cinderblock stood between him and Stella.

  “I’m going to play the heroine,” Jace heard Molly say. “I’ll find you sick and crazed and try to save you, but boo-hoo, you’re going to die at the end. That’s what this second shot is for. It’s going to slowly increase your heart rate until . . . boom! Or maybe you’ll be in a hit-and-run. It would be satisfying to feel the car bounce over your body.”

  Chills went down Jace’s spine. It was Molly, but it wasn’t Molly. Her voice was recognizable, yet completely different. It was cold, completely devoid of emotion. Part of his mind couldn’t even understand what he was hearing. Molly was his friend, not just his employee. They knew everything about each other. Why would she do this?

  “You won’t get away with this. Jace will hate you forever if you hurt me,” Jace heard Stella warn a minute later.

  “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You know nothing about our relationship. Jace loves me as I love him. Once you’re gone, Jace will realize how he was under your evil spell. Then he’ll thank me for getting rid of you.”

  The voices lowered and Jace strained to hear the conversation now taking place. He was about to look into the storage unit when he finally heard Stella again.

  “Molly, you’re not his wife. He’s not your husband. You have to know that’s the reality of the situation. I didn’t steal him from you. He was never yours,” Stella said slowly and calmly, but calm wasn’t what Jace was feeling: anger, pain, and desperation to get to Stella was almost overwhelming.

  Jackson turned around with surprise in his eyes. Jace shook his head. There wasn’t anything to say and he was just as surprised as Jackson. Jace motioned for Jackson to step back. He leaned forward and whispered in his cousin’s ear, “Let me go in alone. See if I can reason with her. We need to keep her alive so I know what medicine she gave Stella, if possible.”

  “Good luck with that,” he said sarcastically, voicing Jace’s own feelings. “We’ll be right here. One wrong move and we’ll take her down, non-lethal first.”

  Jace nodded and then walked around Jackson and Bliss. He moved his arm slightly behind him so that the gun was out of sight. He took a deep breath and stepped into the glow of the unit light.

  “Molly, baby, I’ve been looking for you.”

  Jace refused to look down at Stella, even though Molly was standing over her with an empty syringe in her hand. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life. Every fiber of his being wanted to hurl himself at Molly and throw his body between her and Stella. He either had the choice to shoot Molly or talk her down. As upset as he was, he still couldn’t reconcile what he was seeing with what he knew of her. It was so out of character for Molly that, in a way, it paralyzed him. However, he had to see what had been in the syringe. If he could talk her into telling him, then he’d know how to save Stella.

  “Jace,” Molly said with surprise and then a hope he’d never seen before.

  She turned back to Stella and smirked. “I told you he loved me.”

  Jace stepped forward again. “Of course I love you. But what’s going on, baby?”

  Molly froze and looked back at him. The look of utter devotion and obsessive love broke his heart. How did he not see it? How did he not know she had thought they were married? Now all the jokes about being his work wife didn’t seem so funny.

  “I’m getting rid of her, Jace. This whore broke up our marriage.”

  “Come here, baby. No one has broken up anything.” Jace used his left hand to motion for her to come toward him. Molly stepped forward just enough that Stella was behind her, but then stopped.

  “How do I know that? How do I know you and this whore aren’t trying to get rid of me instead of the other way around?” Angry suspicion roared to life in Molly’s eyes. Her body posture went rigid as she stared at him. Everything in him tried not to look at Stella. He kept his eyes soft and let the hurt he was feeling show, even if the hurt was for Stella.

  “Baby, have I ever lied to you?” Jace held his breath as he waited for Molly to answer his question. Behind Molly he saw Stella sit up. Whatever she’d been injected with hadn’t incapacitated her yet. Her hands were free and she was working on the ropes binding her feet to the chair. Luckily, Molly was thinking about his question and didn’t see his quick glance behind her.

  “No. You’ve never lied to me. It’s why I thought our relationship was perfect. But then this whore seduced you. You’re just another weak man who only thinks with his dick! What did she give you that I didn’t? You’re just like the others—a lying, cheating, man-whore who thinks it’s nothing to break a woman’s heart,” Molly spat. She was so angry spittle flew as her face turned red. Her hand tightened on the empty syringe. She was about to turn around as Stella worked on the last knot.

  “Wait!” Jace called out, stopping her from looking back at Stella. “I’m sorry if you thought that’s what I was doing. I was trying to show the world how evil Stella was. I was trying to show that she was one of those women who didn’t care if a man was married or not. She needed to be exposed. That’s what I was doing. The whole town knows that now. But, baby, what others hurt you? Who would do that to you?”

  “Dr. Boucher, Dr. Lozano, Dr. Goss . . . they all used me. I was their everything and then they just discarded me like I was nothing.”

  Jace’s whole body felt as if it had been plunged into an ice bath. Those doctors were the last three she’d worked for. They’d been in a medical practice together. He’d wondered why she had only worked for them for around a year before leaving. He’d asked her and she said she wanted to take time to travel and he hadn’t thought about it anymore.

  After Molly had submitted her résumé, he’d asked for the references. She’d turn them over to him. They’d each written her a good letter of recommendation. Then there’d been a tragic accident. The partners were holding a quarterly meeting late at night when they were killed by an unexplained carbon monoxide leak. It had hit the medical community hard. Molly had bawled at her final interview, which had been put off a week since they were all attending the funerals.

  “You punished them, didn’t you? Just like you’re punishing Stella,” Jace said calmly as he saw Stella loosening the last knot.

  “Of course I did. They thought I was just a plaything. They thought I was just someone to be pushed aside when they were done with me. I showed them. They forgot I was the clinic’s wife, not just theirs. I ran that place. I had keys to everything so I punctured the gas line, but that was taking too long. So I used these old natural gas heaters that I bought for cash at a pawnshop. Then I funneled all the carbon monoxide under the door with medical tubing. It didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would. I had read it could take up to eight hours, but after I sealed off the door with towels, it only took thirty minutes. You know, they tried so hard to get out. They kicked the door as hard as they could. Silly boys, I’d had it replaced with a fireproof steel door before I left. Then I just pulled the tube, unlocked the door, and left it open when I packed up the heaters. They found the gas leak and assumed that’s what killed them. I don’t think they ever thought to look at the back of the door to see the dents.”

  Jace swallowed hard as Stella pulled her second foot free. Molly was unhinged. All three doctors had been lifelong friends with sterling reputations. They were all happily married with kids. There’d never been rumors of infidelity about any of them.

  “They each had sex with you?”

  Molly’s brow creased and she looked frustrated. “You can play with a woman’s emotions in other ways. That’s what they did. They made me fall in love with them. Then they cheated on me with those whores . . . just like what you did to me.” Her eyes narrowed at him and she took ano
ther step forward. “You’ve used me just like they did. I did everything for them and I do everything for you. They rewarded me by parading their wives and kids in front of me as if saying that’s something they’d never give me. You paraded your whore in front of me. You’re just like them.”

  Molly stepped closer and Jace saw the way she held the needle change. Now she was holding it like a weapon by her side. Outside there was the sound of a helicopter. Sirens and honking cars were farther off in the distance.

  Molly knew they were coming for her and just like that, all connection with the real world was severed. Her eyes were crazed as she stalked forward.

  “That’s enough, Molly,” Jace said sternly as he raised the gun. Behind him he heard Bliss growl and knew Porter, Parker, and Jackson were now visible.

  “No,” Molly said, shaking her head slowly. “No, no, no!”

  “What did you give Stella?” Jace asked harshly. There was no reasoning with someone who had had a complete mental break from reality.

  “There were so many times I could have killed you, husband. I answered your emails. I took your calls. I helped with your clinic. I ran everything for you so that you would love me. But you never loved me. You just used me. How could you do that to your own wife?”

  “Molly, what did you give Stella?” Jace demanded again as the helicopter sounded as if it were above them. She was wasting time talking and all the while the unknown substance was attacking Stella’s system.

  Molly sneered at him. “Are you going to kill me in front of all these people? Your own wife? I’m just standing here and you’re attacking me. I’ll have you arrested for domestic violence.”

  “If I have to kill you to protect Stella, I will.”

  “I didn’t know you at all. Just kill me!”

  Molly charged forward and Jace shot. Molly instantly stopped moving as she looked down in wonder.

  “You shot me!” Molly cried in outraged surprise as she stood still looking down at the blood pouring from her thigh.

  “Hey, bitch,” Stella said, fueled with anger as she stood up. The sounds of sirens were near now. They were probably at the front gate. The helicopter noise was fading as Jace reacted.

  “Stella, no!” Jace yelled ready to fire again as Molly began to turn toward Stella, the empty syringe in her fist and raised like a weapon, but Stella moved faster.

  As Molly turned, Stella grasped the chair back and swung with all her strength. The chair broke over Molly’s head as more people from Keeneston converged on the scene. There were people running toward them in all directions as Molly staggered toward Jace.

  Jace knew his momma would disapprove, but when Molly didn’t go down, he got ready to take her down.

  Molly’s eyes widened in shock as a blood-curdling scream was ripped from her throat. “Oh my God!”

  Bliss flew through the air and all hundred plus pounds of her smacked into Molly’s chest. She stumbled backward. Stella casually lifted her leg and Molly fell backward over it. Bliss sat down hard on her stomach, opened her drooling jowls, and gently placed her jaws around Molly’s throat.

  “I’m not God. Why does everyone say that?” Father Ben asked as he, Aiden, Walker, Blythe, Jackson, Dylan, and Abby rushed past him to surround Molly.

  Stella’s eyes were almost comically wide. “I think she was talking about Bliss. But you did just fall from the sky.”

  Father Ben shrugged. “It was just fast-roping from a helicopter.”

  Jace’s brother, Dylan, shook his head as he laughed. “You didn’t even take off your collar. I’m sure you looked like some avenging angel.” Dylan turned toward Stella and winked. “So, you’re to be my sister-in-law. I’m Jace’s big brother, Dylan. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.”

  Jace shoved his way past his brother and wrapped Stella in his arms even as his brain computed that Stella didn’t protest being called Dylan’s sister-in-law. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? What did she give you?”

  Stella laughed before placing a kiss on his lips. How was she this calm?

  “Stella?”

  Stella was pulling away and looking behind him as he tried to get her to tell him how she was. A smile broke out on her face and Jace turned to see what was going on around them.

  “Piper! Your shirt worked perfectly. I didn’t feel a thing when Molly jabbed me with a needle. She injected it onto the shirt, not realizing it never made it through to my skin.”

  Piper high-fived her and then hugged Dylan who was standing, amusedly watching Jackson and Aiden trying to get Bliss to release Molly’s throat. “Hey, little brother. What are you doing here?”

  “When your peaceful brother calls asking for your armory, you get your ass home.”

  Piper nodded as Jace kept an arm wrapped around Stella. “You know I didn’t mean any of what I said to Molly in the beginning, right?”

  “I know that, Jace. You love me and I love you. Nothing will change that.”

  Jace lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with all the love he had. He didn’t even hear the whistles and the clapping until he pulled back.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Aiden suddenly yelled when he turned to see Piper standing near Jace.

  “What the hell are you doing talking to our sister like that?” Dylan growled as Jace dropped his hold on Stella and stepped shoulder to shoulder with Dylan. He loved Aiden, but no one talked to his sister like that.

  “It’s not safe here! You said you’d stay home,” Aiden said as he stood up from where he’d been trying to pull Bliss from Molly.

  “You need to think about your next words very carefully, son, or I’ll knock you out myself,” Jace heard his father say as he stepped up next to Jace. His mother, on the other hand, shoved by them, reached up, and grabbed Aiden’s ear and yanked him down to her level.

  “You better have a darn good explanation, young man.”

  Aiden’s face was red. Jace didn’t know if it was from anger or embarrassment.

  “Aiden, please don’t say anything,” Piper begged.

  “That’s it, I’m killing him,” Dylan said, stepping forward.

  “Piper!” Aiden said, suddenly sounding a little worried.

  “It’s my fault. Don’t kill him,” Piper told her family.

  “Give me a reason,” Dylan said, not stopping as he approached where their mom had Aiden bent over.

  “She’s pregnant!” Aiden shouted. Everyone turned to look at Piper who looked like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

  “You didn’t tell us?” their mom said, hurt.

  “We wanted a couple of weeks to bask in the glow. I did promise not to come since Aiden was worried there would be gunfire,” Piper admitted as the town surged around them.

  “Only gunfire came from Jace. I can shoot better than that. I can hit the torso now,” Aniyah said, sounding very proud of herself.

  “So that makes you how far along?” Poppy asked, shoving her way forward. Jace didn’t know where she’d come from.

  “Ten weeks,” Piper admitted.

  Poppy turned to the crowd and held up her hand. Everyone went quiet. “We have Molly as the person trying to hurt Stella because she thought she was married to Jace. We also have Piper and Aiden at ten weeks pregnant!”

  “Oh my goodness,” Father Ben gasped. “I won. I won the pregnancy bet!”

  Tammy let go of Aiden’s ear as their father spun on Piper. “What the hell are you doing here with my grandchild? You could have been hurt!”

  “Are you still going to kill me?” Aiden asked.

  “Of course not,” Jace’s mother said with a hug smile on her face. “Grandma Tammy. Grammy? Oh, Grammy Tammy! How adorable. Oh, Pierce, we’re going to be grandparents!” His mother burst into tears as his father hugged her before they both wrapped Aiden and Piper in a big hug.

  Jace saw movement in the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw Stella wiping a tear from her eye. “I’m so happy for th
em.”

  “Oh, damn!” Jaylen yelled as he stared in horror at Bliss with her mouth around Molly’s neck.

  “She’s not biting down,” Jackson said with annoyance. “I just can’t remember the release word. Bliss, release! Bliss, let go!”

  “Have you tried in Dutch?” Walker asked as they all stared down at the dog.

  Jackson nodded. “And German. Evie! Is Evie here?”

  “What is it?” a voice from the back called out. The crowd moved and Jackson’s wife, Evie, walked through. She sent a wink to Jace and Stella and hugged Piper before stopping and looking down at Bliss.

  “Oh, who’s a good girl?” Evie cooed as Bliss wagged her tail.

  “That’s terrifying,” Jaylen muttered.

  “How do you get her to release her hold?” Jackson asked with curiosity. “I’ve tried everything.”

  “Bridget told me to use a command that wasn’t common. So many people are learning the basic commands and we don’t want Bliss listening to a criminal, now do we?” Evie put her hand on Bliss’s collar. “Good girl. Bliss, liquid sunshine.”

  Bliss let go immediately. She turned, spotted Jaylen, and ran right for him.

  Jaylen tried to run but with the crowd behind him, didn’t make it but a step before Bliss was on him. Bliss jumped up, placing two giant paws on Jaylen’s chest, and slurped her tongue across his face, tail wagging furiously.

  “Liquid sunshine? What the heck is that?” Jackson asked as if a star professional running back being attacked with doggy kisses happened every day.

  “It’s a Seattle thing,” Evie said with a shrug. “But, the important thing is that no one guessed it,” she said proudly.

  Molly was hauled to her feet. There were tears streaming down her face as she was dragged out of the storage unit. Detective Braxton stood with handcuffs out and a bewildered look on her face as she took in the entire scene.

  “An ambulance has been called. Y’all are something else,” the Lexington detective said with a shake of her head as she cuffed Molly.