I take a couple of strides towards her, but quicker than I thought someone could move, the guy with the bald head pulls her from the van, grabbing her around the chest and holding a knife to her throat.
“Let her go,” I grit out, coming to a stop.
Jaxon stops beside me, pulling the memory card out of his jacket. “We have what you want.”
“And how do I know you haven’t made a copy of that one too?” Black points out.
“Because unlike you, we aren’t obsessed with you. This was insurance. You wanted an exchange. Now bring Evie to us,” Jaxon demands.
“What have you done to her?” I snap when her head flops forward, her hair covering her entire face.
“Don’t worry. Just a mild sedative,” he answers without a care.
I take another step when Evie begins to stir, her eyelids drowsily opening. She looks disorientated, and fear latches onto her gaze as she begins to struggle, mumbling behind the tape, causing the knife to bite into her skin.
“What was that?” The guy holding her grins, tearing the tape from her lips.
Her face scrunches in pain, and she whimpers.
“Wyatt?” she groggily calls out, freezing in place.
“It’s okay. We’ve come to get you. Just keep still. Please,” I beg.
“Throw the memory stick,” Black demands, and I watch as Jaxon’s fingers tighten around the tiny device.
“How do we know you’ll hand Evie over?”
Black takes a step forward, keeping the umbrella steady as rain pours down in sheets around us. The trees don’t do much for coverage, and I can see the effect it’s already having on Evie. She shivers, her lips trembling.
“I guess you’ll have to trust me like I’m trusting you.”
“Wyatt,” Jaxon calls quietly.
I look to Evie, on her knees now, her hair pulled back by the prick behind her, knife still to her throat. Every muscle in my body tightens.
If we give the memory stick to him, he could do one of two things. Keep his word and hand Evie over, or take the memory stick and have her hurt.
“Tell him to let her go first,” I order.
Black continues to watch me for a second before he slowly turns, giving them a signal.
Evie collapses to the floor, her face smashing into the dirt as she gasps for air. Her hands are still tied behind her back, but she manages to turn to her side, looking at her dad. “I hate you.”
“The feeling is mutual, darling.” He twists his lips before arching an eyebrow at Jaxon. “Memory card.”
Giving Jaxon a sharp nod to go ahead, Jaxon then throws the memory stick in Black’s direction. Black bends down, picking it up from the floor with a tissue from his pocket.
When he straightens, something ugly forms on his face, a cruel smirk pulling at his lips. “Eye for an eye,” he tells me, throwing my words from the night we went to his house back at me.
Time slows and terror washes over me, raising the fine hairs on the back of my neck. My heart pounds in my ears, and I try to scream, to warn Evie.
The guy grabs her hair roughly, pulling it back and taking her by surprise.
“No,” I roar, coming unparalysed as I kick off from the ground, running towards Evie.
His gaze meets mine, and his lips pull into a smirk as he holds the knife to her neck.
No.
I push harder, but like any nightmare, my legs feel sluggish and the mud feels like it’s sucking my feet further into the ground.
Her gaze meets mine, and I nearly crumble at the fear shining back at me.
I’m not going to make it.
Out of nowhere, the guy drops to his feet, revealing Rebecca behind him, holding a golf club and panting heavily. “No one touches my best friend.”
“Get him,” Jaxon yells, pointing to the other side of the car park.
My head jerks to the side, seeing Black rushing back to his car. I change directions, heading right for him.
I’m not going to make it.
Grabbing a broken brick off the floor, I pick it up and throw it at his window. He gives me one last smile before wheel spinning out, driving down the other lane.
“Fuck!” I growl, resting my hands on top of my head before I hear the commotion behind me.
Spinning round, I watch as Jaxon smacks the guy’s face up the side of his van before kicking him hard on the side of his knee, causing him to fall to the ground, screaming in agony.
Rebecca has the other guy curled up near the van as she continues to hit him with the golf club.
With his hand keeping the guy’s face against the van, Jaxon brings his lips close to his ear. “If you ever come near me or my family again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
“W-we won’t,” he stutters out, his lip bleeding and his eye already swelling.
“Get your friend and get the fuck out of here before I let my brother finish what I started,” Jaxon warns.
“We have a job,” the guy leaning against the van says, his face red and creased with pain when Rebecca steps away from him.
She has done a number on him. He is covered in bruises, and blood coats his face and parts of his body.
I tap him on the shoulder, waiting for him to look before aiming my fist at his face. The sound of his nose snapping is music to my ears. What’s better is the sound of him falling to the ground, screaming in pain. I grab him by his collar, and with all my strength, I swing him up, throwing him down on the back of the van. His head bounces off the metal flooring, making him disorientated.
My foot steps onto something, and when I pull it back, the knife he held to Evie’s neck shines. Bending down, I nab it off the ground and press it under his chin, forcing the sharp tip to pierce his skin.
Blinking up at me, it takes a few moments for realisation to hit him, and when it does, I press the knife down harder before he has a chance to fight.
“You ever touch what’s mine again and I’ll gut you with this knife.”
He shakily nods. “W-we won’t.”
Throwing the knife into the back of the van, I then grab him by the collar, bringing him up so we’re face-to-face. “Good,” I bite out, before bringing my head back, then forcing it down onto his. He drops to the floor with a thud, his head flopping to the side, unconscious.
Somewhat satisfied, I slam the doors shut before heading back around to the other guy, the one who is the safest from me since I never saw him hurt Evie.
“Go. And if I were you, I’d leave town for good,” I grit out. “If I see you again, I’m going to fucking kill you.”
He nods, tripping over his feet as he gets into the van, the engine roaring to life before he speeds away.
A whimper keeps me from taking Jaxon’s car and chasing after them. Not giving them another thought, I rush over to Evie, kneeling down by her side to untie the rope binding her wrists. Once she’s free, I don’t give her a second to gather herself. I pull her into my arms, squeezing her so tightly. I’m afraid to let go.
I nearly lost her.
She clings back, sobbing into my neck.
“You’re okay. It’s all okay,” I whisper to her, and I don’t know if it’s her I’m comforting, myself, or both of us.
All that matters is that she is okay, and she is breathing.
My voice is hoarse when I assure her once more, cuddling her closer when she begins to shake. “You’re okay.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” Eli roars, storming through the car park.
“Why do you have handcuffs on your wrist?” Jaxon asks.
Sure enough, he does, but my attention is pulled to Evie when she whimpers.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” I assure her, kissing the top of her head.
Rebecca kneels next to us, her eyes narrowed into slits, aimed at Eli. “Next time, listen to me. I told you something didn’t feel right. He was going to slit her throat.”
“Are we not going to talk about the handcuffs?” Jaxon asks, glancing up at the sky whe
n Eli sends him a lethal stare.
“You could have been hurt.”
“I wasn’t,” she snaps.
Evie pulls away, her fingers digging into my thighs. “You saved me.”
“Rebecca saved you,” I tell her truthfully. I close my eyes, dreading what would have happened had Rebecca not been here. I would never have made it in time. Those guys deserved more than what they got. We have no way of knowing what they’ll do in retaliation, which is the only reason they left with a light beating. We’re smart, not stupid. “Are you okay?” I ask softly, pushing the wet strands of hair off her face.
“I-I think so,” she tells me, still watching me like she can’t believe I’m here. “You really came for me.”
Her statement causes my gut to clench. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”
“I was coming to The Ginn Inn,” she reveals.
My heart soars with hope. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through.”
She clenches her eyes shut, resting her head against mine. “Can this really happen between us again?”
I move back, ducking my head until her gaze meets mine. “Yes, Evie. Despite how I may have acted, he isn’t an equation in our relationship. He’s nothing to us. To you. I wish I knew that back then. I should never have let you leave that day.”
She hiccups on a sob. “I hate him.”
I pull her to me, resting her head on my shoulder. “I know. I’m sorry I never listened to you. I promise to never make that mistake again.”
“I’m sorry I—” she begins but pauses when Rebecca snorts.
When we turn to look at her, she shrugs, pouting. “Everyone gets it. You’re both sorry. Now kiss and make up for fuck’s sake.”
Laughter spills out of Evie before she smothers it, flinching when she gazes over my shoulder.
Reading her like a book, I tilt her chin up until she’s looking at me. “They support us; support you. No one blames you for anything, Evie.”
“I love you,” she cries out, clinging to me.
I hug her back, relief coursing through me for the first time in weeks. “I love you too. More than anything.”
“Are we really okay?” she asks, doubt in her voice.
“I’ll fight like hell to make sure we are. I’m not letting you go again.”
“Where’s the key to get these off?” Eli growls, interrupting us.
“I don’t have one,” Rebecca tells him, looking anywhere but at him.
Evie pulls back, her brows pulling together as she turns to Rebecca. “Why did you have handcuffs in your car?”
Turning bright red, Rebecca looks away. Laughter echoes through the air over her expression.
Staring down at Evie, watching her face light up, makes everything right in the world. I know in that moment that I’ll never break another promise to her. I promised myself once that I’d spend my life making sure she knew what family and real love was. I broke that promise when I tore her love for me to shreds.
Now I have a new promise.
I promise her forever.
Because there isn’t a doubt in my mind when it comes to her. She is my one. My only. My forever.
Her expression sobers when she notices me staring. “What?”
“Kiss me,” I whisper, bending down a little.
Her lips part, her startling grey eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
She leans up and I meet her halfway, capturing her lips in a sensual kiss. Rain pours around us, mud has soaked through our clothes, and yet all that matters is the taste of her tongue, the feel of her lips, and the fact that I’m lucky she has taken another chance on me.
I cup her cheek, deepening the kiss, and it feels like being home again.
We are forever.
I’m never letting her go.
Epilogue
EVIE
It has been three weeks since Mum’s funeral, since Andrew had me kidnapped then nearly killed. Rebecca and Wyatt have watched me like a hawk the whole time, worried I’ll break again.
At the beginning, I wondered if I was in denial. It scared me because I was constantly on edge, wondering if what happened to me would hit me at random, but it never did.
I’ve not had nightmares, I’ve not dwelled, I’ve not had doubts.
It was the second week when it hit me why. It wasn’t getting to me because I was healing. Slowly, as each day passed, I was feeling more of myself. There was a spark inside of me that was lit again.
It happened when Rebecca talked me off that bridge.
When Wyatt turned up with his family at Mum’s funeral.
And it happened again when he gave up information on Black to save my life.
A life I am no longer willing to gamble. I want to live. Not just for those I love, but for me.
I wish I had really heard what Rebecca was telling me all along. She saved me twice, and there aren’t words or gifts that can show how truly grateful I am. So, I’m doing it the only way I know will make a difference. By being by her side while she comes to terms with becoming a mum. By being the friend I should have been all along. Because although I’m not having nightmares, she is. I hear her every night, and my concern is growing. What I did has affected her greatly, and now she is suffering. I want to fix it.
Things between Wyatt and I have been fantastic. I still have moments when I will watch him and wonder if I’m going to wake up from a dream and be back in my nightmare.
Things aren’t perfect between us, but we aren’t a fairy tale. We’re real, and not all love stories have a happily ever after. They have trials, they have fights, and they have mountains to climb. Our story isn’t over, it’s only the beginning, and we have something worth fighting for.
For the first week—since he told Rebecca he was staying until they were sure Black and his goons wouldn’t come back—he tip-toed around me. He hesitated before touching me, struggled to bring up Andrew around me, and it got tense at times.
The end of that week, we had our first argument. Kind of. It was more like me demanding him to stop.
“How can this work if you’re scared to be yourself around me? I don’t care that you hate Andrew. I hate him too. Nothing you could do or say about him will make me see you any different. I don’t hold any love for him, Wyatt.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just hard to know what to say. Please, just give me time to get used to this.”
“You promised he wouldn’t come between us,” I remind him.
“It’s not him. It’s me. I’m scared I’ll do or say the wrong thing to you. I’m worried I’ll hurt you again.”
“And I’ll try to kill myself,” I mutter, finishing what he is too afraid to.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I’m so sorry. I can’t lose you, Evie. I just can’t. I want you in my life. I love you.”
Running the palm of my hand over his cheek, my lips tip down. “I’m not made of glass. I’m getting help, Wyatt. I’ve never felt like that before, never contemplated taking my own life. I can’t promise you I’ll never feel that way again, but I can promise to never attempt to take my life again. What I did… it wasn’t me. I’m getting stronger.”
He drops his head gently to my forehead, closing his eyes. “I’ll stop.”
“Just be yourself, Wyatt. Be the man I fell in love with. Be the man who didn’t apologise for who he was or the slip ups he made.”
“Why don’t we just be us?” he whispers.
I smile up at him, pressing myself against his chest. “I’m down with that.”
A smile spreads across my face as I run my fingers through the top I’m folding. That night we got intimate for the first time, and he kept me up all night making love to me.
“Oh God, you’re thinking about him again,” Rebecca whines, dropping herself down on my bed with a groan. She pulls the bin she’s been carrying around with her to her chest, before bringing her knees up. Her complexion is still pale, has been for weeks now since the morning sickness got worse.
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She sniffles into the collar of her white fluffy dressing gown. “I hate being sick.”
“Should we take you back to the doctors?”
She shakes her head, then stops, groaning as she clutches the bin tighter. “No. I want to help you unpack.”
I scan my room, which is filled with boxes. I’m not sure when my things arrived here from the bed and breakfast. I had been too lost in my own mind to notice and I didn’t want to bring up bad memories and ask when they got here. It was definitely during those two weeks after I lost Mum. Yesterday, however, Wyatt and I had gone through the rest of my belongings in the container and took what I no longer needed or wanted to charity shops or the skip.
There isn’t much left to unpack, but even if there was, Rebecca would be the last person I would let help me. She looks dead on her feet.
“I think you need to go back to bed.”
“I need to get ready for a photoshoot.”
My gaze widens. She can’t be serious. “Becca, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You look like crap.”
“Soon I’ll have to give it up. I need to take all the jobs I can get.”
“You have money, Rebecca. You worked during your entire teens.”
“I want to feel sexy,” she blurts out, before breaking down into sobs. I sit down on the bed next to her, running my hand down her hair.
“The doctor said it will stop soon.”
“He also said it was morning sickness. It’s six in the evening,” she snaps, then frowns. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re pregnant?” Wyatt asks, standing in the doorway.
I turn to Rebecca, grimacing when I see she looks freaked out. Giving her a light squeeze, I answer Wyatt. “She is.”
“Um, congratulations, I guess.”
“Fuck you,” she groans, before vomiting into the bin.
I get up, moving towards Wyatt. Leaning up, I kiss him on the cheek. “I thought you weren’t due back for another hour.”
“Miss me?”
Smiling, I nod. “I did.”
“Can you not hear me throwing up,” Rebecca moans.
Ignoring her, Wyatt pulls something out of the bag at his feet. He hands me the box and I frown, taking it from him. “Wyatt,” I quietly whine.
Eye for an Eye (Take a Chance Book 2) Page 30