by Kennedy Fox
Thankfully our food arrives and interrupts the conversation, but only temporarily.
“Mads,” Sophie says, grabbing my attention from the wrap I was devouring. “I’ll go with you. I mean, if you want to. It’s better to be safe.”
“Thanks, Soph. And I know. I just haven’t had time with everything going on lately. But yeah, I will set something up and go see a doctor.” I take a huge bite of my wrap to end the subject.
Thankfully, Lennon starts talking more about the wedding and the venue that Sophie chose. We’ve only seen photographs, but I know it’s going to be absolutely beautiful with the large windows that overlook the lake. Considering it’ll be December, she’s hoping snow will lightly dust the surroundings to make it even more magical. I love the way Sophie lights up when she talks about marrying Mason. I can tell it comes from a real place in her heart and it’s genuine.
Once we’re finished eating, we leave a tip for our waitress, then head toward the spa. After we each have a mimosa, we get one-hour hot stone massages. The whole afternoon is complete bliss as the masseuse works out all the tension and stress from my muscles. By the time we walk out of the building, we all feel like jelly.
“We need to start doing that at least once a month,” Lennon says with creases on her forehead from the massage table.
“Oh, definitely.” Nodding in agreement, I realize how great a deep tissue massage would be when I’m overly sore from dancing.
Sophie hasn’t stopped grinning since we walked out. “I feel like smoosh.”
I burst out laughing. “Smoosh? What does that even mean?”
Lennon snorts and it causes me to lose it to the point of tears rolling down my cheeks.
“I’m going to pick up Aaron from Mrs. Locke, but she begged to keep Alison tonight. Hunter is at your house hanging out with the guys, so I’ll meet you there for some afternoon coffee.” After we exchange hugs and thank Lennon for treating us both, Sophie and I head home.
“Sorry you were put on the spot at lunch,” Sophie says.
“Pfft. I’m used to it with you two, but I’m not disagreeing. I want to graduate first and actually enjoy kissing a man who isn’t married before we jump to the next step. I’ve been waiting for years, and I don’t want to rush.”
Sophie tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, because we all know I didn’t approve of your relationship when I thought he had a wife, but it seemed to all work out even though you lied to me.”
I scrunch my nose at her because we’ve already talked about it several times, but she’s not going to let me live it down. “I had to, Soph. For your protection.”
“Mm-hmm,” she tells me.
Last weekend, Liam went back to Vegas to finalize the divorce with Victoria. I was hoping this day would come though I was somewhat weary it never would. My trust when it comes to her is zero. Liam made sure to text and call me as much as possible while he was there because my nerves were wrecked when he left. He was confident everything would be okay, and it was, but I couldn’t help but worry it was a trap. Thankfully, it wasn’t.
Now that mostly everything has settled down, Tyler decided to go back too. We asked him if he wanted to stay longer, but he insisted on going home so he could get back to work and sleep in his own bed again. Considering he lives in the same city as the mob does business, it has me concerned, but he knows what he’s doing. Tyler has connections with all sorts of people, and sometimes gets caught up with some shady shit, but he’s used to taking care of himself, so I didn’t push it. I did force him to keep in touch with me no matter what because I care about him and he promised he would. We were all starting to get used to Tyler being around too. While I was sad to see him leave, because he quickly became a friend to me and was there to help when I desperately needed it.
A smile fills my face when I think about Liam. It’s a relief knowing he’s not legally married anymore and can be open about how we feel. We don’t have to worry about wandering eyes and hiding from guards. Something I’ve desperately wanted for so long. Liam’s taken every opportunity to take me out in public, hold my hand, and kiss me with no fucks of who’s watching. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Now that he’s no longer Victoria’s bitch, we can have the life we’ve always dreamed of, one I almost thought we’d never have.
We pull up to the house, and I’m so excited to see Liam. I’ve been thinking about him all day. We walk inside where the guys are drinking beer and hanging out in the living room. Liam’s eyes meet mine, and I feel as if I could get lost in them. Rushing to him, I happily hop on his lap, and press my lips to his.
“Well, good to see you too,” he says, nuzzling his nose against mine.
“Aww.” Hunter chuckles and Liam smacks him on the arm with his free hand. I hear a car door close and know it’s Lennon so I get up to meet her. Sophie follows behind me and we watch as she gracefully takes Aaron from his car seat and places him on her hip. I reach out to grab him, giving him all the love as we walk back inside the house.
“There’s my boy,” Hunter says, stealing him from me, but I can’t deny how adorable Aaron is when he sees his daddy.
“Did you have fun today? Oh look at what Mommy dressed you in, a Green Bay Packers shirt.”
“Eww!” I say, knowing it rubs Hunter the wrong way because he’s in love with Aaron Rogers. “Green Bay. Barf.”
“Better than, oh wait, Utah doesn’t even have an NFL team,” he teases.
“Who cares. Football isn’t my thing anyway, I just enjoy messing with you.” I shrug, and he knows his insults are wasted.
“Go figure since football is actually hard and ballet is easy,” he throws out, and I know he’s purposely pushing my buttons, but it’s what he does best. Hunter has taken his big brother role seriously since marrying Lennon.
My eyes go wide, and Liam pretends to hold me back when I lunge for Hunter. Before long, Sophie gets up and makes a pot of coffee and even gets me a cup of tea as the boys continue sipping their beers and talking shit to each other. Looking around, I’m in complete bliss. Being here with my sisters and the man I love is the perfect and simple life I’ve always dreamed about.
“Oh, I got you something the other day,” Liam tells me, grinning and standing with me. “It’s in the G-Wagon. Wanna go see?”
I narrow my eyes at him wondering if he’s up to something, but I follow outside anyway, not wanting to be away from him.
“Are you just trying to get me alone? Perhaps some back seat sex for old times’ sake?” I waggle my brows at him seductively.
“Maybe.” He removes the space between us and moments later my back is pressed against the front door, and I can feel his hardness against my stomach.
“Mmm, I’d be okay with that,” I whisper, fisting the bottom hem of his shirt, wanting him to be closer, though our bodies are pressed together.
“Fuck, I need you so goddamn bad.” He nibbles on my ear before placing his lips against my neck and paints kisses across my skin.
When we break away, I laugh. “So you didn’t get me anything?”
“I really did,” he says, placing a kiss on my forehead. He digs in his pockets and realizes they’re empty. “I was so excited to kiss the hell outta ya, I left my keys inside. Let me go grab them.”
“Just tell me what it is!” I exclaim.
“You’re impatient, just wait.” He twists the knob and goes inside the house, then returns with his keyless pad, holding them up for me to see. Instead of waiting, I follow behind toward the G-Wagon as he unlocks it.
It happens so fast I can’t even process it—a loud explosion and a burst of flames erupt—then complete darkness.
Chapter Fourteen
LIAM
I walk outside with the key and Maddie starts following before I press unlock. Then it all happens way too fast. As soon as I hear the double beeps of the G-Wagon unlocking, it explodes in front of us, and I fall to the ground. As I look toward Maddie, I see a piece of metal flying off the vehicle, and it stri
kes her. It’s in flames, burning, hissing, cracking. Smoke invades the air, and the heat nearly burns my skin because I’m so close, but I stand and rush to Maddie, picking her up and carrying her away from the debris. She’s limp in my arms, and there’s blood dripping down her face. Sophie opens the front door and hysterically screams at the sight in front of her before everyone rushes out. She dials 911 and frantically speaks fast. I’m in shock, trying to wake up Maddie, noticing she has a large gash on her head.
“No, no,” I whisper, adding pressure to the wound with my hands. Mason takes off his shirt, then hands it to me, and I try to contain the bleeding. My brain is scattered, and I know how dangerous it is for us to be standing close to the burning vehicle and inhaling the smoke, but I can’t think straight.
“Who would do this?” Lennon cries, and Sophie begs Maddie to open her eyes.
“Where is the fucking ambulance?” I ask, feeling helpless, and need them to come faster.
Mason is bent over, checking her pulse. “She’s breathing, but her heartbeat is weak. I think she might have gotten knocked out from the blunt force, but there could be internal bleeding in her brain.”
I look at him with worry in my eyes as adrenaline pumps through my veins. I’m in so much shock, I barely notice the sirens in the distance or the police car pulling up. Moments later, there’s a firetruck and the EMTs bring out a stretcher, and I move back slightly so they can examine her.
“What’s the patient's name and age?” one of them asks me, but I can’t move my lips. I’m stunned into silence.
“Maddie, she’s twenty-one,” Sophie answers.
“Any allergies?” the other asks as he places a brace around her neck.
“No. I don’t think so,” Sophie responds again, looking as worried as me. Mason holds her close while Lennon stays close to the house with Hunter and Aaron.
The EMTs talk to each other and count to three, then lift her up onto the stretcher. “She’ll need a scan of her head and probably some stitches,” one of them informs us as I stand. “We’ll take good care of her, don’t worry.” I watch as they stroll her to the back of the ambulance, and that’s when I finally snap out of it. Maddie needs me, and I can’t be lost in my thoughts right now. Whoever did this will fucking pay. I don’t give two shits about that G-Wagon, but the fact that Maddie’s unconscious has me seeing red.
“You all need to back up. It’s too dangerous until we get this fire contained,” one of the firemen come over and warn us.
“I have some questions first.” I hear a familiar voice, turning to see Blake and his partner walking toward me. Of fucking course.
Narrowing my eyes at the asshole, I grunt. “I don’t have time for this right now.” I follow behind Maddie as they load her inside, adding an oxygen mask to her face and checking her blood pressure.
“We need your statements and to write up a report considering your car exploded,” Blake says sternly. “You think you’re getting out of this that easy?” He steps closer, lowering his voice so no one else hears. “I know this shit is your fault.”
I flex my jaw. “Still pissed you didn’t get that second date, huh? Go fuck yourself,” I whisper-hiss loud before stepping into the ambulance.
The EMTs look at me.
“I’m riding with her,” I demand before the back doors close, and they drive off. I take Maddie’s hand and rub my thumb across her knuckles, hoping she can feel me comforting her. I grit my teeth thinking about what happened. One button is all I pushed, and a goddamn bomb went off. The vehicle has keyless-go too, so as long as my keys are on me, all I have to do is touch the handle and it unlocks. So whoever did it probably hoped I’d be next to the vehicle when it exploded so that I’d blow up with it. Two days ago, I moved the G-Wagon into the street to get to my truck and left it there since I don’t drive it anymore, so this had to be planted between then and now.
What the actual fuck? None of it makes sense.
Someone was watching me and planned this recently.
I’ve sent some bad guys back to prison over the last year, ones that weren’t happy I caught them, but for some reason, this has Victoria’s name written all over it. However, she bought the G-Wagon and when our deal ended, she wanted it back. If it was her, I don’t understand her motives, but then again, I never have, not until it’s too late. Unless her plan was to kill me and get the ultimate revenge so I couldn’t use those pictures against her ever again.
We finalized the divorce last weekend, and she seemed fine in court that it was over. It’s not like we ever loved each other, and the marriage was strictly business. She said she’d pick it up when she could. So if it wasn’t her, I’m gonna have to explain what the hell happened, and at this point, I have no idea. My mind goes crazy with theories, but I need to focus on Maddie right now.
Leaning over, I whisper in Maddie’s ear, telling her everything is going to be okay and that I love her. Nothing will ever make me leave her, not even Blake and his insinuations. Her being unconscious and her having the possibility of internal bleeding from the hit concerns me the most. The piece that smacked her flew over so fast, there was no way she could’ve seen it in time to move out of the way. Guys on my college football team used to get concussions all the time but were never out for this long. Granted, they were much bigger than Maddie.
The ambulance slows and pulls into the bay outside of the emergency room. They unload the stretcher, but I don’t let her out of my sight as they rush Maddie inside and take her into a room. I hear one of the EMTs giving the nurses a brief summary of what happened and her injuries. I watch in panic as chaos ensues, a nurse hooks her up to an IV of fluids, another puts a blood pressure cuff around her arm, and another inspects the wound on her head. They talk to each other, listing what tests need to be done, and what they’re looking for.
“Her O2 is a little low, putting an oxygen mask on,” a female nurse instructs to the other who’s typing on a portable computer desk.
“What? Why’s her oxygen low?”
“It’s not uncommon, especially if she inhaled any smoke.” She gives me a soft smile. “It’s mostly precautionary.”
I can’t inhale deep enough to fill my lungs so I’m nearly gasping for air. Maddie lays on the bed, looking so fragile and battered, and I feel helpless as hell. Standing here, all I can do is hold her hand and beg her to wake up.
“Wow, this one is deep,” one of the nurses says as she inspects her head wound.
“Is she going to be okay?” I ask nervously.
She glances up at me. “Are you her husband?”
I swallow hard. “I’m her boyfriend and was with her when this happened,” I explain, looking down at my shirt, noticing blood on it. Maddie’s blood. All this time, I’ve been worried about her getting hurt being around me; however, I never imagined something like this could happen.
Once the wound is cleaned, a male doctor enters and introduces himself to me. Next, the nurse reads out pertinent information, and he looks at her cut. After a moment, the doctor explains he’ll suture the cut to hopefully avoid infections and to stop the bleeding. Afterward they’ll take her for a CT scan to check for any fractures or internal bleeding. All I can think about is how confused she’s going to be about all of this. She’ll have a lot of questions, but unfortunately, I don’t have many answers.
Whoever did this will fucking pay, it’s the last thought that comes into my mind as my phone buzzes with a group text message from Lennon, Sophie, Hunter, and Mason.
Sophie: We’re all on our way there right now.
Lennon: I’m so worried. Please update us, Liam.
Hunter: Yeah, let us know how she’s doing. Also, I talked to the cops. They said a detective may meet you at the hospital.
Mason: What the fuck happened?
I read them all, already overwhelmed.
Liam: She’s stable. They just stitched the cut on her head, and they’re taking her to get a scan soon. Finding out as much as I can, but it’s gonna be a
while. Don’t know what happened. I pressed unlock to the G-Wagon and it exploded. That’s all I know.
They each send a thank you. There has only been a handful of times in my life where I’ve felt so defeated, and this is one of them. I stare at Maddie as they continue to work on her, then wheel her off for a CT scan. She’s gone for almost an hour, and I can barely concentrate. Everyone’s in the waiting room since they’ll only allow one person in here, and I told them I’d take turns if they wanted to see her. I pace, reading all the medical signs posted on the wall, and just when I sit down in the chair, she’s brought back in.
I stand over her, gently brushing my fingers against her arm, overly anxious.
With a raspy voice, she looks at me. “Liam?”
Relief and joy flood through me, and I kneel so I can be closer to her face. “Mads. Baby.”
“What happened?” Wincing, she reaches for her head, but I grab her hand and place kisses along her knuckles. “My head hurts so bad. The room feels like it’s spinning.”
“I know, baby. There was an accident. Someone planted a bomb in the G-Wagon, and when it exploded, a piece of metal flew off and struck you. It gave you a pretty big gash and bruises but they stitched it up. You probably have a concussion, but they did a CT scan to check for bleeding or fractures. They should be back with the results soon.”
“Wow.” She blinks. “I don’t remember any of that,” she says, closing her eyes tight, and I can’t imagine how much pain she’s in. “Feels like a hammer is pounding against my skull, though.”
“I’m so sorry, Maddie. God, I’m so sorry,” I repeat over and over, choking on each word.