Breaking Through The Wall
Guarded Hearts Series
Book Two
By
Alexis Noelle
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.All rights reserved.
Copyright 2013 © Ashley Piscitelli
Published by Beau Coup Publishing
http://beaucoupllc.com
Cover Model Image© Aarrttuurr - Fotolia.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Jason Smith hates the whole idea of relationships and commitment. He gets what he needs from women, but that's where it ends. At least that's the way it's supposed to be.After a traumatic event, Jason becomes involved with the one girl who could possibly force him to change his ways. Will he be able to commit to her, or will he drive her away before he ever has the chance to claim her?
Madison and Carter have finally found happiness, until their lives are suddenly turned upside down by someone who refuses to go away. Justice doesn't always prevail, sometimes the bad guys win.
Can their relationship survive the tragedy and pain?
What do you do when your whole world is turned upside down? When everything comes crumbling down around you, will you have the will to fight and break down the wall?
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my family that has supported me every step of the way. I love you all so much and I couldn’t have done this without you.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all of my family and friends who have believed in me and supported me. Especially my husband who has been constantly encouraging me throughout this whole process. I couldn’t have done it without your love and support.
I would also like to say thank you to my friends who endured me constantly talking about this book and its characters as if they were real. You gave me advice and listened when I was frustrated and just needed to vent.
I would like to thank Genevieve Scholl from Big Bang Book Services for the amazing editing opportunity she gave me! I appreciate you working with my very small window of a deadline!
Thank you also to my cover designer Laura Gordon! She is so amazing and does a great job. She did the cover for both books in the series.
I would also like to thank the bloggers that read and gave me advice on the book. I really needed to hear what you said, even if I didn’t like it at times. I am not naïve and I know that I would not be able to do this without the support of all of the lovely ladies who do this every day.
I would like to thank a couple of bloggers who have helped me immensely with their guidance. They are Alaina Keller, Tiffany Tillman, Bradelyn Harris, Kelly Graham, and Jodi Murphy. Thank you girls for taking the time to talk with me, give me advice, read different parts of the book I sent you, and definitely thank you for helping me get my name out there! I appreciate each and every one of you so much!
I also want to thank the readers. I have spoken to many of you about the book. We have laughed and I have sympathized with your frustration over the end of Playing With Fire. I hope that Breaking Through The Wall was everything you had hoped for!
If you liked this book please consider leaving a review for it!
Chapter One
Jason
I swear to God, if she doesn’t shut the fuck up I’m gonna kill myself with this damn fork. Why the hell did I listen to Madison and go on a damn date? I had it right before, you take ‘em home, give it to them good enough that they can’t talk after, and pretend to pass out or just put on Sports Center until they leave on their own. Trying to pretend that I was interested in half of the stupid shit she was spouting was fucking exhausting.
“Isn’t that just crazy?”
Shit. I hadn’t listened to her for at least the past ten minutes and truthfully I really didn’t care if she knew it. She could be the best lay in the world, but it wasn’t worth sitting here another minute. “Yeah, this whole night has been crazy. I’m gonna go now, though.” I threw enough money on the table to cover the food and tip, then got up to leave.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, I got some shit I need to do.” It was technically the truth; Maddy and I had a movie night planned. I was actually running late right now because jabber jaws didn’t realize I couldn’t care less about TMZ, her sorority, or who won American Idol.
“I thought we were gonna go back to your place after.” She stood up next to me and ran her hand up and down my arm.
“Not tonight. I’ll see you around campus, Beth.”
“My name is Carol.”
“Okay.” I started walking to my car and checked my phone. Shit, I was a half hour late. Maddy better not have some Nicholas Sparks shit picked out, because I had enough torture tonight already.
I guess tonight was my fault, anyway. When Maddy told me I needed to put myself out there and go on a date, I knew she meant with Nicole. I was not ready for that shit, though. I knew, just from the couple of times we slept together, that she was different. She wasn’t the kind of girl you had for only a night; she was the kind of girl who got under your skin and never left.
I didn’t need that, but I couldn’t get her out of my mind, either. I was perfectly content sleeping with women and saying goodbye, until New Year’s when I got a taste of heaven. Every time I brought a girl home since then, all I saw was her. I tried to use them to erase her, but all it did was remind me they weren’t her.
I knew Maddy wanted me to give Nicole a shot, and it might eventually happen, but not now. I just turned onto the street where Carter and Maddy lived, when I saw something that made my stomach drop. Chris had just shoved Maddy into his car and was now racing out of the driveway.
I followed him at a safe distance and called 911. “My friend was just kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend and I’m following the car now. I’m heading west on 9th street, I just passed Porter street.”
He was starting to speed up now. I wondered if he noticed that I was here. I was in Carter’s car, but it was late; at this point, there was no way I was going to lose them. I called Carter, but he didn’t answer, then I saw their car racing toward a red light.
When I noticed that he wasn’t hitting his brakes, I panicked. That crazy motherfucker was gonna run it. My heart stopped when I saw the truck coming, and then everything happened in slow motion. The truck clipped the back of Chris’s car, sending it spinning and flipping over a couple times. The only thing that stopped it was the telephone pole that the car finally ran into. I raced out of the car and over to the accident, screaming Maddy’s name. I could hear the sirens coming now. Her side of the car was the one smashed against the pole, so I was trying to look through the driver’s side window. Chris wasn’t in the car anymore, so I had a clear view of her. “Maddy! Maddy! Can you hear me? Shit, answer me!”
She had a huge gash across her forehead, and duct tape stretched across her mouth. She was strapped into the car with the seatbelt, but her arm was hanging at an unnatural angle. I saw the paramedics coming over and started screaming at them to hurry up. “Over here! She’s trapped in the car!”
They s
tarted working on trying to get her out and I pulled out my phone to call Carter again. The phone just rang and rang, though. This was the third time I had called him. Maybe he couldn’t hear it in the club. I googled the number for Rebellion. He was gonna freak out when I told him what was going on. It rang for a couple minutes and, just when I was about to give up, someone answered.
“Rebellion.”
“Hey, can I talk to Carter James? It’s an emergency.”
“Carter? He left here about an hour ago. He said he had to check on his girl and he would be back.”
“Shit! He hasn’t come back? Are you sure?”
“Nope, I haven’t seen him, but if you see him tell him to get his ass and my car back here, now.”
If Carter had left work, it meant he was there when Chris took Maddy. He would have never let that happen, so I knew whatever I was going to walk into when I got there would be bad. I needed to see where they were taking her and then I was going back.
I ran up to the paramedics to see if they knew anything yet. “Do you know this girl?”
“Yeah, she is a friend of mine. Her name is Madison Stevens.”
“She have any family?”
I remembered last time Maddy was in the hospital and Carter had to lie and say she was his wife just to see her. This time was much worse and I knew it would be the same. “Just her husband, Carter James. I’m trying to track him down now.”
“Okay, well, tell him we are taking her to the hospital and he can meet us there.”
The other guy was buckling Maddy into the stretcher, but she was still unconscious. She looked so pale, all I could do was pray that she would be okay.
This was why I didn’t let people in. When something happened or they were gone, it hurt too fucking much. I could have never stopped how attached I had become to Maddy, though. She reminded me so much of my sister Sara, and I was so scared I would lose her too.
I heard someone yelling from the grassy area on the side of the road. “We found the driver!”
I hoped that asshole was dead, because if he wasn’t I was going to kill him myself. The paramedic I was talking to grabbed my arm. “Hey, you know who the driver was?”
“Yeah, his name is Chris Johnson. He is her ex, and a psychopath. You can tell the cops he is the reason for this and if he does make it, then they need to cuff him to the hospital bed. I’m gonna go find her husband. I will meet you guys at the hospital.”
I pulled out my phone again and called the only other person I could think of.
“Hello?” Hearing her voice made me smile, even with all of the shit that was going on around me.
“Hey, Nic.”
“Jason? What’s going on? I thought you were going to Maddy’s tonight.” She sounded irritated and I really couldn’t blame her. I had been blowing her off since January.
I didn’t know how I was going to tell her this right now. Nicole and Maddy were so close. She was going to freak out. “What are you doing right now?’
“I’m driving home from a friend’s house, why?”
“Pull over, I need to tell you something.”
I heard her sigh. “Listen, Jason, if this is more of the ‘it’s not you it’s me crap,’ I don’t want to hear it.”
Ugh! This girl made me fucking crazy. She just didn’t get it, and that was not even why I was calling. “It’s nothing to do with us, now just friggin’ pull the car over!”
“All right! There! Now, what the hell is it?!”
“There’s been an accident, Nic. I’m not really sure about all the details yet, but Maddy is on her way to the hospital.”
I heard her sharp intake of breath. “What happened?” I could hear the tears in her shaky voice and I wished I was there with her.
“I don’t know. I was pulling up to the house and Chris was putting her into his car. He sped off and I followed him. I think he saw me, though, and he ran a red light. A truck hit their car and the paramedics just took her to the hospital. I called Carter at work, but they said he left over an hour ago to go check on her. I’m getting in my car now to go check the house to see if he is there.”
“Oh my God! I’m driving down there now!”
The last thing I needed was to worry about her hysterical and driving. I didn’t know what I would do if she got hurt too. “No, let me sort out this shit with Carter and I will come and get you. I don’t need you driving upset and getting hurt too.”
“Jason, I can’t just—”
“Shit, Nic! Will you just fucking listen to me for once?”
“Don’t you yell at me, Jason Smith! Or I will beat your ass when I see you!” I knew she wasn’t kidding about that either. Nicole was one of the toughest girls I knew. She always gave my shit right back to me, and I loved it.
“Okay, just please let me pick you up.” I loved that she could put me in my place and wasn’t scared to do it.
“All right.”
“Text me your address and, once I find Carter, I will drive up.” The thought of seeing her again made me nervous. I could never control myself when it came to her. The attraction was just so strong between us, that I usually ended up giving in and then regretting it. I needed to keep her at arm’s length. It was what was best for the both of us.
“Okay, let me know if you find out anything else.”
I hung up and found myself smiling. That girl had a way of getting to me, even in the craziest situations.
I pulled into Carter’s driveway and ran up the steps. When I opened the door, Carter was face down on the floor with a pool of blood next to him. “FUCK!”
I ran over and knelt down next to him. When I turned him over I saw that the blood was coming from his shoulder. Hopefully, he hasn’t lost that much blood. “Carter! Wake up!”
I shook him a little, but when he didn’t respond, I started to call 911 for the second time tonight. Then I heard a low groan. I looked over and he was starting to wake up. “Carter? It’s me, Jason, open your eyes.”
He opened his eyes and started scanning the room. “J? What are you doing here?” His voice was all raspy. Then I saw a look of realization pass over his face. “Where is Maddy?” He shot straight up and then winced and fell back down.
“She is on her way to the hospital. I saw them leaving and followed the car. They got into a wreck, ‘cause the asshole ran a red light.”
“Is she okay? We have to go!”
“I don’t know how she is. She was unconscious when they took her in. I told them you were her husband, so they are expecting you. Come on, I’ll help you up and get you to the hospital.”
I helped him to the car, supporting most of his weight, which was no easy task. Once I got him in the car and we were on our way, I felt better. “Listen, Carter, I can’t even tell you how sorry I am that I was late tonight. I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive myself if anything happens to her.”
“J, I know you love her and I know that if you had any idea what was going on, you would have been there. I don’t blame you.” He might not have blamed me, but I blamed myself. If I would have been there, I doubt that fucker would have ever tried anything.
“What happened when you got there?”
He took a deep breath and I could tell it hurt him to even talk about it. “When I walked in, that motherfucker had her bent over the couch and was grinding into her. Her mouth was taped shut and her hands were tied behind her back. She was crying and, when she saw me come in, I saw the fear etched across her face. I will never forget the way she looked, J, it was horrible. He had a gun and held it against her as soon as he saw me. We went back and forth for a couple minutes, but then he started moving toward the door. He told me to move and I told him that there was no way that was going to happen. He pointed the gun at me and bent down to whisper something in her ear. I took advantage of him not paying attention and charged him. I only got a couple of steps, when I felt a pain in my shoulder and then everything went black.”
“I can’t believe all this
shit is really happening. I called Nicole when I couldn’t find you, and now she is worried sick. I didn’t want her hysterical and driving, so I told her I would come get her once I found you and got you to the hospital.”
We pulled up outside the ER and I helped Carter in. They told him Maddy was in surgery, and took him back to patch up his shoulder. Apparently, it looked like the bullet went straight through. They said Maddy would be in surgery for at least a couple of hours, so I figured it was a good time to go get Nicole.
I called her when I got into my car and filled her in on what was going on, even though at this point, we really didn’t know much. All they would tell Carter was that she was in surgery, and that the doctor would be out to talk to him when he was done.
It took me about an hour and a half to get to Nicole’s. She had told me the door would be unlocked and to just come in. When I walked in, I saw her asleep on the couch. She was so fucking beautiful. Her long strawberry blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun and I could see the tear streaks on her cheeks. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, though, and this is why she was so dangerous to me. No girl had ever held my attention for this long, much less made me feel the way I do when I’m around her.
I sat down on the couch next to her and she curled up against me. It was so tempting to be with her. She just had this pull that I couldn’t shake. I couldn’t help myself, so I kicked off my shoes and stretched out beside her, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close to me.
She fit so well next to me. I thought that was what made me run the first night. I was lying there with her and knew that it was different. I wanted a normal relationship, but wanting one and being ready for one are two completely different things.
So, I did the cowardly thing and snuck out while she was still asleep. She had seen me after and tried to have a talk about everything, but I blew it off like it was no big deal. The thing was, I knew it was different, and with the way she pursued me, she did too.
Breaking Through the Wall (Guarded Hearts Book 2) Page 1