Sacha collapsed in the chair and dropped his head into his hands. That had been exhausting. He felt Alessio’s hand stroke his head, and he looked up at him.
“Okay?”
Seeing the concern on Alessio’s face, he nodded. “It’s so tiring.”
“Practice will ease that.”
Nodding again, Sacha sat back in his chair. “He’s going to talk to Chester’s mate then get back to me.”
“Relax then. There’s nothing you can do right now. Do you want to go home? I’ll come with you.”
“No, Father. I think I should stay here and try to do some work. Jared is safe, and he’s the most important person to me.”
“You know where I am, figlio mio.”
“Love you, Father.”
“Tivoglio bene.” I love you too.
Chapter Twelve
As soon as they reached the emergency department, Ale went straight to the desk to ask about Chester. The nurse glanced at them all, cleared her throat, and spoke in a low voice to Ale.
Ale nodded several times then walked over to them, his face falling with every step.
“That bad?” Mich asked.
“Not good, no. We’ll have to see how the surgery goes.”
“Won’t his vampire genetics help?” Miguel asked, taking a seat and looking at Ale. “Shouldn’t they help him?”
“A shot to the chest will kill them like it would us. Vampires do stand a better chance of survival but not much. The bullet’s still in, so we don’t know what damage it caused.”
“It nicked his lung. He was coughing up blood.” Jared slumped in a chair next to Miguel and dropped his head into his hands.
“The sheriff’s twenty minutes out.”
Jared lifted his head, his eyes widening in surprise. “He’s actually coming?”
“Yeah.” Ale sat next to him, as he talked. “I passed on what you said, but he said no.” Ale shrugged. “It has to be his choice. He knows what the ramifications are if they exchange blood.”
“The mating bond will strengthen.”
“Yes. We all know he doesn’t want to be mated to Chester.”
“Any reason why?
Ale scratched the stubble on his face. “Bad experience with an ex. Vampire.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Guess we have to wait and see.”
They sat in silence, watching the clock and jumping every time someone entered the waiting room. Jared paced the room, positive he’d leave track marks in the linoleum.
The whole situation kept playing through his head. Should they have known? What had they missed?
Had the police known and kept quiet? Jared shook his head. They’d find out soon enough, but for now, Chester was more important.
At some point during the long wait, Chester’s parents arrived, and Jared blinked when he saw them. He knew they were in their late seventies, but they certainly didn’t look it.
Ale stood, and they hugged, words passing quietly between them with Chester’s mom, Joan, burying her head in Ale’s shoulder. Chester’s dad, Arthur, patted Ale’s shoulder as he held his wife.
As they broke apart, the sheriff burst into the waiting room. He stopped and stared at them all, the stress of the situation written on his face. Lines bracketed his mouth and eyes, and he couldn’t look at any of them.
Ale approached him, his hand held in front of him. “Sheriff Bailey.”
“Silas. It’s Silas.”
Ale nodded, and they shook hands. Silas quickly pulled his hand away and shoved it into his uniform pants. “What’s the update?”
“He’s in surgery right now.”
“Prognosis?” Silas asked briskly.
He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else and his discomfort rose when Chester’s mom approached him. He took a step back, his wide eyes bouncing around until they finally settled on her.
She closed the distance and stood on tiptoes to whisper something to him, and eventually he nodded.
“I will, Mrs. Monroe.”
She patted his arm then turned back to her husband, who gathered her close and held her tight.
Ale coughed, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. “Have you thought-?”
“No. I’m sorry, I can’t...”
The doors opened and a surgeon in scrubs walked in.
“I’m Doctor Cole. Can I speak to Mr. Monroe’s parents?”
Chester’s parents and Ale walked over, and they held a hushed conversation. Chester’s mom collapsed and would have hit the floor if the three men around her hadn’t acted quickly enough. Ale carried her over to a chair and sat her down.
Tears streamed down her face. “Can’t he have my blood? I’m his mom. Won’t it help?”
Ale shook his head, and she cried out, “Please do something. I can’t lose my son. Oh God, please don’t take him from me.”
Arthur walked over and took hold of his wife, tears also streaming down his face. They swayed together, and Ale stood and walked away, giving them time alone as Silas left the room.
They stared in shock and horror. Jared stood and approached Ale, who was leaning on the wall, shaking his head.
“Ale,” he whispered.
Ale shook his head.
Jared swallowed, shaking his head vigorously. No, Chester couldn’t be dead. “He’s dead?”
“No, not yet. There’s always hope, right?”
Suddenly there was a commotion by the doors that led inside, and Silas stormed out, only pausing to say, “I don’t want him to contact me.”
“What-”
Silas continued out with Dr. Cole trying to catch up to him. “Sheriff!”
Ale rushed over, grabbing the man’s arm. “Dr. Cole. What’s going on?”
“Is he Mr. Monroe’s mate?
Ale frowned but nodded. “Why?”
“They exchanged blood, and Mr. Monroe’s stats are already stabilizing.”
“What?” Ale staggered back a step. “He said he wouldn’t...”
“I don’t know what more I can say. I can only tell you what occurred, Mr. Martin. If this current trend continues, Mr. Monroe should make a full recovery.”
“When can we see our son?” Arthur asked, Joan clutching his arm.
“He’s in recovery right now, but under the circumstances, he won’t be moved to ICU. Once he’s moved to a ward, I’ll come and get you.”
Jared quietly left the waiting room and walked outside, searching for Silas. He found him leaning on the hood of his cruiser, staring out across the parking lot.
“Hey, Silas.”
Jared saw him stiffen.
“What now?”
“I came to thank you for what you did.”
Silas snorted. “I don’t know why I did it. The pair of us are going to have fucking miserable lives now.”
“It doesn’t have to be like that.”
“What the fuck do you know?” Silas demanded. He glared at Jared, arms crossed over his chest.
Jared glanced at the ground then back up at Silas. “I’m mated.”
“Good for you. I’m fucking happy for you.”
Furrowing his brow, Jared tried again. “Silas, please-”
“No.” Silas slashed his hand through the air. “Just fuck off and leave me alone. He’s alive. I’ve done my part. Tell him never to contact me. We’re never going to be together.”
“Can’t you talk to him when he recovers? Maybe, I don’t know, explain how you feel about it to him?”
“He already knows. I’ve told you. I don’t want to hear from any of you again. Like I said, fuck off and leave me alone.”
Jared stepped back as Silas climbed into the cruiser and pulled away. He stared at it until it turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
“Shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. Sighing deeply, he walked back into the emergency department.
Knocking on Alessio’s office door, Sacha walked in and smiled at his father.
“Well?”
“He survived.”
Alessio smiled. “That’s wonderful. His mate came to him.”
“And then left,” Sacha added, sitting in the chair opposite.
Alessio’s smile fell from his face. “Oh. That’s a shame.”
“Jared told me his ex-partner was a vampire and I don’t think it ended well.”
“We can be as cruel as humans. We have the same weaknesses.”
Sacha nodded. “I hope they sort it out. They’ve started the bonding process. They’ll both be miserable now.”
“And, as you know, they’ll be able to sense one another. Not completely, but they will certainly be aware of the other’s emotions.”
“I could feel Jared’s when he was having a strong emotional response to a situation. Fear, pain, so they will too. That’s going to be hard on both of them if Chester’s mate is determined to stay away.”
“What must he have suffered to refuse his mate?” Alessio asked. Sighing, he shook his head. “Maybe if he sees mated couples, it would help to alleviate some of his concern.”
“I don’t think so. Jared tried talking to him after and told Silas he was mated, but he still left.”
“This Silas is scared. Understandable. He’s been hurt, wounded. The relationship damaged something inside him to cause him to leave the way he did.” Alessio shook his head and reached for a pile of paper in front of him. “I’ll have to cut this short. I have a meeting with Dawson’s.”
Sacha furrowed his brow. “Dawson’s?”
“I’ve offered to take on some of their staff. You’re aware they’ve gone into administration?”
“I’d heard it might happen, but I’ve been a little distracted.”
“I’m not surprised.” Alessio smiled. “However, they have a lot of experienced staff, and we’re expanding. I’ll see what I can do.”
Back in his own office, Sacha reached out to Jared, needing to feel his presence and hear his voice.
Jared.
Sacha.
Sacha paused, feeling the fear through their bond.
What’s wrong?
Don’t worry. I love you.
Jared. Tell me what’s happening. I can feel your fear.
He’s here.
Sacha frowned. Who was where?
Are you still at the hospital?
Yeah.
That’s it. One word.
Jared. What’s going on?
Fuck. The shooter’s here with us now. Pointing a fucking gun to my head.
Sacha gasped, dropping to the floor.
No.
Yes, Sacha. I’ve no fucking idea how he got away, but heads will roll when I find out. Some fuckers are going to pay.
Jared.
I love you, Sach. Remember.
The connection went blank, and Sacha reeled back in surprise. He couldn’t feel him at all.
Jared.
Nothing.
Jared.
Still nothing. Sacha scrambled to stand and rummaged through his drawer, pulling his cell out. When he called Jared’s number, it went straight through to voicemail.
“Oh god, no. Please no.”
“Sacha” He looked up and saw his father standing over him. “What’s wrong?”
“The man who shot Chester is at the hospital. Jared said he has a gun pointed at him. How did he escape the police?”
Alessio squatted in front of him, grabbing his shoulders. “You can’t get involved. Wait for him. He needs to have his full attention on the situation, and if you keep trying to contact him, you’re going to distract him, and someone could get injured or worse.”
“Father,” Sacha whispered brokenly. “My mate-”
“Knows exactly how to handle this type of situation. He’s trained for this. Trust in him and his ability to deal with the threat.”
Sacha leaned into Alessio. “Stay?”
“Of course, figlio mio.”
Chapter Thirteen
How the fuck had he got away? He was supposed to be under armed guard.
Stan, the man who’d been responsible for Serena’s death, was pointing the gun at different people in the room as he paced.
Jared looked over at Ale and Mich. Both had been shot when Stan had run into the room shooting at anyone who’d moved. Everyone else had guns pointing at him, but Stan was refusing to back down. It was like he wasn’t even aware of everyone else in the room or the seriousness of the situation in front of him.
Jared glanced at Ale’s wound, noticing the blood seeping out from between Ale’s fingers and dripping steadily to the floor. Their eyes met, and Ale shook his head. Not good was what he was saying.
The blood didn’t slow, and Ale slowly pulled his belt free and fastened it above the gunshot wound, attempting to stem the loss of blood.
Jared watched the blood again, noticing it had slowed down but hadn’t stopped. Shit, the femoral artery must have been hit. Ale didn’t have long before he lost consciousness if they couldn’t get him to surgery.
The local sheriff, who was in the room with them, spoke to Stan, trying to reason with him. “Stan, please. Think about this. Put the gun down. You don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“She fucking left me,” Stan screamed. “Left me. Who did that bitch think she was?” He stormed over to Ale and pointed the gun at his head. “Drop the fucking guns, or I’ll kill him. I sorted that bitch out, so he’s fucking easy.”
Jared looked at everyone else in the room. He, Miguel, and Donnie lowered their weapons to the floor, but the officers were slower to respond.
“Do as he says,” Donnie ordered.
“I’ve seen how this happens.” Stan pointed to Miguel. “You. Pick up the guns and throw them in the trash can.”
Miguel clenched his jaw but did what Stan ordered. Once all the guns were in the trash can, Stan said, “Belts off and tie each other up.” When no one moved, he screamed, “Now! Or he gets it.” He dug the gun into Ale’s head, and Ale winced but didn’t move away, glaring up at Stan.
Jared unfastened the buckle and pulled the belt free. He slowly passed it to Donnie. “Here. Tie me up with this.”
Donnie glared at Stan, then tied Jared up. Next, he approached Michaela, gently handling her arm and carefully tying her up. Handing his belt over to Miguel, he muttered, “Fucker.”
Once everyone was tied up, Stan grabbed Ale by the hair and dragged him over to the exit, smearing blood all over the floor and glancing outside. Ale grunted, holding the wound on his leg. Jared saw the blood flow increase, and their eyes met, but again Ale shook his head.
“Right. I want a car to take me to the airport and a plane out of here to Mexico. None of this negotiations shit. Try anything, and I’ll kill one of you.” Stan paced for a few seconds and then added, “Money. I want lots of money too.”
Jared almost laughed at the ridiculous request. Where did Stan think he was? This wasn’t a fucking movie.
“Stan,” the sheriff said. “We can’t just make a call and have that setup. You know this.”
Stan glared at the man then shot him in the chest. “The next one who talks had better be working on getting me out of here. I’ve got plenty of bullets, and I don’t miss.”
Donnie stepped forward, bound wrists held out in front of him. “I need my cell.”
The gun swung in Donnie’s direction, and Jared held his breath.
“You can make it happen? Why should I believe you?”
“I have contacts. Rescue Inc can get you where you want to go. Anywhere. We have a plane waiting for us. You can use it instead.”
Stan unbound Donnie’s wrists, the gun pointing at his head. “One wrong move and your brains are all over the fucking floor.”
Donnie nodded and carefully pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’ll call our pilot and tell him to ready the plane. It will take him about an hour to make sure it’s fueled and operational. He can file a flight plan and take you anywhere you want to go.”
It wouldn’t take that
long because their pilot, Ainsley, always had the plane ready to go.
“Good. Now, I want all of you to sit against the wall where I can see you. No fucking attempts or he gets it.” Stan pointed the gun back at Ale’s head. “You” —Stan gestured at Donnie— “make the call and put it on loudspeaker, so I can hear.”
Gritting his teeth, Donnie made the call and Jared and the others moved to sit by the wall. Michaela moaned as she slid down. Jared stared at her arm. It wasn’t bleeding too much, but she was pale and sweaty. Their eyes met, and she gave him a weak smile.
Stan’s muttering drew his attention, and he watched him stare at Donnie. How the fuck were they going to disarm him? He had complete control of the situation. He’d disarmed them, tied them up, and moved them to a location where he could constantly monitor them.
He held the gun to Ale’s head while Donnie made the call, then nodded to the wall. Donnie sat next to him, glaring at Stan.
“Did he understand?” Jared whispered.
“Yes.”
Ainsley had got the message. He’d make the call to get them help. How long it would take was anyone’s guess, but Donnie had gotten them an hour if Stan could wait that long.
Jared looked over at the body of the sheriff, his blank eyes staring up at the ceiling, the blood pooled beneath him. Two murders and several attempted. Stan was going away for the rest of his life. Or not. If Jared got his hands on him, the fucker was dead.
He paced in front of them, the gun waving around in the air. He muttered incoherently, and Jared glanced over at Ale, noticing Ale watching every move Stan made.
The guy looked like he was falling apart. His bloodshot eyes darted everywhere, sweat pouring from his red face as he glanced towards the exits.
He stormed over to Donnie, hitting him across the side of the head with the gun. “Where’s the fucking car?”
“We didn’t arrange a car, remember, but I can give you the keys to mine. The pilot will call me back when the plane’s ready. I told you this, Stan.” Donnie spoke quietly in a low tone. The last thing anyone wanted was for Stan to lose it and start shooting at them.
“When will it be ready?” Stan screamed, spraying spittle in Donnie’s face.
“He said an hour. It’s been twenty minutes. I can call him and check where he’s at.”
Rescue Inc Collection Vol 1 Page 18