by K. C. Lynn
Looking over my shoulder, I see Beckett holding Annabelle back. Her pleading sobs trigger one of my own.
“Why are you doing this?” I cry, frustrated by their senseless act of cruelty.
“Haven’t I made myself clear? I want my grandson back, and I am not leaving this country without him.”
“You won’t ever make it out of here,” I whisper.
“Oh, my dear. That’s where you’re very wrong. Not only will I have my grandson back but I will also make his mother pay for all the pain she has caused my family.”
My eyes close, wishing I had checked into Connor’s background more. Maybe if I had this could have all been prevented.
“The police are outside. We all heard them,” I say, unable to keep the bite out of my tone.
“Yes, they are, and there is a probability they will even take me to jail for a short time.”
“Try a lifetime,” I mumble.
If my husband doesn’t kill you first.
Grabbing a fistful of my hair, he jerks my head back. “Watch your mouth or I will cut your tongue out and let you bleed to death in front of your daughter.”
I’m thrusted into my office, hard enough that I land on top of my desk face first. Pain explodes through my head, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.
Before I have time to recover, he grabs me by the back of my neck and shoves me around my desk. My eyes land on the cabinet Connor hides in, willing for him to stay where he is.
“Show me the list of absences,” he orders. “I also want my grandson’s file with his home address.”
“It’s not in here,” I murmur, blood trickling from my mouth.
His fingers wrap around my neck, squeezing my throat. “Bullshit. This is your office and you said you saw the list of absences. Now stop fucking with me or I will put a bullet in your head then do the same to your daughter.”
I’m about to tell him the information is on the powerless computer when Connor pushes out of the cabinet.
“Don’t hurt her!”
The man stills, his body tense with surprise. “Ivan?” he asks, a sense of awe in his voice.
“Please,” Connor pleads, tears streaking down his pale face. “Don’t hurt her. I’ll do whatever you want.”
The man releases me unconsciously, taking the smallest step forward. “Bhyk,” he breathes, his accent thick with emotion. “I can’t believe it’s really you.” He reaches for Connor. “Come. It’s time to go home.”
Desperation fuels me, putting me in motion. “No!” I push myself between them, taking Connor’s hand. “Run, Connor!”
We don’t even reach the door before a shot fires off. Pain explodes through my side, seizing all the air in my lungs. Turning, I stare into the face of a cold-blooded killer as he shoots again, spraying another bullet into my abdomen.
The impact throws me back, fire tearing through my entire body, but the pain is nothing to the terror that rips through my heart. A cold realization hitting me that I won’t make it out of this alive.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jaxson
The breadth of my shoulders fill the confined space, my breathing even as I look through small slats of the vent I hide behind. My eyes scan the vacant courtyard that’s just outside the gym, a sense of calmness resting over me despite the fear and rage I harbor deep inside.
I sense Sawyer and Cade in their positions, feeling their presence even if I can’t see them. It’s a flash of déjà vu, bringing me back to a time when we always knew the other was there, watching our back. Only this time there is so much more at stake.
“Entrance two has been silenced and stripped of weapons.” Christopher’s voice fills the earbuds. “There were two of them.”
“Alive?” Ryder asks quietly.
“For now, but we’ll see if that lasts.”
Ryder grunts. “Keep it that way. Stay where you are. I want you covering that exit.”
“Copy. I’m in the northeast hall and all is clear.”
Knight checks in next. “Entrance three has been taken care of.”
“I just got word that SWAT showed up,” Nick announces, his voice barely above a whisper.
About fucking time.
“They’re covering the helicopter and perimeter, waiting for our signal.”
We found the helicopter when we made it on the roof, something that was hidden from down below due to the structure of the building. The two men that waited next to it were dismantled of their communication devices and cuffed.
“Entrance one and four are taken care of,” Ryder says, sounding out of breath.
“I have five,” Cooper says. “There were two here as well.”
“I have six and seven,” Nick says. “Reid, you guys should be safe to get into position.”
The three of us push out of the vents that circle the courtyard and slide out from our spots. We curl behind the walls on either side of the gym doors. Cooper joins us, moving up behind me.
Holding my gun up, I peek in and spot two men on the right. Their weapons are trained as they walk a straight line back and forth between the children. Seeing the fear on the children’s pale faces, fuels the deep-seated anger inside of me.
“I have two in sight,” I relay, looking for Julia and the kids.
“We have three in ours,” Cade says.
“Half of SWAT is waiting on the east doors that lead inside the gym,” Nick says. “I’m going to give them the signal. Once they enter, move in and make sure they’re covered.”
“Copy,” Cooper responds.
Sawyer makes eye contact with me from across the way. “Do you see them?”
I shake my head and try my damnedest not to think too much about that, knowing I need to keep my head straight.
Within seconds, SWAT busts in through the emergency exit of the gym, sending us forward. Screams erupt through the air as everyone is ordered to drop their weapons.
One of the men close to me lifts his gun, pointing it at the swarm of cops. I don’t give him a chance to fire, the butt of my rifle slamming into his temple. The rest of them are thrown facedown and cuffed.
“Daddy!” The sound of Annabelle’s terrified voice stops me in my tracks, my eyes searching amongst the chaos.
“There!” Cooper points across the gym where all the kids are standing together, holding hands.
We push forward, dodging all the small bodies in our path. I catch a crying Annabelle, scooping her small body into my arms and bringing her in close.
“It’s okay, baby,” I soothe, burying my nose into her soft brown hair. “Everything is okay now.”
“You need to get Mama,” she cries.
My eyes wander, looking around for her. “Where is she?”
“They took her,” Beckett says.
Every muscle in my body tightens, panic threatening to choke me.
“Who did?” Cooper asks before I can.
“One of the men,” Parker tells us. “They dragged her out by her hair.”
Ice forms in my veins, my mind reeling as I realize we must have missed one.
“He was hurting her, Daddy,” Annabelle sobs. “You have to hurry.”
Without a second thought, I thrust Annabelle into Christopher’s arms, hating to have to let her go. “Take her outside with the others. I’ll be there soon!” I push my way back through the crowded gym, raising my mic to my mouth. “Stone, have you seen Julia?”
“Isn’t she with the kids?”
“No. We’re missing one of the bastards. Someone has her.”
“Jaxson, wait up!” Cooper yells, catching up to me in the hall.
My quick feet never falter. “You should be with Beckett.”
“Cade has him. He and Sawyer are coming back once they get the kids outside to the girls.”
We come up to hallways on either side of us, and I catch the gun in my peripheral vision before seeing the person behind it. My instincts are quicker than his. Knocking his hand away, I disarm him and take him down
, shoving my rifle against his throat. “Where is my wife, you son of a bitch?”
“Go to hell!”
I apply pressure, cutting off his air supply. “You have seconds to tell me where she is or I will cut out your fucking heart and feed it to you.”
Nick and Ryder come charging in the front doors the same time we hear a scream.
“No! Run, Connor!”
My head snaps left, the sound of Julia’s voice throwing me into motion. Pushing to my feet, I leave the guy with Ryder and head in the direction of her office, passing both Cooper and Nick. Our boots pummel the tile floor, guns drawn. Halfway there a shot fires off, followed by a second one.
Dread curls its lethal fingers around my heart when I see Julia stumble out the door, her blood-soaked hands covering her stomach.
I have no time to comprehend anything, not even the shouted orders behind me as I lunge for her. My feet leave the floor, gun aiming into the open room. There I come face-to-face with the enemy, his pistol trained on my wife.
I fire off several shots, driving a bullet into the center of his forehead. My arms come around Julia as I take her to the ground with me, shouldering the brunt of our fall.
While the others rush inside the room, I sit up and cradle the top half of her body. “Julia, baby, can you hear me?” I look down at my hands, finding them coated in blood.
“Jax?” Blood spews from her mouth as she tries to speak.
“Shh, don’t talk.” I cover her gaping stomach, trying to stanch the blood but there’s too much. “Get paramedics in here now!” The order barely makes its way past the restriction in my throat, my eyes burning, blurring the woman I hold.
Cooper drops down next to me, trying to help me stop the bleeding.
There’s so much fucking blood.
Her breathing is labored; face pale as she peers up at me. “I’m so scared,” she cries.
“Don’t be scared, baby. I’m here.” I kiss her cold, wet cheeks, trying to calm her but everything inside of me is falling apart for a second time today. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”
The reassurance is more for myself than her and for the first time in my life, I could very well be lying to her. Every second that passes, more of her blood spills, and I feel her slipping further away from me, taking my mangled heart with her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jaxson
Covered in my wife’s blood, I sit in the emergency room; my eyes trained ahead—heart cold.
Body numb.
Annabelle is curled against my chest, my arms wrapped securely around her as she sleeps, the day’s trauma leaving her depleted.
I drop a kiss on the top of her head, lingering as I breathe in her scent. The same shampoo her mother uses.
Our lives have been changed forever, even more so if my wife doesn’t come out of surgery with a beating heart.
The thought has agony ripping through my wounded chest.
Just this morning I touched her, kissed her, loved her the way I promised to do, and to know there is a possibility I will never get to do those things again leaves me feeling dead inside.
I can’t live without her. I need her, Annabelle needs her. Without Julia, our family will never be whole.
“What can I do?” Anna asks, her throat raw with grief as she rests her head against my shoulder where she sits next to me.
She and Logan have been here with me since the beginning, answering the phone as everyone else continues to call, anxiously waiting on news like we are.
“Nothing,” I croak.
There’s nothing anyone can do to make this right. Not unless they can change time and take me back to this morning.
If only I had made it to her a minute sooner, hell, even seconds earlier, I could have prevented that shot. Just like years ago, I was minutes too late for the girl who sits next to me.
The guilt will weigh on me for the rest of my life and so will this ever present rage.
That bastard I took out deserved a hell of a lot more than a bullet between his eyes. I’m not finished. Everyone who had a hand in this will fucking pay.
Revenge will be had and justice will be served by my hands. They will know the same fear and pain they inflicted upon my family.
“Mr. Reid?”
My head snaps up, breath locking in my chest at the sight of the doctor walking in. Beads of sweat dot his forehead beneath his blue cap, his expression somber.
I climb to my feet, unable to say anything, fear paralyzing me. My heart pounds, hammering in my ears as I wait for the verdict that could very well ruin my existence.
“Your wife is going to be okay.”
Anna wraps her arms around me, crying in relief, but I remain still, my mind trying to process what he just said.
“It was touch and go for a while. Julia lost a lot of blood and was given several transfusions. We were able to extract the bullets, including the one that was lodged into her intestines. It will take some time but other than a lot of rest and care over the next few weeks, I expect a full recovery.”
It isn’t until he finishes that I’m able to take in my first full breath. I bury my face in Annabelle’s hair, hugging her tight. “We’re going to be okay, baby.”
She doesn’t stir, her body still heavy with sleep, but there’s no denying the feel of her tiny heartbeat tapping against my battered one.
My attention reverts back to the doctor. “I want to see her. I want to be with my wife.”
He nods. “That can be arranged. She’s in recovery now but I will have a nurse come get you soon.”
Shifting Annabelle to one arm, I extend my hand to him. “Thank you, for everything.”
“You’re very welcome. Nurse Betty will be in soon to get you.”
Once he leaves the room, Anna hugs me tighter, her arms wrapped around both Annabelle and me. “I knew she would pull through,” she cries.
I’m glad one of us did because I wasn’t as certain.
“Why don’t we take Annabelle home with us?” Logan suggests.
“No.”
Anna steps back and tries to reason with me. “Let us take her, Jax. It will give you time with Julia. We can bring her back in the morning.”
I shake my head, panic thrumming through my veins at the thought of letting her go.
“I’d never let anything happen to her,” Logan adds. “You know that. I’d die for her.”
“I know, and I appreciate it, but she stays with Julia and me.” The firmness in my tone has them backing off respectfully.
Anna stretches up, kissing my cheek. “We’ll come back first thing in the morning and bring you some stuff from home.”
“I’d appreciate that. Would you mind calling everyone and letting them know she’s going to be okay?”
“Of course. I was already planning on it.”
“Thanks.”
“Mr. Reid?” the nurse calls as she enters the room. “I can take you to your wife now.”
I nod over at Logan and Anna, bidding them good-bye. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for everything.” My strides are quick as I follow the nurse out, urgency fueling every step.
“I had another bed brought in for your daughter,” she says quietly.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she whispers, emotion building in her voice. “I’m just so sorry about everything that happened in that school. My heart breaks thinking how scared those poor children must have been.”
What happened today affected everyone in this town, a reminder of the monsters that walk among us, waiting to inflict terror.
Monsters I will always be there to take out.
We reach an open door to one of the rooms and it brings me to a cold, hard stop, because there lies my wife with tubes streaming from every angle.
“You can put your daughter here,” the nurse whispers, pointing to the bed next to Julia’s.
Swallowing thickly, I get my feet moving again and lay Annabelle down.
I nod, unable to speak past the knot in my throat. Once she disappears, I put one foot in front of the other, my feet mechanical as I take the chair next to Julia’s bed.
Grasping her cold, fragile hand, I bring it to my mouth for a kiss but the grief I’ve been holding in all day rips apart my chest. My head drops down next to her, overcome with despair as the day’s events finally catch up to me. I think about how close I came to losing her when I promised long ago I’d never let anyone hurt her again.
It’s minutes later when the sound of a whimper penetrates my grief. Lifting my head, I see Annabelle, tossing and turning, a terrified sob purging from her as she sleeps.
I pull myself together and climb into the small bed with her, my large body wrapping around her tiny one. She instantly settles down, burying her face into my chest.
Reaching over her curled body, I grab Julia’s hand. For the rest of the night, I remain that way. My tears soak my daughter’s hair as I hold my family close, vowing once again to never let anyone take them from me.
CHAPTER NINE
Sawyer
The Evans residence
Blanketed in the dark, I stare up at my bedroom ceiling, emotion battling inside of me. My daughter lies curled up next to me, her fingers gripping my shirt while my son sleeps on the other side of her, wrapped in his mother’s arms.
My family is home and safe yet I feel no peace. Relief, yes, but even that is overshadowed by hate, fury, and vengeance.
For years I was groomed to kill and taught how to face the most horrific of circumstances but nothing could have prepared me for what I went through today.
A sniffle breaks into my bleak thoughts. Turning my head, I find Grace awake, crying again as she holds our son. She’s been doing this for hours. Dozing off and on, only to wake up grief-stricken.
It makes me feel completely fucking helpless because there aren’t any words that will bring her the peace she deserves, just like there is nothing to bring it to me.