Wanted (Addicted Trilogy Book 3)

by S. Nelson

I couldn’t see his finger on the trigger, but I sensed he was about to pull it.

  So I did the only thing I could.

  I jumped in front of the man I loved as the shot rang out.

  As I was thrust to the side, then to the ground below, all I kept thinking was, Is Alek okay? Is he hurt?

  I did my best to focus on the commotion around me but the more I stayed alert, the more the pain overtook me.

  If I close my eyes, the pain will stop.

  Slowly drifting off into the darkness, my only thoughts were of the man who always tried to save me. I prayed I was able to save him in return.

  ~5~

  Alek

  It all happened so fast. First, Samuel blocked our route to escape, then he was spouting off crazy shit about him and Sara being happy together and that it was all my fault. Like I’d gotten in the way. Well, you’re damn right I did. I put myself between the woman I love and a crazy-ass psycho.

  Everything after was a blur. For reasons unknown, Sara jumped in front of me to shield me from the bullet. I didn’t even know how she realized he was going to fire it at me.

  Didn’t she know I would die for her?

  Give my life to protect her?

  Once the gun fired, I lunged forward without thinking and knocked Samuel back against the wall. I heard Kael shouting to me, but I blocked him out. The only mission I was on was to steal the life from him. I should have been checking on Sara. I had no idea how she was, but I chose to stay in denial a little while longer. Plus, I knew my friend would tend to her while I set about destroying Samuel.

  Wrestling around on the ground proved to be more difficult for him than it was for me. I had rage and fear on my side, which allowed me to best him rather quickly. The first punch shattered his nose, the second knocked him out cold.

  As soon as I stood, I ran over to check on Sara. Kael was kneeling over her body, shaking his head profusely as he tried to find the wound. There was so much blood, it was hard to locate exactly where the bullet had hit her. I prayed right then and there, asking God to spare her life and not take her from my world.

  But my worst fears were coming true right in front of me.

  Reaching down to check her over myself, my hands were immersed in her blood, the warm, sticky substance oozing from somewhere on or around her chest.

  My fingers circled her wrist, trying my best to find a pulse. She had one, but it was weak.

  “I’ve called 911, Alek. They’ll be here any minute.” The sirens we’d heard before were closer, maybe two or three minutes away. As I prepared to cradle Sara’s head in my lap, I noticed movement in my peripheral vision. I turned toward the distraction and saw Samuel starting to come back around.

  Sara laid there dying yet he had the audacity to breathe life? As if he was entitled to it?

  I snapped.

  Searching on the ground around me, I located his fallen gun, gripped it in my hand as if it was my best decision and moved toward the man who would forever change not only my life but Sara’s, as well.

  There was no way she was going to be the same after that night. He managed to rip away what little safety she’d felt after so many years living in fear.

  As for me, he was going to be the first and only person whose life I would extinguish without a second thought.

  I kicked his side when I finally stood next to him, the barrel of the gun pointed right between his eyes. Kael was still crouched next to Sara’s body, holding her hand while he looked after me with concern.

  “Alek, don’t do it. Let the cops sort him out.” I heard his words, but they meant nothing to me. They didn’t even permeate my brain.

  Ignoring my good friend, I placed all my focus on the man at my feet. He glanced up, and the look he gave me almost made me pity him. He was delusional and certifiable but in his head, he was normal.

  “They’ll see I’m better one day. They’ll let me out, and I’ll come back for her.”

  I never hesitated.

  I pulled the trigger and watched the life drain from his eyes. Only when I was sure he took his last breath did I release the gun from my hand. It made the loudest noise as it crashed to the floor.

  ~~~~

  I was going to wear a hole in the carpet if I didn’t stop pacing, my impatience and nerves driving my legs to walk back and forth on their own accord.

  I knew I was driving the hospital staff crazy with my incessant rants about wanting information on Sara. Every five minutes, I was demanding answers and each time, they told me I had to wait. Needing to hear something from the doctor was slowly eating me up.

  I kept picturing Sara lying helpless on the floor, bleeding out right in front of me. All because she took it upon herself to try and protect me.

  To save me instead of the other way around.

  A wide range of emotions flooded through me. Anger and fear were battling for the title, and I wasn’t quite sure which one was going to hold the belt in the end.

  There were so many things I wanted to say to her. I only hoped I had the chance to tell her how much she truly meant to me. I also needed to express how angry I was with her. Upset she put her own life in jeopardy, a life I’d spent the greater part of a decade trying to protect. Without thought, she tossed it all away, threw caution to the wind with one fateful, selfless and stupid decision.

  The more I thought about what had transpired, the more my chest hurt. If I don’t watch it, I’m going to be lying right next to her. We could be roommates.

  In the middle of my internal meltdown, I noticed two people walking toward me in the waiting room. Looking up, I saw Alexa was holding on to Matt’s arm, despair written all over her face. I’d filled them both in when I went to look for her, so when I placed the call she was in the hospital, they knew it wasn’t good.

  Matt helped Alexa to her seat before he approached me. He really wasn’t a bad guy. Actually, the more I saw him interact with both Sara and Alexa, the more comfortable I was with him being in my woman’s life. He cared for them as if he was their brother. I had to admire that.

  He extended his hand and, for once, I took it without reservation. He was almost as worried about his dear friend as I was.

  “How is she? Have you heard anything? What happened?” he spouted, question after question falling from his lips without a break.

  “I don’t know how she is,” I grated. “These bastards won’t tell me a damn thing. All I know is she was taken into surgery four hours ago.”

  “Surgery?” Alexa cried. “What happened, Alek?” She held my gaze until her face dropped into her hands, sobs racking her body as she wept for her best friend.

  “She was shot.” Three of the worst words I’d ever muttered in my entire life. “Honestly, I don’t know anything yet. The doctor hasn’t even been out to update me on her status. Hell, I don’t even know if she’s still in surgery.”

  Matt stared at me as if he held me responsible for Sara’s predicament. Could I blame him? I would forever carry around the guilt until my dying day.

  Without saying a word, Matt joined Alexa on the small sofa in the corner of the waiting room. We glanced at each other from time to time but other than those fleeting moments, we sat and waited in silence. Well, they sat. I continued to do what I did best: pace.

  When I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, a doctor came strolling into the room. Where the hell is his sense of urgency? Doesn’t he know the love of my life lay clinging to life somewhere in this hospital?

  “Mr. Devera?” he asked as he looked around the room, trying to pinpoint which one of us was going to answer. When I walked closer, basically announcing I was the man he was looking for, he opened his mouth. Please, tell me good news.

  “Miss Hawthorne’s surgery went well. Luckily, there wasn’t too much damage to her shoulder. She should have full range of motion after some physical therapy. Other than that, she’ll be fine.”

  Her shoulder? I could have sworn she was shot directly in the chest. I was preparing myself to
receive news the bullet had pierced her heart.

  Because that was exactly what it had done to mine.

  “When can I see her?” I asked, standing a little too close to him.

  “I’ll send a nurse out soon to take you back. But please, don’t stay too long because she’s still quite woozy from the anesthesia. Plus, she needs her rest.” He left before I could ask him any more questions. His staff had probably warned him about me, so he made sure to give me an update then got the hell out of there.

  Sure enough, not five minutes later, a nurse escorted us back to Sara’s room.

  “Normally, we only allow one visitor but seeing as how you all have been here for hours, we’ll make an exception this time. Don’t be too long because she needs her rest.”

  I quickly thanked her before rushing to Sara’s beside.

  My heart all but stopped when I saw her lying in the bed, looking damaged and broken.

  My soul broke apart inside me, piercing my heart like tiny razor blades, making me bleed out all of my hurt, anger and fear.

  ~6~

  Sara

  I was lost between delirium and reality when I saw him approach. He looked so broken, like a piece of him died when he rescued me. With each step he took, I could see the immense love laced in his eyes, but there was also a great fear lurking underneath.

  Knowing he must have been going out of his mind with worry the whole time he was unable to find me, I wanted nothing more than to comfort him. I had no doubt he was beating himself up, taking the blame for my abduction.

  He was crazy protective over me, and the realm of his sanity had surely been tested.

  “Hi, beautiful.”

  I croaked out a response, my throat too raw and painful to provide anything more than a garble. Pain bombarded me with a fierceness I’d never felt before; it almost took my breath away. I winced and cringed from the slightest movement. My arm hurt but since the pain radiated all over, I wasn’t quite sure where the actual damage was. I also wasn’t in any shape to comprehend even if Alek explained it to me.

  Curiosity won out, though. “What happened? I remember Samuel standing in front of us as we were trying to leave, but my memory is a little fuzzy after that.” I flinched one more time, my arm slipping off the propped-up pillows.

  “First things first,” Alek interrupted. “Do you need a nurse?”

  “I think so. My arm is killing me.”

  “I’ll call someone in, Sara,” Alexa said. It wasn’t until I heard her voice did I even take notice there were other people in the room with us.

  Both Matt and Alexa were patiently standing behind Alek, waiting for their turn to visit with me.

  How did I not see them standing there?

  “Thanks, Lex,” I mumbled, my speech slurring as I spoke.

  Fixing my eyes back on Alek, I asked him again about what happened. I knew something was off because although I was still in pain, my comprehension, speech and movements were slowed, no doubt from the effects of whatever drugs were pumping through my body.

  “He tried to stop us as we were all leaving. Then you…you…” He trailed off, the end of his sentence too much for him to recall.

  “Who else was there?”

  “Kael. You don’t remember him being with us?”

  Memories flooded back the more he spoke. I vaguely remembered his friend being in the house. My brain was still a little hazy, but I think I recalled him holding my hand as I was lying on the floor.

  Bleeding.

  Fading in and out of consciousness.

  “Sara? Are you okay?”

  “What?” I asked, still having difficulty focusing. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s taking me a little while to remember. That’s all.”

  “Why don’t we discuss this a little later? After you’ve had time to recuperate more?” I could tell he was the one who didn’t want to talk about what happened. Before I had the chance to answer, Alexa came back into the room, a nurse following behind her.

  “Look who I found! And it looks like she has the good shit with her, too.” She winked, trying her best to lighten the mood. When she rounded the bed and stood beside me, she reached down and clasped my hand. The look on her face was sad although she was smiling. She was doing her best to make me forget, even if for a moment, and I couldn’t be luckier she was my best friend.

  I knew they were all scared. Shit, I was scared and I’d been the one to live through it. Twice.

  When Alek saw the nurse was attending to my pain, he physically relaxed. Whatever the wonderful woman had put in my IV, it was taking effect and fast. My eyelids became heavy, the pain in my arm dwindling to a mere throb. I was suddenly tired, and although I wanted to visit a while longer, I knew my body had a different plan.

  Alexa squeezed my hand before giving me a quick hug. “I’ll come back tomorrow, Sara. You need to rest. Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” I grumbled, the drugs kicking in full-force.

  Giving both men a hug, she made her way toward the door. Before she could disappear, Alek called out to her.

  “Alexa, wait. I’ll walk you out.” He was such a gentleman. I knew Matt would have walked her out, but I could tell he wanted to spend more time with me. “I’m running to the cafeteria on my way back up,” he mentioned, turning his attention fully on Matt. “Do you want anything?”

  To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Even in my hazy state, the mere fact he was so pleasant with my friend was astounding. I’d seen subtle changes over the past couple of months when it came to dealing with Matt, but to witness it in such an obvious way threw me for a loop.

  “Nah. I’m good. Thanks, though.” Matt nodded and turned his attention back on me as Alek and Alexa exited my hospital room.

  “When did you guys become best buds?” I whispered, falling into a coughing fit because my throat was so damn dry. Matt instantly poured me a small glass of water, stepping closer to my bed and holding it to my lips so I could drink.

  “Are you all right?” he questioned. I hated I was the one who caused him to worry about me. All of them. At the same time, though, I was beyond grateful I was surrounded by such wonderful people.

  After my throat had been soothed with cool liquid, I was able to speak a little better. More coherently. “I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me, Matt. I can see the look on your face.” I reached for his hand. The moment we touched, his eyes became glassy, fear for me suddenly overwhelming.

  “I was so scared something bad happened to you, Sara.” He shook his head, gripping my hand tighter. “I mean…more than that psycho snatching you up. When I got the call you’d been found but were rushed to the hospital, I immediately thought the worst.”

  I tried my best to comfort him. I found it funny I was the one lying in the hospital bed, my shoulder all mangled to hell, yet I felt bad for making everyone else worry about me.

  The more the minutes passed, the sleepier I became until I could no longer keep my eyes open. Matt had stopped talking, knowing I wasn’t paying attention any longer. I hoped he wasn’t offended, praying he realized my body wasn’t my own any longer.

  The last sight I saw before my lids closed was Alek strolling back into the room, his attention solely on me as I drifted off into a healing sleep.

  ~7~

  Alek

  I knew damn well once Sara woke up and was lucid enough she was going to want to know what happened. The full story. Doing my best to prepare myself for when the time came, I squared my shoulders and paced the room.

  She’d been asleep for six hours. I saw her stir at one point, her face contorting in a bad dream. I prayed she wasn’t reliving the very real nightmare she’d recently endured. I couldn’t protect her in her dreams, and it killed me.

  “Alek,” she called out, causing me to instantly rush to her side.

  “I’m here. How are you feeling?” I reached for her hand and the instant we touched, I was calm. Constantly being on edge was starting to wear on me. I knew I had to ta
ke it easy, but it was hard to convince myself to do so. Reminding myself Sara was alive and would fully recover should have been enough for me to relax. But it wasn’t.

  An odd thought crept in, one I’d had before when I was on my way to save her from Samuel. A feeling I pushed to the back of my mind, not having enough emotional energy to deal with it in the moment.

  She was safer before you barged into her life.

  Pushing everything aside, I focused all my attention back on Sara.

  “My shoulder is killing me but otherwise, I’m okay.”

  Trying to dislodge my hand from hers, I offered, “I’ll call the nurse so she can give you something for the pain.”

  She held tight, her strength surprising me. “No. I’ll deal with it. While the meds dull the pain, I can’t focus and all I do is drift off to sleep.” She squeezed my fingers. “I want to talk to you about what happened. My mind is still a little fuzzy.”

  I averted my eyes, not wanting to have to relive what she’d gone through. Hell, what I’d gone through.

  “Alek. Please, tell me what happened. Help me remember so I can move on.” My lips parted and I inhaled a deep breath but before any words slipped out, Sara’s breathing changed and she started shaking.

  At first, I thought she was having some kind of reaction, her body convulsing in warning. But the closer I looked, I saw the fear in her eyes, and it had nothing to do with what was going on with her physically.

  She was remembering something, and it was freaking her out.

  “Where is he?” Where is Samuel?” She closed her eyes and waited for me to respond. I took some time before answering, trying to figure out the best way to tell her what I’d done. “What? Where is he? Oh, my God, did he escape?” Her eyes remained closed as she fired off question after question at me.

  Stroking her hair in an effort to try and comfort her, I leaned in close and hovered above her.

  “He’s dead.” She remained silent, for countless seconds. “Did you hear me, Sara? Samuel’s dead. He’ll never harm you again, baby.”