by Anne, Melody
All of the words flew over Rachel’s head. More people were speaking. Officers were there with their hands on their guns. Nurses were getting Shane on a gurney and placing Ari in a wheelchair. The officers were talking to Rafe. Adriane continued holding her until someone pulled her from his arms. No! She didn’t want to be taken from him. Still, she couldn’t speak.
“Rachel, you have to snap out of this!” She turned her head to find Lia in front of her, kneeling on the ground with worry on her face. “We need you back. Please!”
Blood.
So much blood covered Lia.
The sight finally seemed to make something inside of her snap. Rachel bent forward as a sob was ripped from her throat and she grasped her sister tight.
“Why? Why?” she wailed, leaning against Lia.
“I don’t know, sweetie, but the doctors are going to fix Shane, and we’re going to make sure you’re OK, too. The police are questioning Rafe and Adriane right now, and the two of them looked beyond pissed off about being detained, but I’m here with you. Let’s go have the doctors make sure my nieces or nephews are all safe and sound, and then let’s find Ari as we sit and wait.”
“What about Shane?” Shouldn’t Lia be with him?
“I can’t think about that right now, so I’m going to focus on you. I have to focus on something or I will fall apart. Please, just stay with me,” Lia begged.
“You are so strong, Lia. I wish I had even a fraction of your strength,” Rachel said.
“Are you kidding me, Rachel! You nearly gave me a heart attack when you told that man to shoot you. What in the hell were you thinking? If I hadn’t gotten into position right then, you would have been dead. I heard him shoot Shane, heard the shouts as he threatened your life. I was helpless to stop Gianni. But I wasn’t going to just stand by. I was too far away to shoot him and guarantee a hit from where I was. I had to sneak closer. You did really well at distracting him. I’m so proud of you,” Lia said.
“We’re going to take you to the exam room now, Ms. Palazzo,” the nurse said, making both Lia and Rachel turn.
“Have you been hit?” another woman asked Lia, eyeing the blood all over her.
“No. This isn’t my blood,” she told the woman. “I’m staying with my sister here.”
No one argued with Lia. She looked like GI Jane right then with her blood-covered clothes and black hat, and more importantly, the glint of raw courage shining from her eyes. Rachel couldn’t be more proud of her.
It seemed like hours before the doctor finished examining Rachel and ran some tests, but by then, Ari’s knee had been wrapped and she was in the room, too. They had given Lia fresh clothes to change into, and now it was a waiting game.
When the doctor came back, he told Rachel that, although she had slightly elevated blood pressure, she was suffering from dehydration, and she was underweight, the babies were progressing nicely.
He wanted to keep her at the hospital overnight and hook up an IV to get her body proper nourishment, but he was sure he could allow her release the next day.
When they were finally left all alone, a frightened silence fell as they waited to hear news about Shane. After several minutes, Rachel couldn’t stand it anymore.
“He will make it, Lia. You two have just gotten married,” Rachel said.
“I was so afraid of this. It was the reason I didn’t want to have a relationship with him. I was so terrified that I’d be sitting at home one day while he was out on a mission, and then two uniformed men would show up at my door. But with all that, I never, ever imagined that I would be just around the corner when he got shot — and that I would be the one to kill his shooter.”
“I’m so sorry you had to do that, Lia. I don’t know how you did it, but I am so very thankful you did. How in the world did the two of you end up there? How did you even have a gun?” she asked as she looked between Lia and Ari, who looked at each other as if they had a secret they’d vowed never to tell anyone.
“Well, what to answer first?” Lia said with a slight smile toward Ari.
“Rafe and I both have family tracking on our cell phones, so once they left, Lia and I got in the car and followed them. We were coming up the road when I lost control of the vehicle and slid into the ditch. My knee slammed into the middle console and there was no way for me to walk, so Lia took off on foot in their direction. I told her I was fine.”
“Yeah, I protested at first, but my stomach was churning. I knew I was needed. I didn’t realize how needed I was. I hated leaving Ari there, but the car was concealed and I wanted to help. We both wanted to, but Ari’s knee was swelling.”
“And the gun?”
“Rafe and Adriane left us with one just in case any of the bad guys managed to track us down in our nice and safe hotel room.”
“You are both so brave. I couldn’t have done that,” Rachel said, feeling small and useless as she lay in the hospital bed.
“Don’t you dare say that!” Lia said. “I heard you tell that miserable man to take your life. You were willing to sacrifice yourself for Adriane. That’s about as heroic as it gets. Stupid! But heroic.”
Rachel squirmed, uncomfortable with her sister’s praise. “Was it hard to shoot him?” Rachel honestly didn’t know whether she would have been able to pull the trigger.
“I didn’t think — I just shot. I never thought I could kill a person, never imagined pointing a gun and pulling the trigger. They say that if faced with a life-and-death situation, you can do anything. I guess they, whoever they are, are right. That man shot Shane and he was planning on shooting you next. There was no hesitation on my part.”
“Do you regret it? Will it haunt you?” Rachel asked.
“I would do it all over again,” Lia said, lifting her head and looking at her sister with pure love.
“I adore you, Lia,” Rachel told her.
“That goes the same for me, little sister.”
Lia and Ari scooted closer on either side of Rachel’s bed and grasped her hands. Then there was no more talking. They were all thinking of Shane.
Chapter Fifty-One
Rachel looked up to find Rafe and Adriane standing in her room with identical looks of worry on their faces.
“How was the interrogation?” Rachel’s eyes widened as the words popped out of her mouth. How could she make even the slightest of jokes right now?
“Unpleasant,” both Rafe and Adriane said with a grimace.
“Well, they must have realized you weren’t the bad guys,” Lia said as she sat up straighter.
“As a head of state, I have immunity under international law. Rafe, on the other hand, had to do a bit more of a song and dance to get the local cops to believe he really was who he said he was. It didn’t help that he lost his wallet somewhere,” Adriane said.
“Yeah, that was great,” Rafe said, a slight smile coming to his lips.
“Have you heard anything yet?” Lia asked, her eyes shadowed with worry.
Rafe walked over and scooped Ari into his arms, then sat down and held her close. He was furious with her for risking her life, but proud of her, too. Both she and Lia had been so brave. How could he have doubted their ability to help? Before he was able to say something to her, the doctor entered the hospital room. All eyes focused on him as they waited with bated breath for whatever he had to say.
“Mr. Grayson has made it through surgery successfully. The bullet entered his rib cage, cracking a rib, but missing all vital organs. Unless there are major complications, he will pull through this just fine. He’s asking for his wife.”
Lia didn’t hesitate. She jumped from the chair and rushed from the room. The rest of them breathed much easier. Everyone was going to be OK, and this nightmare looked as if it would finally have a happy ending.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” Rafe said as he looked over to his sister and held out a hand, gripping hers tightly in his. Adriane gave me the scare of my life when he said you’d been kidnapped by his power-hu
ngry brother.”
“Thanks to all of you, I’m going to be just fine, Rafe. It seems you’ve been rescuing me in one way or another my whole life.”
“That’s what big brothers do, and apparently big sisters and best friends, too. We protect the people we love.”
“Well, you have done a damn fine job of it. Thank you both,” she said as she looked from Rafe to Ari.
“We’re family. Next time, you get to rescue me,” Ari said with a chuckle.
“Sounds like a deal,” Rachel said.
“Ari and I will go check up on Shane and let you and Adriane have a few minutes together,” Rafe said, then squeezed her hand. He nodded at Adriane before standing up with Ari in his arms and moving toward the door.
“I do have a wheelchair in here,” Ari said with a laugh.
“Ah, woman, don’t you know that I look for any excuse I can find to hold you tight?” he replied, their voices fading as they moved down the hallway.
Silence had fallen again as Adriane neared Rachel’s bed. Sitting on the edge, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, tenderly kissing her palm.
“I’ve been such a fool, Rachel — such a stubborn fool,” he said, his voice so quiet, she almost couldn’t hear him.
“You saved my life,” she said, unsure what else to say.
“Actually, your sister saved you. She is one very tough woman,” he said with a chuckle. “I was the one who put you in jeopardy.”
“Please don’t think that, Adriane. You can’t be held accountable for the actions of your brother. He was a very sick man, and I know he was guilty of evil in his lifetime, but I’m sorry you lost him today.”
Adriane stared at her in shock as she squeezed his hand. But all Rachel knew was that no matter what Rafe or Lia ever did, she would love them, and to lose one of them, no matter the circumstances, would rip a piece of her soul away. Adriane had to be hurting for his loss.
“It’s strange, because there’s a part of me mourning him. I had hoped one day to reunite with him, one day to have the brother back whom I used to love so much.”
“It’s OK for you to mourn him, Adriane. He’s your family, no matter what he did,” she reassured him.
“I’m just glad you are safe now, so very glad.”
“Our babies are healthy, too,” she said, and his shoulders visibly slumped as if he’d been afraid to ask.
“I’m so grateful to hear that.” His free hand stretched down and rubbed along the top of her stomach.
She was silent as she worried about what to say. Did she tell him how much she loved him — how she was ready to take him on whatever conditions he imposed? Nearly losing her life had made her realize she didn’t want to be away from him, even if she didn’t have his heart.
Wasn’t it better for their family to be together?
“Please forgive me, Rachel, forgive me for everything I’ve put you through. Forgive me for trying to force you into a marriage for the sake of our children. That was so wrong of me,” he whispered, and her heart thundered.
Was he taking it all back right when she was ready to accept?
“I don’t want to keep your children from you, Adriane. I know how much you already love them,” she said, trying to build up the courage to proclaim her love for him.
“Yes, I love them, but I love you too, Rachel. Even before I knew you were missing, I realized what a fool I’d been in my treatment of you. I was afraid of something because I’d never experienced it before, but love isn’t a thing to be afraid of. I don’t know why I acted in such a ludicrous fashion, but I do know that if I have to live my life without you, I will only be a shell of a man.”
“Is this real?”
Suddenly she was afraid to even hope. What if she really were still back in that shed, frozen and dying, and all this was nothing more than a dream?
“I love you, Rachel, truly, wholeheartedly, with everything that I have. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, not for the sake of our children, but because I can’t live without you. I want to have these babies, and I want ten more, not because I need heirs for Corythia, but because I want to see you in each of their faces. I don’t ever want to come so close to losing you again. These have been the worst few days of my life.”
The warmth in his eyes filled her soul. He meant what he was saying. She had no doubt.
With her vulnerability at an all-time high, she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms where she felt safe, where she could be loved. She didn’t know how it was all going to work, but none of that mattered. They would figure it out along the way.
“I do love you, Adriane, so much that it hurts to imagine my life without you. I don’t want us to be apart for even one more day,” she said, choking up as he gently brushed her lips with his.
“Will you marry me, Rachel, do me the honor of becoming my bride?”
She looked at him with wide eyes. “Did I hear correctly? Was that a question, not a demand?” A small smile broke over her lips to take the sting from her words.
“Yes! I am pleading with you on bended knee to accept,” he said. “See?” Still clinging to her hand, he knelt down on the cold hospital floor.
“In that case, yes, it would be my honor to accept.”
He rose back up and crawled into the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms and taking her lips in a kiss of pure love. Rachel became lost in his embrace, forgetting time or reason. And she reveled in knowing nothing could hurt her now.
Adriane’s hand shifted and he rubbed her wrist, making her cry out. So much for her belief that nothing could hurt her! When he looked down and saw the angry welts from the ties Gianni’s men had used to bind her, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.
She wouldn’t want to be his enemy — that was for sure.
“You know you can tell me anything about the last few days, talk to me to get it all out. It will kill me to know what you went through, but I am here to listen,” he said, his thumb gently rolling across her bruised and abraded flesh.
Rachel thought back to the thin ropes that had bound her, to the night the man had threatened to rape her, to the taunts they’d thrown her way. Did she want to rehash all of that? No — not yet.
“I will someday, Adriane, but not now. I’m sure I will have to tell the police everything, and for now I just want to lie in your arms. I just want to feel safe.”
“But, did they… I mean, were you…?” He couldn’t finish.
“No. They didn’t sexually assault me. You saved me before that could happen. But the rest of it…I’m just not ready to put it into words right now,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t push her.
And he didn’t.
“Anything you want, Rachel,” he assured her.
She cuddled up close to him and let his loving embrace soothe her, let his soft touch erase her fears. She had a good family and a wonderful fiancé, and two babies she would meet in just a few short months.
The day had gone from hopeless to nearly perfect.
“You will make such a fine queen,” he whispered. Just like that, fear rushed back, and it felt like strangling hands around her neck.
“Oh, dear. I wasn’t thinking about that,” she whispered. She was so not ready to be queen. That was something not at all on her bucket list. She’d rather face the terrorists again than face the throne.
“Don’t worry, my beloved Rachel, you will be spectacular,” he promised.
She had her doubts. She’d voice them in detail when she woke up. Right now, the medicine the doctor had given her was kicking in and she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. A good sleep would make it all a lot better.
“It turns out that tomorrow just had to wait until today,” Adriane whispered.
Adriane laughed at his private joke as Rachel fell asleep, safe within his arms.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Music drifted through the cathedral and past its ornate doors to where Rachel stood outside. The morning sunlight seemed to be shoo
ting a ray of light directly on the golden door handles, as if directing her to enter.
She took a breath as she turned to her sister and to her best friend. Did she deserve so much happiness?
“You’re getting married today,” Ari said, smiling in encouragement.
“And becoming queen,” Lia added, making Rachel’s stomach knot.
“Oh, please don’t remind me of that. I have been telling myself that part is just make-believe,” Rachel said with a nervous laugh.
“You will make a wonderful queen. You care about people, Rachel. That’s all that really matters,” Ari said, squeezing her hand.
“Well, unless I say something foolish and land Corythia in a world war,” Rachel said, only half kidding. But though she was terrified of her new role, she wasn’t terrified of marrying Adriane. She loved him and couldn’t picture her life without him now. Enough time had been wasted and she was ready to be his bride.
Only a month had passed since the kidnapping. He’d rescheduled the original wedding date so they all had time to recover from their ordeal. After she’d said yes, she was ready to marry him instantly, but the wait had been good because it showed her that she hadn’t wavered, that she was as sure now as she’d been the moment she’d said yes.
“We’d better get you down that aisle before your stomach grows any bigger,” Lia said with a pointed look. Though Rachel was now five months along, her dress hid the growing bump.
“I can’t believe the twins will be born in only four more months. I figured I’d be as large as a whale by now,” Rachel said with a giggle.
“The last four months is where you’ll really start to expand,” Lia said with evil delight.
“You will get your turn,” Rachel said.
Lia froze as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Both Ari and Rachel turned to her in shock.
“Are you pregnant?” Ari asked, a smile breaking out on her face when Lia silently nodded, tears of joy shining in her eyes. “Me too,” she gasped.