"Open up, Nick, I know you're in there! Let's talk about this like real men," I tried, wanting to avoid more issues than necessary. I knew it was a shot in the dark but worth a try. Nick, being a cop, was sure to have guns of his own and probably his own protective gear. I knocked again, still nothing. "You have thirty seconds to open this door before I kick it down!" I yelled again. Dade looked at me and nodded. "Time's up," I yelled and stepped back, ready to bust the door down when I heard a scream. Dade and I turned to see Lonnie with a gun at Trish's head and Nick with a gun at Ronin’s.
"You go ahead and kick that door down, Matt, but this place is wired with explosives. One good kick and the entire cabin goes up in flames with your precious Sunshine in it." Nick's voice floated through the air as if the devil were speaking directly to me.
"Fuck!" Dade said under his breath.
"Let them go, Nick. It's me you want, not them." I leaned down and carefully set my gun down on the porch. "Come on, Nick, let's settle this like real men. Me and you. One on one." I raised my hands above my head and slowly walked down the stairs towards them.
"Me and you, huh? You want to fight this out like men? Really? And you expect me to just let them go?" He laughed as he spoke.
"Yes, it's me you want, not them." Slowly, I got closer.
"Okay, but they can't just be allowed to go free. Lonnie, take them in the cabin and tie them up. Michelle is in there. She'll help you." He shoved Ronin towards Lonnie, who now had two guns on them. "Walk," he demanded.
"Found your balls, huh? What, did you need Nick to pull them down for you?" Trish questioned as they walked by me. Ronin looked at me and winked, telling me he had a plan. "This is no way to treat an old friend, Nicholas," Trish called out to Nick.
"We were never friends, Trish, you know that. You've always been a bitch. I only fucked you in high school to see if your black pussy was different than the white pussies. Sadly I was disappointed."
"Yeah, I've always been a bitch and you've always been an asshole with a small dick. Funny thing is I only fucked you to see if your cock was as small as everyone said it was. I don't even know if I consider that fucking, your pencil dick was barely able to reach my cunt."
"Fuck you, Trish."
"Been there done that, not looking to go back but hey, nice catching up," were Trish's last words before being shoved inside of the house. I turned around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sunshine but the door closed too quickly. Dade, who had been standing by the door, was gone. I didn't have time to question where he might have gone, I had a fight to contend too.
"You got what you've always wanted man–just me and you. You've wanted this for years haven't you? Since high school when I got Sunshine, not you and I was captain of the football team, not you. Since your wife ran straight into my arms when you cheated on her. All these things have been building inside of you haven't they? Well, here I am, motherfucker, let's get it on!" I threw my hands up in the air, moving closer again.
"I am going to bust up that pretty face of yours, Matt Everly. I've been waiting years to kick your ass."
"Bring it on!" I rushed him, knocking him to the ground. The fight was on. We took turns exchanging punches, his harder than I'd anticipated but it didn't matter, mine were harder. I landed a good one on his chin, causing him to stumble back severely. I was about to connect another, the one that would knock his ass out when gunfire ended the fight. We both stopped to see Dade standing on the front porch with Nick's wife, hands tied behind her back and a gun to her head.
"Found her out back, trying to run. This is the deal. You will tell me how to disarm this house or I will blow her brains out." Dade pushed the woman in front of him, causing her to trip but not enough to fall as they made their way over to us.
"You should have never trusted your buddy Lonnie," Dade looked at me, "he was pretending to hold them hostage to get inside the house. He's in there now trying to figure out how to disable the bomb we found." Dade's words hit Nick harder than my punches did.
"He's what?" he yelled, his voice strained, trying to run past me. The moment he was within my reach, I grabbed his collar and pulled him back, grabbing my gun from my sock, I held it on him.
"Game over, Nick, tell us how to disarm it," I ordered, the barrel of my gun against his temple.
"Just tell them, baby. I don't want to die," his wife cried out as Dade cocked his gun.
"Okay, okay. I'll disarm the bomb but you have to let Michelle go. She has no part of this. She was acting on my orders with the threat of death. You have to let her go. Someone has to raise our daughter."
"We'll let her go as soon as you disarm the house." It was a promise I wasn't sure I'd keep but one I made anyway.
"Okay," Nick said, hanging his head in defeat. I followed behind him, towards the house.
"One chance, you fuck with me and I'll give the order from Dade to kill your wife."
"I'm not fucking around. Just don't hurt her." I heard the sincerity in his voice. He actually loved that woman. Crazy attracts crazy I guess.
"Good job, Dade, keep her out here just in case," I said, passing him.
He nodded. "No problem."
I followed Nick inside and saw Sunshine tied to a chair. Her nightgown ripped wide open, her head hanging in front of her. I wanted to go to her, untie her, pick her up and carry her out, but I couldn't, the bomb was connected to her chair. Trish and Ronin stood beside her, both with guns in their hands, ready to fire if Nick tried to get close to her again. He went to the kitchen where there was an array of guns laid out on the table and an array of wires everywhere. He disarmed the ones on the table then the door and finally Sunshine's chair. The moment he cut the wire I quickly untied her, lifting her into my arms. Her body was limp. Blood was smeared on her face from their assaults. I briefly saw bite marks between her legs before picking her up.
"Sunshine, baby, it's me. It's Matt. I have you, you're safe now," I whispered as I held her in my arms. Nick was still standing at the table, guns still drawn, watching as I carried my wife out of the house. "Keep him there, guys. I'll be back to deal with him when Sunshine is safe," I called to Trish and Ronin over my shoulder and barely heard Ronin’s, "We got this," before I was out the door.
I saw Lonnie standing near the car, his nerves causing him to fidget uncontrollably. I made a mental note to not only thank the man, but apologize for my behavior when this was all over. He saved my wife, I will be forever grateful. I nodded at him as I quickly approached the car, "Hey, man, can you get the door?" Without a word he moved to the car door and pulled it open as requested.
I was almost to the car when I heard Trish and Ronin screaming, "Get down!" I turned to see them running from the house, Nick standing statue-like in the doorway. His eyes met mine, every ounce of evil staring back at me and I knew exactly what he was going to do. Before I could react the coward smiled triumphantly at me then pushed a button, causing the house to instantly go up in flames. The explosion rocked the ground, causing me to nearly lose my balance as the ground shook. Nick's body was swallowed up by the quick and intense flames while Trish and Ronin’s bodies were thrown into the air. It took me only seconds to regain my thoughts that were jumbled from the blast.
I quickly laid Sunshine in the backseat. "Watch her," I ordered Lonnie who slid in beside my still unconscious wife. I turned to see my two friends' bodies spread out lifelessly.
"NOOOOO!" I heard Nick's wife scream when the house went up in flames–Nick inside. Nearly simultaneously, Dade screamed Trish's name before throwing Nick's wife out of the way, causing her to land on her ass. The scene unfolded so quickly. Michelle grabbed Dade's discarded gun and lifted it up, pointing at my best friend. Time seemed to stand still and it felt like it took me forever to get over to her.
"Drop the gun!" I screamed just as she pulled the trigger. I watched as the bullet glided through the air, smashing into Dade's back causing him to stumble and fall. Michelle took off towards the house, me running after her.
&n
bsp; "STOP! Stop or I'll shoot!" I warned, but she didn't listen. "Michelle, stop!" I screamed again. She stopped long enough to turn and point her gun at me. She fired wildly, as did I. Her bullet grazed my shoulder. Mine hit her right in the chest. She fell to the ground, the gun falling from her hand. I ran to Dade, who was lying face down. "DADE! Wake up, bro," I yelled.
He turned over and looked at me. "She dead?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, bro, she's dead. You okay?" I sat back on my feet, relief washed over me.
"Yeah, she hit the vest. It was a hard hit, knocked me down. I was counting on you to put a bullet in her."
"Yeah well, you can always count on me. Can you get up? We need to check on Trish and Ronin." He stood up slowly and went to his sister, me to Ronin. Dade lifted his sister into his arms, carrying her to the car. Ronin was lying on his back, blood rushing pretty quickly from his torso. Fuck. "Dade, help me get him to the car. We need to get him to the hospital." Together we lifted him, carefully carrying him back to the car. "Lonnie, put Sunshine in the front seat and sit up there with her. Dade, you sit back here with Trish and Ronin. Keep pressure on that wound," I ordered, panic setting in. Trish's injuries were not visible. I wasn't sure if she was okay or not, but I knew that if we didn't get Ronin to the ER fast he'd bleed out.
"I got this covered, bro, just get us back to town." Dade's voice was laced with worry for his sister and brother in law. His hand covered the wound, blood seeping through his fingers. Once behind the wheel I started the car and hauled ass back to town. Lonnie ripped his shirt off and threw it back to Dade. "Here, man, use this to apply pressure. Might seal the wound better than your hand."
"Yeah, thanks, man." Dade continued applying pressure while I hauled ass off of that mountain, desperately trying to get within cell service.
Lonnie sat still in the front seat, periodically checking his phone. "I have service now. I'm gonna call this in," he said to me, his anxiety clear in his voice. With shaky hands he dialed the number. He quickly told them about Nick and Michelle, directions to the cabin, requested fire and police to be dispatched to put out the fire and collect evidence before requesting life flight. The moment the call ended he gave me directions to a parking lot near a lake where the chopper would meet us and transport Ronin to the hospital.
"Lonnie, I just want to say thanks man. I was a dick and you really pulled through. We might not be walking out of this alive if you hadn't gone inside that house. So, seriously, thank you," I said the words sincerely hoping he believed them.
"It was the least I could do. Let's just get them medical attention. It's over now." I nodded in response, returning my attention to the highway, praying we made it in time.
"Matt, is it really you?" Sunshine's voice penetrated my thoughts.
"Yeah, it's me, baby. You're safe now." I gently rubbed her head, careful not to touch the cheek that was swelling more by the minute. She sat up, confused, but conscious. She looked around the car and saw Trish and Ronin.
"Oh, my God, what happened?" She turned in her seat to Dade, not giving a second glance to the man sitting beside her. I noticed Lonnie had covered her bare chest up with a jacket, one more thing I'd have to thank him for later.
"Baby, sit down. We're on the way to meet a medical chopper that’s going to transport Ronin to the hospital. Dade's taking care of them," I tried. She didn't listen.
"I'm fine, Matt. I'll be fine. What happened?" Her words were frantic as she looked at her best friend. I know how she felt. I felt it when I saw Dade go down.
"There was an explosion. They made it out but it looks like Ronin landed on something sharp. I think Trish is okay," Dade informed her.
"Trish, wake up. Trish, come on baby girl, wake up," Sunshine tried, needing to know that Trish would be okay.
After a few minutes Trish opened her eyes. "Hey, Sunshine. We're a hot mess aren't we?" she said, with a weak giggle.
"Yes, girl, we are but we're all going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
"I know. We will be okay," Trish said before closing her eyes again. A few minutes later we were waiting in the empty parking lot, waiting for the chopper. Not much time passed before they arrived and loaded our friend inside. An EMT did a quick check of both Sunshine and Trish before flying off towards town. Sunshine crawled in back, between Dade and Trish and held her best friend as we shot out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
After the longest drive of my life, we pulled up in front of the hospital where they were waiting for us. The doctors and nurses quickly got both Sunshine and Trish on a hospital bed and wheeled them in. Dade and I were both checked and bandaged up while the girls saw the doctor. Dade and I said a final thank you to Lonnie before he went his own way. I truly hoped the man would be able to move past this and find happiness.
We were waiting in the waiting room when she finally walked out in a hospital gown and slipper socks. They'd cleaned her up. The traces of blood were gone, but her face was still swollen and turning a horrible shade of purple, but I didn't care. The relief of her being alive washed over me when I saw her. I stood up, allowing her to walk straight into my arms.
"Are you okay?" I asked carefully, still not sure the extent of what Nick had done to her.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Mostly just surface injuries. I don’t want to talk about my injuries right now," she exclaimed through tears. "You got there just in time, Matt. Thank you for saving me." She broke down sobbing, my good arm holding her close to my body.
"I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner, baby. I'm so sorry he laid even one finger on you." My own tears were falling as waves of emotions washed over me. Relief. Guilt. Regret.
"You found me, that's all that matters."
"I would have died myself if I lost you. I'm so fucking happy you're safe." I kissed her head over and over allowing relief to be the one emotion that took precedence.
"Is it really over? For good?" she asked, pulling away from me slightly.
"Yes, it's over. It's really over for good."
Epilogue
One year later
Matt
At times it seems like just yesterday and yet at other times so long ago when I think about Nick. After Trish and Ronin were released from the hospital and given permission to travel, we came home and I went to tell Nick's mother the news. I held the woman as she cried although she'd known long ago that her son was gone. She was a kind woman who didn't deserve heartbreak like that. I was happy for her when Child Protective Services placed Nick's daughter in her care after Michelle's parents refused to raise her. She's a wonderful little girl who's given Nick's mom another chance at happiness.
Sunshine and I struggled for a while when we got home. She went through a dark time where she wouldn't talk about what happened and wouldn't let me touch her. She spent most of her days in bed refusing to let me help her. My heart crumbled seeing my vibrant and feisty wife so destroyed. I didn't know how to reach her. Being loving and kind wasn't working. She kept pushing me away. Months went by and we hadn't made love or even really touched when we had an explosive fight. The kids were with her parents and I'd made her a nice dinner in hopes of getting her to open up to me. She refused to come down the stairs.
"Dammit, Sunshine. You can't stay in this bedroom forever, and you can't keep pushing me away. Let me help you," I said, more harshly than I realized. Sunshine and I had been through a lot together. Infidelity. Murders. Her nearly being murdered. Even when I was the dick that broke her heart, she let me in enough to tell me what bothered her. She’d never shut me out the way she shut me out after Nick had her at that fucking cabin.
Fire shot from her eyes when she looked at me. Rage painted her face in a way I’d never seen before. She flew out of her bed, charging at me and flinging her arms wildly trying to hurt me. "Fuck you, Matt! You have no idea what they did to me! You can't even begin to imagine so leave me the fuck alone!" she screamed.
After a little bit of a struggle I restrained her, tears smeared all over
her face. "You're right. I don't know what they did to you because you won’t fucking talk to me. I've tried to help you, but I don't know what to say or do anymore." I held her tightly, forcing her to meet my gaze. Something had to give. She couldn’t wither away in our bedroom. Our kids were worried about her. Her parents called to check on her every day because she refused to see them, or anyone.
"Just leave me alone. Go away. Find someone else that isn't broken," she cried.
"If you think I'm leaving you, you're out of your damn mind. You are my Sunshine, my one and only Sunshine, and nobody is taking my Sunshine away, not even Sunshine herself," I said the words over and over until they crashed through her hysteria. I watched as the rage faded away, replaced by unmistakable anguish. Feeling defeated she let my arms wrap around her, holding her while she sobbed for hours. I just held her, letting her cry it all out. After the tears dried up she told me what they'd done to her. She was worried I'd be disgusted by her because she was disgusted with herself. We sat up that night and talked for hours, both of us crying for what happened to her and the time lost. Thankfully, she allowed me to hold her that night as she fell asleep. It took time and some therapy but she came around. Soon after that night she was almost back to herself, promising not to let the darkness overcome her again because in doing so, Nick, even in death, would win. She swore never to let that happen.
Life has returned to normal now, and with any luck it will stay that way.
The End
Acknowledgement
I have so many people in my life that help make this writing thing a possibility. From my family that puts up with me having my head stuck in a computer or fantasy world to my friends who beta read for me and cheer me on to my editors that make my stories read better to my street team, bloggers, and PA that help me get books in front of readers and readers….readers make this all possible. I am thankful to each and every one of you.
Until next time…..love always!
Luna Tick: A Sunshine Novel Page 12