by Brook Wilder
I had two minutes left to live.
I couldn’t hear what Diesel was saying, but Noah answered him with rhythmic grunts, answering his questions, and then he started snipping wires with his knife. I tried not to flinch each time he did so; I was scared that I would hear a bang and then both of us would be blown to pieces.
I tried to think of other things. My son. Hunter. Was he okay? Had Nate and George hurt him? Were Gloria and Amy okay? Were they still alive? I tried to think of anything other than the man crouched before me, fiddling with wires he had no idea about.
This was the tensest situation I had been in ever. If this didn’t stop soon, I was going to have a heart attack.
“Please hurry, Noah,” I begged. “I know it’s about to blow.”
The beeping hadn’t changed, but it felt like it was getting louder, getting faster. Then Noah snipped another wire.
“Okay, Diesel, I’m down to the last two wires and they’re connected to the collar around Liz’s neck. Which one do I go for next?” Then he frowned in bewilderment. “What do you mean, you don’t know? It’s the black wire or the blue wire. What?” He let out an angry growl. “Shit! Thanks a fucking bunch!”
He hung up and tossed his phone onto the floor. Now I was really beginning to panic.
“What was that about?”
“He doesn’t know which wire to cut.” Noah glanced at the timer. “And we’re only got thirty seconds left.”
This was bad. Really bad. I started to cry. I didn’t want to die like this. Noah cupped my jaw and kissed me.
“Don’t cry, Liz. Do you trust me?”
“Always.” That was without question. I kissed him back, my hands shaking. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Noah kissed my forehead before pulling back. “I won’t let anything happen to you again.”
“Get me out of here before you say that.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Just do it. Choose one.”
Noah hesitated. Then he reached out and took hold of the blue wire, curling it around the knife. He glanced up at me.
“Three, two, one…”
Chapter 48
Noah
Nate didn’t die. The fucker was just unconscious. But he stayed unconscious long enough for me to tie his hands behind his back and drag him outside, dropping him beside his dead brother. The things that came out of his mouth were nothing new and I was too tired to care.
Reinforcements arrived moments later, Diesel and Mason in the lead. They gave George a look before turning to Nate, whose face was bleeding; he was still cursing at them. All the while, since leaving the building, Liz had stayed with me, clinging to my jacket and refusing to let go. She was shaking. Or was that me? I hadn’t figured it out yet.
But I couldn’t bear having Liz like this. She was in shock and she was pregnant. She needed to see a doctor immediately. At first, Liz was defiant and refused to go anywhere except home. But, between myself and Mason, we managed to persuade her to get into the ambulance that had arrived. The paramedic all but pulled her into the back and checked her vitals before they left for the hospital. I wanted to go with her, but Liz waved me away, telling me to get on with what I needed to do.
The only thing I wanted to do was be with her. But she was in good hands. And, from the look on Mason’s face, he needed me. Needed me for a good long yell.
Get that out the way.
It didn’t take long and mostly involved Mason shouting close to my face about my stupidity. I took it on the chin, trying not to look so blasé about it. Right now, I didn’t really care about what I had done, although it had gone against everything I had been taught in the club. I was more concerned about Liz and our unborn baby.
If our baby died because of Ruiz and his minions, I was going to make sure blood was shed.
Finally, Mason let me go and I sped over to the hospital. He would run damage control with the cops and deal with George’s body. I had no idea what they were going to do with Nate, but I had a feeling Mason would make sure the cops let him deal with the bastard somehow. It was best not to know.
I got to the hospital and managed to negotiate my way through the corridors with nurses pointing the way. I finally found Liz, but she was being examined. With the way I was feeling, I didn’t want to go in and upset her again. I couldn’t bring myself to enter the room and go to her. She looked so vulnerable, so fragile on the bed as the doctor checked her over, putting a strange gel on her belly before running a funny-looking probe over Liz’s stomach, looking up at a screen.
But I couldn’t go in. I just couldn’t. So, I resorted in pacing outside, trying not to look in. The waiting killed me, but I just couldn’t bring myself to sit with Liz. I was still shaking. Seeing her like that with that bomb strapped to her had been the scariest thing I had seen in my life. The bastards had been willing to blow her up to get revenge on me for getting too close.
Ruiz was going to die a slow and painful death by my hand. I would make sure of that.
“Noah?”
I jumped and spun around. Amy was walking towards me. She was ashen, and bruises dotted her face, her arm in a sling. But she was upright. And she was smiling nervously at me. I hadn’t seen her smile at me in the whole time I had been with Liz.
“Amy.” I cleared my throat. “I didn’t realize you were still here.”
“I just got discharged. They reset my shoulder and said I’ve got to take it easy.”
“I would’ve thought they’d keep you in if you had a dislocated shoulder.”
Amy shrugged with her good shoulder.
“I guess they needed the beds and I wasn’t as important.” She touched her stomach, her shirt still stained with blood. “The stab wound was, thankfully, superficial. Just needed some stitches.”
“That’s good.”
We stood there for a while, both of us clearly awkward. I wasn’t surprised; Amy and I had never got along and she was determined to hate me. This was the closest she had ever been to being civil with me. And I didn’t know how to take it, not after years of having her send nasty remarks my way.
“I…” I coughed. “What about your mother? Is she okay?”
“She’s staying in. Fractured skull.” Amy made a face. “Add to that the various broken bones, she’s in no fit state to leave.”
“I pity the staff.”
Amy’s mouth twisted. It looked like she was trying to stop herself from laughing. Then she licked her lips and swallowed.
“Did you… did you find Liz? Is she here?”
“Yes, she’s here.” I nodded towards the door. “She’s in there right now. I can’t bring myself to go in there. I just…” I held up my hands. “I’m still shaking.”
Amy had slumped in relief, closing her eyes. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, her eyes shining.
“Is… is she okay?”
“Apart from being angry and in shock, yes. They’re just checking the baby’s okay.”
“Thank God.” Amy took a shuddering breath and let it out slowly. “I was beginning to worry.”
“I told you I’d find her, didn’t I?”
“You did.” Amy moved to a chair up against the wall and sat down gingerly. “What happened? And what was going on with Nate? Why did he do that?”
I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. But Amy was a smart woman. She would figure it out eventually. I sat beside her and told her everything that had happened from when she was attacked to Liz going to the hospital. I didn’t leave anything out; Amy wasn’t a child. I didn’t need to sugar-coat. She was stronger than she made herself out to be.
When I finished, Amy just sat there in stunned silence. Her face had gone even more ashen and I thought she was going to pass out on me. But she didn’t. She stared at me.
“So, Nate was a member of the cartel?”
“A contact, I think you would call him,” I grunted. “Whenever Ruiz needed a favor, he called on Nate. And he wanted to turn Liz to his side, so I would know
I was alone.”
“And Mom and I kept pushing him onto Liz.” Amy looked pained. “How did we not notice?”
“Because they’re smart, Amy. They wouldn’t have shown you what you didn’t want to see.”
They had been very clever like that, manipulating Liz’s own family. From the look on Amy’s face, she couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to be manipulated.
“Fucking bastards,” she hissed.
“I couldn’t put it better myself.”
Amy grunted. She rubbed at her eyes.
“There were times when we were kids that I hated Liz’s stubbornness. Now I’m grateful for it.” She gulped. “Does this mean she would have been killed a lot sooner?”
“More than likely before Hunter was born.”
That hurt to say. But it was logical. If Liz had been taken in years ago and killed while I was inside, Hunter wouldn’t be here now. Amy’s face went white.
“My God.” She looked like she was about to cry. Her good hand clutched my arm. “I had no idea. Please believe me.”
“I believe you, Amy.” I meant it. “You believe the worst in me, but neither you nor your mother are psychotic enough to go in with the cartel. Not against your own daughter.”
Amy was looking at me like I had grown an extra head. I almost reached up to check it hadn’t happened. Then Amy shook her head in vague wonder.
“Even after all the things I’ve said about you and to you, you’re still willing to think that I’m actually a decent person.”
I could hardly believe it myself. I grinned and nudged her.
“I think you are. Just not with me.”
“I think I was scared of what you represented.” Amy sat back with a sigh. “Mom always put the fear of God into us regarding things and people alike. It was a wonder she allowed us to leave the house at all. Liz didn’t listen. Maybe I shouldn’t have listened, either.” She gave me a half-smile, almost embarrassed. “You guys are actually quite decent.”
“Glad to know we’re having some effect on you.”
I could get to like Amy. There were aspects of her that I liked. I just had no respect for her because of the way she openly displayed her hatred of me. Hopefully, that could change in time. I wanted to Liz to have her family around her and only Amy and Gloria were left. If Amy was willing to welcome me as family, I would take it. Gloria could go to hell, for all I cared.
I held out my hand.
“Shall we call it a truce between us?” I suggested. “I think we could get on well if you let it happen.”
Amy looked at me thoughtfully. Then she smiled and slipped her hand into mine.
“Truce. We’ll start over.”
That was the best I could hope for.
Chapter 49
Liz
That was one of the weirdest moments of my life, coming out of the room to find Noah and Amy sitting next to each other, talking like they had been friends for years. Normally, I couldn’t have them in the same room because Amy would start spitting fire. But she was actually talking to Noah. And smiling.
I felt like I had stepped into an alternate reality.
But I was relieved to see my sister. She was alive, at least. She was alive, I was alive, and the baby was fine. Despite a heavy fall and the stress I had been put under, the baby’s heartbeat was strong and doing fine. I was simply told to be on bed rest for a few weeks, just to be sure.
They hadn’t met Hunter. That was going to be easier said than done.
As soon as he saw me, Noah was up and coming over to me, pulling me into an embrace that made me almost burst into tears again. I felt like I could cry some more, but I was too tired. I just wanted to go home, hug my son, and go to sleep.
Preferably with Noah beside me. That would calm me more than anything.
Amy and I took a cab back, Noah following on behind on his bike. Amy was dropped off first and then Noah met me outside my house. The lights in the front room were still on and I could see Cassie at the window. She disappeared as soon as she saw me climbing out the cab. Noah urged me towards the house as he paid the cabbie and I wasn’t about to argue; I could barely stand upright.
The door was open before I got there, and Cassie ran out, hugging my tightly.
“My God, Liz! You had us all scared.”
“Not as scared as I was.” I hugged her back. If I wasn’t careful, I really was going to start crying. I eased back and swallowed back the lump in my throat. “How’s Hunter been?”
“Fast asleep, thank God.” Cassie led the way into the house. “He was very clingy earlier and wouldn’t let go of Noah. He’ll be delighted to see you when he wakes up.”
I couldn’t wait until he was awake. I wanted to see him now.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Cassie smiled and squeezed my arm. “Take your time.”
I planned to.
I hurried down the hall to Hunter’s room. He was still sleeping as I went in. I leant over the crib and stroked his head. Seeing him like this made me emotional. Hormones were a bitch.
Hunter stirred. Then he opened his eyes and rolled over. It took him a moment to realize I was there. Then he was beaming and sitting up, rubbing his eyes and reaching out to me.
“Mama!”
“Hey, little man.”
This was disrupting his sleeping, but I didn’t care. I picked my son up and hugged him, feeling him snuggle into me. I wandered about the room for a bit before I settled down in the armchair, Hunter curled up on my lap. He babbled for a little bit, but he was clearly tired. After a while, his eyes started to close, and he was sucking his thumb. I knew I needed to put him back in his crib, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I just wanted to keep holding him.
It was only when Hunter started to snore gently that I managed to put him back to bed. He sighed and curled up under the blanket. He looked so innocent. I couldn’t remember the last time I was that innocent.
I tiptoed out of the room and realized that the house was quiet. It was also in darkness, the front door closed. But there was a light coming from my open bedroom door. When I pushed it open, I saw Noah lying in bed, the bedside lamp on. He looked like he had had a shower and he was shirtless. I just knew he wouldn’t be wearing anything under there.
Normally that was arousing, but tonight I was too tired to care. And I was too tired to get into any pajamas. I shut the door and started to strip.
“Where’s Cassie gone?”
“She’s gone home. She thought we deserved some sleep.” Noah indicated the door. “She cleaned up as best she could in the lounge and she apologizes if it’s not clean enough.”
“I’m sure it is. I’m too tired to care right now.” I undid my bra and dropped it on the floor on top of my shirt. “Sorry I took so long. I couldn’t let Hunter go.”
“I was like that earlier.” Noah beckoned me over. “And I’m having that feeling to hold someone and not let go now.”
I wasn’t about to argue with that. Pushing off my jeans, socks and panties, I crawled into bed, snuggling up against Noah’s chest. He held me close and kissed me thoroughly, his tongue making a gentle, slow exploration of my mouth. It was enough to have my libido spike but not enough to drag me out of my impending sleep.
Noah pulled back and sank against the pillows, tucking me into his side. He kissed my head.
“You scared me.” He whispered.
“I’m sorry.” I traced my fingers across his chest, tapping my fingertips on his breastbone. “I should’ve have listened to you. I was thinking about my feelings, not my safety.”
“Don’t blame yourself.” Noah’s arms tightened around me. “I’m as much to blame about this as you are. I should’ve had someone keeping an eye on you. And I should’ve had someone deal with Nate a lot sooner.”
“You didn’t know it was going to happen. Neither did I.” I sighed. “I was just getting so fed up with you not believing me.”
Noah grunted.
“Fuck
ing Ruiz.”
“Sorry?”
“He’s the one we should be blaming. He managed to get inside my head and made me doubt you. I couldn’t believe that he was able to do it.” He made a growling sound in his chest. “Prison has made me paranoid.”
I lifted my head and stared at him. Noah had his head propped up on his arm, staring at the ceiling. I slid my hand up and cupped his jaw.