“She’s inside, with Ray.”
“Is she hurt?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Yes, and you might want to hurry. Lord knows what he is going to do next.”
Just as Sam finished his sentence a loud gunshot rang out through the vast open field. Without a second thought I took off running in the direction of the warehouse. We were far enough away that it took longer than anticipated to get to the building. Just as one of the other officers reached for the handle, the door came flying open and Ray Nelson came wandering out as if nothing had happened. I aimed my gun right at Ray’s face as Ruger made quick work of grabbing his arms, and detaining him before Ray even had a chance to try flee.
“I’ve got this. Go get her.”
“Sorry to ruin the surprise, but you’re too late.” Ray’s devilish laugh echoed off of the building.
The butt of my gun came crashing down on the bridge of his nose, stopping his laugh instantly. “Next time, I’ll just pull the trigger.” I said with a smile.
I quickly turned and ran straight into the building to find Lyndley. Once I got through the main door, I glanced between two different doors on the right hand side. I reached for the first one and pulled the door back with every ounce of strength I had. There was a single light illuminating the large open room, and it was just enough to see Lyndley’s crumpled form lying on the floor unmoving.
In an instant my heart fell to the floor, along with my gun. Time stood still as I made my way over to Lyndley. My eyes instantly locked onto the large pool of blood below me that was surrounding her body. My hands clenched into fists as I tried to find the courage to check for a pulse. She looked so broken and tarnished. Her once bright and vibrant soul had been beaten out of her and all that was left was an empty shell.
I kneeled down into the pool of her blood and reached for her face with shaky hands. I pushed the matted hair off of her cheek and gasped in horror as all of the damage that had been done to her lit up beneath the soft glow of the hanging light above us. My fingers slid down her cheek making their way over to her neck. I pressed lightly trying to find a pulse, but couldn’t find one. My breath hitched in my chest and I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat.
They try to prepare you for situations such as this, but never in a million years did I think I would have to live through it. Sitting here in this old dilapidated warehouse, looking at the woman I love at death’s door had me feeling emotions that I had long suppressed. I needed Lyndley. I needed her to breathe, to keep me whole. But just like everything else in my life, she was torn out of my grasp with no warning.
I grabbed my knife from my back pocket when I saw that she was still bound to the chair she had been sitting in. I quickly cut away the duct tape around her ankles, and then reached behind her to cut free her hands. I caught her body as it fell and I pulled her onto my lap, holding her tight against my heaving chest. I could feel the tears welling up behind my eyes and I let them boil over without caring who saw.
I rocked Lyndley’s lifeless body in synch with mine as I prayed for some sort of miracle to bring her back to me. I sat there smoothing her hair down her back as I stared down at the woman that I was finally ready to give myself to completely. With every stroke my hand became more and more soaked with the blood that was pouring from the side of her head, where I could only assume she had hit it against the concrete.
What felt like hours later, I finally heard voices and footsteps all around me. I never looked up to see who it was or what they were saying, because honestly in this moment I didn’t care about anything else but Lyndley. I held pressure to the gaping wound on the shoulder where she had already been shot once before, but it didn’t make a difference. She literally had blood spilling out of her in every direction. Tears rushed down my face landing on Lyndley’s cheek, washing some of the blood away enough to see her face more clearly.
“Ky, the paramedics are here. They need to get in here and save her life.”
“She’s gone, Ruger.” I muttered between my erratic breaths.
“You don’t know that, Ky.”
Before I could turn and lay into Ruger for questioning my assessment of the situation, I felt Lyndley’s hand clutch my forearm. I quickly but gently rolled her body away from mine so I could see her entire face. “Lyndley? Lyndley baby, if you can hear me please squeeze my arm again.” It was a faint squeeze, but a squeeze nonetheless. I looked up at Ruger letting him know that the paramedics needed to get in here now.
I watched as they lay the backboard down on the floor beside me, ready to load her onto it. I glanced down at the fragile girl hanging on for dear life and whispered the only thing that came to mind. “I love you Lyndley. You can’t die on me now. Fight baby, fight.” I pressed a soft kiss to her swollen lips, and then let the paramedics remove her from my arms.
I sat there on that cold bloody ground with Ruger by my side as they took my girl away. As much as I knew I shouldn’t blame myself for what was happening, I couldn’t help but do just that. If I would’ve just swallowed my pride and stayed at the farmhouse with her and Ruger, like we were told, maybe she would be okay.
“Let’s get out of here.”
I nodded and followed Ruger outside. When we reached the closest police cruiser, I noticed a second ambulance. “Who is that for?” I glanced down at my blood soaked shirt and hands. “I don’t need that. This isn’t my blood.”
“It’s not for you, Ky. It’s for Ray.”
My head whipped up fast. “What happened with Ray?”
“He tried to run. I had to put him down. I didn’t have a choice, he came straight at me with a gun he managed to take from Howser.”
“Hey, no explanation needed. One less person I have to worry about.” I instantly felt a small amount of weight lift from me. All I could think was, at least I didn’t have to do it.
“Speaking of which, you headed to the hospital?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. Hope to see you soon, Ky. Take it easy. Oh, and take care of that girl. She deserves it.”
“Will do. See ya around, Ruger.”
We both gave a wave and headed in opposite directions. I wasn’t sure when I would see Ruger again, but I knew I would see him again someday. Despite all of the bad that had happened, I knew that he was one person I could always rely on and that brought me comfort I hadn’t felt in a long time.
On my way to the hospital I contemplated what I was doing with my life. Was I willing to put my life on the line everyday for complete strangers with everything that has happened? I knew my job was dangerous, as did Lyndley, but look where that got her and she was just a lawyer. There was one thing I knew for sure, if given the chance, I wasn’t letting her go for anything, ever.
Forty Three
Lyndley
One Month Later
I lay there on my bed aimlessly staring at the ceiling, not a single thought running through my mind. It had now been four weeks, one day and twelve hours since I last saw Ky Wakely’s face, and I was starting to come to the realization that it would probably be the last time I ever did. I mean who could really blame the guy? From the first day he met me our relationship had been built on nothing but fear, fear of dying, fear of being found out, and fear of knowing that he may never be able to get over his tainted past.
Not a second went by in my days when I didn’t think about him. I constantly wondered where he was, what he was doing and if he was happy. If I’ve learned one thing from this whole ordeal it was that life is too precious and fragile not to live it the way that you want. The night that I died was the night I vowed to live my life as if everyday was my last. My heart belonged to Ky in every sense of the meaning, and I would fight for him until I took my last breath.
See that’s the funny thing about dying, it makes you never want to miss an opportunity to be happy. Despite our rocky relationship, Ky made me happy. He was home to me and right now, I was homeless. I had called him at least a dozen times a week since I left
the hospital, but he never answered and never replied. Deep down I was hoping that he just needed some time to deal with everything that had happened. That one morning he would wake up and come running to me, and never leave my side. Unfortunately, that day had yet to arrive.
I missed him beyond words. I missed him so badly that it hurt physically. My heart ached for his touch, for his love. My body ached from wanting to feel his tender arms wrapped around me, holding me in his safe embrace. I could take quite a bit and I had throughout my life, but this was becoming unbearable. Not being with the one I loved so deeply because he was too stubborn to just be with me despite his past or my past, or anything else, was killing me.
I’d be lying if I said it was easy coming home and living my life as though nothing had happened. Every day was a struggle, and nothing felt right without Ky to come home to. I had gotten so used to having him around twenty-four hours a day seven days a week that I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore. Our life and marriage may have been a lie, but the way I felt for him was anything but. I needed him like I needed air to breathe and every day he wasn’t around, I felt a piece of me break.
There was a soft knock on my door, but I made no attempt to get up and answer it. Instead, I just laid here drowning in a pool of my own regrets and despair, willing whomever it was to just let me be.
“Lynd, are you in there?”
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath when I heard my little sister’s voice coming from the other side of the door. “Yeah.”
“Can I come in for a minute?”
“Sure.” I responded.
I watched as Carson hesitantly made her way over to the side of my bed. “Lynd, I know you’re hurting, but don’t you want to get up and do something? Maybe come down and have some breakfast with us?” I could hear the concern in her voice, but it still didn’t make me want to talk.
“I’m okay. I was just going to get up and go for a run.”
“Do you want some company?”
“No thanks, Carson. I appreciate it though.”
“Okay.” Carson turned and started walking towards my door.
I quickly sat up on the side of my bed. “Hey Carson, maybe some company would be nice.”
I watched as her expression went from sorrowful to elated within seconds. She hurried over to me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. When she pulled back I smiled a true genuine smile at her, and it felt good to let myself feel a tiny piece of joy.
“I’ll meet you downstairs in ten?”
“Sounds good.” She closed the door and I could hear her skipping down the hallway to her room.
I stood and quickly dressed in my running gear. Just as I was trying to pull my sports bra tank top over my head, there was another knock. I knew it wasn’t Carson only because she had literally just left my room, so I wondered who it could be this time. I tried to tug on the tight top, but ended up letting out a painful cry. My mom was suddenly at my side, helping me and I couldn’t have been more grateful.
“There you go, baby girl. I was just coming in to check on you. How’s everything feeling?”
“As good as to be expected, I suppose.” I knew the answer she wanted to hear, but I didn’t have the strength in me to argue with her.
“I’m serious Lyndley, you need to be taking it easy. You got very lucky.”
“I know, Mom. Trust me, I know.”
“I’m not sure I like your tone of voice. What has been going on with you lately? Ever since you’ve been back, you’ve been quite snarky. Is this because of that Marshal guy?” I could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn’t Ky’s biggest fan, but I still had yet to find out why.
“His name is Ky, and it’s none of your business.” I went and sat on the bench seat under the window to tie my shoes and to try and put some distance between my mother and me.
“Whatever, his name isn’t important. And where on earth do you think you’re going?”
“Running, Mom. I’m going running with Carson.”
“I’m not sure running is such a good idea, baby girl. It’s only been a month since all of this and your body is still healing.”
“Yes Mom I know, but if I don’t get out of this house and away from you, I’m going to end up murdering someone.” I pushed past her and started making my way downstairs.
“Lyndley Rae, how dare you say something like that to me in my house.”
I quickly turned half way down the stairs and leaned towards my mother. “I didn’t ask to come home to your house. If you recall, I asked to be taken back to my house.”
“You needed someone to take care of you.”
I rolled my eyes in irritation as I finished going down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. “Mom, I am almost twenty-three years old. You don’t get to tell me what I can and cannot do anymore. So back off!” I half shouted. “Carson, are you ready to go?” I shouted up the stairs.
“On my way down, I’ll meet you out front.”
“Okay, I’m headed out to stretch. Mom, I’ll see you in a little bit. I’ll have Carson bring her phone just in case something happens. Does that work for you?”
“I suppose. Please, just be careful.” My mom placed a chaste kiss to my cheek and finally let me be on my way.
The instant the sun hit my vitamin D deprived skin, my face lit up with the biggest smile I had let myself show in a month. The warmth of the morning sun wrapped around me like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night, making my heart hurt just a little less. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back as I soaked in the warmth. Springtime in Chicago was one of my favorite times. It was close enough to summer, but still cool enough that you didn’t feel like dying when the sun was out. I was stretching my calves when Carson came bouncing out the front door, joining me on the grass.
“You look happy.” She smiled.
“I’m getting there. God, it’s such a beautiful day.”
“It has been like this for a month now, you just never leave the confines of your room to enjoy it.”
“I’m sorry, Carson. I’m sorry I’ve been such a shitty sister to you.”
“You haven’t been a shitty sister, Lyndley.”
“Yes I have and you know it. Ever since I moved out and got a job at that law firm, I have done nothing but bury myself in work and school. I promise I’m going to start making a bigger effort. I really do miss our friendship.”
“Me too.”
I looked over at Carson with a sly little grin on my face, and I could tell by the look on her face that she was worried about what was going on in my brain at the moment.
“What is that look for, Lynd?”
“Nothing. Come on, let’s see if you can keep up.” I took off running before I even finished my sentence.
I had to admit that as I first started running the pain was a bit unbearable, but I was determined to push through it. After about ten minutes or so, the pain started to ease up and I was able to pick up the pace a little bit, but I made sure to take it easy as to not further injure myself. “So Carson, how are you feeling about graduation? You getting nervous to leave high school?”
She let out a loud laugh, “Yeah right. I’m so over that place. I can’t wait to start college this fall.”
“I know I don’t say it all that often, but I’m so proud of you. You’re going to do great, I just know it.”
“Thanks, Lynd. So…I hate to bring it up, but have you spoken with Ky yet?”
I shook my head. I really wasn’t ready to talk about Ky with anybody yet, but I trusted Carson and I knew that no matter what I told her, she would never judge me. “No, but not for a lack of trying. I’ve tried to call him everyday, but I’m getting the feeling he doesn’t want to talk to me.” We turned the corner and were now headed towards our old middle school when Carson started to slow down. I slowed a bit and turned to see if she was okay. “Carson, what’s up?”
“There’s something I need to tell you, but you can’t get
mad.”
I stopped running and looked right at Carson. “What is it?”
“Ky came to the house the day that you…”
“Died?” I finished for her.
“Yeah. That morning, he came over to tell us that you were still alive. Dad sat and talked with him quite a bit, but mom was in her usual bitchy mood and she barely gave him the time of day. She didn’t even believe him when he first told us. She practically kicked him out of the house. Dad warmed up to him rather quickly though. They were out back talking for a long time, until he got a phone call and had to leave.”
“I’m going to assume that was the call telling him that I was missing?”
“Yeah. Needless to say, since that day and after hearing what happened with you, Mom wasn’t too thrilled with him. I think she blames him for everything that happened. But I could tell how much he loves you from the moment he started talking about you. Every time he spoke your name, his face lit up. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen.”
“Why would I be mad about that?” We were running again, but at a much slower pace because I was trying to concentrate on what Carson was telling me.
“Because he’s tried everyday since you came home to come see you and talk to you. He’s called about a million times over the last couple of weeks. He even showed up at the house thinking that it would change Mom’s mind, but she not so politely told him to leave if he knew what was good for him.”
“He’s called?” Everything that I had thought was turning out to be false. He had been trying to be in my life. He didn’t just walk away from it all, like I thought he had.
“I’m so sorry, Lynd. I thought you knew. More than that, I thought you didn’t want to see him.”
“It’s not your fault, Carson. Thanks for telling me though.” I turned to go back to the house when Carson gave me a perplexed look.
“Where are we going? I thought we were going running? We’ve only been gone for about twenty-five minutes.”
Protecting Lyndley Page 20