Sapphire Universe (The Universe Series)

by Herrera, Devon

  “Damn it!” The map shows that it’s almost 25 minutes out of town. I turn the key and start to drive. “He’s going to be okay. You’ll get there in time. It’s going to be fine.” I say the words, but my heart is in my throat and my mind is whirling. The thought of Connor being hurt or worse by those people right at this very moment makes tears burn my eyes, but I force them back and focus on the road. I hit the accelerator and drive as fast as I can through town till I get to the highway and then gun it to 90 miles an hour. I’m not worried about speeding. The more cops I attract the better. They will just follow me to Connor.

  What if he isn’t there? The negative part of my mind says and I try to shake the thought from my head. He has to be there. The alternative is unacceptable. I can’t stop my brain from going there though, as the worst possible scenarios play out in my mind. Finding him hurt or worse. I won’t survive losing him. Never again getting to look into his sapphire eyes and see my entire Universe in them. We are going to have a baby together, he has to be okay. I used to think that people who couldn’t move on after losing a significant other were pathetic. Now I get it. Right now in this moment I can’t imagine a life without him. I refuse to let him go.

  I hear a car honking at me, but I don’t even look over, I just keep driving. My focus is completely on getting to Connor. A bronze pickup pulls up in the lane next to me and is keeping pace so I glance over. “LO!” I roll down the window and see that Drake is driving. Lo sticks her head out the window and cups her hand to her mouth.

  “PULL OVER!” I hear her voice over the sounds of the wind whipping past. I shake my head and look forward. Not even my best friend can stop me from going to Connor. “NINS WE WILL DRIVE TOGETHER!” I look over at her briefly and think about it. One car is stealthier. I don’t really have a plan and I don’t know what to expect. I just started driving. What if they have someone on the lookout? What if they hear us coming and it makes them act faster? I slam my hand on the wheel in frustration at my total ineptitude and slow to pull the car to the shoulder.

  Drake skids to a stop next to me and Lo opens the door so I can I hop in next to her. I’m relieved when Drake immediately starts driving again just as fast as I was. Lo rubs her hand down my back. “Tell us everything.”

  “I have been throwing up for the last two mornings so I went to the store to get medicine and saw some pregnancy tests. You’re going to be an aunty Lo.”

  “Holy Shit!” Lo smiles and I see moisture gather in her eyes but I continue my story. There will be time to celebrate after we rescue Connor.

  “I texted Connor to tell him to stay home because I was coming back and he replied so I know he knew to expect me. It must have caught him right as he was leaving because when I got home I found his phone on the porch. His car was still there but he wasn’t and there was blood on the porch steps!” Drake turns his head to Lo and the look he gives her says “I told you so.”

  “Not a fucking word Drake. Okay babe we will be there in about five minutes. What exactly are you planning on doing?” Lo looks at me waiting for instructions.

  “I don’t really have a plan except getting Connor away from those people.” I say sheepishly.

  “The address is a residence but it’s on the outskirts of town so we are going to probably end up at an old farm house. Best to park as far away as possible and try to make our way up to the house so they don’t see us. I’d like to wait for the police, but I agree that time is of the essence here. We can try to get close enough to see if it’s where they brought him and how many people they have. If we’re lucky, it’s just this Holden guy and Lucas. Even just Lucas since this Max character doesn’t seem to like to get his hands dirty.” Drake drawls out all the facts and it’s the longest speech I’ve ever heard him give and I realize two things at once. Drake is smart and the kind of guy you should obviously not fuck with. Both things make me glad I know him and have him on my side right now.

  “I’m not so sure about that. Connor said when he found out Max had killed someone that Max’s shirt had blood on it. I’m guessing he just likes his prey to be trapped before he goes in for the kill.” I say shivering at my own words. He is going to be okay.

  Drake nods and Lo chimes in. “Why do you think he is going to be at this address?” I totally forgot the part about how the little girls tricking the little boy into an ambush had tipped me off to the slutty bar chick’s involvement.

  “On new year’s eve some girl came on to Connor and gave him this address. She made some creepy comment about how he would get me in to trouble and I saw her get in to a black SUV that looks like the one that Lucas was driving. I just put it together today, but I know that she was working for Lucas and Max and I’m guessing this is why she gave him this address.”

  “Damn Sherlock! That’s pretty fuckin impressive considering the pressure you were under. Maybe we can pull this off after all.” Lo beams at me with pride, but it’s seriously misplaced. I always considered myself an attentive person, but lately it seems the Universe has had to practically scream at me to get me to see the shit that was right in front of my face.

  I glance over at my best friend who is smiling at me and I know that she is just trying to lighten the mood, but it makes me realize that I just put her and Drake in danger by involving them and it dampens my mood even further. “You guys didn’t have to come, but I’m glad you did. I’m so sorry I got you involved in this.” Drake starts to slow and puts the truck in park. Neither of them responds to that, but I see the fearful look that Drake gives Lo before he turns to speak.

  “The house is up there about ten yards and it has a long driveway. I’ll run up there and see if I can spot someone playing lookout. I doubt they’re expecting anyone since the woman who gave him the address hasn’t been connected to any of this till today, but its best to be sure. If I don’t see anyone, I’ll come back and we can coast up there a bit and park the truck a ways further and then head up to the house. Are you ready?” Drake looks intently at me and Lo.

  Lo reaches down and pulls up her double barrel shot gun. “Let’s get this show started.” She looks at me. “Maybe being on the trap shooting team in college was good for something after all.” I hold up Connor’s pistol and just nod once at Drake. He exit’s the truck and starts for the driveway. Lo and I are both silent and holding our breath. I stare at the clock on the dash and count the minutes to try and calm my nerves. Twelve minutes later Drake approaches the truck.

  “I don’t see anyone outside and there is only one vehicle, a black SUV.” Drake says when he gets back inside the truck. He puts the truck back in drive and we slowly crawl up the driveway. My heart is trying to beat out of my chest and I feel like I might faint at any moment but I force my body to cooperate. When we get about five yards from the house, Drake coasts to a stop and leaves the truck running. He looks over at us, un-holsters his pistol and nods once. The three of us quietly exit the pickup and make our way towards the house. I glance over at Lo on my right and Drake on my left and a smile tugs at my lips. We look kind of badass.

  We get to the house and line up against the side at the front door with Drake at the head. Drake puts his hand to his ear and opens and closes his hand to mimic talking. I strain to hear it and can finally make out the sound of Lucas’ voice. I don’t hear any other voices and Drake mimics a cell phone indicating that he thinks Lucas is talking on the phone. Is he talking to Max? Is Connor okay? Is he getting instructions or is he confirming? I nod at Drake and he holds up three fingers.

  He drops the first finger and I take the safety off my pistol. The second drops and I tighten my grip and take a deep breath. Everything is in slow motion and it helps me focus. I can do this. When he drops the last finger and moves to open the door, I’m ready.

  Drake slams his boot into the door sending it crashing against the wall and we rush into the old barn house. The first thing I see is Connor on the ground with his hands and feet bound and a gag over his mouth. The next thing I see is Lucas on a cell
phone with a pistol in his hand. His face is surprised and he turns towards us and moves to drop his phone and lifts his pistol in our direction. I aim my weapon at the target and slowly press back on the trigger. The shot rings out and Lucas’ expression morphs from disbelief to pain before he crumples to the floor. Drake moves in on him with his gun still at the ready and kicks Lucas pistol further away from him. Lucas is clutching at his thigh which is bleeding all over the floor through the hole that Drake put in it. I rush over to Connor and set my pistol on the floor next to him.

  He isn’t moving and I can’t tell if he’s breathing, so I do what any normal woman would do when she finds the love of her life laying lifeless on the floor. I shake the shit out of him and shout his name over and over. “CONNOR! CONNOR! Wake the fuck up right this second!” I roll him to his back and take the gag off, noticing the gash on his skull at the back of his head. I lean down to see if I can hear him breathing and press my fingers to the pulse at his neck. “HE’S ALIVE!” I shout to the others. I untie his hands and as I’m working on the rope at his ankles I hear his deep voice and it’s the sweetest sound in the whole universe. “Nina?” Connor opens his eyes and glances around the room before his eyes reach mine and turn almost black. “NINA! What the fuck!” He reaches around and touches his head and the tears I’d been holding back start to flow.

  “Princess.” He starts to sit up and I bury my face in his chest. “Are you hurt? What happened?” Connor runs his hands all over me trying to find any signs that I’m damaged and looks over to where Drake and Lo have Lucas subdued. “Is that Lucas? Fuck! He hit me on the head while I was on the porch. What are you three doing here?” I hear his words but my world has stopped spinning and the only thing I care about is the fact that Connor is touching me and that he’s alive. “Nina baby you have to talk to me.”

  I raise my head and look into the sapphire eyes I had never thought I’d see again and I lean forward and kiss him once. “You’re okay and that’s all that matters.” He looks curiously at me, but our moment is interrupted when detective Wheeler and Gasner make their way into the building followed by a group of men in uniforms and black bullet proof vests all armed with automatic rifles and pistols. The eerie silence of their entry contradicts the force their presence exudes. They enter in two lines with their rifles in position in front of them. After going through the large room they sling their weapons and I see one of them pull out a radio. Gasner heads directly to where Drake, Lola and Lucas are in the middle of the room and pulls out some plastic zip ties and handcuffs Lucas’ hands behind his back.

  Wheeler walks over to where we are sitting on the floor and I feel dizzy all of a sudden. There is so much going on around me, but I’m oblivious to anything but the man wrapped in my arms.. I can’t believe this day just happened. Now that the adrenaline has subsided, all I want to do is take my man home and curl up in our bed together and never, ever get out of it. “How are you doing there son?” Wheeler asks. Connor reaches up and touches his head again.

  “Nothing a few stitches won’t cure. Will someone please fill me in? Why are my girlfriend and our friends here with guns?” Connor looks down at me and I stay silent.

  “Well I was on a call when she found out you were missing and she left me a message when I didn’t answer. It seems she called 911, then her friends here and decided to head out here and rescue you herself.” Wheeler looks at me and I can tell he is trying to sound admonishing, but his face looks more proud than anything. “Couldn’t wait a few minutes huh?” He says to me.

  “I didn’t know if I had a few minutes.” I reply simply. Wheeler smiles and his eyes crinkle up at the corners.

  Wheeler turns his head towards the door as the ambulance pulls up and the EMT’s come inside. I recognize the redhead from the bus accident as one of them. The man she’s with jogs over to Lucas who now is being covered by Gasner and a couple of the other men instead of Drake. I look around for my friends and find them in the corner curled around one another. Lo has her head in Drake’s shoulder and he has his arms around her. Lo is always so sure of herself that it’s a shock to see her taking comfort from someone else. The redhead moves over to us and gives me a smile as she examines Connor’s head.

  “You two again? What is it with you guys and head injuries?” I look over at Connor and Wheeler and we all start chuckling. Even though this has been the craziest most frightening day of my life, I’m relieved that I can still laugh. After Connor gets patched up and we make our statements, Lo and Drake are finally able to make their way over to us. Connor and I are standing against a squad car and I haven’t let go of him once. However, as soon as Drake gets to the car I run up and throw my arms around his neck.

  “Thank you.” I say softly to my new friend and clutch him tighter to me. “You saved his life. I’ll never be able to repay you but you have a friend for life now just so you know.”

  Drake pats me on the back a couple times then gently extracts himself from my grasp. “Oh don’t thank me. You would have been fine here on your own. I almost wasn’t able to get my shot off first. I thought you would be the one to take him down for a second there.”

  Connor comes up behind me and shakes Drake’s hand. The two men don’t speak, but I get a feeling they have still said a lot. Lo hugs Connor and he kisses her forehead and murmurs and thank you. Lo and I are the last to embrace. “You are the bestest most amazing wonderful friend in the entire Universe.” I say to her.

  She hugs me tighter and whispers into my ear. “You better believe it. Call me when you tell him the news.”

  Lo reminds me of my bun in the oven and I close my eyes as another round of tears threatens to take me. The baby! I walk back into Connor’s arms and kiss his chest. Wheeler comes over to us and points at Drake’s truck. “Do you all need a ride, or do you have it covered?”

  Drake nods at him and grabs Lo by the waist. “We’re good I can get everyone home.”

  I lift my head from Connor’s warmth and face Wheeler. “What’s going to happen now?”

  “Well we’re going to get him patched up then question him. We have his phone and he must have been keeping contact with Holden so I’m sure we can get most of what we need from it, but hopefully we can get him to tell us where he is. Even if he doesn’t we still have a lot to use. Then we will try and get him to give us the name of the woman who gave you this address so we can take her in as well. I’ll let you know how it all pans out.” He puts his hand on my shoulder and I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s almost over.

  I hug him last and he hesitates before patting me on the back kind of like how Drake did. “Thank you so much for getting here so fast.” I let go of him and smile. “And for not getting us into trouble for coming out here on our own.” Wheeler chuckles at me and shakes his head.

  “You didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have done myself and you didn’t break any laws that I know of. I’m just glad we caught the bastard. Maybe now you two can go on with your lives and quit worrying about Holden. I’ll call you once we know everything.” He shakes Connor’s hand and looks back at us one last time with a large grin on his face before shaking his head and walking away laughing to himself.

  The drive home is silent and when we get out of the truck and say goodbye to our friends for the night Connor lifts me into his arms and carries me up the porch steps and through the door of our house. “Are you ever going to stop toting me around like a sack of potatoes?” I say to him and start attacking his face with kisses.

  “You my Princess, are not a sack of potatoes. What do you weigh like a buck ten?” He starts to move me in his arms like he’s testing his guess.

  “I wish I weighed a hundred and ten pounds but that’s completely hopeless now.” I say as we get to the bedroom and he sets me down on the bed.

  Connor raises an eyebrow. “Why do you say that? You’re sexy as hell Nina you don’t need to lose weight.”

  I smile at him and touch my stomach where our baby is growing inside of me. “Then I
hope you don’t mind me gaining some, because in about eight months you’re going to have a little more trouble lifting me.” I watch him carefully to gauge his reaction and he has frozen with one knee on the bed and one foot on the floor. His face starts to turn up in a brilliant smile and the blue of his eyes sparkle like a thousand gemstones. He reaches down and puts his hand on top of mine on my stomach and I look down at them.

  “Nina?” He breathes as he takes the meaning of my words and the hand on my stomach. “A baby.” He whispers, his voice full of wonder. “I’m going to be a father?” I look back up at Connor and see that there are tears in his eyes.

  I nod at him and I know my face matches his. “You are going to be the best father.” I assure him, letting go of all my lingering fears. Connor lifts me into his arms again and kisses me, cradling my body tight against his. He lowers me back to the bed and his hands go to my stomach again. Our lips move together and his tongue rubs against mine and I feel our tears mix on our cheeks. Connor breaks the kiss suddenly and looks down at me.

  “You went there, knowing it would be dangerous and you already knew you were pregnant?” He asks sounding slightly angry.

  I bite my lip and nod. “I had a pistol and I wasn’t alone.”

  Connor closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Nina Ryan. You are going to kill me. You’re going to turn all my hair grey and then you’re going to kill me.” He opens his eyes and moves his hand against my stomach. “If you ever put yourself in that kind of danger again I’m going to spank your ass red!” He looks down at his hand on my stomach and his face softens. “I promised you I would keep you safe from them.”

  “Connor you did keep me safe. You are the one they took not me. You think I don’t have the same need to protect what I love as you do?” I smile at him and try to lighten the mood a little. “Just because your girlfriend rescued you doesn’t mean you’ve lost your man card. I have the proof you’re still all man right here.” I put my hand on top of his on my belly.