They broke out of the woods at a fast pace, and Shane saw Cane step in the middle of the road with no fear of being hit, his thoughts on getting to Addison. The wheels of a white car screeched a hideous sound as its brakes were applied to prevent hitting Cane. The car came to a stop inches from where he stood. Shane ran around the side of the car before the driver could put the gear in reverse and opened the door. Leaning in and seeing a scared teenage boy, Shane compelled him to get out of the car and not call the police for an hour to report his car stolen. The kid got out of the car, and Cane slipped around Shane to slide behind the steering wheel. Shane had no choice but to run around and get into the passenger side, cursing at Cane’s need to be in control.
Cane sped away, throwing Shane his cell phone. Shane lifted it up to his ear and heard Theo talking to Jagger about making it back to the airstrip. Cane took a sharp left, leaving downtown Aspen behind. “Theo, can you hear me? Cane and I are maybe eight minutes out. Rafuse hired some guy to take all of you out if he could, so be careful going back. Can you radio the pilot and tell him to keep Addison on board?”
“What the hell were they thinking, bringing Addison here?” Cane yelled as he pushed the car past eighty miles per hour in a forty-five-mile-per-hour zone. “I told them I had everything taken care of!”
Shane ignored Cane’s outburst, instead listening to Theo explain that they were entering the parking lot. They saw nothing out of the ordinary, but Theo handed Jagger the phone so he could see if he could catch any thoughts the killer might be projecting. “Jagger, do you have the plane in your sight? Can you see it?”
Shane looked over at the speedometer. They were now breaking ninety-five miles per hour, and Shane braced his hand on the dashboard. Shane had no doubt they would reach the airstrip in under five minutes, but would they make it there in time to save Addison?
* * * *
Addison couldn’t take the waiting. The plane had landed twenty minutes ago, and while Theo, Jagger, and Reese had left immediately, she was told to stay on the plane. Part of her understood, as her power was of no help out in the “field” as Jagger put it. But waiting here twiddling her thumbs was getting the best of her, and she couldn’t help getting out of her seat and inching past the six beige leather chairs to where Steve, Jagger’s on-call pilot, sat in front of the control panel. If she weren’t so anxious, Addison would have enjoyed the luxury this midsize plane afforded. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and all Addison wanted to do was find Shane and Cane.
Theo, Jagger, and Reese had no idea where they were, going off of what Steve had overheard on the initial flight. Cane had spoken of going into downtown Aspen and letting Max Baker locate him, leading some guy by the name of John Rafuse right to them. They could be anywhere.
“You need to stop worrying,” Steve said, turning at an angle in the pilot’s seat to address her. “I’ve been with Jagger for over a year now, and let me tell you, the guy knows his stuff. And that’s without having Theo and Reese for backup.”
“But they don’t even know where to look,” Addison reminded Steve, taking the copilot seat next to him. She liked Steve. He was a middle-aged African-American human with the kindest smile she’d ever seen. “And what good am I here if something goes wrong out there?” Addison pointed out.
Addison noticed Steve’s eyebrows crease down in bewilderment and looked out the window to see what he was staring at. From where the plane was situated, they had a clear view of the hangar. Jagger was sprinting, closing the distance with his gun drawn, and waving frantically to grab their attention. Addison and Steve both stood to see what he was pointing at when they noticed Reese running behind him.
The gunshot exploded, causing a high pitch to ring in Addison’s ears. She squinted her eyes at the sound and covered her ears, spinning around to see who pulled the trigger. Steve shoved her into the seat right before the windows cracked. Addison felt a warmth surround them when a painful wail cut through the ringing. Reese must have used her power to take out the shooter.
Addison vaguely heard Jagger talking and yelling, coming from outside. She was too busy trying to figure out why her vision was blurring and why Steve was staring at her in horror. Addison struggled to her feet, pushing Steve away from her. Her hearing still had not fully recovered, so between that and blinking rapidly, Addison felt out of sorts. She looked past him to see a body lying in the aisle.
Reese was the first one to walk through the cabin door, almost tripping over the man who lay dead. Not having the room to maneuver, Reese climbed over the one seat in her way and reached for Addison. She couldn’t bring Reese into focus but felt her hands go around her waist. Looking down, Addison saw why Steve had been so upset. The left side of her white sweatshirt was red. Blood was quickly seeping into the fabric, spreading a large stain. As Addison’s knees buckled, Reese held on and helped her sit back down into the copilot chair. She’d been shot. Addison’s breathing became shallow, and she knew it was a matter of time before she lost consciousness. How could this happen when she finally had a chance at happiness?
“Addison, stay with me,” Reese ordered, ripping her jacket off and placing it against her side. Shouldn’t it hurt? Addison tried to tell her it would be okay, but she couldn’t form the words.
Would she be okay? Addison thought of Shane and how gentle he could be, always her rock. She didn’t want to die now and not experience a lifetime of memories with him. Pictures of what he would be like with their children flashed through Addison’s mind. She saw him holding their daughter’s hand while she learned to walk or teaching their son to throw a football.
“Look at me! Don’t close your eyes!” Reese stressed as she kept the pressure on Addison’s wound.
Addison couldn’t help but do the exact opposite of what Reese wanted her to do. She was so sleepy. Cane’s face appeared to her, so intense and vulnerable. Her death would send him running again, just when he was within her grasp. What she would give to live her life loving both men. If she had the energy, Addison would have cried at the agony she felt that it might not happen. It was unfair to not experience being surrounded by such powerful, amazing, sweet love. Addison slipped into unconsciousness right when she heard Cane and Shane screaming her name.
Chapter Eight
They had been at the hospital for hours. Theo, Jagger, and Reese were in the waiting room on the fourth floor, and Cane had disappeared a few minutes ago. The nurse was nice enough to give updates on Addison’s surgery every fifteen minutes, but that was probably more so due to the fact Cane made her nervous. Shane went looking for Cane, knowing he wouldn’t go far.
Jagger had had to pull out some old contacts from his days with the agency to obtain their help. The police were now involved and asking questions about why someone would want to shoot Addison, who had been listed as a missing person almost two years ago. The Fray had to know they were in Aspen by now, which caused another layer of concern. The entire situation had turned into a clusterfuck, and Shane hoped Jagger would be able to call in some old debts to get them out of it. First, they needed Addison to pull through.
The last few hours had truly been hell. When he and Cane had run through the cabin door of the plane to see Reese standing over Addison with blood smeared everywhere, Shane thought it was over. Addison’s face was drained of any color, as were her lips. The sound that came out of Cane’s throat was something Shane never wanted to hear again. How a sound could mirror the exact feeling Shane had in his chest, he didn’t know. The emotion couldn’t be described in words, but Cane’s tortured cry had summed it up pretty damn well.
Shane stepped into the hall and looked down by the nurses’ station to see them staring back at him. Cane definitely wouldn’t have headed that way, so Shane turned left and kept walking, finally spotting Cane looking out the window at the end of the hall. His feet were parted, and his back was to Shane, but it was noticeable that his arms were across his chest, and his shoulders had a slight defeated slump to them.
“She’ll pull through,” Shane said, not knowing whom he was trying to convince, Cane or himself.
“And have you thought about the fact that she might not?” Cane asked remotely, still staring out the window, probably not even noticing that dusk was settling. “Because I have.”
“Cane—”
“When she was taken by the Fray, I spent an entire year trying to figure out how to get her out of there,” Cane continued as if Shane hadn’t spoken. “Once I had the information and passed it along to you guys, I knew she was safe. We weren’t together, and I was miles away, but I knew she was safe. I could live with that. But knowing she could die…” Cane let the sentence slide away, his jaw tightening at the emotional pain. “It’s like I can’t breathe.”
Shane didn’t comment, just stood by Cane’s side looking outside as night descended. Shane knew it was rare that Cane expressed his emotions like this and let the man say what he needed to. They both knew how the other felt, and if given a chance, they would make things between the three of them work. It was just left unspoken. Shane wished it hadn’t taken Addison getting shot to make things seem so simple.
“What was she like when you rescued her?” Cane asked, his tone so low it was as if he were afraid to hear the answer.
“Cane, there’s no reason to—”
“I want to know,” Cane said harshly. “Was she scared? Did they run tests on her? Did they make her suffer?”
“You’ve got to stop, man. She never revealed her ability to them,” Shane assured him. “And really, all that matters is that we got her out of there. Which wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you.”
“If it weren’t for me, Addison wouldn’t have been in there to begin with.”
“There is only one thing to blame for Addison being taken, and that’s the Fray. Not you. Not her. It’s a waste of time to rehash the past when we can’t change it.” It was dark enough outside that Shane could see their reflections in the window. Cane stared back at him. “We can have a future, though, with Addison. If you can stop being an asshole, that is.”
It was rare, but Shane managed to get Cane to lift the side of his mouth in what he thought might be a smirk. And that was the moment when Shane felt that things were going to be okay. They would get through this. Addison would come through the surgery fine, and they would figure out how to make a relationship like this work. Shane’s momentary high was deflated when he saw a surgeon in blue scrubs walking down the hallway behind them. Cane must have seen him, too, because Cane’s body became rigid and he stopped breathing. Both men turned as one to face the doctor while Theo, Jagger, and Reese hurried out of the waiting room behind him. The surgeon waited until all of them were by the window before giving them the news.
“Addison made it through surgery,” the surgeon disclosed, not prolonging their agony. “The bullet missed all vital organs, and we were able to retrieve the fragments with no trouble. She’s being moved to a private room, as you requested, on the fifth floor. The nurses will let you know the room number and when it is all right to visit her. Any questions?”
Reese ran through a list of questions Shane would never have thought of. After she was done, the doctor gave a nod and disappeared around a corner of the hallway. Shane didn’t care that his bedside manner left a lot to be desired, as long as he saved Addison’s life. Everyone sagged with relief, Jagger pulling Reese in to hold her while she cried tears of joy.
“Jagger, did you say you can rent a plane until yours is fixed?”
Shane was blown away by Cane’s question. They just found out Addison was going to live and he was leaving? Shane refused to believe Cane would walk away from Addison now, so he had to be doing something that was important. But what could be more important than Addison seeing both their faces when she woke up? “Cane, don’t do this,” Shane begged. “Nothing is more important than Addison.”
“Jagger, can you make the call or not?” Cane asked, not bothering to acknowledge Shane’s plea.
“Yes.”
“Shane, can I speak with you in private?”
Shane followed Cane into the waiting room and shut the door, but not before seeing the police descend on Jagger. Hopefully, Jagger’s old friends from law enforcement had some influence to bury a gunshot report. The last thing they needed right now was to deal with the police. With Cane running off again, Shane had enough to handle. But was he really running?
“I’m doing this for Addison,” Cane explained, once Shane turned to face him. “I didn’t do things right with Addison before, but I’m trying to now, and I’ll start with you. Please trust me when I say I have to take care of something. It’s for our future.”
Knowing how much it must have cost Cane to ask for his trust, Shane stuck out his hand. Cane took it, and Shane brought him close enough that he slapped Cane’s back with his other hand, their shoulders touching. “I’ll take care of her. Just hurry back, because when she’s on her feet, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop her from going after you.”
* * * *
“I love you,” Addison said sluggishly, the pain medicine helping the pain in her side diminish to a pounding feeling. It wasn’t enough to stop the pain in her chest at the fact that Cane wasn’t here with her. “Why did he leave?”
“He’s coming back, Addison.” Shane took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “Cane asked that we trust him. Whatever he’s doing involves us and our future. My bet, he’ll be back by tonight, sitting here holding your other hand.”
Addison didn’t feel very forgiving at the moment. She had woken up briefly last night, Shane assuring her everyone was by her side. Addison had let the drugs do their thing and woke up this morning feeling anything but good. She hurt, she was cranky, and she wanted Cane here with them now—not tonight, now! It wasn’t asking for much. She’d been shot, for crying out loud. Didn’t that mean she deserved to have the men she loved sitting by her side?
“Wipe that look off your face,” Shane teased. “The nurse is going to think I’m making you upset and ask me to leave.”
“Didn’t she already do that and you compelled her to think it was better to have you stay with me?”
“Would I do that?” Shane asked, feigning innocence. “If I remember correctly, Nurse Betty asked Reese, Theo, and Jagger to leave. Me, well, she has a crush on me. Thought I better take advantage.”
Addison grabbed her side when a giggle burst through her lips. She loved this man so much. She loved both her men and was finally coming to accept their differences. Shane was her big gentle giant while Cane was her warrior. It didn’t mean that Cane was off the hook or that she wouldn’t give him a piece of her mind about him not being here, but Addison now knew that Cane trusted Shane enough to take care of her.
“You know, I can take away your pain,” Shane offered, wincing in sympathy. Addison was already shaking her head before he finished the sentence.
“The pain medicine is working, and I don’t want you compelling me not to feel something. Good or bad. It freaks me out,” Addison admitted, pulling the hospital sheet up a little higher.
“Well, you better get over it,” Shane said, wiggling his eyebrows, “because I’ve got a list a mile long of things I’d like to compel you to do.”
“I don’t think you’d need to compel me to do anything.” Addison played along, trying her best to keep her eyes open. She was just so tired. “I’m pretty willing when it comes to you.”
“And what about Cane and I together, huh? No need to compel you to take on both of us, letting us bring you more pleasure than you could ever imagine?” Shane reached up and started to run his fingers through her hair. She loved when he did that. Her eyes closed at the relaxing touch, and she turned her head in search of more strokes.
“What do you think I dream about at night? Reese gave me tons of pointers,” Addison whispered, right before sleep floated her away.
* * * *
“I think we need to straighten some things
out, don’t you?”
Cane stood leaning up against the wall behind Richard Howell’s office door, giving the distinct impression of a man who was ready to kill. The overweight man spun around, a brief look of panic crossing his face before he managed to hide it. Not that it mattered, because Cane could smell the fear rolling off of his skin. Howell looked quickly around the office, probably to ascertain there was no one else on the premises, but he was out of luck. Cane didn’t need backup on this mission.
The residence was in an older neighborhood and the birds had begun singing hours ago, but Cane had counted on Howell to enter his home office before leaving for work. Cane could hear his wife in the kitchen, and no one else was living on the premises.
“I got a call from John Rafuse yesterday, saying you were dead,” Howell said, trying to maintain a casual air as he walked around his desk, probably trying to grab the gun that used to be in the top drawer.
“Really? Seems like you need better employees.” Cane pushed off the wall and slowly made his way to stand in front of the desk.
“We’re finding out more and more about your kind, Latcher. The different abilities you all seem to have. It’s a shame to let them go to waste when we can put them to good use.” Cane pretended not to notice as Howell discreetly opened the drawer in front of him.
“You mean that you could put them to good use? Because from my understanding, your little Fray division is about to be shut down.” Cane took satisfaction in seeing Howell’s mask slip a bit. “Seems your superiors aren’t so bent on the way you’re going about things. By the way, is this what you’re looking for?”
Cane took Howell’s weapon from the back of his waistband and held it up for him to see. He placed it in the middle of the desk, daring Howell to reach for it. The coward wouldn’t take the bait, so Cane leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms across his chest.
Noble Healing [Nature's Nobles 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10