On The Hunt

by Tl Reeve

  She climbed onto the disgusting bed, and cradled his head in her lap, while Julian and Theo did their best to wrap his wounds. Getting him out of the house was going to be a problem. The wound in his stomach was horrible. She worried he’d either bleed out before they got back to the lab or worse; Mary had split him open just enough for his guts to spill out. Both were terrifying realities she didn’t want to face.

  Nevertheless, she had to.

  “Heath,” she whispered. “You have to wake up.” She swiped at a smudge of blood and didn’t know if it came from her or him. “Open your eyes.”

  He coughed and grimaced. “Go.”

  “Not without you.” She bit her bottom lip as tears blurred her eyes. “Can’t leave my best guy behind.”

  “Theo and Julian.” Heath’s eyes fluttered, but wouldn’t open.

  “They’re here, and they’re not giving up on you.” She smoothed his hair away from his face.

  “No…go. Leave me. Solve…case.”

  “Shh.” She continued to make soothing noises as the guys worked. They had to hurry. “Guys, not to push you along.”

  “We’re almost done.” Julian glanced at her. “It’s not going to be a fun trip.”

  No, she hadn’t figured it would be. “Carriage?”

  “It would attract too much attention, and right now the less, the better,” Theo replied. “This is going to take all of our strength.”

  She gave him a curt nod. “I understand.”

  “All right, Heath, we’re going to lift you, buddy,” Julian said, grabbing hold of Heath’s arm.

  Julian took hold of the other, and she slipped out of the way. “On three. One, two…” They hoisted their friend off the bed.

  Heath let out a shout of pain, crumbling to his knees. Piper was there though, lending him her strength to stand with. She helped him back to his feet seconds before the door slammed open and Mary ran from the loft.

  “Shit, we’ve gotta go,” Theo grunted.

  The decision had been made the minute they stepped into the space. Her case would be solved to a point, and the rest would be recorded as history. No one would know of this night. Nor would they get the answer of who Jack the Ripper really was, but if it meant saving one of her lovers and best friend’s life, she’d live with it. She wouldn’t put their lives at risk any longer.

  They hobbled down the stairs. It took all her strength to keep upright as they stuck to the shadows, keeping out of sight. None of them could risk getting caught. The sound of police whistles filled the still night air and terror gripped her. Had Mary ran to the local Metropolitan police officer?

  “Guys?”

  “We heard,” Julian muttered. “Act natural.”

  A giggle bubbled up from her. There was nothing funny about their situation; no, this was pure hysteria. Act normal? How did one act normal in a situation like this? Their friend was dying. They were trying to get him back to the present so he could get proper treatment and they were supposed to act cool as a cucumber.

  “Get it together, Piper,” Theo admonished her.

  “Fuck you,” she spat.

  “Children, no fighting.” Heath’s words were slurred.

  Blood seeped through the makeshift bandages Theo and Julian wrapped around his middle. The sheer absurdity of their situation hit her square in the chest. For trying to stay inconspicuous, they sure did stick out like sore thumbs. Her dress was covered in blood. Julian and Theo wore their jackets without shirts, and Heath wore twenty-first-century clothing wrapped in Victorian Era shirttails as dressings.

  They took turns helping Heath, trying to take most of his weight, so he didn’t have to struggle to move. She hefted him up a bit more and bit back a cry. The wound in her arm hurt like hell, and she swore if she looked at it, she’d see bone. She had to concentrate on something else. Yet, she couldn’t. Everything had gone ass over tea kettle in a matter of hours. Of course, she blamed herself. If she’d only waited till after the case was done to confess her feelings for Heath. Or, if she’d told him earlier, maybe they’d be out happily trailing a cold-blooded killer, instead of making their way through White Chapel with hopes of not getting caught.

  “Only a few more blocks,” Theo whispered. “We’ve got this.”

  Piper bit her lip to hold back the sobs filling her already constricted chest. She didn’t think she could forgive herself if anything happened to Heath. She’d always blame herself for his death. Selfish ninny. Selfish little brat. Always wanting more than you should have. Now, look at what you’ve done.

  She glanced over at Heath. His head hung forward; his full body weight had been distributed between them. His feet barely lifted with each step. They were practically dragging the guy. They had to keep going.

  Use the shadows.

  Play it off.

  Make it home.

  Save his life.

  Nothing else mattered in those brief moments. Not her pain. Not Julian’s or Theo’s. Somehow, she’d become so twisted and involved with the story behind the truth, she let every instinct of hers fall away, and the worst possible thing happened—one of them had been injured, severely.

  “Stay with us, Heath. I know this hurts. I know it’s easy to give up,” she hissed, stumbling. “You have to make it.”

  A whimper fell from him, and her heart squeezed. She’d caused all of this. If she’d only listened to Theo and Julian, they wouldn’t have been here. They’d be off on some other adventure in some other time, but no. She had a point to prove. She wanted everyone to eat their words. Calm the laughter in her mind at the absurdity of her claim; a woman, not a man, was the Ripper.

  Boy, did she show them.

  The winding roads cleared, opening to the court where their residence lay not more than a few hundred feet in front of them. Carriages passed them by along with other couples enjoying their evening out. Their dour expressions and crossing the lane before Piper and the guys approached kept them from having to answer questions. She could only imagine how they must appear.

  In fact, she’d waited for one to scream for help or worse, offer assistance. They were supposed to remain faceless in a time long forgotten by most. Instead, they’d drawn attention, just by walking down the street covered in each other’s blood. If she weren’t in so much pain, and if anxiety hadn’t clogged her throat, she’d laugh. Laugh at the sheer outrageousness of the situation.

  Berlin was nothing compared to this.

  Like a beacon in the night beckoning them home, the torches out front of their strange little home welcomed them. They were only feet away. Home. They could get the hell out of there and never come back. A small sense of relief filled her. She wouldn’t feel safe until they were back where they belonged.

  “Almost there,” Theo whispered. “We’ve got you.”

  She didn’t know if it was by sheer strength or by sheer will, they carried him up those stairs and into the house. However, when the door closed behind them, she let out a cry. She crumpled under Heath’s weight, falling to the floor. Her heart pounded. Her head was light. Bright red covered the sleeve of her dress. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she closed her eyes, swallowing hard.

  “Piper,” Julian called. “You have to stand up. We have to leave.”

  Yes, they did, but it didn’t change the fact she wanted to curl up on the floor and sleep forever either. She stood on wobbly legs, trying to catch her balance. A light buzzing had begun in her ears, like an errant gnat flying a little too close to her ear. The annoying noise frustrated her as they practically dragged Heath down the stairs to their lab.

  They had the equipment to at least stabilize him down there, but with blood loss and the unknown extent of his injuries, they didn’t have time. Though her body grew heavier with each step, she pushed on. Reaching the jewel room first, she flung open the door and moved aside, allowing Julian and Theo to enter with Heath first, then her.

  Her vision doubled as she stared at the switches, trying to calibrate the computer t
o go home. Piper swiped at her eyes to clear them. They had to hurry. The more time she spent trying to read what she was doing, the less chance Heath had.

  “Piper?” Theo came up behind her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Can’t see. Everything is blurry.” Darkness crept in at the corner of her vision while the annoying gnat became an angry hornet’s nest. “Finish.”

  “Fucking hell,” Julian snarled, as he grabbed her. “If I ever come back to this place, it’ll be too fucking soon.”

  The tightening of a band or something on her arm had her whimpering. “Why didn’t she tell us?”

  Tell them what? She’d been stabbed…good. They all had been. Heath mattered more than anything. She’d be fine. As soon as they arrived back at the lab, the doctors would take a look at her arm. Not to worry.

  “Get a message out to them,” Julian ordered, holding her close. “Let them know two need medical.”

  She snorted. “We all do.” Her words were slurred even for her ears.

  “Yes, we do, sweetheart. Hold on.”

  Yep. She could hold on. The heavy blanket of darkness descended on her, and finally, she gave over to its blissful tendrils. Nothing mattered. Finally, she was at peace.

  Piper sat at her desk two days later, a thick bandage around her arm and a mountain of work waiting for her. They’d broken every protocol getting Heath home, but most especially, him being kidnapped and compromised. So far, he still laid in his hospital bed, not far from where she sat.

  No changes in his status.

  She poured over her evidence. She’d returned to the house that morning to pick up the documents to put together her final report before laying the case to rest. Had Heath not left, had they not been so stupid, she’d have caught her Ripper, and been able to prove it.

  As it stood, nothing in the newspapers changed. Phoebe and John were killed. Mary paid with her own life, and the Ripper killings stopped. It should have been enough for her since she couldn’t change anything. She proved her case by ninety percent. She had motive. A suspect. Blood. Even the DNA on the stamp, but the whole case had been tainted, in her eyes, by Heath being kidnapped.

  The higher-ups though called it a success. From everything she and the team gathered, they punched holes in the narrative. Jack the Ripper, in their estimates, was a Jackie. A woman. Scorned for the most part. Deranged more so. The theory she swallowed was jealousy. She agreed to a point. For her it was revenge. Pure and simple.

  In three weeks, she would stand in front of the media and share her documentation with Scotland Yard, and they would do whatever they pleased with her interpretation of the evidence. It would also be the kick off of their next mission. So far, her bosses had been tight-lipped about what they were doing and where they’d be going. Or if Heath would wake up and come with them. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She hoped today would be the day they finally allowed visitors into his room.

  Her office door swung open, and Theo stepped in. “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself,” she answered. Since they’d been back, she couldn’t necessarily say she’d been ignoring them, because how do you ignore someone for two days, but she had. They had unresolved things to atone for.

  Feelings to sort out.

  Complications to mend.

  Plus, she didn’t feel right about sleeping between Julian and Theo until Heath came home. Until she could look him straight in the eyes and say, “I love you.”

  He leaned against her desk, edging into her personal space. “Julian and I were heading out for some lunch, and we thought you might want to come along. What do you say?”

  She should say no, and keep working. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Good, neither are we,” he replied.

  Piper placed the file in her hand onto the table and stared up at him. “Then why did you say you wanted to grab lunch with me?”

  He shrugged. “To get you out of the office you’ve been holed up in for two days?”

  “I have to finish this.”

  “You could finish it afterwards, when you’ve eaten something not from a vending machine or processed.” He dipped his face closer to hers. “After you’ve slept and recharged your batteries.” His lips brushed over hers. “Come on, Piper. Work can wait.”

  She scrubbed her face, then glanced down at everything on her desk. “Only for an hour. I have to make a presentation.”

  “Time is negotiable.” He grinned, holding out his hand.

  “Not where you’re concerned. You have a way of making me forget everything.”

  Theo chuckled. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

  “With you,” she teased. “It is.”

  Epilogue

  One week later…

  Beep. Beep. Beep. The steady, aggravating sound pulled Heath from a glorious dream. He’d been in bed with Piper, her lithe body covered his as she rode him. Her tear-drop shape breasts tempted him with each glide of her hips. Just as he wrapped his lips around her berry-colored nipple and felt the tingle of his release shooting down his spine, that damn noise began again.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  His eyes fluttered open, and the sensation of being held down sent a rush of panic through him. The sound grew louder, angrier with each passing second, then he realized as his heart thundered, so did the noise.

  Fucking hell.

  Pain lanced his middle, and he groaned. What the hell happened to him? Memories rolled through his mind. Piper. White Chapel. Just about fucking her on the lab counter, then he ran. Stupid, good for nothing…

  Oh, he was an asshole. He should have never taken off like he had. He should have come back to the present and left it all alone. Instead, he ended up in a hospital bed, wires coming out of everywhere, and his insides feeling as though they’d been filleted.

  Mary had been a clever girl. Or he should say Juliet. If he hadn’t been so wound up, or so pissed off at himself, he’d have seen right through her façade. Yet, he’d wanted to prove himself too, in some small way. His in had also been his downfall in the whole situation. He walked right into her trap and didn’t even realize it.

  He’d also almost became another victim of the “Ripper.” Er… had been.

  Everything after the door slamming open and Piper standing there along with Julian and Theo had been a blur.

  He glanced out the hospital window and frowned. Darkness. How long had he been there? Better yet, how had he gotten back to the present? So many questions swirled in his mind. The only people who could answer any of them were nowhere in sight. Figured. He’d pretty much destroyed any chance he had with Piper by running off. And the guys, well, they’d be pissed at him too for his shenanigans. Couldn’t blame them, either.

  Instead of standing there and staking his claim, he ran like a scalded dog. No way Piper needed a flake like him in her life. He’d only be able to use his trepidations for so long before he’d have to fess up to his wants from Piper. He didn’t know why he worried she’d reject him. From all indications, with her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hands in his hair, she wanted him. Yet, he hadn’t been able to pull the trigger with her.

  Confess his deepest secrets. He loved Piper more than anything. For his faults, he lost her, perhaps forever too. Damn, you’re a morose mother fucker. He snorted, then regretted it as pain flashed through his mid-section. “Hell.”

  “Mr. Jacobs, you’re awake.” An older woman in scrubs entered his room. “How are you feeling?”

  Like shit? Ran over several times shit. “Where am I?”

  “Howard University Hospital. You were brought here via an ambulance from the Smithsonian Museum a week ago.” She checked the machines he was hooked to, then did her assessment of him. “Do you know why you’re here?”

  Well, if the burning in his gut was any indication… “Can’t say food poisoning.”

  She chuckled. “No, ‘fraid it won’t work.”

  “I think I was stabbed or something.”

  She frowned but n
odded. “Yes. The doctor had to remove about three inches of your small intestine and your spleen. You had quite a nasty bump on your head, which caused you to have a concussion, and you had an extreme amount of blood loss. We thought we were going to lose you a couple of times.”

  “What can I say, I’m an ornery son of a bitch,” he muttered.

  “You’re going to be just fine.” She tapped his arm. “You also have visitors. Would you like to see them?”

  Surprise filled them. “Sure. Yeah. Send them in.”

  “They can only stay for two hours; then I’m kicking them out.”

  “Two hours. I understand, thank you.” He readjusted himself, which consisted of shifting his hips two inches, before giving up. He had to look a mess.

  The nurse stepped out of the room, and a few minutes later it opened again, this time Piper, Theo, and Julian stood at the threshold. Their gazes landed on him, and he could see the worry in their eyes.

  “Well, if you’re here to see me, come on.” He motioned them to enter.

  “You look like shit,” Julian stated.

  “Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment.” He grinned.

  Piper eased onto to bed with him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “For what?” He tipped her chin up.

  “Everything. I should have told you everything.” She placed her hand on his chest. “I’ll never forgive myself for allowing you to get hurt.”

  “Shh,” he murmured. “You did nothing wrong. I shouldn’t have run out.”

  Julian smacked Theo on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you, man. We’ll give you time with Piper.”

  “Yeah,” Theo added. “We’ll be right outside. Thank fuck you didn’t die on us.”

  “Wait, you guys don’t have to go,” she said. “I need to say this to all of you.”