“No,” Tristan and I both answer at the same time.
They rush off with his body, and Tristan turns back to him. He puts his hands on my face, and gently caresses my cheek. “What happened?”
“Raslan came,” I say, my voice breaking. “He woke me up and said I needed to come with him. And I trusted him, Tristan. I was half asleep. So I just ran with him and didn’t realize until I was in his car that nothing made sense. If something would’ve been wrong, you would have been the one to come get me.”
“I would have,” he says.
“They offered him money to take me,” I say. “I tried to talk him out of it, but I couldn’t. When he slowed down the car, I jumped out and I ran. But Matthews and another guy were waiting for me on the path. They grabbed me and shot Raslan. That’s when the other guy came with Salvador. I wasn’t sure if I could take on three guys.”
“But you did.” He’s now smiling big.
“Well, I only took on two,” I clarify.
“The other guy ran,” Salvador says. “He about peed himself. He was scared of her. It was awesome!”
“He won’t get far,” Tristan says. “We’ve got a small army searching these woods.”
“How did you find out?” I ask.
“Savannah heard the door shut as you were leaving. She saw your phone on the nightstand and called me to make sure everything was okay. She figured you left with me. And as soon as I knew you were gone, I knew you weren’t supposed to be. So I called my boss. I wasn’t going to let you get far. And he sent everybody here to protect you.”
“Thank you,” I tell Tristan. “You saved me. Again.”
“It sounds like you saved yourself.”
“Because you taught me how to,” I say.
“Now that we got these guys, things will be better around here,” he tells me.
“What about Rafael?” I ask.
“It seems like a few members of his team ratted him out to the Russian authority,” Tristan explains. “I guess they didn’t want a guy who couldn’t manage to keep one little girl. Also, they heard his son betrayed him.”
I hear Salvador sigh in relief.
“So this is over?” I ask. “Like, really over?”
“Well, there are still a few loose ends to tie up. Your dad’s job is far from over. I’m going to stay on board here, just in case,” he says.
“Where are Dad and Alik?” I ask.
“They’re on their way,” Tristan answers. “Want to go see them?”
“Yes.”
Tristan turns to Salvador. “The authorities will probably want to interview you.”
“Okay,” he says.
“What about me?” I ask.
“They will want to talk with you too,” Tristan says. “But they can talk to you later. I’m not letting you out of my sight right now.”
I smile at his protectiveness. I think this is why I fell in love with him. He reminds me of my dad and my brothers. I know that he will always be here to protect me.
“What are you thinking?” he asks, smiling back at me.
“Just that I’m completely in love with you.”
Tristan wraps his arms around me again. “I love you too.”
This is exactly where I want to be forever.
In his arms.
Here, I feel safe. And loved.
Complete.
A ninja.
I spend the day getting interviewed by different people. I don’t know exactly who they are, but they all seem to be asking the same questions. I answer them as best as I can, wanting this to be over.
Dad and Alik came by the school and stayed for a while. Once I finally convinced them I was fine, they left. They are going to Russia, which I am glad for. Somebody needs to be with Dimitri right now. Elana is still alive, but in very critical condition. Things don’t look good for her. They expect her to just be alive for a few more hours. But I’m praying for a miracle.
I managed to talk to Dimitri on the phone earlier. He was really upset, but I could tell he was glad to talk to me. He is a strong guy, and I know that he will make it through this. We’ve been through so much already.
Damon called Tristan, after he heard about the kidnap attempt. Apparently, it’s on the news that a Russian terrorist group tried to kidnap me again. They’re still calling me Damon Hartley’s girlfriend, which is annoying. Especially considering Damon won’t even talk to me. Tristan tried to get him to, but he wouldn’t. He just wanted to know how I was doing.
I also got to talk to my mum earlier, finally. She sounded good. And I can’t help but feel thankful that she’s okay.
When I walk into the student lounge later that night, everybody stares at me. Jade is the only one to approach me though.
“I was so worried about you,” she says, giving me a hug.
“I’m fine,” I say, hugging her back.
She releases me and steps back. “The news said somebody tried to kidnap you again.”
“They attempted,” I say. “But didn’t succeed.”
“Salvador says you’re a ninja. He said you saved him,” she says, and blushes slightly when she says his name.
“She is a ninja,” Tristan says. “I trained her.”
Jade looks at Tristan. “Thanks for saving my cousin. And Salvador.”
“What’s the deal with you two?” I ask her.
“We’re friends,” she answers. “Good friends. Nobody else in this school likes me. I mean, besides you. And he’s my age, so we have a lot of classes together. And we have a lot in common. It’s nice to have a friend.”
“Good,” I say.
I really did hate that she was always by herself. At least now she has Salvador. He’s a good kid. At least, he seems to be. And thankfully, he is nothing like his father. Now that Rafael is captured, Salvador will be safe.
The door to the student lounge opens, and Salvador walks in. Jade walks over to him without even saying goodbye.
“Am I really done with having bodyguards?” I ask Tristan.
“Really, you are,” he answers.
“Good.”
“Damon is coming back to school next week. Are you going to be okay seeing him?” he asks.
“I’ll be fine. He’ll eventually forgive me so we can be friends again,” I say.
At least, I hope so.
I look over at Jade, who is smiling at something Salvador said to her. The two of them look so cute together.
Tristan gets a call on his phone. He says it’s an important call, so he walks off, leaving me alone for the first time in a long time.
Well, I’m not completely alone. I’m in a room full of people. But nobody is babysitting me anymore. I am safe, and that feels good. Really, really good. I’m ready for things to be back to normal.
Well, as normal as it can get for me.
NINE
Ready.
Two days later, I am in Georgia.
I’m not exactly sure how Tristan talked me into this, but he did.
Today, I am meeting his family. The same family that he hasn’t seen in almost three years. I told him he should be going alone. I mean, this seems like a pretty intimate moment for him and his family, but he insists that he wants me to meet them, and that they will be fine that I’m coming along.
Late last night, I got a call from Alik. Elana’s health has taken a turn and it seems she’s getting better. She’s not out of the woods yet, but they now think it’s possible that she might pull through this. Hopefully by the time I go home for Christmas break, she will be out of the hospital.
As Tristan drives towards his older sister’s home, he holds my hand when he doesn’t need to shift gears. He is really nervous, which is probably the real reason he wanted me to come today. I think I help calm him down.
“It’s going to work out just fine,” I assure him.
“I know. It’s just been so long. My nieces and nephew won’t even know me,” he says.
“But they’ll get to know you,” I sa
y. “And they will love you as much as I do. Trust me.”
He squeezes my hand. “Thank you for coming with me. I couldn’t do this without you.”
The GPS tells us that we’ve arrived at our destination. Tristan turns into a long driveway. The gate is already open, so he drives up the path towards the large house. Once he parks, he takes a few deep breaths.
“Tristan,” I say, getting his attention. “They’re family. They already love you. You shouldn’t be the one freaking out. I should be. I’m meeting your family for the first time.”
He laughs. “They will love you.”
“Good,” I say.
“My younger brother will love your accent. And he will probably hit on you,” he says. “He’s only nineteen.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t dump you for your brother.”
He laughs, and I’m glad I could distract him.
“Let’s do this,” he says, then gets out of the car.
I follow him. As we walk up the sidewalk towards the door, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I check it real quick, just to see if it’s an update on Elana. But it’s not. It’s Jade.
Jade: I’m ready to find my biological father… if you’re still willing to help.
Me: Of course. We can start on Monday.
Jade: Thank you.
I put my phone back in my pocket, wondering what that’s about.
But the thought quickly goes to the back of my mind as the front door opens.
It’s then that I realize I was so worried about Tristan being nervous that I forgot to be nervous myself.
I really hope I don’t say anything stupid.
The beginning.
Letter from Scarlett
Hey! Thank you so much for reading Wish, the last episode in this series! I hope you enjoyed it! I do plan on continuing in this world from a different character’s perspective. Look for True (Finding Me: New Hope Academy, Book 1) coming soon!
If you did enjoy this book, it would mean a lot to me if you left a review wherever you picked this up.
For more information on this series, be sure to check out my blog https://scarletthaven.wordpress.com!
—Scarlett Haven
More books by Scarlett
New Hope Academy Series:
Luck (Episode 1)
Fate (Episode 2)
Fame (Episode 3)
Wish (Episode 4)
The Journey West Series:
Silas & Acadia (Book 1)
Find me online.
Blog: https://scarletthaven.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Scarlett_Haven
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorScarlettHaven/
Acknowledgments.
As always, I want to thank God first. I hope to always put him first in every aspect of my life, and hope that you guys strive to do the same!
Tess, thank you for doing writing sprints with me while I finished up this book. You’re the best writing sprint buddy ever. Thanks for keeping me motivated.
Mom and Dad, for letting me stay with you so much, because I like Arkansas better than Missouri. I hope to move back here soon. Then you’ll have to deal with me all the time.
Shane, for letting me go to Arkansas so much ;). You’re an awesome husband. Thank you for always supporting my dreams.
Savannah, my super awesome cousin, I hope you like the character I named after you. Don’t worry Erica, you’re next!!
To everybody who has read and enjoyed this series. I hope you continue to read and enjoy my other books. I am excited about continuing this series on from a different character’s perspective and hope you like that series just as much!
To Katerina and Tristan, thanks for letting me in your head. And Damon, sorry I was so mean to you in this series! I hope to make it up to you soon!
—Scarlett
Wish Page 8