Love & Consequences: A Love & Ruin Standalone Novel

by J. A. Owenby

  “Slow down,” he said, pointing to his arm in the sling. “I’ve got a shoulder wound, but overall I’m fine.”

  I wiped away the tears and my attention darted to the large blood stain on Gemma’s shirt.

  “It’s only a flesh wound,” she said, pulling me in for a hug. “It hurts like hell, but I’m fine. We’re fine.”

  I released her and hugged Hendrix gently.

  “Why were you unconscious?” I asked Gemma, sniffling.

  “I hit my head on the stage and it knocked me out. I’m exhausted, but I’m going to be okay. I promise. The bullet nicked my side, but it’s only a minor injury.” She slipped her shirt up enough for me to see the bandage.

  “What the fuck?” I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth.

  “Try not to worry, Mac. They gave us some antibiotics and Tylenol 3. At least the pain is better.”

  “You’re both really alright?” I asked. My body trembled with an overload of emotion, and Pierce slipped his arm around my shoulders for support.

  “Yeah, we really are,” Gemma assured me. Even though she wanted to appear strong, I didn’t miss the grief and fear in her eyes.

  Pierce’s gaze fell first on Gemma then Hendrix.

  “I’m sorry.” His voice was thick with emotion. “I should have been there to protect you.”

  “You did,” Hendrix said. “If you hadn’t, I think we would have lost Cade. At least he’s still fighting.”

  “Omigosh, I don’t understand. It all happened so fucking fast,” I said, wringing my hands together. “One minute Cade was about to sing his solo, and the next everyone was lying motionless on the stage. Pierce stayed with Cade so he wouldn't bleed out, and Gemma, I couldn't find your pulse,” I hiccupped. “You scared the ever-living shit out of me. Then I found it and …”

  My sobs picked up momentum, and I fought to control them enough to deliver the horrible news. I took a deep breath. “John,” I whimpered. “When I saw his face … I knew he was gone. How? How could this have happened?” I asked, biting my bottom lip.

  “He’s gone?” Hendrix asked, the blood draining from his face.

  “No,” Gemma whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. “What happened?”

  “I … I.”

  “He was shot in the head,” Pierce said quietly, his voice filled with grief. “I’m so sorry.”

  Hendrix laid his head on Gemma’s shoulder, his body shaking as he sobbed. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around them both as our tears flowed.

  “Mac!” Franklin’s voice boomed through the room. I whirled around, ran toward him full speed ahead, and threw my arms around him.

  “Dad!” I cried against his chest. He kissed the top of my head, and I released him, dragging him over to his son.

  “Hendrix … Gemma …” Franklin’s voice trailed off as he assessed the situation, tears brimming in his eyes. Gemma and Hendrix stood, and Franklin gently wrapped his arms around all of us. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, clinging to each other and crying.

  Eventually we released each other, and Gemma and Hendrix sat back down on the bed and chair.

  “I’m so sorry about John,” Franklin said, grief consuming his expression. “I’m going to see what I can learn about Cade’s condition. I’ll notify his mom and sister when we know something. I’m concerned about how his mother will handle it, so I’d like to wait.”

  I watched him as he approached the desk. I chewed nervously on my thumbnail, waiting.

  Franklin’s conversation was too short to have found out anything useful. He returned to us, sighed, and sank into the chair next to me.

  “He’s in surgery. The bullet lodged itself in his chest. It barely missed his heart. All we can do is wait.”

  A sob escaped me, and I tucked my knees under my chin, rocking back and forth. He had to make it. He had to come back to us. Franklin smoothed my hair as I cried and waited for me to calm down.

  “Do you know anything else about the shooter?” I rubbed my head and stared at the floor.

  “I spoke with my FBI contact on the way here. They identified him as Michael Conway. He’s from Ohio and has a record for multiple rapes and an attempted murder. He’s not been linked to Dillon yet, but I suspect either Dillon hired him, or Michael was a part of the society.”

  “I’ll find out,” Pierce said, his hands clenching into fists. “Dillon has hurt this family for the last time.” His expression darkened as his attention traveled over all of us.

  “You can’t blame yourself, Pierce,” Franklin said. “The lights were out, and the shooter had a high-powered scope. There’s nothing you could have done. He fired quickly, and there was no way you and John could have covered everyone at the same time.”

  My heart skipped a beat with the mention of John’s name. The image of his lifeless eyes and gaping mouth haunted me. How could someone be alive one second and gone the next?

  “He died protecting me,” Gemma said, choking on her words. “He must have seen Hendrix drop and moved in my direction, but he lined himself up with what I assume was a headshot meant for me. Now he’s gone, and all I have is a surface wound.”

  I gasped, my hands flying over my mouth. Worry lines creased Hendrix’s forehead while he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

  “Why would someone want to kill you?” I asked, my attention bouncing from Gemma to Franklin.

  “Because you and she both have to testify at Brandon’s trial, Mac,” Franklin said in a hushed tone.

  Chapter 24

  “Fuck,” My gaze found Gemma’s. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? I guess I’d blocked it out and forgotten about it until a trial date was set.”

  “I’m sorry, Mac. I wanted to shield you from any more stress for as long as I could. You were already having nightmares and terrified. I couldn’t add to it until we had a date,” Franklin explained.

  “We have a date?” Gemma asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Yeah, but we’ll discuss it later,” Franklin said.

  Pierce leaned forward in his chair. “We suspect Michael was hired to take Mac and Gemma out so they couldn’t testify. You two are the only eye-witnesses against Brandon. And Gemma, you’re one of the few people who have ties to the society through your father. That’s another reason they want you out of the way.” He rubbed his hands together, anger flickering across his face.

  Dammit. I’d been so wrapped up in my own nightmare, I’d not considered much beyond trying to get through each day without having a panic attack. I realized Franklin didn’t want to scare us, but this was beyond fucked up. Dillon had put a hit out on us. A mix of fear and anger swirled through me. I glanced at Gemma. She held my gaze for a moment, her cheeks flushed. I suspected we were thinking the same thing. We were in serious danger.

  “Do you have any more tours scheduled, Hendrix?” Franklin asked.

  “Not yet. We’d planned to record in the studio before the next set of dates.”

  Franklin rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “We’re tightening security for all of you. There are a few weeks until the trial, so I’d feel better if you all stayed at my place.”

  Hope fluttered to life in my chest. Even though it was only for a few weeks, we’d be together again.

  “I realize you and Gemma would prefer to stay at your own house, but I want security as tight at possible. Plus, I might actually sleep at night.”

  “Dad,” Hendrix said, his gaze landing on Franklin’s. “I love Gemma, and I made a commitment to love and protect her. If this is best for all of us, I’m good with it.” He paused and looked at Gemma. “Are you in, babe?”

  She squeezed his hand and nodded. “Yeah. I want to stay close to Mac, too. Thank you, Franklin.”

  “I have to take care of my family, and right now the only way I can is under one roof. We’ve replaced Calvin with a new guy named Zayne, too. He and Pierce know each other, so I think he will be a good fit.”

  Gemma’s brow discreetly rose with the n
ews, and I nodded at her before I returned my attention to the conversation concerning the security.

  “Another bodyguard will replace John when we arrive in Spokane,” Pierce added. “His name is Vaughn. We’ll all work perimeter security as well as being assigned to one of you.

  “I’m really sorry about John,” Franklin said, his voice trailing off. “I’ll always be grateful for what he did to save my family.”

  Tears streamed silently down my face as I remembered him licking my cheek and teasing me when I’d arrived at the bus the first day of the tour. Now. He was gone. Forever. He’d given his life to save my best friend. When would all of this insanity end?

  “Excuse me, are you Cade Richardson’s family?”

  Franklin stood, not correcting the doctor.

  “He’s a strong guy. He made it through surgery fine, but he’s looking at some significant recovery time. Cade’s a lucky young man. The bullet nearly hit his heart.”

  A small whimper escaped me, and I squeezed my eyes closed, attempting to control my emotional rollercoaster. Turning to Pierce, I grabbed his hand. “You got to him in time, dude.”

  Relief washed over his face, and he nodded. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Mac.”

  “You stayed with him. You saved him,” I said. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I flung my arms around Pierce and hung onto him. “Thank you,” I whispered hoarsely against his chest.

  I straightened up and looked at the doctor. “When can we see him?”

  “He’s really groggy, but as long as you promise not to stay long, you can see him now.”

  My attention landed on Hendrix, and he stood slowly. “Please let me tell him about John,” he said, glancing around to all of us.

  I nodded. There was no way I wanted to deliver the news.

  We followed the doctor down the long hospital hallway to Cade’s room. As eager as I was to be with him, I hesitated, suddenly afraid to see how badly he’d been injured. I peered cautiously around the door. His chest was bandaged, and his face was almost as white as the gauze. He turned his head, a loopy grin spreading across his beautiful features when he saw us.

  “Hey, babe,” he said softly.

  I ran into the room, but then dialed my enthusiasm down a notch. I couldn’t fling myself on top of him.

  “Hi baby,” I gently touched his cheek. “You made it back to me,” I said, my voice cracking from the weight of my emotions.

  “I’ve waited this long for you, I’m not going anywhere now that you're mine,” he said. “Are you alright?” His brows knitted together, and his eyes traveled over me.

  I nodded, grabbing his hand and kissing it.

  Franklin cleared his throat behind me, and I cringed. I’d been so relieved to see Cade, I’d forgotten Franklin was with us. I flashed Franklin a sheepish smile and turned my attention back to Cade.

  Hendrix approached Cade and a sad smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

  “Hey man, I can’t tell you how good it is to see you awake and talking,” Hendrix said, his eyes growing misty.

  “You too.” Cade nodded at Hendrix’s arm, then his attention landed on Gemma’s bloodied shirt. Pierce and Franklin waited patiently behind us. “I’m assuming you guys got shot, but you’re here and alright so I’ll take it.” Concern flickered across Cade’s face. “Where’s John?” he asked.

  Even though he was drugged up, he was still aware enough to realize his other childhood friend wasn’t in the room with us.

  Hendrix grimaced and his lips pursed together. “Cade,” he started.

  I chewed my bottom lip, attempting to not interrupt Hendrix. This wasn’t the time for me to blurt out whatever crap was flying through my mind.

  “He didn’t make it, man. He jumped in front of Gemma. He saved her life, but he sacrificed his own.” Hendrix’s voice trailed off, his shoulders tensing while we waited for the news of John’s death to fully sink in.

  Cade looked confused as he searched each of us for any indication it wasn’t true.

  “No way,” he whispered in disbelief. “No fucking way. He can’t be gone.” He released an agonizing moan as reality crashed down on him.

  His head hung down, and he gripped the railing of the bed so hard his knuckles turned white.

  “Aggghhhh!” he yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

  A dark-haired nurse bolted through the doorway and to the side of his bed.

  “Get back, all of you.” She shooed us away and injected something into Cade’s IV. His agonizing cries turned into whimpers, then he fell silent and his eyelids grew heavy.

  The nurse turned to us, anger flashing in her expression.

  “He’s fresh out of surgery, what in the world was so important?” She placed a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowing at each of us.

  “His best friend was shot tonight as well,” Franklin said, stepping forward. “But he didn’t make it. He sacrificed himself to save this young lady.” He nodded at Gemma.

  Her expression softened. “I’m really sorry. You’re the band that was performing tonight, aren’t you?”

  Hendrix and Gemma nodded. “Cade’s our guitarist,” Gemma added. “John, our drummer was the one who …” Her body trembled and Franklin wrapped a protective arm around her.

  “It’s been a horrific night. We weren’t going to tell Cade yet, but he was lucid enough to realize John wasn’t in the room with everyone else.”

  The nurse pursed her lips. “I see. Well, he’ll be asleep for some time. His body needs to heal, so maybe you all can come back later.”

  She wasn’t asking.

  “We can go check in at the hotel up the street,” Franklin said. “I’ll need to call his family, too.”

  “I want to stay,” I said, peering at Franklin. “Cade and I are together, Dad.”

  “I saw.” He didn’t ask me a million questions or argue, he simply nodded. “I’ll have hospital security positioned at the door. We’re not leaving you until they arrive, though.”

  “Thank you.” I sank into the chair next to Cade’s bed and took his hand in mine.

  “Mac?”

  My eyes fluttered open. At some point, I’d drifted off to sleep while waiting next to Cade.

  “Yeah, baby. I’m here.” I leaned forward in my chair. “Are you in pain?”

  “Not really,” he said, his tongue darting across his chapped bottom lip.

  “You weren’t hurt?” he asked, searching me for any signs.

  I shook my head. “I was too far to the side of the stage. Pierce was hit when he knocked you out of the way. Well, if he hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here with me right now. The bullet almost got your heart.” A tear snuck down my cheek, and I wiped it away self-consciously. “I’m relieved you’re going to be alright,” I whispered, my voice shaking with emotion. “I love you so much.”

  He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, the gold flecks in his eyes darkening. “I love you, too. I don’t know what I’d have done if you’d been hurt.”

  “I was the only one who wasn’t,” I said, guilt washing over me. “But it’s not that they weren’t looking for me. Fuck. I ummm—. We’ll talk about it later.”

  “You’re still in danger,” he stated, his brow arching.

  “Ya know, it’s just another day in the life of Mackenzie Worthington. No biggie.” I attempted a grin and waved him off.

  Cade chuckled and cringed, grabbing at his chest. “I’m not sure why I thought it was funny.”

  “Because you’re on good pain meds.”

  “My mom,” he said, swallowing visibly.

  “Franklin talked to the caregiver and your mom. They’re alright. You’re alright. The doctors said you’ll need to hang out here for a few days, then we’ll fly home on Franklin’s plane.”

  “No commercial flight, huh?”

  “Yeah. It’s nice. You can lie down and sleep if you’re tired. I’ll be next to you. And, uh, Franklin knows we’re together. I didn’t go into any details, but he heard us talkin
g and stuff.”

  “How’d he take it?” His forehead creased with his question.

  “So far alright, but he won’t say much about it while we’re here.”

  Cade nodded.

  “I’m super tired,” he muttered. In seconds his words were followed by a soft snore.

  Chapter 25

  Nearly a week later, we landed in Spokane. The late afternoon sun blazed in the bright blue sky as we loaded into Dad’s limo at the airport.

  Cade’s wound was on the mend, but he still had to take it easy. Hendrix also had to allow his shoulder more time. Gemma’s side had progressed nicely, and she was almost healed and back to normal activity. Pierce and I were the only ones not physically hurt. But mentally and emotionally? As long as I was alive, I’d never be able to forget that terrifying scene. The image of everyone lying on the stage not moving was burned into my brain for eternity.

  Silence filled Franklin’s limo while the driver headed toward Cade’s house. My thumb traced the back of his hand, and he laced his fingers through mine. I’d been missing him next to me in bed. Franklin hadn’t allowed me to stay with him overnight at the hospital. He said I needed my rest as much as Cade did. Even though I knew he was right, I didn’t like it.

  The limo came to a stop in front of Cade’s house.

  “I’m going to walk with him to the door,” I said to Franklin.

  Without a word, Pierce followed us out of the car and stayed within fifty feet.

  “So much for privacy,” I said to Cade while we strolled up the walkway to his tan house. The lawn was freshly mowed, and the bushes were newly trimmed. Bright orange and red roses added a splash of brilliant color next to the front porch.

  “I miss you already,” he said, stopping and tucking my hair behind my ear.

  “Me too. I was planning on sneaking you in at night, but you can’t crawl up the ladder and into my bedroom window while you’re healing.”

  “Maybe we can try the front door?” he asked, a sad smile easing across his face.

  “Yeah. Call me later?” I asked.