Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Gideon
The sunlight was blinding, even through my closed eyelids. I blinked against it, disoriented and uncertain of where I was. My feet were on sand, soft and warm but somehow not clinging to me. The air was thick with salt and the faintest hint of flowers, stirring something deep in my memory.
Hilton Head.
But as I opened my eyes, I saw it wasn’t exactly Hilton Head. The colors were too bright, the edges of everything blurred as though I were looking through frosted glass. It felt like a memory come to life, beautiful, but not quite real.
And then I saw her.
Imogene.
She sat beside me, her legs tucked beneath her as the wind teased strands of hair across her face. Her eyes met mine, full of warmth and light, like none of the horrors we’d endured had ever touched her.
“Is this...?” My voice was hoarse, cracking like I hadn’t used it in years.
Imogene smiled softly and placed her hand over mine. “Does it matter?”
I wanted to ask more, but she leaned in and pressed her lips to mine. The taste of her, the sweetness of her breath, the warmth of her touch drowned out every question.
For the first time in years, I felt at peace.
But our perfect moment was interrupted by a familiar bark. I looked up just as Ollie bounded across the sand toward a flock of seagulls, his tail wagging furiously.
“Ollie! Heel!” Imogene and I both shouted at the same time.
We shared a look before bursting into laughter. Ollie joined us, and I wrapped my arms around him as he smothered me with slobbery kisses, my chest aching with a mixture of joy and something else. Something heavier.
“This is it, isn’t it?” I asked, looking at her. “We’re dead.”
Her smile faltered for just a second. “Do you think we are?”
I looked around the idyllic scene — the flawless blue sky, the gentle waves lapping at the shore. It felt like paradise. Our own personal heaven. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong here.
“I don’t know if I’ve earned this. I don’t know if I deserve it.”
Imogene squeezed my hand. “You’re a good man, Samuel Tate.” She leaned toward me, touching a kiss to my cheek. “But you’re an amazing man, Gideon Saint. Never doubt that.”
Our eyes locked for a brief moment before she stood up gracefully, brushing invisible grains of sand from her clothes.
“What are you doing?” I asked, squinting against the bright light behind her that cast a halo around her silhouette.
She shrugged. “I have to go.”
Panic flared in my chest and I shot to my feet, reaching for her. But no matter what I did, she remained just out of my grasp.
“What do you mean? Where are you going?”
She glanced at Ollie, who stood at her side, his tail wagging slower now. “I don’t know. It’s just... It’s our time.”
“No,” I pleaded. “You can’t go. Stay with me. Please.”
She faced me again, her expression tender but resolute. “It’s time for you to go, too.”
She started walking away, Ollie following obediently behind her.
“Imogene!” I tried to follow, but the sand beneath my feet seemed to hold me in place. “Come back!”
She didn’t stop.
The world around me blurred, and her figure faded into the light. I screamed her name once more. This time, the sound wasn’t muted. It was loud, causing me to startle.
Suddenly, everything was different.
The harsh fluorescent lights above me were blinding in a different way, the sterile smell of antiseptic replacing the salt and flowers. I blinked rapidly, my heart pounding in my chest as my surroundings slowly came into focus. The stiff sheets, the rhythmic beeping of monitors, the IV taped to my arm. Everything was sharper, more painful than the dream.
This was real. I was alive, stuck in some hospital bed.
But where was Imogene?
Did she somehow come to me in that dream to say goodbye?
The thought propelled me forward, and I forced myself to sit up. Ignoring the painful sting, I ripped the IV from my arm and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My body trembling from the effort, I took a step, then another, pushing down the lightheadedness consuming me as I stalked toward the door that seemed to get farther and farther away.
When I finally opened it and emerged into the hallway, a brunette in green scrubs hurried toward me.
“Sir, you shouldn’t be out of bed. You need to lie down and rest!”
“Where is she?” I demanded, my voice rough as I leaned against the doorframe for support.
“Please, you’re in no condition?—”
“Where is she?” I roared, shoving past her.
The hallway stretched before me, a maze of identical doors and glaring lights. I stumbled forward, my bare feet slapping against the cold floor.
“Imogene!” I bellowed, my cry echoing down the corridor.
I yanked open doors, one after another, each room that didn’t contain the woman I was looking for feeding my growing desperation. My legs gave out briefly, sending me crashing into a cart of medical equipment, but I pushed myself upright again.
“Imogene!”
“Gideon.”
The soft voice cut through the chaos in my mind.
I froze, unsure if it was real or I was simply hallucinating. Slowly, I turned toward the source.
She leaned in the doorway across the hall, her hair disheveled and her face pale.
“What are you doing out of bed, you stubborn ass?”
I crossed the hall in two unsteady strides, cupping her face in my hands. Her skin was warm and soft beneath my touch, her steady pulse a welcome relief.
Or perhaps an answered prayer.
“Is this heaven?” I asked, my voice trembling.
She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t call Los Angeles heaven, but it’s not the worst place I’ve ever been.”
The sound of her voice, the glint of humor in her eyes — it was real. She was real.
“What happened?” I asked, still struggling to process it all.
Her smile widened, a hint of mischief shining in her eyes. “Well, since you got a tattoo where mine is, I figured it was only fair I get a bullet wound where yours is.”
She shifted her gown just enough to reveal the bandage covering her side.
I let out a shaky laugh, pressing my forehead to hers. Relief poured through me in waves, leaving me weak but lighter than I’d felt in years.
“I thought I lost you,” I murmured.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she whispered back. “I took a bullet for you. You owe me now. And I intend on collecting.”
I pulled her into a gentle hug, careful of her injury but unwilling to let go. “I’ll gladly pay for the rest of my life.” I tipped her chin back and touched a soft kiss to her lips, relishing in her warmth. Then I met her gaze. “And Liam?”
Her expression fell, and she gave a small shake of her head. “He didn’t make it. One of the guards got to him just as Henry’s team arrived. Slashed his throat.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, letting this news sink in.
It was what I wanted for years, but it didn’t feel as satisfying I imagined it would. I didn’t relish in his demise like I thought I would.
“Now what?” I mused to myself.
Imogene pressed her hand to my cheek, forcing my gaze back to her. “Now we live happily ever after.”
I inched my lips toward hers, the weight of the past five years evaporating. “I like the sound of that.”
“As do I.”
I still had dozens of questions. About how Henry figured out where we were. About how many more of Myers’ victims were out there.
But I wasn’t going to worry about that right now. Instead, I was going to do what I never thought I’d be able to do again.
I was going to live for the now. Not the past. Not the future. Just now.
Because that was all that truly mattered. This moment. This woman. And this love.