44. Evangeline
Chapter 44
Evangeline
T he scream that leaves my throat sounds inhuman.
“Phoenix, no. No.”
My airways are painfully tight, contracting with each sob that overtakes my body.
Thank goodness Tyler had been so focused on Phoenix that he didn’t realize how close he’d come to me and my chain. Nothing has ever felt as satisfying as Tyler collapsing to the floor.
I gaze at his blank stare, and with a swallow, I touch his throat to check for a pulse. Nausea rolls through my stomach at feeling his skin under mine. I wait. One second. Two. I take deep breaths through my nose. But there’s nothing. No pulse. No heartbeat.
He’s dead. He’s really dead.
Freddy is dead.
Oh my God.
No matter how satisfying it might be to get the gun and empty the remainder of the magazine into him, I need to get to Phoenix .
I rush to him, panic prickling my soul when I see him. So much blood has collected around his body.
So much blood.
He’s utterly still and unmoving.
“No, please, dear God. No.”
My breaths are short, quick pants as I fall to my knees beside him. Blood coats half of his face, and he’s pale. Too pale.
I glide my shaky fingers up his neck, trying to search for his pulse. The second I find it, I half collapse on his body in relief but quickly pull myself up again. “Hang in there, baby, please. I’m going to get you help, I promise.”
I don’t want to leave him, but he needs an ambulance. Quickly.
For a moment, my muscles freeze.
You can do this, Eve. It’s over. Tyler can’t hurt you anymore. You did it. And now you need to get your husband the help he needs.
A shudder shakes me out of my stupor, and I go back to Tyler and pat my hands over his pants. I hate every second of being so close to him, of having my hands on him, but I need to find . . . Yes. I feel the hard rectangular shape in his left pocket and reach into it to tug it out.
My hands shake so badly it takes me several swipes to bring the screen to life. The locked screen. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
I swipe again and feel disgust and gratitude rush my system at the fingerprint access.
Of course.
On a deep inhale, I grab his limp hand and situate his thumb over the screen. It takes me numerous tries, but the phone finally unlocks.
“Come on, come on.” I push the green phone button, type in nine-one-one, and wait. But nothing happens. “No, please.”
I hold the phone away from my ear and stare at the corner of the screen. No service.
The jammer.
Shit.
I have no idea where it is. Shit, I don’t even know what it looks like.
No, no, no.
We didn’t get this far to fail now. It’s not over yet.
A sob racks my body. I move back to Phoenix and press my lips to his, but then I’m up. I hold the phone in a death grip and sprint out of the room, gasping at Ruby’s unmoving form.
Fuck.
I already forgot about my best friend again.
Tears fall to the floor as I crouch beside her, dropping the phone to search for her pulse. Hers is easier to find than Phoenix’s, stronger under my fingertips. Thank goodness.
A soft groan escapes her mouth, and I shush her. “Don’t move, Ruby. You’ll be okay. I’m getting help.”
Jumping up, I grab the phone once more and touch the screen to keep it unlocked. I race through the house until I reach the front door. It’s heavy in my hand, but I haul it open and run down the front steps. I race down the long driveway toward the street that lies beyond, my gaze constantly flicking to the phone to see if the service has returned.
I don’t know how far the reach of the signal jammer goes, so I keep pushing my tired legs. Ignoring the bite on the bottom of my bare feet slapping on the concrete and pebbles. The crisp fall air bites at my skin, goosebumps immediately spreading over my entire body.
Despite feeling like I’m about to collapse, I make it to the road and take a left turn on instinct. A strangled sound leaves my lips when two network bars appear on the screen. Oh my God. Finally, I crumble to the ground and repeat my earlier call.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“Can you track the location of my phone?” My breathing is so loud I hope the woman on the other end of the line can make out the words.
“Give me one second.” She’s quiet for two beats. “Yes, I got you.”
“I was kidnapped. One person is dead, two injured.”
My eyes flare. My thoughts rearrange.
Mason. Fuck.
“Maybe three.”
“Ma’am, are you injured? Can you tell me more?—”
I hang up and dial the next number, this one longer than the first.
The call connects, but I’m greeted by silence. “Hold?”
“Princess? Fuck.”
My sobs are loud and ugly the moment I hear his voice.
He’s talking to me, but I can’t make out the words.
“Hold, he shot Phoenix. His pulse . . . it was so weak.” I hiccup and bite my lip, trying to calm down, but it’s useless.
Holden repeats something.
This time, I catch the end. “Stay. One minute.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. I couldn’t move if I wanted to.
And then he’s there .
As are others.
There’s a lot of noise. And flashing lights. And people.
“Princess.”
And then I’m in Holden’s arms, wrapped tightly against his warm chest. Someone takes the phone from me, and something soft wraps around me, covering me, and it vaguely registers I’m still only in my underwear.
I sag against him, tears rolling down my cheeks and onto his shirt. “Phoenix. Shot. Basement.”
“Fuck.” He cradles me tighter, his fingers tightening around my body before he relaxes them. “Tyler?”
“Dead.”
He blows out a breath. “Ruby and Mason?”
“Ruby injured in the basement. Mason upstairs. Save Phoenix. Please, Hold.” The words slip out of my mouth between sobs while Holden barks orders at people and sirens sound in the distance.
I nestle closer against Holden’s warmth.
“They got him, Princess. They’re taking him to the hospital, and we’ll be right behind him, okay? Get some rest.”
As if his words turned off the power switch in my body, a sudden wave of exhaustion washes over me. My eyes are too heavy to keep open, and I close them for a moment. Just one moment.
When I open my eyes again, it takes me several attempts to blink away the blurriness. Eventually, Holden’s face becomes sharper .
The events rush back into my head with the magnitude of a bulldozer, and I gasp, “Phoenix?”
One corner of his mouth lifts in an attempt of a smile, but that’s all it is, an attempt. “He lost a lot of blood, and they rushed him into emergency surgery. There hasn’t been any update yet.”
“What? No.” I try to sit up, but for some reason, the blanket is tucked in on my sides, and panic rises in my throat at being restrained. My heart immediately gallops, the machine next to me speeding up in tandem until an alarm sounds.
A moment later, the door flies open, and a nurse walks in.
Holden steps aside. “She just woke up.”
“Shh, Evangeline. It’s okay, you’re safe now.” She pushes a few buttons on the machine until the beeping stops. A syringe appears out of nowhere, and she injects it into my IV.
I avert my gaze away from her and over to Holden.
The nurse holds my arms down. “You’ll feel better in just a moment. Everything’s all right.”
A sudden calmness spreads through my limbs, and I relax.
Holden’s sad look still pierces me straight through the heart though, and I hold out my hand to him. The nurse stops him, and they exchange a few hushed words. Eventually, she leaves, and he comes to my side.
“I can’t make it without him. If he doesn’t survive, I don’t want to either.” The words all blur together in my head, and I close my eyes after seeing Holden’s glistening eyes.
There’s only so much I can take.
The medicine the nurse gave me did a number on me. I’m not sure if it was supposed to knock me out as much as it did, but for the next few hours, I go in and out of sleep. It reminds me too much of waking up after Ruby drugged me. I hate it.
The room is dark when I peel my eyelids back and feel a little more alert. It’s an effort, but eventually, I manage to keep them open.
“Hold?” The name is barely audible, my throat too dry to talk.
Footsteps hurry toward me.
“Hey, Princess.” A chair scrapes across the floor. “How are you feeling?”
How do I feel?
Holden hands me a cup of water with a straw, and I take slow sips.
I’m utterly drained, that’s for sure.
“Phoenix?” His name is full of anguish and worry as my brain fully wakes up, quickly overriding my nervous system with a wave of anxiety and dread.
Hold nods. “He’s out of surgery. They’re keeping a close eye on him for the next twenty-four hours, but they’re hopeful.”
My eyes burn, but I nod at him. “O . . . Okay.”
“Shh.” Holden covers my hand with his. He gives it a gentle squeeze. “You guys are both going to be okay, and that motherfucker is dead.”
Having it officially confirmed eases a small part of my chest. We stay like this for a moment, and I close my eyes.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale .
Exhale.
“It’s really over?” I stare into Holden’s eyes, needing to hear it again.
His lips press into a tight-lipped smile. “It is, Princess. And as soon as Phoenix is cleared, I’ll take you to him.”
My vision blurs again, but I blink to bring Holden back into focus.
“I’m so sorry I failed you.” Holden’s hand is still on mine, but he averts his gaze to the floor. “If you hadn’t done what you did, the ambulance might not have made it there in time.”
“Hold, no . . . don’t.”
A muscle tics when he finally glances at me again. “You’re the reason he’s still alive, Eve.”
“I . . . I . . .” I don’t know what to say.
And it doesn’t matter anyway. The only thing that matters is that he’s going to be okay. “What about Ruby and Mase?”
Hold clears his throat. “Ruby suffered a fractured skull, but the doctor said she should be okay again in a few months. Mason only had some minor injuries.”
“Thank goodness.” I blow out a long breath, the relief of the entire situation almost overwhelming.
The door opens, and the same nurse from my last hospital visit walks in, her shoes coming to a squeaking halt when she sees us.
“Well, hello there, Sleeping Beauty. Glad to see you awake. We have to stop meeting like this.” She gives me a smile and a wink before shifting her attention to Hold to glare at him. “And you, young man, were supposed to tell us when she woke up. What is it with you guys never listening?”
He has the decency to look flustered. “Sorry, Nurse Cynthia.”
“Uh-huh, that’s right.” She comes to the other side of my bed, checks the monitors, and gets the stethoscope from around her neck to check my vitals. Her watchful gaze inspects my face. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”
Holden’s unanswered question from earlier comes back. “Mmm, okay, I think.”
“Does anything hurt?” She moves the round metal piece over my chest, listening intently while I inhale and exhale.
I shake my head, taking a moment to inventory my body. “I don’t think so. Mainly just my wrists.”
Her expression falls at the mention of my wrists, but she forces her lips to move upward again. “I’m glad you got away better than your husband.”
Her words repeat in my head.
Your husband.
My husband .
A vague memory of yelling at Holden that I need to see Phoenix, and that he’s my husband, dashes into my mind.
“Can I . . . can I see him?” I clear my throat, sending her a pleading gaze. “Please?”
She tilts her head to the side, a frown growing between her brows, and I get ready for her rejection.
After a sigh, she blinks at me. “I know they brought him to a room, but let me see how he’s doing first, okay?”
I nod, sad but hopeful I’ll be able to see Phoenix soon. I need to see him alive and doing well with my own eyes.
A big yawn takes over my mouth, and my eyes droop. This stupid medicine. I never want anything like this ever again. Feeling loopy is officially on my bad list.
Cynthia huffs a laugh and pats my hand. “Why don’t you rest for a while, and I’ll be back before you know it?”
I want to tell her no, that I don’t want to sleep any more. I want to stay awake and see Phoenix. But whatever medicine is left in my body has other plans.
Strong arms push under my body, lifting me effortlessly off the mattress.
A high-pitched sound leaves my throat as I’m pulled against a warm chest.
“Just me, Princess. You’re safe.”
I hum low in my throat, the gentle rocking motion of Holden carrying me reminding me of our little vacation. Of being in the ocean with the soft waves lapping up my body and surrounding me in a tender caress.
My eyes stay shut until he places me down again, and I gingerly pry them open.
The large white-and-gray room is almost identical to the one we just left, except for one significant difference. There’s a second bed a few feet away from mine, and Phoenix’s large frame takes up almost the entire mattress. He’s on his back with cables coming out from under the covers attached to several machines.
I take him in, my eyes feasting on as much of him as they can manage from this angle.
Straining my neck, I roam over the bandages from one wound, with the other hiding under the fabric. Since I’m facing his right side, I can’t see the temple injury or anything else on his face. My gaze stops at his wrapped wrists for several beats before I stare at the healthy rise and fall of his chest, nearly breaking down at the sight of it.
Holden’s still next to my bed, his gaze fixed on his best friend. I grab his hand and squeeze it. When he looks down at me with shiny eyes, I whisper, “Thank you.”
He squeezes my fingers back and gives me a tight nod. We stay like this until he points toward the oversized chair in the corner, where he settles in for the night.
I plan on not moving a single muscle the entire night, watching over Phoenix until he opens his eyes.