The Unexpected First (The Unexpected Series Book 2)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Ifeel her stand from the mattress and I close my legs as tight as I can with the restraints still attached when I hear it. The voice I’ve been dreaming of, that I’ve been praying for since this began. My eyelids shoot open, taking him in.

“I swear to fucking god, you bitch. If you move I will kill you where you stand.” Grey’s command is thick with rage. “Where are the keys?”

“Like I’ll fucking tell you.” Luna or Ingrid - I don’t know anymore - snarls back at him. “She’s mine. You were never supposed to touch her. She’s always been mine!” I see her hand attempting to turn the knife around so she can palm the handle instead of the blade.

“Knife!” I scream as loud as my tender throat will allow.

Grey drops his free hand to the arm with the knife, squeezing her wrist so tightly it drops on the ground before he kicks it away.

“Take me to the fucking keys,” he growls as he squeezes her throat.

She wheezes out a breath while pointing toward the opposite side of the stairs. Wrapping his arm around her torso, his hand still gripping her throat, he carries her in the direction she pointed. He puts her down in front of him and grabs a ring of keys from the wall. He continues gripping her throat so hard she begins to paw and scratch at his hand to be released. He grips the back of her head before letting go and slams her face into the cement wall in front of them. She collapses to the ground and he comes rushing toward me. A loud sob erupts from my throat and echoes around the room.

“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Grey’s face is twisted with guilt as he works to release me.

He leans over me, his hands on the cuffs at my wrists. I hear a click before my arms drop free. I bring them to my chest, rubbing each wrist. He works quickly, moving down to my feet, unlocking the first cuff when I see movement out of the corner of my eye.

“Grey!” I scream. He turns around with that gazelle-like quickness, pulling a gun from the back of his waistband, aiming it at where Luna is standing.

“You can’t keep me away from her,” she snarls through the blood dripping down her face.

“Stay the fuck away from me, you psychopath!” I cry.

“It’s ok, baby. She won’t touch you again.” Grey’s voice rushes over me like a blanket of calm. “Close your eyes, beautiful.”

I do as he asks, squeezing my eyes shut, praying and begging to any god that will listen that this ends now.

“You think you can hurt me? I’m a woman, no one will believe you.” Her voice is so shrill a dog barks not far off in the distance in response.

I hear a click less than a second before a loud bang sounds so close, my ears begin to ring. A loud thud startles me, my eyes shooting open to see Grey still in the same position, I look to where Luna was standing only to see her lying on her stomach, unmoving. Her face is in my line of sight and her eyes are still on me, but I can see the emptiness in them.

Grey stands up quickly, unlocking the last cuff before wrapping me in the blanket that my captors would throw over me when they were done with me. He lifts me in his arms and takes the stairs two at a time until we’re in a familiar room.

“What?” I ask as I look around taking in my surroundings. “Why did they bring me here?” I cry, clinging onto Grey’s neck.

“Ryan!” I hear Connor’s voice through the haze.

I look behind Grey to see Connor restraining the man who helped her hold me captive. I have no chance to react before the house is filled with every cop in the Central Falls Police Department. Bennett trailing in behind them, his face filled with relief and guilt when our eyes meet.

“Ry!” he sobs as he runs toward Grey who is still holding me.

“Not right now. She needs a fucking doctor.” Grey growls, holding me tighter against his chest.

I don’t respond to anyone. I close my eyes and bury my face into Grey’s chest, inhaling his delicious scent of sandalwood and juniper. He carries me out the front door to the waiting ambulance. Two EMTs wheel the gurney out of the back of the rig so that Grey can lay me down instead of making us climb in.

Once they have me secured into the back of the ambulance, Jodi, the EMT who is sitting in the back with me, starts to pull the door closed when Grey yanks it back open.

“If you think you’re taking her out of my sight, you’ve lost your goddamn mind,” he snarls.

She simply nods as he climbs in, sitting next to me, pulling my hand into his. When the door is closed, Jodi calls out to the driver that we’re all secure and the driver takes off.