Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
JASMINE
I wake with a jump as a loud, high-pitched alarm sounds from all angles.
“Daddy?” I reach for Christian, who should be sleeping beside me, but the bed’s empty.
A loud thud sounds from the window as the room descends into complete darkness. Jumping from the bed, I rush to it and throw open the curtains, only to find the bulletproof shutters down.
“Daddy?” I yell this time as I panic, realising it could only mean one thing: we are under attack.
“Daddy!” I scream, rushing for the bathroom to find it empty. “Where are you?” Rushing back into the room, I try the bedroom door, but it’s locked. The alarm is still ringing, drowning out all other sounds from outside the room. The only thing I can still hear is my pounding heart. Panic threatens to take over, but I give my head a shake and force myself to focus.
“Christian!” I don’t know why I’m still calling him; he’s not here. But if he’s not here, where is he?
Has he been taken?
Has the house been breached, are all of my men now in danger? What about Mrs Brown, Terry and Layton? Are they safe?
The image of Christian lying in a pool of blood fills my mind. His eyes trained on me as the blood continues to flow from him. The fear consumes me like a cage, trapping me within its bars, tightening until it’s all I can feel. In seconds, I see all four of them lying in the same position, all covered in blood and dead. Their images change just as quickly to Mrs Brown and the guys.
With my fingers threaded into the root of my hair, I tug at it, trying to get myself to focus on anything but my vivid imagination. Now is not the time for a panic attack; I need to work through all the steps the guys have drilled into me.
Taking one deep breath in an attempt to force myself to focus, I spin around and rush to the bedside cabinet where I know Christian keeps a gun for emergencies. Grabbing it from its hidden compartment at the back, I check it’s loaded and grab some extra bullets just in case. I look down at the gun in my hand, and the image of my mother's face as I killed her is all I can see. I’ve not held a gun since that day. The guys haven’t even attempted to continue my self-defence weapon training; we purely focus on hand-to-hand combat. My hands shake as I check the safety is in place, and the image of the bullet entering my mother’s head flashes up again. My breath catches as the guilt threatens to make me vomit where I stand, but I force myself to remember why I did it. I did it to save Christian and will do it again if necessary.
Keeping hold of the strength my men have given me, I rush to the other side of the bed, drop down, and hide as the guys have taught me. The alarm finally cuts off at almost the exact moment I get into position. The memory of the alarm going off when I was locked in that godforsaken hell hole tries to overcome me, but I push it back. I am not there; I’m here in our home and will not be taken again.
I hear voices yelling outside the door, bringing me back to the room. I can’t make them out as my ears are ringing from the alarm. I try harder to listen and pick out who I can hear, but it’s impossible.
I hear them getting louder, and the sound of the door handle moving has me spinning around and flicking the safety off the gun while aiming at the door.
“Jazzy!” Jason throws open the door, and I instinctively drop the gun onto the bed and rush round to him.
“Daddy!” His name spills from my lips as I cry, throwing my arms around his neck.
“It’s okay, I’m here, Angel. I’ve got you.” He holds the back of my head as his other arm holds me around my waist.
“Where are the others?” I demand, pulling back.
“We are all fine. There’s no danger. Christian’s in his office-” I don’t wait to hear anything else. I pull out of Jason's arms and rush out of the room. “Jazzy, wait!” I don’t have time to wait. I need to see him. I need to know he’s unharmed and that the others are all okay, too.
My throat and eyes are burning as I run down the stairs, nearly losing my balance more than once. I try to push back the images I had of the four of them hurt, but once again, they come to the forefront of my mind, which only forces me to push myself harder to get to him. I need to get there before the panic attack takes hold.
I can hear Jason shouting at me, but I know he's okay; I need to see Christian and the others now.
“Daddy!” Throwing open the door, I run into the room to stop in my tracks.
He’s not here.
I scream his name whilst spinning around in a circle, hoping I missed him. But he’s nowhere to be seen.
He’s meant to be here. Why isn’t he here?
Panic hits me like a tidal wave, and I instantly find myself drowning in it. The room spins as I look around for him again. Everything starts to become blurry, and the walls feel like they are closing in as my legs go from underneath me. I need to see that they’re okay, but the confinements of the fear prevent me from moving. Panic takes what little breath I have, and a hysterical cry forces its way out of my throat. I can't move; I can't get anything past my constricted throat.
“Jazzy …”
I don’t hear what else Jason says as I feel him running a hand over my head. I try to speak, but I don’t know if I manage to say the word out loud or if they remain in my head.
“Where?”
Jason pulls me onto his lap and holds me, but as much as I love him, it’s not him I want or need.
“Jazzy, he’s fine. We are all fine.”
All I can do is shake my head because until I see them for myself, I don’t trust that someone hasn’t taken them from me. Jason must realise as he stands with me still in his arms and carries me from the room. I don’t look where he is taking me. The tears stop me from seeing clearly, and I can't stop myself from clinging to his shirt. He holds me tight in his arms as he rushes through the house until I hear him kicking a door with his foot.
“Christian!”
I hear a door open, and Jason charges into a room.
“What’s happened?” The sound of his voice causes something to snap inside me, and I turn away from Jason’s chest, desperate to see him with my own eyes. I don’t have to wait as he pulls me from Jason’s arms and holds me. He walks across the room and sits with me on his lap, and I bury my head into his shirt and breathe in his cologne.
“Sweetheart, what’s the matter?” He tries to pull away from me, but I grab at his shirt, needing to stay as close as possible to him. I am terrified that if I move just slightly, he will be taken from me. I try to ask where the twins are, but I’ve lost all ability to speak. Nothing is getting past my constricted throat, not even air.
“Do you really need to ask?” I hear Jason snap. “She was alone when they activated the security system. They triggered it five minutes early, so I was still in my office when we went into lockdown.
“She spent the whole of yesterday listening to us discussing how someone wants you dead and then gets woken up by the house going into lockdown.”
Christian curses under his breath as he buries his face into my hair.
“I’m so sorry, Sweetheart. I didn’t know you were alone. We are all fine, I promise. They were testing the improved system.” I take a deep breath and listen to his heartbeat as he whispers sweet words into my hair. I curl up smaller in his lap, needing the comfort of his arms as they tighten around me.
Even when the tears have slowed and I’m no longer hysterical, I can’t face him. I can't bring myself to move, terrified that I will never hear his heart beating again.
“Where are the others?” I whisper. Each word’s hurting my throat. Jason appears with an open bottle of water for me. After a couple of sips, I clear my throat and try again. “Where are the others?”
“The twins had gone out to meet with Ryan Donavon. The three of them are training together. They will be back soon,” Christian whispers, running a hand up and down my back.
“I promise we are all fine, Jazzy,” Jason says as he tries to take my hand but stops when he realises it’s in a fist. “What’s in your hand, Angel?” he asks, frowning. I look at it for a moment before remembering. Jason holds out his hand, and I slowly drop three bullets into his palm.
“Shit,” the two of them curse together as Christian’s arms tighten around me again.
“Where’s the gun, Sweetheart?”
I have to think about it for a moment because I don’t remember, but then I remember it falling from my hand.
“On the bed or beside it,” I reply.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea you were alone. If I had known you were so scared, I would have come to you myself.”
“Of course, she was scared. For fuck’s sake, Christian. She’s terrified of losing you, of losing all of us.”
“I can't lose you,” I whisper into his chest as he runs a hand over my hair repeatedly.
“I’m not going anywhere, Sweetheart. You are stuck with me for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not.” He kisses my head again. “No one will ever take me from you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Daddy,” I sigh before yawning, exhausted after my panic attack. They always leave me so drained, and now that I know the guys are all safe, I can tell I’m going to fall asleep.
“It’s not a promise; it’s a vow. I will never leave you.”
I want to believe him wholeheartedly, but I don’t think I truly will until we know this threat hanging over our heads has gone. For now, I stay curled up on his lap, listening to his heart as he holds me tight and promises me the world.
* * *
Christian
Jasmine sleeps soundly in my arms, her head resting on my chest as she clings to my shirt. She’s been asleep for about twenty minutes now after exhausting herself.
When Jason kicked the door, shouting for me, I threw it open, and my heart stopped. I could see her shaking in his arms, crying uncontrollably, and for a second, I thought she had been injured. Even though I was aware we had been locked down, every scenario of someone somehow getting to her rushed through my mind all at the same time. I think I saw twenty ways she could have been hurt in less than ten seconds. My heart broke into a million pieces when Jason pointed out it was my fault she was so broken.
I hadn’t even thought to check on her after the security system was checked. I thought Jason was with her, and she would be fine. It never even occurred to me that they had activated the alarm early, let alone that it meant she was probably alone. Jason is right; she has heard over and over again that someone wishes to kill me. It must have been terrifying to be in bed when the alarm sounded, waking up alone.
I’m a fucking idiot.
“How is she?”
I lift my head to see Maximus and Jason walking into the room. I tuck in the blanket I placed around Jasmine as I look at her sleeping face.
“Worn out,” I whisper as Maximus stands before me, looking down at the sleeping Jasmine.
“If she wasn't on your lap, I’d fucking kick your arse,” he growls through gritted teeth, staring at me in a way that makes me wonder if he may be the one to kill me in the end. “She went through hell yesterday, as well as having to discuss her abuse with us. Then you leave her alone in bed, knowing full well there will be a lockdown drill. Are you completely stupid? Or just a heartless fuck?”
“Enough!” Jason snaps. “Us fighting is the last thing she needs right now,” he warns, stepping between us. Not that he would hit me whilst I have Jasmine asleep in my arms.
Maximus and I continue to stare at each other for a moment before he moves away and takes his usual seat. Jason looks at the two of us for a moment before deciding it’s safe to move. He sits in his spot, letting out a deep sigh.
“I need you to take control today,” I say, looking at Jason. “We need copies of all security schedules and plans for all situations.” I look down at Jasmine as she stirs slightly. “I’m not letting her out of my sight today. I think we both need a day together.”
“Any events or meetings you want called off?” Jason asks. I know what he’s referring to, and I open my mouth to say yes, but Jasmine chooses that moment to wake up.
“Not my hen party.”
I look down to find her looking up at me.
“Or the wedding.”
I open my mouth to argue that it may be for the best, but Jasmine sits up on my lap and looks me dead in the eye. “Don’t even think about it because if you do, it’s not other people you need to be scared of; it's me.”
“Sweetheart, you have just been crying to the point you passed out from exhaustion. With everything you have been dealing with, you’re physically and emotionally exhausted. If that’s not a reason to ensure we all stay safe, then-”
“Stop.” Her tone halts me mid-sentence. “I am not cancelling our wedding, the blessing, or my hen party. I refuse to let anyone think that I am still the weak little thing I was when I was kidnapped. I am going to be an O’Reilly, which means I back down to no one, including you.”
“Jazzy-”
“No,” she snaps, turning to look at Jason. “I will agree to having extra security or changing the plans to ensure we are safe, but I will not hide away and let them ruin this for us.” She turns her attention back to me, and I see strength and power in her eyes as she stares deep into my soul. “We have worked so hard to have this happiness and to spend the rest of our lives married. I have spent my whole life with people taking everything from me, and I have had enough. They will not take the excitement and love we all deserve. I will be married to you all, and I dare anyone to try and stop me because they will fail, and that includes you too, Christian O’Reilly.”
I look at her for a moment, and my heart swells with pride. Every time I think she couldn’t make me prouder; she proves me wrong.
Threading my fingers into the hair at the back of her head, I kiss her hard, crushing her lips with mine. Jasmine kisses me back with just as much passion that when we finally separate, we are both short of breath.
“You are right, Sweetheart. You deserve this, and nobody will stop us from giving it to you.” Looking away from my amazing fiancée, I find my brothers watching us, looking as proud of our girl as I am. “Get Layton and Terry in here, and we can ensure she is as safe as possible without ruining her plans.”
Jason nods and pulls his phone out as I look deep into my girl's eyes again. I’ve been on edge about the hen party, especially with how everything ended on her twenty-first. But this time, we already had plenty of security in place. I think with a slight change of venue we will be able to ensure not only hers but everyone’s safety.