Chapter Thirty-Seven
Blair
I watch him walk away but I can tell he wants to do anything but leave me here. I follow him with my eyes until he turns a corner and disappears from my sight. I can’t help the anxiety I feel not being able to see him. I swallow the spit that has gathered in my mouth and I take a deep breath. Trent must feel the turmoil within me because he steps up. “Let’s go find Elena.”
“W… Would you go with him? I know nurse Jamie and she is trustworthy. He needs someone in there with him to keep him from his thoughts, his darkest thoughts. And if you tell him I said any of this, I will tell him you tried to touch me when he was away,” I threaten, and he laughs.
“Oh, you’re good.” I hold his stare.
“I don’t think he would like me leaving you unattended with the threat still out there.” I ponder on what to say to get him to go.
“I’m safe with her.” Just as I finish the sentence, she comes strolling up with that collar on her neck and a smile on her face.
“Yes, she is safe with me. And you know where she will be. Room 1610. Kaleb is around here somewhere, patrolling. When I see him again, I’ll send him to Wyatt’s room. Room 1638 by the way,” she nods towards the direction of where Wyatt is.
He looks at me then back at Jamie, “Please,” I give him my best puppy dog face.
He chuckles and puts his hands up, “Fine. Fine, I’ll go. But if he kills me, my death is on you.” He winks, even though I know he’s being serious.
“I won’t let him,” I shout as he walks around the corner.
“Someone has been asking for you.”
“I can walk.” I go to stand up, but she places her soft hand on my shoulder. “Please, let me. You’ve been through a lot, and it would mean a lot if I could at least do this for you.”
Her voice is sincere and soft like her touch, so I nod my head and allow her to roll me through the hallway.
“He will be ok. Losing a brother is a lot to handle in this line of work. They go in knowing they might not make it but never believe it because they are skilled and trained killers,” she says so nonchalantly that I don’t really know how to respond.
“The good news is, he is alive and if he can make it through the night, he has a better chance at making a full recovery. But let’s not think about this right now. Elena has been begging me to call you, but I was instructed not to. You know how that goes, what they say goes.” She rolls her eyes and shrugs.
“She doesn’t remember much but she does remember Kade, so I thought maybe you could break the news to her that he’s here and is being attended to.”
“You are so kind, thank you. And yes, we have a couple of possessive men on our hands.” She giggles.
“Jamie?” I hear a deep man's voice call out behind us.
I turn around and see a tall muscular man walk up behind her and place a kiss on her shoulder as he snakes his hands around her waist. He has the same snake tattoo with a diamond in its mouth, wrapping around his neck and arm. He has blonde sandy hair, shaved down on the sides with a short length at the top. His light green eyes lock onto Jamie. Like the rest of them, he looks like he is sculpted by a god.
She giggles and kisses his cheek. “Blair meet Kaleb, my husband. Kaleb this is-”
“I know who this is. This is the woman who has breathed life into a cold dead heart. The way he watches you, I don’t need to be told that you are his. I know the feeling.” He kisses Jamie again.
I smile at him, “Nice to meet you.”
“Where are you ladies headed?” He asks us.
“Elena’s room. Wyatt needs the company,” she says, and he nods.
“I heard our brother is alive. She will be happy to know that. I want you to take her there and stay in the room. Do. Not. Leave,” he warns.
“Ok, we won’t leave,” she agrees.
“I love you,” he says and the smile that spreads across her face resembles my own when a certain someone is near me.
“I love you, too.” He smacks her ass and she pushes me towards my friend's room.
We get to the room, and I can hear crying from the other side and my heart sinks. Elena never cries. I wish I could have gotten here sooner but she did need to sleep. Jamie pushes us in and announces that she has a visitor. She wheels me right up to the bed and I reach out and grab my friend's hand. She’s shaking and wrapped in bandages.
“El?” I call out softly and she stiffens.
“Blair?” Her voice is cracked from crying.
She looks up and makes eye contact with me, we stare at each other for a moment before she breaks into another sob, and I climb into bed with her. She grips me like her life depends on it, and I smooth her hair as she cries into me.
“I’m so happy you’re ok. I was so worried. I love you so much, El. So, so much.” Tears run down my face as I try to hold it together.
“I was so scared, they just kept asking me where you were. I wouldn’t give you up. I wouldn’t let them hurt you again. They kept saying I was going to be bought and sold, never to see you or Kade again. That they would go to my parent's house and kill my dad and sell my mom to their boss for fun.” Her trembling hands grab my arms.
“I couldn’t.” I swallow the guilt.
This is all because of me. Someone wants me for some reason, and they are going after everyone I love.
“Kade made sure there was round-the-clock security at your parent's house, they are safe.”
“K… Kade,” she buries her head in my chest and lets out a scream of anguish.
“He’s dead because of me! Dead, B!” I grab ahold of her shoulders.
“El, Kade’s alive! He’s alive, hunny! He is in surgery. If he can make it through the night, he could make a full recovery!” Her eyes go wide, and she stays quiet.
She shakes her head,” No, B. No. You do not need to lie to me. I know what I saw. He’s dead, there was so much blood,” she hiccups a sob.
“I would never lie about something this serious,” I say sternly, and she sits up with a wince.
The sheet falls and I see the severity of her injuries. She has whip lashes all over her torso. A few knife cuts and her face is swollen. “She has no serious injuries,” Jamie calls out like she can read my thoughts .
Elena looks down and then covers back up. I don’t want to call attention to it and make her feel uncomfortable. I take her head in my hands, “Elena, listen to me. Kade is in this hospital right now. Wyatt is donating blood for him. For now, he is alive.”
She blinks several times, “H… He’s alive?” I nod and the tears begin to flow again. She sniffs and wipes her tears from her face.
“Right before we fell, he told me he loved me and that I was safe. He told me he loved me and then he was gone.” She sits up and looks at Jamie.
“I want to see him.” Jamie gives her a small smile.
“You can when he gets out of surgery. I will wheel you in myself. But for now, the doctors need to work.” Alarms start blaring through the speakers and her eyes shoot towards the door.
“What is that?” I ask covering my ears.
“Code Red. I Repeat we have a Code Red.” The speaker calls over and over again.
Jamie jumps up and starts locking the door with locks I didn’t even see. “Help me!” She almost shouts, and I jump out of bed and rush to help her lock the door.
“Put the chair in front of it.” Yanking the chair from the bedside, and scooting it across the floor, we prop it up positioning it under the handle. As soon as we get it in place we back away slowly when we hear gunshots.
“No!” I scream and go to run towards the door. It’s like something smacks me in the face, and I realize what is going on.
“Stop!” Her whole body is trembling, and I see the fear in her eyes.
“A Code Red means a breach. A breach means enemies have gotten in. This floor is only for us, nobody else has access. And the enemies these men make, I don’t think I need to explain.” She looks at Elena who is sitting frozen in her bed.
“We have to stay here. We are the safest in this room.” She bites her lip as she looks at the door.
“We don’t have another choice.” My heart is hammering so hard in my chest, tears spill from my eyes. We are stuck.
All I hear is shouting and gunshots. But what catches my attention is someone shouting my name. “Wyatt?”
Jamie grips my arm and shakes her head. She places her pointer finger over her mouth, telling me to be quiet.
“Blair? Where are you?”
When I listen again, it’s not Wyatt. I’m not sure whose voice that is but I’m certain it’s someone I don’t want to find me.
Goosebumps break out over my skin as I think about what to do. I look around for a weapon, any kind of weapon. Think, where would I hide a weapon? I’d want to be able to reach it quickly. The last time I was here I heard Wyatt tell someone that weapons are in every room, for situations like this, I’m sure.
The voice is closer now, and I glance at the bed. "The bed!" I whisper urgently, and Jamie whips her head around.
"There's a gun there, I'm sure of it." I quickly move to Elena and reach down.
My fingers frantically search under the bed. When I feel cold metal, I sigh in relief. I pull it out just as a knock comes to the door.
"Come out, Blair. I know you're in there. I've been watching you." My eyes go wide, and Jamie shakes her head.
Another, more forceful knock, echoes through the room. "Kick it in. Remember, Blair, I gave you the chance to come out on your own. Now you've pissed me off." A heavy kick lands on the door as I fumble with the safety lock, my hands trembling.
I pull Elena to the floor, “I swear to fucking god, you do not make a fucking sound! I mean it.” She doesn’t respond so I stand up. I will not let anyone else I care about get hurt because of me.
I walk over to Jamie, and she grabs my hand firmly. "I won't let them take you or anyone in this room," she declares, her voice steady and calm. The man on the other side laughs, a chilling sound that sends shivers down my spine.
“You don’t have a choice.” I aim the gun at the door.
“I’m coming in to get what is owed to me. Which fortunately is a beautiful woman waiting to be ravished.” Ravished? What. The. Fuck.
He starts taunting with a song, “One, Two, Geralds coming for you. Three, Four, we’re going to break the door. Five, Six, you’re his pick. Seven, Eight, it’s too late,” He just keeps repeating that over and over again as they kick the door.
Gerald? I’ve heard that name before. I know that name but from where? Where do I know it from? I’m trying to think but with the alarm, the singing, and the kicking it’s hard. I can’t focus.
Jamie reaches for her phone and dials Kaleb’s number. He answers on the first ring. “We’re under attack. Do not fucking leave that room. We are coming.” Fear rolls off his tongue, sticking to me like glue. I can’t let anyone else get hurt.
“Someone’s trying to get in. They want Blair.” Silence follows on the other end. I look at Jamie; she’s trembling, tears streaming down her face as she waits for his response.
“We are on our way,” he finally says and hangs up. Jamie pulls me close, her grip tight.
“You are not dying here tonight,” I tell her, and she swallows hard .
“And they aren’t taking you.” She sounds so determined, but if it comes down to me, her, or Elena- I will be the one leaving.
The door is almost busted and the gun in my hand is shaking. I’m replaying that name over and over again. I know that name.
“When they took me, they said Gerald has plans for you. I didn’t think much of it because I thought it was just another guy trying to get to you.” Elena’s voice is rough and quiet. When I look, she’s still where I told her to stay.
The door bursts open and I wait until I see the face of the man singing and fire. He dodges but too late and I shoot him in the shoulder.
“Fucking bitch!” He yells as he pulls out a gun of his own and I fire again as Jamie pulls me to the wall behind the door.
She reaches for the gun with trembling fingers, and I let her take it. I’m in a state of shock. I feel numb, scared, pissed, and frozen.
“Do you think Wyatt will lose his mind when he gets pictures of you tied to my bed?” He laughs.
“Who am I kidding? It won’t be just my bed you will be tied to. Gerald wants to sell you to whoever will pay. The woman who stole the heart of the most ruthless killer in Shep town, used as she was intended for. Your pussy must be made of gold to have him pining after you. I’ll soon find out.” My heart is in my throat.
A rage like nothing I have ever felt before is brewing right below the surface. I blink a few times, Jamie grabs my hand and I look at her. “Don’t leave me,” her voice is barely a whisper. I squeeze her hand to reassure her- I’m here.
Get yourself together, Blair.
“Don’t worry, we will make sure to send him videos of just exactly how good you take our cock. Gerald has so many plans for you, plans he’s been building for years.” I watch the silhouette walk into the room.
Years? But I’ve only known Wyatt a few… “I have stalked you since you were ten .” His voice rings out through the chaos.
My eyes go wide. My head whips up as I recall that day. Wyatt is the one that took up for me on the playground. How could I have forgotten that? How could I not recognize the hero who saved me from the bully? Gerald! That’s where I know that name from. He was the bully who used to hit me and cut my hair and anything else he could get his hands on. Until that day Wyatt stopped him. Gerald went home that day and I never saw him again.
“Ah, there you are.” The man's voice makes me jump.
He slams the door and yanks me from Jamie's grip. I was in my head so much that I forgot about the threat, right in front of me.
“Let her go,” her voice is calm and threatening.
The man turns me around pushing my back into his front and grabs my throat. On instinct, I reach up trying to pry his fingers from my neck.
“No, I don’t think I will.” He licks my face and I want to gag.
She steps forward and he places his gun to my temple, “Back up girl or I will have no problem ending this bitch’s life and fucking her corpse.” She looks fearless and she is eerily calm.
He whispers, “I’ll make sure to personally send him the video of us. We will take everything from him and then his life.”
I can’t take it anymore- I refuse to stay the fucking victim. All I see is red. I pull my head forward and slam it back connecting with his nose. I hear a crack and he curses. “Fuck!” He lets go of my throat .
“We will make sure he fucking suffers!” He shouts at me.
My elbow connects with his stomach, and I hear him cough. I turn around and slam my knee into his face. Jamie comes up to me and yanks me back and fires off two shots.
Elena is less than a foot away with a lamp in her hand ready to attack. I pull her to me, and she winces, but I need to get her safe. “Go in the bathroom and lock the door.” She shakes her head.
“No, Kade is out there and I’m going for him.” The determination in her eyes matches my own.
The alarm finally stops, and we can hear the commotion. Shouting and running, lots of running. I look at Jamie who glances at her phone and bites her lip.
“Kaleb said they were coming. Girls, I don’t think we should leave.”
“My boyfriend is out there, and I will not sit here and just wait for men to come rescue me! Not again.” Elena rolls her shoulders and holds her head up high. “I am going to find him.” She grabs my arm and looks me in the eyes.
“B, He saved me. It’s my turn to make sure he is saved.” I take a deep breath.
“Fine, but we all go.” She nods.
“Ok, ok,” Jamie takes a deep breath, “He was last in the surgical wing. He should still be there. I have my key card, so we can get in.”
“Ok, we move as one. Nobody leaves the group. Let’s go.” I take a deep breath and step into the hallway.