Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
JAKE
“ T hanks for waiting for me and giving me a ride,” Miles slides into the cab of my pickup truck.
“No problem. It was perfect timing and saved the boys some time on their way home. It’s good to have you here for a few days.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he says, looking out the window.
“Already getting bored of tour life?” I arch my eyebrow at him as I head down the road.
A tired look crosses his face briefly before he shakes it away. “Nah, it’s what I worked so hard for. It would be stupid of me to give it all up now. I’ve still got some good years in me,” he grins. “I can’t disappoint the ladies either. The drummer is always a favorite.”
I study him and can tell he’s hiding something. I decide to let it slide for now as I glance at my phone again.
Still no text back from Lyla.
“Did Lyla get smart and ghost your ass? That’s the second time you’ve checked your phone in less than two minutes.”
“She’s probably just showering after work or taking a bath like she usually does.” I set my phone back down and try to ignore the pit in my stomach that I can’t seem to shake.
I make it back to the house in record time, and I’m out the door and up the stairs in seconds. I notice her purse on the counter and breathe a sigh of relief when I see she’s here. She has the wine out, too, so she must be taking a bath.
I walk to the master bathroom and stop when I see the items scattered on the floor. The bathtub is full and untouched. I quickly walk over and throw my hand in it. It’s still warm but not hot like she usually likes, which means it’s been sitting here for a bit.
“Lyla!” I call out, racing through the bedroom and back into the kitchen.
“What's wrong?” Miles sees my face and immediately picks up on it.
“She’s not in there. The bathtub is still full, and a table is knocked over.”
I take the other hallway, calling out her name as Miles races upstairs to check. My heart is pounding so hard that I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. I whip out my phone and call her cell.
“Dammit,” I say when I hear it ring on the counter.
“She’s not here,” Miles looks at me with worry in his eyes.
I tap my phone and find her watch location. “She’s wearing her watch, thank God.” I zoom in on her location and see her just south of us.
I whip my head up and meet Miles’s eyes. “She’s heading south. Why the fuck is she going south?”
“Would she run again? There’s an airport down there.”
“No, she promised me she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t leave me unless…”
“Unless what?” Miles asks, stepping closer .
“Unless she thought she was saving me.” Thoughts race through my head as I sort it all out.
He found her.
She went with him to protect me.
“Call 911 and give them her location,” I bark out, heading toward my truck. Miles keeps up with me and jumps in the passenger side.
“I’m going with you.” He pulls out his phone to call the police.
“He found her, Miles. The fucking bastard came into our house and used me to threaten her. That’s the only reason why she would leave with him. I know because I’d do the same to protect her. Fuck!” I yell, slamming my hands on the steering wheel and speeding down the street.
“Just get us to her, Jake. We’ll get her back,” he says, trying to pull me off the ledge.
He talks to the officer on the other end of the line as I whip the truck through town, weaving through traffic and not bothering to stop at any lights.
My mind is reeling with all the possibilities of what happened and how this is going to end.
“I should have gone after him first, and none of this would have happened. I promised her I would protect her, and he walked right into our goddamn house.”
“You couldn’t have known this was going to happen. The police and lawyers have been trying to track him down for days.” He glances at his phone. “Take a right here,” he says, looking at the location. “She’s about five miles away. What’s the plan when we catch up?”
“Besides, kill the motherfucker?” I growl. “I have no clue.” I grip the wheel tighter and grind my teeth together. “You get to her and get her away safely. She’s all that matters, Miles,” I say quietly. “I’ll take care of him. ”
“Fuck. There’s a wreck up ahead,” he says, looking out the windshield and gripping the dashboard.
I see the lights flashing and traffic slowing down as I come to a stop. “I’ve got to find a way around.” I try to ease off the road so I can bypass the wreck.
“Jake. Stop.” He frowns at the phone before looking up ahead. “She’s right where the wreck is,” he says quietly.
“What?” I check my phone and jump out of the car. I don’t even hear my brother call for me as I weave around vehicles. I see a car flipped over as I approach the scene. A body is covered next to it, and all the blood drains from my face.
“Jake, wait!” Miles tries to grab my arm, but I push him off of me.
“Sir, you can’t come in this area. Please go back to your vehicle,” an officer at the scene says, walking up to me.
He blocks my way when I don’t move, but I’m twice his size and push my way past him.
More cops try to stop me, and I struggle to see past them. I hear Miles talking in the distance as he argues with the officer to let us through.
“If you don’t go back to your car, I’m going to have to handcuff you and put you in the backseat of my car,” the officer says, putting his hands on me to stop me from going any further.
“I just need to see her. She’s…she’s with me,” I say, struggling to breathe through the pain that’s piercing my chest.
“Let me see what I can find out,” he finally says, sighing, “but you have to remain calm for me.” I’m sure I look half-crazed right now. I see a look of pity cross his eyes, and I clench my fist because the urge to wipe it off his face is strong. I don’t need his pity because she’s going to be okay. She has to be.
I watch them remove a second person from the vehicle and see a flash of brunette hair. The world spins as I lose a sense of reality. I feel helpless and gutted to my soul as I watch them lay her down and start compressions.
I’m moving before my brain registers what's happening. I try to push my way through, but I’m held back as I struggle to get closer. Her body is lifeless as they work on her, and I feel myself break.
My brother’s hands come around me, holding me back.
“They need to work on her, Jake. Let them do their job,” Miles says firmly in my ear as I try to get out of his hold.
My chest heaves as I struggle to be near her.
“Don’t you fucking die on me, Lyla,” I yell. “You fight. You fight like hell to come back to me,” I choke out.
I watch my heart lie there with hers, neither wanting to beat again without the other. My throat is raw, and every bone in my body aches as I pray for a miracle.
“We’ve got a steady pulse,” I hear the paramedic say after what feels like lifetimes. “Let’s get her loaded up and to the hospital, STAT.”
I sink to my knees as my legs give out. I watch them lift her in the back and drive away.
“I’ll drive us to the hospital,” Miles says, quietly hauling me up.
“Wait.” I stop and turn to the police officer, who is still eyeing me like I might go off again. “What about the other guy that was with her?”
I can tell he’s debating whether to tell me, probably afraid I will cause more trouble.
“Just tell me if that’s the abusive fucker who took her.” I point to the white sheet with a person under it.
Something flicks in his eyes, and I can tell he’s right there with me on pieces of shit like that. “The driver was dead at the scene. ”
I look over at the covered body as they load it into the back of an ambulance.
“Good.” I turn and walk back to my truck without ever looking back.
The ride to the hospital is a quiet one. I feel like life has been sucked out of me, and an emptiness has taken its place.
Miles keeps watching me like he’s unsure of what I’ll do next. We park in the parking lot a short time later and walk inside.
He stops me before we reach the front desk. “If you want any chance of seeing her or getting information, you need to keep it together, brother. They will haul your ass out of here so fast if you pull what you did back there. Play nice and let the doctors do what they need to do for Lyla. She’s going to need you here when she wakes up.”
I nod my head and run a hand roughly through my hair. “Yeah, you’re right.” I take a deep breath to try and calm my nerves.
“You good?” He asks. His face etched with worry.
“I’m good,” I nod, walking up to the front desk. I don’t get much information except that she’s stable for now, and a doctor will update us as soon as they can.
I find Miles in the waiting room, and he sets his phone down when he sees me. “Any news?”
“She’s stable. That’s all I know until the doctor comes out to talk to us.” I lean forward and put my elbows on my knees, suddenly feeling ninety years old.
“I called Trav and Ryder. They’ll be here soon.”
I nod as I look down at the floor between my knees. It doesn’t surprise me that they’re on their way. It’s what we do when one of us needs help .
“I’m going to wait to call Savi and our parents. No use in worrying them when we don’t know anything yet.”
“Agreed,” I say quietly. My hands rest on the back of my head as I stare at the tile.
“I’ll get us some coffee.” He pats my shoulder before walking away.
I feel the tears prick my eyes and squeeze them tightly shut.
Please be okay, little hummingbird.
I need you.
I silently say the words over and over again in my mind as I will it to happen. I refuse to believe anything else.
Miles returns with the coffee, but I leave it untouched as he sets it at my feet. I feel my brothers walk in sometime later without even having to look up. They lay their hand on my back to let me know they are here before sitting down next to me.
I hear Miles in the distance telling them what happened and getting them caught up. I tune them out, lost in thought, as I wait for news.
“Mr. Montgomery?” An older doctor with grey hair walks in, and all four of us stand up. “Are you Mr. Montgomery? Lyla’s fiancé?” He asks Ryder.
“That would be me, Jake. We’re all brothers.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” He looks at all four of us, covered in tattoos surrounding him. Clearing his voice, he turns to me. “You’re here for Lyla Knight?” I flinch at the last name, knowing it belongs to him.
“Yes, I’m her fiancé,” I lied to the front desk, hoping they will tell me more if they think that. It’s not like it won’t be true one day. “How is she? Is she hurt?” I fire the questions, desperate for answers.
“She had some internal bleeding from a tear in her spleen when she came in, but we managed to get that under control during surgery. She’s pretty banged up and will be sore for a few days, but she should make a full recovery.”
Relief washes over me, and I feel Travis’s hand squeeze my shoulder. “Thank God,” he breathes.
“Can I see her?” I need to see with my own eyes that she’s alive and breathing.
“I can allow you back there for a few minutes. She’s still sedated, but I’m sure she will be happy to see you when she wakes. You were definitely on her mind when she was in and out of consciousness. Wouldn’t stop asking for you.”
“Go to her, Jake,” Ryder says beside me. “We’ll be here when you get done.”
I follow the doctor, and he points me to her room. “She’s a very lucky girl. Kidnapping victims held at gunpoint usually don’t end so well.”
I freeze at his words. “Gunpoint?”
“That’s what the police report said. A gun registered to Timothy Knight was found at the scene of the accident.”
“The police told you all of this already?” I ask surprised.
“I have a friend on the force that keeps me in the loop if it involves one of my patients,” he shrugs his shoulders. “It helps me to better know what my patient needs emotionally, too, and not just the physical.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Just that he has a restraining order against him issued by his wife, Lyla Knight, who also happens to be engaged to you.” He peers at me above the glasses perched on the end of his nose as he waits for the truth that he obviously already knows.
Sighing, I look toward her closed door before meeting his eyes. “Technically, I haven’t asked her yet, but I will.”
He’s silent for a few seconds as he assesses me. “We will keep that little secret between us.” He gives me a small smile as he looks at her chart. “She’ll be here for a couple of days under observation and will need someone to take care of her while she recovers. Will that be you?”
He looks up and studies me. I get the sense that Lyla has already stolen this older guy’s heart. I feel like I’m being put under a microscope by a girl’s grandfather, and he wants to make sure she’s in good hands.
“Yes. We live together, and I’ll make sure she gets the care she needs. I’m nothing like her husband was. She will be well taken care of, I promise.”
“Good,” he says, satisfied that I’m telling the truth. “Take care of her, Jake. Girls like that come around once in a lifetime, and from the looks of the police report and her history with this guy, she’s due for some happiness in her life.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I smile for the first time since I left work today. “I plan on spending the rest of my life making her happy.”
He pats me on the back and smiles before walking away to attend to other patients.
I walk to the door and grip the door handle tight. I try to brace myself for what I’m about to see. I know seeing her lying there is going to gut me to the core. Taking a deep breath, I walk in quietly and shut the door.
My eyes find her, and I fight to keep the tears under control. She looks so pale and small in the hospital bed. Tubes are sticking out everywhere, and the machine’s beep is my only reminder that she’s alive.
A bruise covers the right side of her forehead, and I see stitches above her eyebrow. I walk over to her and brush back her brunette hair. Her skin is warm as I touch her cheek, and I finally break as I kneel to the floor and take her hand in mine. Bowing my head, I let the tears flow as the past few hours catch up with me.
She’s alive.
Gratitude washes over me that her heart found a way to beat again.
“Jake,” I hear my name softly come from her lips. I immediately stand up and lean over her in search of her eyes. Warm caramel fills my vision as I smile into the soul that will forever own mine.
“Hi,” I say softly, pressing my forehead to hers. “You had me so scared, little hummingbird. I thought I lost you.” I close my eyes as her hand brushes through my hair.
“I’m sorry I broke my promise and left. I didn’t have a choice. He was going to hurt you,” she chokes out.
“Shhhhh. It’s okay, baby,” I say when I hear her start to cry. “It’s over, and you’re safe. That’s all that matters now.” I kiss her gently on her bruise.
“Tim?” I lean back and see the questions in her eyes.
“He’s gone. They found him dead at the scene,” I say quietly.
She closes her eyes briefly before hope shines through. “It’s really over?”
“It’s really over,” I smile. “He’ll never hurt you again.”
Her eyes get sleepy from the medication that’s still in her body as they start to close. “Can you stay here until I go to sleep?”
“I’ll be here when you wake up. I’m not going anywhere.” I pull a chair up next to her and watch her eyes flutter open again. “I love you, Lyla Pierce. You have no idea how much I love you,” I whisper, kissing her hand.
“I have a pretty good idea,” she says sleepily. “Because I love you the same. Thank you for saving me.” Her breaths even out as she falls asleep.
“I’m pretty sure it’s you who saved me,” I whisper as I watch the steady rhythm of her chest rise and fall until I can no longer hold back the weariness that finally brings me under.