34. Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Savannah
M y eyes feel like someone threw sand in them, and they’ve glued shut. Throbbing pain shoots through my head and my back aches as I attempt to wake up. I’m not sure where I am, but it’s cool. Moist. When I finally open my eyes, I see rock above my head. That’s when I realize I’m somewhere underground, a cave, maybe.
The air is stale, carrying a faint earthy scent. The dim light filtering through cracks in the rocky ceiling casts eerie shadows on the damp walls. Dripping water echoes softly somewhere in the distance. The coolness of the surroundings contrasts with the throbbing pain in my head, intensifying my disorientation. I reach my hand up to touch my face, feeling the swelling around my eyes. The taste in my mouth is reminiscent of copper. Poking my tongue out, I gingerly run it across my lip and immediately wince. Although I can’t confirm without a mirror, my face and head feel as if they have been subjected to significant trauma .
A chilling voice startles me. “It’s nice of you to finally join me. You’ve been sleeping for hours. It’s not surprising since you are a worthless, lazy cunt.”
The memories come flooding back to me. The fire, Derek being there, and me trying to climb out the window only to fall. I sit up slowly even though every movement is painful. The rock in the cave’s bottom is so cold, its iciness has permeated my clothing, causing me to shiver. “What do you want, Derek? Why won’t you leave me alone?”
He looks crazy, with his wide eyes, pupils that are too large, and disheveled hair. He’s bruised and shaking, and his shirt is covered in blood. I’m not sure what’s happening. Sweat beads on his forehead even though it’s cold down here.
Screaming, he responds, “You can’t fucking leave me. You should have let me kill us both at your fuckboy’s cabin. Instead, now I get to torture you first. Either way, it’s time for us to say goodbye.”
“Derek, please, if you ever loved me, let me go.”
“No. I never did. I used you because I knew I could mold you into what I wanted. A wife who would give me the appearance of being an average family man. Plus, you let me do anything I wanted to you.” With his cruel admission he cackles maniacally .
“What are you planning to do?”
“We are going to die together like a genuine couple. My life is over. The cartel is after me and I don’t have the leverage I had as an officer to get any of the big players to protect me. There’s nothing left for me. Selling you and the brat was supposed to land me a big payday, but now there’s so much money on my head I’ll be dead before I can blink.”
“You were going to sell your own child? Derek, what the hell is wrong with you? You are vile, and I fucking hate you. The biggest mistake in my life has been you.” The feeling of rage and frustration is overwhelming. I know better than to raise my voice or talk to Derek this way, but I can’t contain my anger.
Derek’s blow lands with a sickening thud, and my cheek instantly throbs in agony. Tears well up in my eyes as pain reverberates through my head. I notice he can only swing one arm since I stabbed him in the other shoulder.
His eyes glaze over as he looks off into the distance, muttering, but making little sense. He has his arms wrapped around him as he rocks back and forth. Then suddenly, he bends over and vomits on the ground.
“Derek, what’s happening to you?” I whisper.
“It used to be just about having fun,” he screams, tears streaming down his face, his voice choked with sorrow and regret. “Now I can’t get the coke or smack and I’m withdrawing.”
His eyes dart around the room, wide with panic, as he trembles uncontrollably, his body drenched in a cold sweat. He is withdrawing, hard. The sound of retching echoes through the cave as the putrid smell of vomit drifts in the air.
Trembling with fear, I muster all my courage to plead with my husband, hoping to find even a shred of humanity within him. “Derek, if you release me, I promise to find help and return with them. Just let me go. You are sick and need medical attention.”
“Shut your mouth!” he yells, his face turning red with rage, veins pulsating on his forehead. His voice drips with venom as he spits, “Don’t you dare try to sweet talk me now. You don’t give a fuck that I’m sick.”
After he speaks, Derek’s gaze fixates on an empty corner of the cave, and his body freezes. Within moments, he crumbles to the ground, convulsions wracking his trembling form. His limbs thrash about, and his body convulses violently as his eyes widen in terror. Those pained screams are quickly silenced by the foam spewing from his mouth.
With a pounding heart, I stand stock-still, as my mind screams at me to seize the moment and flee while he lies motionless on the ground. With every agonizing movement, my breaths grow more desperate, and the air in the cave starts to feel heavy and suffocating. The sight of the faint streams of sunlight sends a desperate surge of hope rushing through me, a lifeline amidst the darkness that propels me forward in my search for an exit.
As I stumble beneath the warm rays of the sun, a gentle breeze caresses my tear-streaked face, and I realize I’m finally outside the cave. Sounds of motors revving reach my ears and I hasten my steps, determined to put some distance between myself and the cave before Derek regains consciousness. Glancing around, I search for a place to hide. The sounds of the approaching engines get closer until I see ATVs cresting a hill in the distance. Declan would move heaven and earth to find me, and I know they are coming to rescue me. As I run toward them as quickly as my battered body will move, I am overwhelmed with relief.
At the helm of the first ATV is the man from the fishing cabin on the lake, steering confidently through the rugged terrain. The huge guy with tattoos and the beard. At the time, I thought he was crazy, but now I’m grateful to see him. Gasping for air, I struggle to form words, but they remain trapped in my throat.
The tattooed guy, I think Declan called him Marcello, speaks, “Babe, Declan sent us to find you.”
Stopping and climbing from his ATV, he comes closer to me, reaching me just as my legs give out .
“He’s in the cave,” I tell him, motioning in the direction behind them. “We have to get away before he comes out. He’s lost his mind.”
“Declan will be pissed if you get hurt any worse than you already are. Point out the cave, then I’m sending you home,” Marcello matter-of-factly instructs me.
I point out the cave to Marcello, who then leads me to an ATV and introduces me to Daniel, the guy who will take me to my man. I roll my eyes at the way he talks, like I’m Declan’s property.
Daniel drives us through the rough terrain in silence. I’m overrun with exhaustion. With the adrenaline leaving my system, my head feels heavy, like I can hardly hold it up. Then I see Declan and Mason standing waiting for us. As we come to a sudden halt, my heart pounds in my chest as Declan sprints towards us, his face pale and eyes wide with terror, snatching me from the ATV before I get the chance to dismount.
“I thought I’d lost you for a second time in such a short amount of time. First Lisa, then Derek. I swear, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” He’s looking me over and placing kisses all over my injured face and head. His hold on me is so tight that I can’t breathe, but his eyes are wet with unshed tears. It breaks my heart to witness his anguish, so I hold on to him as tightly as I can.
Mason breaks in, “Declan, we need to get her to the hospital, brother. She’s hurt.”
Pulling back from me, Declan checks me over and winces when he sees my face. “Baby, what did he do to you?”
Every time Derek’s name crosses my mind, a chill creeps up my spine, and I can’t help but tremble, my body paralyzed with terror. Memories flood back to me. The crack of the bat echoing through the cabin, mingling with the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood. Derek’s actions were outrageous, but it’s obvious he’s not mentally stable. “Derek’s withdrawing from heavy drugs, Declan. He’s insane, and I tried to get through to him, but I think he’s too far gone from reality. Your friend is going to get him.” Just as I finish explaining, Declan’s phone rings.
His eyebrows furrow, and his voice grows sharp, demanding, “You got him?” When the person on the other end of the line responds, he clenches his fists tightly. “She must be taken to the hospital. Once I have her taken care of, I’ll meet you. Yeah, leave him alive. I want to do it.”
I can only hear one side of the phone conversation, but I can tell Declan is planning to do something that could send him to prison.
“Declan, you can’t hurt him. Please,” I beg desperately.
“Savannah, I’d do anything for you, but I can’t ignore this. Derek must die, and I want to be the one responsible. ”
I give him a nod because he made it clear there was no use in arguing. “Please don’t end up in trouble for me, Declan. Kenzi and I need you with us.”
As soon as Declan finishes his call, I’m swiftly bundled into a waiting car. Mason drives, and Declan sits beside me in the back seat. Declan constantly touches me and rubs my back softly. It hurts, but I don’t dare tell him to stop touching me or complain. I suspect Mason breaks a few speeding limits to get us to the hospital in record time.
Once we pull up outside, Declan gets out and carries me bridal style. Despite being asked by the doctor and nurses, Declan refuses to leave my side. Whilst I’m helped onto a bed, he stays close, holding my hand, placing tender kisses on it every few minutes, and repeatedly assuring me of his love.
“Mrs. Anderson, I’m Dr. Owens. Before we assess you, I need to know if you could be pregnant.”
“Her name is Savannah Walker, not Anderson. Remove that name from all of her records in this hospital. Never let me hear anyone else call her by the name Anderson again,” Declan seethes.
I must look like a deer caught in the headlights, as my eyes widen in disbelief, realizing that Declan just casually referred to me as Savannah Walker as if we were a married couple. My hand instinctively cradles my stomach, imagining the potential life growing within.
The doctor ignores Declan’s outburst and continues to explain, “To determine the appropriate treatment, we will first conduct a pregnancy test. It’s standard practice. We will also have to perform additional bloodwork and tests, as your voice and labored breathing indicate exposure to smoke.”
Dr. Owens instructs the nurse to put me on oxygen and draw the blood they need. I can hear the beeping of the medical equipment as it measures my vital signs.
Grasping Declan’s hand to get his attention, I ask, “Can you go get Kenzi? I need to see her and hold her. I didn’t think I’d ever get to see my baby again.”
Declan’s frown deepens into a scowl, his jaw clenching and his nostrils flaring. “You were always coming home to us, baby; I would burn this fucking world to the ground to bring you back to us.”
Mason, who’s been standing over in the corner, speaks up, “Mom wants to come and see Vannah, but we figured you wouldn’t want Kenzi to see her this way. I’m going to stay with her until Mom gets done here.”
Reluctantly, I agree it wouldn’t be right for Kenzi to see me beat up like this. It would likely trigger terrible memories. “Can you ask Kate to bring me some cosmetics so I can try to cover the bruises as much as possible when I get discharged?”
“Of course,” Mason says.
“What’s going to happen to Derek?”
Declan’s nostrils flare and his hands clench into fists. “Why do you care? If you still love him, I’m going to kill him twice.”
“On that note, I’m leaving you too alone to talk,” Mason excuses himself before hurrying out of the hospital room like his ass is on fire.
“Declan, it’s not him I’m worried about. It’s you. I don’t want you to end up in jail or worse. You are the one I love, you jerk.”
“I’m sorry, Savannah. When I came home and found the cabin burned to the ground, I was utterly devastated. I thought you were inside, and I couldn’t imagine carrying on without you.” He has the good sense to look remorseful for his outburst of jealousy.
Once Kate arrives to the hospital and lets me know Kenzi is doing fine and having a great time at her house, I feel less anxious. Just hearing that she is safe is such a relief.
The knowledge that Derek was planning to sell her haunts me. How can someone sell their own child into sex slavery? Declan thought I was worried about Derek being killed, but I’m not. If he can’t do it, I will. No one is going to continue walking this earth when they are a threat to my daughter. I’m grateful that Declan will make sure we never have to look over our shoulders again. Of course, I’m still fearful, but only because Declan could end up in prison or hurt. Mason heard him say he was going to kill Derek and said nothing, so I don’t think Declan has to worry about law enforcement.
Hopefully, after today, all our nightmares will be over.