32. Bailey-Rose #3
“Randall, please don’t use that on me,” I begged as he started to drag me toward the front of the building. “A sedative could kill me.”
He just clicked his tongue at me. “Nonsense, I made sure with the doctor it wouldn’t cause any trouble. Why would I dare risk doing something that could kill you? You’re mine.”
No matter how I dug in my heels and tried to pull out of his grasp, it didn’t even slow him down. As he dragged me past the tool chest with all the oil paint tools, I darted to the side, making him stumble with the sudden change. Yanking open a drawer, I found a metal palette and palette blades.
“Bailey-Rose, what the hell are you doing?” Randall demanded, yanking me back and spilling all the tools to the floor. “Now is not the time… we need to go. I’ll make sure you have anything you need to be happy, so leave it.”
“Wait, please. I left something important… just stop for one second,” I pleaded, gripping the palette as tightly as I could.
He snarled as he turned to face me. “What? What could you possibly need that I can’t give you?”
“Happiness,” I answered, and using all the strength in my body, I slammed the palette against the side of his face.
“You fucking bitch,” Randall screamed, shoving me away from him so hard I crashed to the floor, slamming my hip and wrist against the concrete. “Why would you do something like that, Bumblebee? I’ve been nothing but good to you and bent over backward to deal with all the problems you have.”
He started to advance on me, anger flashing in his eyes. Something in me knew if he got ahold of me, I wouldn’t survive. Spotting the palette knives scattered on the floor, I started to crawl backward but cried out when my left wrist gave out, shooting pain up my arm.
“Don’t you get it? There’s only me, Bailey-Rose,” Randall taunted. “I’m the only one who sees any value in a pathetic fucking Omega who’s one goddamn hard fuck away from dying. I’m willing to put up with all of that as long as you do as you’re fucking told.”
Trying not to let the terror of this situation cause me to freeze, I retreated as best I could, but it seemed Randall was done watching me struggle. He loomed over me, making me scramble back, blocking out the pain of my wrist as I flipped over.
“Where are you going, Bumblebee? The door is the other way,” Randall informed me as he grabbed my ankles.
In a desperate move, I kicked out, catching him in the chin, which loosened his hold enough for me to grasp a palette knife before he dragged me back to him.
He flipped me once more onto my back, gazing up at his crazed eyes.
My heart thundered as my breath came in quick gasps, and the tell-tale buzzing started on my wrist. Hope surged through me.
All I needed was to raise my heart rate high enough to get help.
“Are you done with this little outburst, Bumblebee?” Randall asked in a cool tone.
Gathering up what spit I could, fear making my mouth bone dry, I spat that wad right into his face. “I’m not fucking going anywhere with you, asshole.”
Rage unlike anything I’ve seen in the face of another human took over Randall’s expression. The next thing I knew, his hands were wrapped around my neck, squeezing so tight I couldn’t breathe.
“If you won’t come with me, what makes you think I’ll let them have you?” He sneered. “All you have to do to end this is blink twice, accepting the fact you’re mine, Bailey-Rose.”
There’s no fucking way I’d ever accept that, you bastard.
A shrill alarm started blaring from my wrist, drawing Randall’s attention, his hand loosening enough for me to suck in a little air.
Gripping the handle of the palette knife tightly, I stabbed it into his shoulder.
I tried to pull it back out to keep my weapon, but it was stuck, and Randall jerked away from me, leaving me there coughing and spluttering, trying to catch my breath.
The sound of sirens in the distance had Randall panicking, and he decided it was best to leave me here on the floor, gasping for air.
Clutching his shoulder, he gave me one last glance.
“If you live through this, just know I never give up on what’s mine.
I won’t let anyone have what I’ve claimed. ” With that promise, he bolted.
I don’t know how long I laid there unable to catch my breath, my vision blurry, and my heart struggling to keep me alive.
The blurry outline of a person hovered over me, asking me questions I couldn’t answer.
I could only think to hold my wrist up, but that turned out to be more like a halfhearted slide.
“Found her,” a man yelled as he grabbed my wrist. “Oh fuck, I need oxygen now.”
More people gathered around, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
Every ounce of my concentration was on ensuring my heart kept moving, beating, and feeding my body blood.
Vaguely, I registered that they’d lifted me and assumed put me in the ambulance.
I drifted in and out as sirens blared, the ground swayed, and I kept pleading for my heart to hold on a little longer.
We couldn’t die, not when we’d just started to live.
“I’m Dr. Arbour… this is my patient. We need to get her up to surgery this instant.
I don’t want you even to move her from this gurney.
There is no time if we want a shot at saving her life,” Dr. Arbour ordered.
“Bailey-Rose, I can see you’re fighting.
I need you to give it all you’ve got for me, darling.
Trust me, I’ll get you through this, and you’ll be able to spend a long, happy life with your Alphas. ”
I whined at the mention of them, tears slipping out of the corners of my eyes.
“Shh, they will be here soon, but I can’t wait. I wish with all my heart I could do that for you, but I choose to give you forever with them instead of a moment. I hope after this is all over, you all will forgive me,” Dr. Arbour said hurriedly as I was being rolled to surgery.
More people shouted, and bright lights had me cringing, then a hand slipped under mine. “This is it, Bailey-Rose,” Dr. Arbour stated. “We are about to begin the hardest fight you’ll ever have to face. Give my hand a squeeze and let me know you’re in this with me.”
Images and memories of the past week with Ulysses, Warrick, Gareth, Vili, and Yun-Sun appeared before me.
Damn right, I was all in for this fight.
I had five men I needed to get back to.
Five men I loved and wanted to spend the rest of my life having adventures with.
Squeezing Dr. Arbour’s hand with all the strength I had, I needed him to understand that I wasn’t going anywhere.
Hang on, my loves. You might not be here when I close my eyes, but I know you’ll be the first thing I see when I open them.
To be concluded in Petals & Promises: Part 2