33
“Thanks for this, Ray. We really appreciate it,” I say, too weary to even force a smile.
I hated having to disturb him in the middle of the night, but with nowhere else to stay, no clothes, belongings or any cash to hand, he was our only option. Just by being here is putting him in danger should anyone have followed us, but I was careful on the drive over here that we weren’t.
“Don’t mention it. You can stay as long as you need. The guest room is set up and there’s some fresh towels and some spare clothes if you want to shower and change.” Ray looks over at Sierra. “Sorry, honey, an old t-shirt two sizes too big is the best I can do until I can get yours washed and dried.”
“It’s fine, Ray. Thank you.” She wraps him in a hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek before heading upstairs.
“Jesus, Al. What the hell are you involved in?” Ray asks as soon as Si is out of earshot.
“A lot of shit. Stuff you’re better off not knowing about, but the break-in wasn’t random. We were targeted by the same guy who hurt Sierra. He’s one nasty son of a bitch and he’s not going to stop until we stop him. His guys almost killed us tonight, and the house…” I swallow thickly. “The house is destroyed.”
His eyes sadden at that last part as my heart squeezes. Seeing the house where the best memories of my childhood resided ripped apart from the fire, destroying almost everything inside, hurts me more than I care to let on.
But as much as I loved that house, I love Sierra more and her safety is the only thing of importance to me right now.
He pulls me in for a hug, patting me on the back. “You go on up and take care of your girl, son. I’ll see you in the morning. Leave your clothes at the top of the stairs and I’ll get them cleaned.”
“Thank you,” I say, and after telling him goodnight, I join Sierra in the bedroom. She’s sat on the edge of the bed waiting for me, and the second I step inside she lunges, crashing into my full force, her arms locked around my neck.
I guide her legs around my waist and carry her back to the bed, sitting down so she’s straddling me.
“Are you okay?” I ask, brushing a brittle strand of hair from her face.
We both smell like sweat and smoke and covered in a layer of blood, soot and dirt, but I don’t care.
“It’s not the first time I’ve come close to death. It should probably scare me more than it does but…”
“The guy in the bedroom? You did that?” The dead body lying on the bed where we had sex only a couple hours before didn’t go amiss as we tried to escape.
She stiffens in my arms. “He was one of the ones that hurt me in that basement. He gave me this scar,” she touches the scar on the side of her face and my teeth grind. “I shot him in the leg and we fought. I punched him in the throat and managed to get free then shot him in the neck. I should feel bad for taking his life but I don’t. The bastard deserved it.”
“I’m proud of you, baby. You did well.” I press a kiss to her forehead.
She doesn’t ask about the other three that broke in, and maybe she doesn’t want to know. I came across two of the bastards as I descended the stairs, fighting two on one until the bigger one went upstairs, the guy Sierra killed.
I managed to get a shot in to the first guy’s chest and roll him off me before I was jumped from behind. This guy took a little more work. Whereas the other one was younger but lacked the muscle, this one was older, beefier, skilled, probably ex-Army or something who received the same training I did in the Forces. He gave as good as he got, but there was no way I was letting him live.
The last one I found in the kitchen, I shot him in the back of the head, and it wasn’t until a ball of fire sent my flying back against the wall that I realised he must have turned on the stove and left the gas leaking out. By that time, the kitchen was already ablaze.
“Oh god, Alec, the house…” she sighs, tears filling her beautiful hazel eyes.
“It’s just a house. Houses and everything in it can be replaced, maybe not photographs and keepsakes, but the one thing that can’t be replaced is you.”
My throat locks up as everything that’s happened tonight hits me full force. All of the emotions slams into me like a freight train. I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Fuck, princess, I… I almost lost you tonight. I thought it was happening all over again, just like with my parents.”
Her soft hands cup my face. “Alec…”
“I didn’t think I’d be able to save you. For a moment I was that terrified twelve year-old boy again, unable to save my parents.”
She wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my neck. “I’m okay. I’m here. I’m never leaving you.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that, princess,” I say, my voice muffled by her hair that fans my face.
Lifting her up, I carry her across the hall and into the bathroom where I take my time stripping her soiled clothes away from her body before doing the same with my own.
In the shower, we wash each other, the hot water turning black as it swirls down the drain.
I’m not sure at which point the shower turns sexual, but before I know it I have her up against the tiles, her legs around my waist as I thrust my cock into her with slow, steady strokes as I fuck her mouth with my tongue.
I pour every ounce of love into the kiss as I move inside her, and her moans and whimpers as her pussy squeezes my dick has me coming within minutes. I empty myself inside her, keeping my pace steady until I feel her walls flutter around me as she finds her own release a minute later.
Once we’re dried off, we change into the clothes my uncle left out for us before climbing into bed.
It takes minutes for sleep to find Sierra, but it doesn’t seem to want to find me at all. Climbing back out of bed, careful not to wake her, I stare out of the window onto the quiet street below.
I can’t help but wonder what my parents would think if they could see me now. Would they be proud or disappointed?
An involuntary tear slips down my cheek as I let the memory of them fill my mind. I don’t allow myself to think of them too often, but today hit too close to home to ignore them. I try to think of happy memories, but the only ones that find me are from that night.
The crippling pain as I watched the flames engulf my family home with my parents trapped inside is a feeling that I’ve never been able to shake, the image finding me in my dreams ever since.
The heartache of losing them, the guilt of not being able to save them, the fear of the unknown of becoming an orphan and the indescribable anger that filled my veins.
Anger at the world for letting it happen to me and my family.
And it almost happened again tonight. The love of my life was almost ripped from me again and that same anger floods my veins.
Austin was trying to send a message by going after all of us tonight. He’s not giving up and he’s certainly up for a fight, one he thinks he can win.
His ruthless vendetta against the Hudsons will ultimately be his downfall. He’s becoming desperate and erratic in his attempts to hurt them. But we have something he doesn’t. We have something to fight for, something worth fighting for… Family.
Love.
It’s what makes the world go round, some say. Some call it a weakness, but only by those who’ve never experienced it, who’ve never felt it. Love takes strength and patience, and forgiveness. It tests you in ways you never imagined, but it can be the most beautiful thing in the world.
Love is something Austin will never feel. He’s devoid of it. His heart is cold and dead, and that’s exactly what I want him to be too.
I want him six feet under.
And I want to be the one to put him there.
∞∞∞
The next morning, a pile of freshly washed and dried clothes are waiting for us outside the bedroom door and once we’ve changed, we head downstairs to find breakfast is waiting for us.
I didn’t get much sleep last night. My mind refused to switch off and I spent most of the night watching Sierra sleep, thanking whoever is watching over us up there that she came out largely unhurt.
I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. Hell, I’d never be able to live without her, and I don’t plan to.
We’re just about to leave Ray’s place when a text from Max comes through.
Max: My guys have everything covered after last night, the cops won’t be bothering you. We have eyes on the Sierra’s family. Get yourselves home. I’ll stop by later this evening once you’ve settled. Glad to hear you’re both okay, man. Stay safe.
Me: On our way now. Appreciate it. Can you check out Officer Paul Jenkins. Austin has him under his thumb one way or another, and he’s the reason for the attack last night.
I don’t have to wait long for a reply.
Max: On it as we speak.
“Once it’s safe, I’ll head over to the house and see what I can salvage, there might not be a lot but I’ll see what I can do,” Ray says as we head out onto the driveway, Sierra’s hand clasped in mine.
I turn to him just in front of the car. “Thank you, Ray. For everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me. You’re family, you both are, and I so am grateful you came back into my life, Al. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.” The two of us hug before he does the same to Si.
“It was lovely getting to know you, Sierra. I hope we’ll see each other in the future. I’ll be expected a wedding invitation through the door in the near future, and I’ll be insulted if I don’t.”
Sierra’s cheeks redden at the mention of us getting married, and I could entertain that thought all day long if I could.
“We better get started then, huh?” Sierra jokes, winking up at me with a smile that has me wanting to drop to one knee in front of her right this second.
“You take care of each other, you hear? You need anything, you know where to find me.”