EMBER
OTHERSIDE - MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
The view inside Sabre’s sprawling, private medical suite is harrowing. The entire department in HQ has been cleared to make space for thirteen identical beds, boasting their own gaunt occupant. Honestly, we didn’t trust anyone else to keep the patients secure.
All women.
All held captive.
All now free.
At my side, Gracie is breathing heavily. Our fingers are interlinked tight enough to interrupt the blood supply, but I don’t care. I’ll hold her hand until the end of time if that’s what she needs to face this cruelty.
“We did it, Gracie. We got them out.”
“They’re all alive?” Her saucer-like eyes ping pong around the makeshift space.
“Four are in induced comas, the rest are suffering from various degrees of dehydration, starvation or infections. It’ll be some time before we know if everyone will pull through or not.”
“They almost didn’t make it.”
“I know, hun. But it’s all over now.”
She jaggedly shakes her head. “That could’ve been me.”
“But it wasn’t.” Eager to reassure her, I speak as gently as possible. “Nolan Madden is alive and in custody. His networks are being dismantled as we speak. No one is going to touch you again.”
Biting her lip, her attention darts around the scene through the window. “Can I go inside? I want to see if I recognise anyone.”
“I guess so, but only for a short while. Do you want me to come?”
“No, it’s okay. I need to do this alone.”
“I’ll be right here if you need me, okay?”
Releasing her bloodless hand, I let the poor girl go. To my pride, she walks with her blonde head held high, slipping into the makeshift hospital ward to face her past head-on. I wish I had an ounce of her strength and determination at that age.
All this time, I was so scared of losing myself to this fight. Or letting the monster they made me into take control with no hope of wrestling it back. Meanwhile, Gracie has held herself together, death threats and all.
I’m fucking proud of her.
Seeing her pass the agents guarding our precious cargo to move from bed-to-bed, eyeing each liberated woman, it’s hard not to tear up. She moves like her freedom could be torn away at any moment. Scared to take up space. To breathe. To blink, even.
I hope that in time, she’ll find herself again.
That we all will.
In bay number nine, Gracie’s silent perusal abruptly halts. She wavers at the foot of the bed, one hand dancing in the sterilised air like she wants to move closer but fear entraps her. I meet Gunnar’s honeyed gaze at the nearby door to the suite then sneak inside.
“Gracie, everything okay?”
“I know her.” Her voice audibly shakes. “Her name is Ruth. We attended a few parties together.”
“Ruth… she wasn’t on your list.”
“I didn’t remember her until now.” Her head tilts, considering. “But her face, it’s so familiar. She has this light, tinkling laugh. It’s amazing. She shined so brightly.”
Joining her, I glance over the clipboard fastened to the end of the medical bed. “She’s being held in an induced coma while the team deals with a severe blood infection.”
“Is she going to be alright?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. I hope so.”
Her lip wobbles as she nods bravely. I watch in awe as she moves to the young woman’s bedside and takes her tape-wrapped hand, lightly stroking the visible blue veins penetrated by multiple needles. The young girl can’t be much older than Gracie.
“You’re safe now, Ruth.” Keeping her words light and feather-soft, she bends over the bed rail. “No one is going to hurt you here.”
My vocal cords spasm and contract, raging with unexpressed fire. I have to blink aside searing tears. I remember holding Gracie’s hand and comforting her like it was yesterday. Now she’s all grown up and doing the same for a new generation of victims.
It isn’t fair. She shouldn’t be here, forced to wade through the debris from Nolan Madden’s long reign of terror. But watching her step up to the plate heals something broken and ragged inside me. No matter what, I know she’ll be okay.
“Can I stay with her for a while?” Gracie lifts her tearful eyes to mine.
“I guess so. I’m not sure when visiting hours end.”
“I’ll leave if the doctors want me to. I just don’t want her to be alone.”
“Understood.” I paint on a smile. “Stay. I’ll be back soon.”
“Thank you, Ember.”
Once I’ve let myself out, the bravery drains out of me faster than blood down a plughole. I take the arm Gunnar offers without judgement. From the pounding in my head, I’ll need to rest soon or another seizure will hit. It’s been a couple days since any of us slept.
“I’ll keep an eye on the kid,” he offers sincerely. “She’s fine to stay.”
“Thanks, I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.”
“Go find the others upstairs, and take a break. You look exhausted.”
“Aren’t we all?” I laugh without an ounce of humour.
“Pretty much.”
“Have you heard anything about the interrogation?”
“Last I spoke to Axel, Madden was bartering for his life with the attorney general. He won’t get very far. His list of crimes was longer than my arm before he started blowing shit up.”
“Maybe we should have killed him.”
“I dunno.”
“Feeling sentimental, Hunter?”
Gunnar frowns, capitulating internally. “So often, evil gets swept under the carpet. None of the people who hurt me as a kid saw a minute of jail time. For once, it’d be nice to see justice get its day in court. For all those girls in there, you know.”
“You believe in justice?” I lift a brow.
“Think this place has me turning soft.”
“You might be right about that.”
On a whim, I tug the threatening pillar of ice into a fast but tight hug. It’s akin to embracing a brick wall. I actually think he recoils a little. Still, I make a point of squeezing his bones then relinquishing him.
“You’re not so bad, Gunnar. Not bad at all.”
“Alright, enough of that.” He shudders, pulling a sickened face. “Go hunt down my jackass twin brother and cuddle him, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“I may do that.”
“Gross. I don’t want to know.”
It’s a challenge to bite back laughter. Their relationship might always vacillate between love and hate. Oftentimes, I think their hatred is affection in disguise. Maybe one day, they’ll be able to show it.
“Call me if Gracie needs anything.”
“Yes ma’am.” He mock salutes me.
“I’ll come back in a few hours.”
Exiting the medical department, the elevator ride to Sabre’s cloud-wrapped upper levels grants me a second to gather myself. It’s been a long, draining couple of days that have moved faster than a whirling tornado.
Between cleanup at the scene of Madden’s corpse-filled estate to evacuating victims and releasing our loved ones from witness protection, there hasn’t been a moment of peace. But it’s coming. Soon, I’ll be able to rest, safe in the knowledge that our work here is done.
What’s next?
I guess I’ll have to figure that out.
The guys are all huddled in Warner’s messy office, trawling over evidence logs and pulling together the official report for Madden’s upcoming court appearance. None of them have stopped or rested either.
“Who wants coffee?” I poke my head in the door.
Four gazes lift to mine. Brilliant, reassuring baby blue. Possession-flecked olive greens. A light, playful honey hue, dancing with mischief. And churning, ever-shifting obsidians, stippled with the ocean’s waves.
“Mary’s bagels?” Axel asks hopefully.
“You’ve been talking about this bagel place for a whole year now, and I still haven’t been. I’m starting to think you’re wilfully depriving me.”
“He has a company-imposed limit.” Warner absently flicks through stacked paperwork. “One time, he almost missed an emergency callout because he was halfway across London stuffing his face.”
“That isn’t true!” Axel scoffs in outrage.
Leaning on the desk, Hyland chuckles. “It is so.”
“I always bring leftovers back.” He pouts at his surly teammates. “Next time, I won’t bother if all I’m going to get is grief.”
“I could eat,” Blaine mutters from a spot on the floor littered with crime scene photographs. “What’s good?”
“Sweet or savoury?”
“Uh, surprise me.”
Clapping his hands together, Axel stalks in my direction. “Want to be my wing woman?”
“Now, how could I refuse an offer like that?”
“I’ll make it worth your time, babe.”
“No stopping for a quickie on the side of the road.” Warner peers over his shoulder to chastise Axel. “We have work to do.”
“Ugh, he’s no fun.” Axel snags my hand. “Let’s go.”
“Wait, let me say goodbye.”
It’s silly, but seeing them all together like this, working side by side to clean up the devastation of our first case completed as a real team, I can’t help feeling proud. I take my time approaching each man to plant a kiss on their lips, one at a time.
First, Hyland braces a giant palm at the small of my back, letting the kiss linger. I smile when he pinches the top of my ass. Next to him, it’s a simple task for Warner to seize my hips and pull, landing me half across his lap for a stolen kiss.
He feathers the back of his knuckles over my cheek, caressing me with such reverence, it almost brings tears to my eyes. I want to remain here, but a throat clear from Axel has me moving to the final man, patiently waiting for me like he has been all along.
I have to stoop down onto my knees to reach Blaine, surrounded by photos of the bloodied scene we escaped together. The movement twinges the purple bruise on my chest where the force of the bullet landed, but it doesn’t stop me from planting a heavy kiss on his lips.
“Never walk away from me like that again,” I warn into his mouth.
“I had no intention of going with him.”
“I don’t care. You will never jeopardise your life like that, no matter the stakes.”
“Worried about me?” Blaine taunts cockily.
My teeth sink into his bottom lip, tongue coasting over the cool piercing. “You’re an idiot.”
“Your idiot, last I recalled.”
“And that’s forever.”
“God, I sure hope so.”
Clambering from his lap, I laugh at the crack of his palm across my butt cheek as I follow Axel from the office. Not before he pushes me up against the corridor’s wall to steal his own kiss, hot and demanding.
“I’ve never been so turned on by watching my girl stick her tongue down three different dude’s throats.”
“You’re such a voyeur, Ax.”
“And I make no apologies for it.”
Our hands link as we head for HQ’s underground parking garage. There awaits Axel’s pride and joy, the sole belonging to survive our recent brushes with death. Everything else went up in smoke across the capital.
Cherry-red steel paintwork glints underneath the fluorescent lighting. The fact that he left his 1978 Harley Davidson at work the day our penthouse burned to ash is nothing short of a miracle.
“It’s been a while since you took me for a ride.”
“Well, then today’s your lucky day.” He casts me a wink.
“How far is the bagel shop?”
“A while. But it’s worth the drive.”
“Can I make a quick phone call first? I promised to ring someone back today.”
Axel waves for me to go ahead, unlocking the storage compartment to get our helmets. I find a quiet corner between two armoured vehicles to dial Jude’s number.
“I’ve been waiting to hear from you all day.” He answers on the first ring.
“I’m sorry.” I heave out a tired breath. “It’s been hectic here.”
“So I’ve heard. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, the bullet hit my Kevlar. Just a little bruised and sore.”
“That was some risky move you pulled.”
“We needed to do something.” I shrug, even though he can’t see it. “I did what had to be done.”
“It was very brave, Ember. Though I think you scared a year off Hudson’s life with that shit.” He chuckles. “Thank you for bringing them home in one piece. Brooklyn was worried sick.”
“Nothing to do with me. Without Kade, we wouldn’t have gotten all those captives out alive.”
“He’s always gotta be the hero. I’m not surprised.”
“They’re all alive, some more than others. Madden will go on trial for his crimes, and every single woman will get their day in court. Including Angela. It feels good to know we gave that to them.”
“You should be proud,” he praises.
“I am. I just wish it didn’t take losing so many lives to make it here.”
“Nothing comes without cost in this business.” His gravelly tone is resolute to the harshness of our world. “As long as you stay with Sabre, the trade-off between life and death is a daily reality.”
“Maybe I won’t stay. I don’t know.”
“Is that your choice?” Jude questions.
Watching Axel fiddle with his precious baby, I gulp the lump expanding in my throat. “I let 768 in, and… I’m still here. I’m the one in control. And now I think I might want something different than this.”
When he eventually replies, I can hear the smile in his voice.
“How do you feel about that?”
Tucked in the bowels of the building that welcomed me home all that time ago, working for the company that gave me purpose, meaning, a reason for surviving… and gifted me the men who’ve given me a reason to wake up every day, my answer comes easily.
“For the first time, I feel whole.”