Branded (The Branded Series) (31 page)

“Do we know
who did this?” I asked. “I assume it wasn’t an accident.”

Noah shrugged.
“There’s an investigative team on it now. But, yeah, it wasn’t an accident.”

I looked at
each one of my friends, each carrying a portion of guilt. “This is not your
fault,” I said. “And I agree that Jake can’t know about this.”

“He’s been
texting me,” Nick said. “Apparently he’s been texting you and not getting any
answers.”

I remembered
back to the washroom when I had texted Jake and told him how I missed him and
he had responded with a comment about how he hoped I was being protected. It
had made me angry. And before I had a chance to respond, I had collapsed.

I dug through
my clutch and found my phone. Eight new texts since our last exchange. Three
missed phone calls.

I read the
texts first:

~
Well?? Are they?

~
Are they taking good care of you?

~
Why aren’t you answering me?

~
I just tried to call. Anna, mess off and answer me.

~
!!!

~
Anna, I’m coming back if you don’t answer me!

And then there
was a reply from me, which I knew I hadn’t sent, so it must have been Rachel,
Claudia or Noah. Nick wouldn’t have been so bold. It read:

~
I’m fine. I love you.

“Who sent
that?” I laughed, surveying their innocent faces.

“Rachel,”
Claudia grinned. “It kept going off while we were with the doctor so we had to
shut him up. Last thing we needed was for him to come back before you were
better.”

I continued
reading the texts.

~
Okay, good. I love you too.

And then the
last text, which was received within the last half hour, read:

~
Nick and Noah aren’t answering my texts or calls. What the hell is going on
there? I don’t feel right about this.

I looked up at
the guys. “Did you answer him yet?”

They both
shook their heads.

“This isn’t
right though. He should know,” Nick said.

I couldn’t
stop the tears that pooled in my eyes. “Nick, if you tell him, I won’t hear the
end of it. I already feel suffocated with all the security on me as it is. I
can’t handle more. Nick,
please
.”

Claudia
reached across the bed and took Nick’s phone from his hand. “I’ll tell him Anna
was tired and so we’re back at the hotel resting. It’s not a lie.”

“It’s not the
truth,” Nick pointed out.

“But it’s for
the best,” I said. “He’ll be no good if he has to worry about me all the time.
He needs to focus too. Just like the rest of you.”

“You know
he’ll find out one day,” Nick said, “and when he does, there’ll be hell to
pay.”

“And I’ll pay
it,” I said. “It’s my problem, Nick.”

Suddenly the
hotel room door swung open and Jake stood in the doorway, flanked by Eli and
Mark.

“Jake!” I said
as I sat up straight and tried to keep the evidence of my dizziness from
reaching my face.

Nick and Noah
stood to greet him, but he pushed past them and came right to me. “Are you
okay? What happened to you?” Then he turned to Nick and Noah. “Why haven’t you
answered your phones?”

Before either could
answer, I said, “Jake, I’m perfectly fine. Look at me. I’m just tired and not
feeling that great.” I clutched my stomach as evidence.

He touched the
facecloth in my hands and then gave it to Claudia. “Get her a cold one,” he ordered.
Claudia did as she was told and went off to the washroom, pulling Nick with
her.

“Lay down with
me,” I said as I rested my head back down on the pillow and patted the bed next
to me. He didn’t lie down, but instead sat next to me, leaning over me protectively.

“I missed
you,” I said, kissing his fingers softly, and hoping the diversion would be
enough.

He nodded,
clearly not yet in the mood to forgive me for putting him through hell.

“Jake, don’t
be mad. I’m perfectly safe.”

Our eyes
locked and he took a deep breath. “I hate being away from you. I felt sick all
afternoon.”

I forced a
laugh, but couldn’t help but keep the irony from my voice. “Me too.”

Jake looked
back at the others standing near the door. “I’ll take it from here, guys.
Thanks for taking care of her.”

Noah nodded
and when Nick didn’t answer, Noah said, “No problem, man. Anytime.”

I sent a
thought to Claudia:
Please tell
Nick
I owe him one.
She winked
and they left, leaving me in the arms of my protector as I contemplated a
strategy to prove my independence to him.

First and foremost—thanks to God for my continual passion, perseverance
and patience. I am not naïve—I know I would not be writing this paragraph without
Him.

Thank you, Austin, for being you—the inspiration behind this novel. You
defined success for me when you read
Branded
from start to finish in just three days.

Thank you, Judy, Annette and Krista for being my guinea pigs and
reading this in its first draft, offering helpful advice and much-needed encouragement.

Thank you to my dear mother who consistently took my kids off my hands
so I could have a few hours to write. Your gift is Helping, and you are my
hero.

Thank you to my supportive husband and children who instinctively knew
that when I was cranky, a couple of hours in my Writing Room would fix the
problem.

Thank you to my amazing, supportive friends who shared in my excitement
as I wrote each novel, reviewed the cover designs, and prepared for launch.
It’s been so much fun having you on the ride with me.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to say a big thanks to you,
the reader, for taking the time to read this novel. I hope you enjoyed it at
least half as much as I enjoyed writing it.

K.L. Hawker
lives with her husband, three
children and faithful Golden Retriever in Halifax, Nova Scotia. When she’s not
writing, she enjoys photography, playing the piano, and travelling the globe
with her family.

Join K.L.
Hawker on Facebook and follow along on her adventures:

www.facebook.com/klhawker

K.L. Hawker’s
website is

www.klhawker.com