Hush (24 page)

I slid the glass door open and strode across the immaculate yard. I didn’t even stop to admire the infinity pool or cabana. The whole house, including the yard, looked like something a celebrity would have. I guess Rajas thought he was one.

I went down the steps that had been chiseled into the natural stone cliff. I had always been slightly frightened by them. They were steep with no railing and very narrow.

I reached the bottom and my feet sunk into sand. I looked around for Siva’s dark hair and pristine white shirt. I spotted him standing at the edge of the water where it would come up and lap his bare toes. He had taken the time to roll up his gray pants. His hands were buried in his pockets and his normally slicked back hair hung in his face. He looked broken.

I came up to him and put my arms around his waist. I leaned into him and he relaxed, putting his arm around me, he had no idea how much that simple movement meant to me.

“Sloane,” he said softly and turned to look at me.

“Yes?” I asked.

He shook his head and looked back out at the water. The sun was beginning to set making the water look orange.

“Sometimes I feel like… like I’m second best,” he hung his head. “If Devak hadn’t died you would’ve married
him
and you’d be having
his
child right now. Not mine.” He put his hand to my stomach and left it there. “Sometimes I think all of this is a dream and I’m just going to wake up and you’ll be gone. You won’t be mine,” tears glistened in his eyes.

“Siva,” I said and my heart broke for this beautiful man. “You once told me that love is hard, painful, and anything but pleasant.” I laughed, “I feel that with you, Siva. I love you so
much it hurts. I didn’t have that wit
h Dev. I loved him, of course, b
ut now… When I look back on our relationship I realize that we were more like best friends. He didn’t make my heart speed up like this,” I said and placed Siva’s hand over my heart. “He didn’t make my toes curl with a look, he didn’t make me love him and hate him at the same time,
and he
didn’t leave me breathless. I love
you
. I’m
in
love with
you
. You’re the one I want. You’re the one I choose. You are
not
second best, Siva, do you hear me? You’re not. Even if… even if Dev hadn’t died I still think we would’ve found each other. You’re my heart and my soul Siva.
I fell for you Siva and I fell hard and I’m okay if I never get up.”

He grabbed me by the back of my neck and pressed his lips forcefully against mine. I curled into his body. He put his other hand against my waist and held me close to him.

“Oh Sloane,” he said pulling away. “I’m so sorry for the way I acted. I know nothing I ever do will make up for it. I do want this baby and I’ll be the best father I can be. We’re going to be a family and I will love you and our child every second of every day for the rest of my life.  I love you,” he said and kissed me again.

Lost in the moment I tangled my fingers in his hair. All my thoughts went out the window. I had my husband back. Nothing else mattered.

But then one loud
pop!
changed
it all.

Chapter Twenty

Siva pulled away from my lips and looked wildly around for the source of the noise. I did too. He spotted it before I did.

“Get behind me Sloane,” he said softly under his breath.

“What- why-?”

I turned to see where Siva was looking.

“I missed,”
said a pretty brunette. Her red lips pouted as she glared at the offending metal object in her hand. “I certainly hope you’re a better shot,” she said to the person behind her.

“Alexa-” said Siva. I gasped. This was the woman I had caught trying to put the make on Siva. “Put the gun down. You don’t want to do this.”

She smiled prettily. “Oh I assure you, I do. I loved you. I wanted you. You’re supposed to be mine!” she screamed the last part.

“Alexa-” said Siva in a calming tone.

Alexa turned and I gasped at the man that appeared out of the shadows. “MacAuley,” growled Siva.

“Mac,” I gasped.

Mac smirked at me. “Hello tease,” he said. He too, held a gun in his hand. “And yes Alexa
,
I
know how to shoot.”

“Oh God,” I whimpered. We were alone on the beach with two pyschos. The house was too far away for us to make a run for it. Besides that, I really didn’t want to get shot in the back. I’d much rather see it coming. Okay, maybe not.

Mac turned to glare at Siva. “You ruined me.”

“You did that yourself,” he growled. I put my hand on his arm.

“You took everything from me!” screamed Mac. “My job! My life! Everything!”

“I don’t think you want to do this then MacAuley. If you…
hurt
us
then you really will lose everything. How is being locked up behind bars going to solve anything?” Siva said. He was so calm. I didn’t know how he did it. I was shaking.

Mac turned his head slightly to the side and said, “I don’t plan on making it out of this alive.”

Mac lifted the gun in the air. Siva’s eyes widened.

Mac aimed and pulled the trigger.

Pop!

The gun was pointed right at me. 

“
Noooooooo
!” screamed Siva and blocked my body with his. “
Ooomph
,” he grunted from the impact and fell to his knees. He put his hand to his abdomen and his fingers came away red.

“Siva?” I breathed.

Pop!

Pain coursed through my
thigh
. I couldn’t stand. I fell into the stand. I looked up to see Mac aiming the gun at me yet again. But this shot would be fatal. Siva groaned.

I put my hand to my womb as if by that simple movement I could protect the child growing inside me. The pain in my leg was throbbing and quickly becoming unbearable. I was surprised by the amount of blood that coated the ground.

“Just get it over with Mac!” screamed Alexa.

Mac smiled. “Certainly my love.”

This was it.

The end.

It wasn’t coming softly.

It was coming with a bang.

A loud resounding pop.

“Get away from her!” screamed Siva. Mac turned his attention to the new threat. Siva, weakened, somehow found the strength the wrestle Mac to the ground and try to get the gun from him. Alexa watched fascinated.
Her plump red lips were twisted into a smile.

I put my hand to my leg and tried to stop the bleeding. Black dots scoured my vision.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

I watched both men slump to ground. Blood quickly soaked their clothes and the sand. I didn’t know whose it was.

Alexa, satisfied, turned her attention to me. With her foot she twisted Siva’s head from side to side. She clucked her tongue.

“What a shame.
We could’ve… had something,” she looked regretfully at Siva’s still body. She strode confidently towards me. My grip on my leg became tighter and I grimaced in pain. Alexa waved the gun in the air. “You know Sloane,” she said looking down at me, “This would’ve never happened if you had just let him go. Why couldn’t you let him go!” she screamed. “He was mine! Mine!” Her brown eyes darted wildly around her. I said nothing. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t beg. “You took what was mine!” Calmly she pointed the gun at me. “I could kill you and no one would find me. I’d get away with it. The authorities would assume it was him,” she flicked her head to Mac’s still form. “You’ll be lost. No one will remember the dead American girl. You’re nothing. Nothing! You don’t matter and now… you won’t
exist
,” she put her finger in the trigger.

I closed my eyes.

Pop! Pop!

Slowly I opened my eyes.

Alexa glanced down at her abdomen in disbelief. Blood coursed from her body. Her dark eyes widened. Then she fell.

“Sloane?” asked Siva as he crawled in the sand towards me.
He was holding his side and his face
was
contorted in obvious pain. “Sloane?” he said again.

I took in the horror scene before me.
So much blood.
It didn’t seem real.

A new pain joined the one in my leg. I put my left hand to my right shoulder. Blood. She’d shot me.
But it had missed its mark when Siva shot her. Instead fatally wounding me in the chest she had got my shoulder.

I swayed where I sat. I couldn’t hold myself up much longer. Siva had ceased his movement and was slumped on the ground. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.

I fell back into the sand. The pain was excruciating. I stared at the darkening sky.
At the stars blinking in greeting at me.

Then, all at once, the stars rushed at me.

The darkness enfolded me. Swallowed me. Absorbed me.

Everything ceased to be.

Chapter Twenty-One

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The steady noise invaded my mind.

Shuffling.

Voices.

In and out I drifted.

Time meant nothing. It just existed.

“
…o
ut of surgery.”

“Is he okay?”

“Shot three times.”

“Bad
…
”

“…dead… crazy… how… find… them…?”

I heard the
voices. But
it didn’t mean anything to me.

I felt someone’s hand press against my forehead. I tried to respond but my body wouldn’t let me. I felt heavy. I couldn’t move my muscles. I couldn’t open my eyes.

* * *

Slowly, feeling crept back into my body. When it did, I wished it hadn’t. I hurt all over. The heavy numbness had been better than the pain. My eyes fluttered. I could still hear the
incessant beeping. The noise hurt my head and I squished my eyes tightly together to block out the noise. I was too weak to lift my hands to my ears.

“Sloanie?” asked a soft voice.

My head hurt.  The pain was beyond that of a headache. My stomach hurt too. I blinked my eyes open.

“It’s… too… bright…” I said. Someone closed the blinds.

“Sloanie? How do you feel?”

“I hurt,” I whined like I was five. I put my hand to my head and hoped the spinning would stop.

“I’m sure you do,” said the voice. As my eyes adjusted I focused on the person in front of me. “You were shot Sloanie. How did this happen?” my mom asked. Tears leaked out of her eyes and her nose ran. Her eyes were bloodshot so I knew she had been doing an awful lot of crying.

“I’m gonna be sick,” I said.

My mother thrust a pan in my hands and held my hair back. She gently massaged my neck.

“How long have I been out?” I asked.

“A week,” she said. “It was
touch and go there for a while.” She brushed my hair back from my face. “You scared me Sloanie.”

“I’m sorry mom,” I said.
I looked around the room for the person that I really wanted to see.

A nurse came in at that moment. I looked wildly in between her and my mom. “Where’s Siva? Where is my husband? Is he… Please tell me he’s okay,” I sobbed. My head was pounding and with the tears I thought I might be sick again.

“Sloanie,” said my mom.

“Is he okay?” I asked again.

I looked up. My mom looked at the nurse. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “I’m going to get the doctor.”

“Mommy?” I sobbed when the nurse had left.

“He had to have surgery
,” she said, tears shone in her eyes again. “He hasn’t woken up yet. He- It was bad. The doctor says he’ll be fine. This is just his body’s way of recovering. He’ll be fine Sloane,” she said when I started to sob even harder.

“I love him so much. I can’t lose him. I can’t-” A new thought occurred to me. I looked up at my mom. “The baby,” I breathed.

“The baby’s fine,” said a new voice. I looked up at Dr. Fletcher. “The womb is quite amazing.”

I put my hand to my stomach and breathed a sigh of relief. The baby was fine.

“How do you feel?” asked Dr. Fletcher.

“Like I was shot,” I said.

His lips quirked.
“Well, that’s understandable.” He came to stand by my right side and my mom moved the bottom of the bed. “Let me check your shoulder,” he said. With the help of the doctor and the nurse they eased me into a sitting position. The doctor eased the gown off of my shoulder and then removed the bandages. He poked and prodded the tender area. “It appears to be healing well. This one was just a graze. Let me check your leg,” he said and put the bandage back in place. He lifted the sheet off my leg and took the bandage off the woun
d on my thigh. My eyes widened and I had to look away from the gruesome sight. I could clearly see the bullet hole and the skin around it was an angry red.

“You’re going to have to use crutches or a wheel chair for a while,” he said.

“Great,” I murmured sarcastically. I had had to use crutches in middle school. The whole experience had sucked and I wasn’t looking forward to doing it again.

“Rest up,” said the doctor. He nodded to the nurse. She inserted something into the IV. Cold hit my veins and I was out like a light.

* * *

Days later I awoke again.

“Siva?” I asked before I opened my eyes.

“Nope it’s me,” said a voice.

“Lyndi?” I asked opening my eyes. She smiled and put a magazine down.

“Yeah, your poor mom was dead on her feet. I sent her back to your place to get some sleep.”

“Thank you,” I said. My mother was probably ready to collapse. I knew this whole ordeal had to be hurting her.

“No problem,” said Lyndi. She grabbed my hand. “We’ve been so worried Sloane.”

“We have,” said another voice. Coming into the room was Nate with two cups of coffee. He handed one to Lyndi and kissed her on the lips.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He smiled. “I was there when your mom got the call. I thought she was going to have a heart attack so I came for moral support,” he blushed and looked at Lyndi. I was pretty sure there was another reason he had come.

“Well, thank you,” I said. I looked between the two. “Do you know… what happened to Mac and Alexa?”

Lyndi sighed and tucked a long piece of blond hair behind her ear. “Mac is dead and Alexa is in police custody. They’re saying she’s going to take the insanity plea.”

I closed my eyes. “Why did they do this?” I breathed.

“They’re both crazy,” said Lyndi. “Thank God you’re alive though. I don’t know what I would do without my best friend.”

“You’d be fine,” I said.

“Never,” she smiled and tears glimmered in her eyes.

“I want to see Siva,” I said softly.

Lyndi nodded. “I figured.”

She looked at Nate and he disappeared
,
a minute later he returned with a wheelchair and a nurse. The nurse helped me into the wheelchair and fixed my IV and bag for transport. Lyndi knew the way so she steered me down the hallway and the nurse left. Nate walked behind us. I took in my surroundings. My room was located in the Recovery wing but Siva’s room was in Intensive Care.

Lyndi stopped just outside his door and I took a deep breath.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Yes,” I breathed. She opened the door and wheeled me inside.
I refused to look at him yet. I knew when I did that my heart would tear in two.

“I’ll be just outside the door. Call for me when you’re ready to leave,” she said as she put the brakes on the wheel chair and positioned me beside my husband.

I heard her leave.

“Oh Siva,” I sighed, having finally looked at him.
His caramel colored skin was pale and waxy. He was hooked up to a ventilator and his chest rose and fell. His eyes were closed and his hair lay dark against his forehead. He looked dead but I knew he wasn’t and thank God for that.

I took his hand in my mine. It was cold and clammy.

“Siva,” I breathed and tears fell. “Why did this have to happen? I love you. Please don’t leave me. Please,” I begged. I laid my head against the mattress and kept his hand in mine.

I cried and I begged for hours until Lyndi finally came in and removed me. I didn’t want to leave and I screamed at her to leave me. A nurse came and shot something into my IV. I heard her say something about, “Trauma. It’s best to keep them sedated,” and then the faces and the noises disappeared.