Wanted (Addicted Trilogy Book 3) (3 page)

Sara

Surely my eyes were playing tricks on me. I saw a man standing
near me, but it wasn’t Samuel. At least it didn’t look like him. The small
amount of light which shone from something in his hand wasn’t enough for me to
determine who was sharing the same space with me.

As he moved closer, the feel of the air changed. I sensed who it
might have been, but I didn’t allow my brain to go there.

The more he advanced, the more the energy bristled between us. Still,
I didn’t acknowledge who it could have been, there in the dark, musty old room,
hidden in the basement of some crappy house.

Hope was the only thing I had left, and if he wasn’t really there
with me, then what was the point? I would beg for the cold hands of despair to
strangle me. My mental status would have been zapped from me, hallucinations
taking over and making me as insane as the man who took me.

“Sara. Can you hear me?” the man whispered, continuing to advance
toward the bed, toward my chained-up body. His voice sounded like Alek’s, but
still I didn’t give in to the dream of being rescued.

I closed my eyes and kept telling myself it wasn’t real. None of
it. I wasn’t being kept chained in a smelly basement. I wasn’t hoping and
praying Samuel would kill me already and end it. I wasn’t praying the man I
loved would come and save me.

No…it’s all a dream.
I
was going to wake up any minute, nestled into the crook of his arm, our bodies
twisted around each other in his big, comfy bed.

“Baby,” the voice called out again. Warm breath brushed my cheek.

Then a familiar scent invaded my senses. But could I be sure I
wasn’t simply fantasizing, the deepest recesses of my mind overpowering my
sense of logic, of what was real or not?

Opening my eyes proved futile because I still couldn’t make out
anything except a looming form. Was it Samuel trying to trick me?
Don’t say Alek’s name. He might become upset
and hurt you.

I held my breath as fingers caressed my hair. I was trying to
remain strong, but my walls broke. A tear escaped and dripped to the mattress
below. Then another. And another.

“Don’t cry, honey,” he said. “I’m here now. I’ve come to take you
home.”

It
was
him.

Alek was really there to rescue me.

Before I could respond, I heard someone else descend the steps. Fear
wrapped around me again. “Please,” I begged. “Get me out of here.” My body shook,
the chains above my head making a loud rattling noise.

Reaching out, he stilled the clinking with his hands. “Don’t
move, Sara. We can’t alert him. We can’t risk it. Not yet.”

Someone was moving closer to where we were. The door was pushed
open and another light shone into the darkness. “Devera, did you find her?”
Kael?

“She’s over here. Help me find something to cut these chains.”

“Chains?” Kael asked, more in astonishment than anything.

“I’ll be right back, sweetheart,” he promised before moving away
from the bed to join his friend in the middle of the small room.

I knew better than to cry out, the fear ever-present Samuel would
discover they’d come to rescue me. I remained quiet, my breathing slowed so I
could listen for his footsteps. Alek and Kael moved about the room with the
stealth of ninjas. I couldn’t see too well, but my ears pricked to the slight
noises they made. It was faint, but I heard the rustle of their shoes as they
searched the room for something to break my binds.

Finally, I heard Kael whisper, “I think I found something that’ll
work.” Both men rushed to my side. Something took hold of the large chains
above me, and within seconds I heard a loud clanking sound.

It scared me.

It thrilled me.

Alek made quick work of freeing both my arms and legs. I’d been
in the same position for what felt like forever, so when he tried to move me, I
cried out. The blood rushed quickly to my limbs, the pain more than I thought
it would be.

“Sorry, baby, but we have to get you up and moving. Breathe
through it.” He helped me to my feet and once I was steady, the pain in my
hands and feet subsiding a little, I grabbed hold of his shoulders.

“I knew you would come for me.” I became dizzy, the air in the
room suddenly stifling. “You always come for me,” I mumbled before I passed
out.

The next thing I knew, I was being lowered to my feet. Awareness
of my surroundings bombarded me like a heavy weight. “Are we still here?” I
asked, my confusion slowly waning.

“Unfortunately, yes. We’re on the main floor. We’ll be out of
here soon.” Alek circled my waist and pulled me close, allowing me to rest
against him for support.

Kael came up behind us, startling me and making me jump. “Sorry,
Sara. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Well, it’s not hard to do.” I tried to laugh, but there wasn’t
anything funny about what was going on around us.

“You ready?” Alek asked his friend, already moving in the
direction of the back door.

“Yeah. Let’s go,” he answered.

As we stepped toward freedom, our movements were halted when
Samuel walked directly in front of us. At first, he looked as if he was
confused, glancing back and forth between the two men who had come to rescue
me. Then his gaze fell on me.

He looked dejected, as if he couldn’t believe I was leaving him.

Again.

He completely ignored Alek and Kael, his focus solely on me as he
spoke. “Sara. Where are you going? Why are you leaving me?”

His voice was calm, posture rigid, his demeanor threatening.

Alek shielded me with his body, pushing me to step behind him. “Get
out of our way, Samuel. We’re leaving.”

Kael added, “We’ve called the cops, so don’t even try anything.”

My captor completely ignored both of them, his attention still
focused only on me. It was creepy, but had I expected anything less?

It was weird. I could deal with our situation when it was the two
of us. Okay, maybe not
deal
, but at
least no one else was involved. But having to watch Alek witness the bizarre
back-and-forth between us was unnerving. I knew how much it affected him. His
eyes were resolute as he stared at Samuel. Even through the dim lighting of the
room, cast by a lamp in the corner, I caught a glimpse of his despair when I
turned to look at him. An action my kidnapper didn’t appreciate.

He took one step toward me.

Toward us.

“Don’t look at him, Sara. Look at me,” he demanded. “You belong
with me. Not him. Why are you trying to run away? All I’ve ever done was love
you.” His words were slurring the more he spoke. Was he on something? Was he
medicated at all? Because whatever it was didn’t take the crazy out of him.

Alek reached down and gripped my hand in his, squeezing tight. His
rage was breaching the surface; one wrong word and he would be in full-on
attack mode. “Don’t say another fucking word to her. Do you hear me?” he
seethed, his muscles tensing in his anger.

Again, Samuel never acknowledged him.

Kael took a step to the side in an effort to make Samuel feel as
if he was surrounded. Off in the far distance, I could hear sirens.
Hurry up.
I wanted to leave as quickly
as possible, but I also wanted to make sure they caught him. His second time
kidnapping me was surely enough for them to lock him away for the rest of his
natural-born life.

He must have heard the sound of the police as well, because
before anyone of us could even take our next breath, Samuel advanced, lifted
his arm and pointed a gun at Alek.

I froze.

No. No. No.

This can’t be happening.

As soon as he drew his weapon, Kael stepped closer and raised his
own gun, pointing it directly at Samuel’s head. Nerves racked through me,
unaware of how everything was going to turn out. There were no guarantees. Scratch
that. The only guarantee I could depend on was Samuel didn’t care if he lived
or died. He only wanted me. I could see it in his dead, blank stare.

“If you leave me, Sara, I’ll kill him.” He wasn’t paying any
attention to the gun Kael had aimed at him. It was almost as if he hadn’t even
seen it. Or him.

“Then you’re going to have to kill me, because she
is
leaving and you’re never going to see
her again,” Alek goaded. I tried to warn him with my grip not to antagonize Samuel.
He ignored me.

“Samuel,” I started. “Please, don’t harm him. He has nothing to
do with this.”

“He does!” he shouted, his voice ringing out in the air around
us. “If it wasn’t for him, you would be with me. We would be so happy
together.” The tension in his voice became more strained as the situation unraveled.

I remained silent. I had no idea what to say to him. Uttering the
wrong words would surely cause him to explode, and I couldn’t take the chance. Not
with Alek’s life.

Taking a step forward so I was positioned directly next to Alek
proved to be a fatal mistake. I saw the recognition in Samuel’s eyes. He saw me
as standing up for Alek, and it didn’t sit well in his crazy mind.

His posture straightened.

He inhaled a deep breath, and I knew it was coming.

I couldn’t see his finger on the trigger, but I sensed he was about
to pull it.

So I did the only thing I could.

I jumped in front of the man I loved as the shot rang out.

As I was thrust to the side, then to the ground below, all I kept
thinking was,
Is Alek okay? Is he hurt?

I did my best to focus on the commotion around me but the more I
stayed alert, the more the pain overtook me.

If I close my eyes, the
pain will stop.
 

Slowly drifting off into the darkness, my only thoughts were of
the man who always tried to save me. I prayed I was able to save him in return.

Alek

It all happened so fast. First, Samuel blocked our route to
escape, then he was spouting off crazy shit about him and Sara being happy
together and that it was all my fault. Like I’d gotten in the way.
Well, you’re damn right I did. I put myself
between the woman I love and a crazy-ass psycho.

Everything after was a blur. For reasons unknown, Sara jumped in
front of me to shield me from the bullet. I didn’t even know how she realized he
was going to fire it at me.

Didn’t she know I would die for her?

Give my life to protect her?
 

Once the gun fired, I lunged forward without thinking and knocked
Samuel back against the wall. I heard Kael shouting to me, but I blocked him
out. The only mission I was on was to steal the life from him. I should have
been checking on Sara. I had no idea how she was, but I chose to stay in denial
a little while longer. Plus, I knew my friend would tend to her while I set
about destroying Samuel.
 

Wrestling around on the ground proved to be more difficult for
him than it was for me. I had rage and fear on my side, which allowed me to
best him rather quickly. The first punch shattered his nose, the second knocked
him out cold.

As soon as I stood, I ran over to check on Sara. Kael was
kneeling over her body, shaking his head profusely as he tried to find the
wound. There was so much blood, it was hard to locate exactly where the bullet
had hit her. I prayed right then and there, asking God to spare her life and not
take her from my world.

But my worst fears were coming true right in front of me.

Reaching down to check her over myself, my hands were immersed in
her blood, the warm, sticky substance oozing from somewhere on or around her
chest.

My fingers circled her wrist, trying my best to find a pulse.
 
She had one, but it was weak.

“I’ve called 911, Alek. They’ll be here any minute.” The sirens
we’d heard before were closer, maybe two or three minutes away. As I prepared
to cradle Sara’s head in my lap, I noticed movement in my peripheral vision. I
turned toward the distraction and saw Samuel starting to come back around.
 

Sara laid there dying yet he had the audacity to breathe life? As
if he was entitled to it?

I snapped.

Searching on the ground around me, I located his fallen gun,
gripped it in my hand as if it was my best decision and moved toward the man
who would forever change not only my life but Sara’s, as well.
  

There was no way she was going to be the same after that night.
He managed to rip away what little safety she’d felt after so many years living
in fear.

As for me, he was going to be the first and only person whose
life I would extinguish without a second thought.

I kicked his side when I finally stood next to him, the barrel of
the gun pointed right between his eyes. Kael was still crouched next to Sara’s
body, holding her hand while he looked after me with concern.

“Alek, don’t do it. Let the cops sort him out.” I heard his words,
but they meant nothing to me. They didn’t even permeate my brain.

Ignoring my good friend, I
placed all my focus on the man at my feet. He glanced up, and
the look he gave me almost made me pity him. He was delusional and certifiable but
in his head, he was normal.

“They’ll
see I’m better one day. They’ll let me out, and I’ll come back for her.”

I never hesitated.

I pulled the trigger and watched the life drain from his eyes. Only
when I was sure he took his last breath did I release the gun from my hand. It
made the loudest noise as it crashed to the floor.
 

~~~~

I was going to wear a hole in the carpet if I didn’t stop pacing,
my impatience and nerves driving my legs to walk back and forth on their own
accord.
 

I knew I was driving the hospital staff crazy with my incessant
rants about wanting information on Sara. Every five minutes, I was demanding answers
and each time, they told me I had to wait. Needing to hear something from the
doctor was slowly eating me up.

I kept picturing Sara lying helpless on the floor, bleeding out
right in front of me. All because she took it upon herself to try and protect
me.

To save me instead of the other way around.

A wide range of emotions flooded through me. Anger and fear were
battling for the title, and I wasn’t quite sure which one was going to hold the
belt in the end.

There were so many things I wanted to say to her. I only hoped I had
the chance to tell her how much she truly meant to me. I also needed to express
how angry I was with her. Upset she put her own life in jeopardy, a life I’d
spent the greater part of a decade trying to protect. Without thought, she tossed
it all away, threw caution to the wind with one fateful, selfless and stupid
decision.

The more I thought about what had transpired, the more my chest
hurt.
If I don’t watch it, I’m going to
be lying right next to her. We could be roommates.

In the middle of my internal meltdown, I noticed two people walking
toward me in the waiting room. Looking up, I saw Alexa was holding on to Matt’s
arm, despair written all over her face. I’d filled them both in when I went to
look for her, so when I placed the call she was in the hospital, they knew it
wasn’t good.

Matt helped Alexa to her seat before he approached me. He really
wasn’t a bad guy. Actually, the more I saw him interact with both Sara and
Alexa, the more comfortable I was with him being in my woman’s life. He cared
for them as if he was their brother. I had to admire that.

He extended his hand and, for once, I took it without
reservation. He was almost as worried about his dear friend as I was.

“How is she? Have you heard anything? What happened?” he spouted,
question after question falling from his lips without a break.

“I don’t know how she is,” I grated. “These bastards won’t tell
me a damn thing. All I know is she was taken into surgery four hours ago.”

“Surgery?” Alexa cried. “What happened, Alek?” She held my gaze
until her face dropped into her hands, sobs racking her body as she wept for
her best friend.

“She was shot.” Three of the worst words I’d ever muttered in my
entire life. “Honestly, I don’t know anything yet. The doctor hasn’t even been
out to update me on her status. Hell, I don’t even know if she’s still in
surgery.”

Matt stared at me as if he held me responsible for Sara’s
predicament. Could I blame him? I would forever carry around the guilt until my
dying day.

Without saying a word, Matt joined Alexa on the small sofa in the
corner of the waiting room. We glanced at each other from time to time but
other than those fleeting moments, we sat and waited in silence. Well,
they
sat. I continued to do what I did best:
pace.

When I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, a doctor came
strolling into the room.
Where the hell is
his sense of urgency?
Doesn’t he know
the love of my life lay clinging to life somewhere in this hospital?

“Mr. Devera?” he asked as he looked around the room, trying to
pinpoint which one of us was going to answer. When I walked closer, basically
announcing I was the man he was looking for, he opened his mouth.
Please, tell me good news.

 
“Miss Hawthorne’s surgery
went well. Luckily, there wasn’t too much damage to her shoulder. She should
have full range of motion after some physical therapy. Other than that, she’ll
be fine.”

Her shoulder?
I could
have sworn she was shot directly in the chest. I was preparing myself to
receive news the bullet had pierced her heart.

Because that was exactly what it had done to mine.

“When can I see her?” I asked, standing a little too close to
him.

“I’ll send a nurse out soon to take you back. But please, don’t
stay too long because she’s still quite woozy from the anesthesia. Plus, she
needs her rest.” He left before I could ask him any more questions. His staff
had probably warned him about me, so he made sure to give me an update then got
the hell out of there.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, a nurse escorted us back to
Sara’s room.
 

“Normally, we only allow one visitor but seeing as how you all
have been here for hours, we’ll make an exception this time. Don’t be too long
because she needs her rest.”

I quickly thanked her before rushing to Sara’s beside.

My heart all but stopped when I saw her lying in the bed, looking
damaged and broken.

My soul broke apart inside me, piercing my heart like tiny razor
blades, making me bleed out all of my hurt, anger and fear.