I stepped forward, took aim at the sonofabitch who had held my son, and squeezed off a shot.
Crack!
FUCK YOU!
FUCK YOU ALL TO HELL!
The shot hit him in the shoulder, spinning him around. It was all Carven needed to gain the upper hand, driving the blade of the knife deep into his chest with a savage snarl. But there were more of them coming, spilling out of a doorway along the hall like rats on a sinking ship.
And they were rats.
All of them.
“London!” The muffled sound came from behind me.
I took too long to turn…too long to see the real threat…and it wasn’t from the trained killers headed our way. It was behind me.
Vivienne was being dragged backwards. For a moment my mind froze, fixed on her wide eyes and the hand across her mouth before I saw him. The beady, glinting fucking eyes. The cruel, bloodless smirk on his face…that motherfucker Hale! She was gone in an instant as the false door slammed closed between us.
“Vivienne!” I lunged along the hallway, slamming my hand against the wall, before I pushed back and screamed her name. “VIVIENNE!”
“No…no…LONDON!” Her muffled scream reached me.
Behind me the boom of a shot tore through the air. But I didn’t stop. Not even when Carven’s brutal scream of pain followed. I fixed on the sound of her, as the desperate muffled sounds of her fighting and thrashing slipped further away, until they disappeared.
Get to her.
Get to her.
GET TO HER!
I drove my fist into the wall. “FUCK!”
That image burned in my head. Her eyes were wide…and that bastard’s arm wrapped around her throat as he dragged her backwards.
I spun around, scanning the hallway. There had to be a way to get to her…
I lunged, running back the way we’d come, my focus searching for a goddamn crack in the wall. Carven’s scream came, punching through my chest like a goddamn fist. But I couldn’t turn around. I couldn’t save him, not when Vivienne and our babies were at stake.
I’m sorry, son.
I skimmed my hand along the wall until I came to the corridor turning right, pushing faster until I was running along the hall. A faint scream was borne from somewhere deep in the walls, growing closer. I stopped, tracking the sound and tried to quell the booming of my heart, desperate to hear.
Was it her? Was that…my Vivienne? The sound came again. Only this time it was clearer, and my stomach dropped in an instant. I charged forward, desperately searching for those sounds. Her screams were louder now, just out of reach. I stopped and scanned the wall. Where…where WAS SHE!
One shove of my hand and the false panel gave way to another hallway and her piercing shrieks grew louder, coming from the room at the end of the hall…until in an instant, they stopped.
“VIVIENNE!” I charged, dropped my shoulder at the sight of the door, and collided.
BOOM!
The door flew inwards…there she was…standing in the middle of the room on the other side of a desk, her wide eyes unblinking as they turned to mine. My focus was drawn downwards, to where her hand pressed against her side…and the hilt of a blade buried deep in her belly.
“My babies.” She whimpered before her knees buckled and she crashed to the floor.
Rage.
Rage was all I became.
Bitter like ash.
Empty as the Devil’s soul.
I lunged, lifted my gun in one hand, and slammed the other against the desk, catapulted myself clear, and fired.
BOOM!
Hale slammed backwards, blood instantly seeping through his shirt.
“No.” He shook his head as I drove the gun under his jaw.
“I promised you I’d be the last face you saw before your death. I’m here to collect on that promise.” I forced the words through clenched teeth and pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
Blood splattered across the wall as his head snapped backwards.
“Vivienne!” Carven screamed her name.
I turned my head, finding him standing in the doorway. His intense blue eyes were wide, fixed, and full of rage. He turned that rage to the man I held upright and lunged. Colt was right behind him, his blue eyes now filled with the Beast.
Screams were all I heard.
Brutal, sickening roars of rage and pain as Carven shoved me aside, plunging his blade into Hale’s neck. I stumbled backwards, and turned toward the woman I loved.
“Pet…” The word was weak and pathetic, slipping free as I dropped to my knees.
The crunch of bones behind me made my stomach clench. My hands shook as I pressed against the wound in Vivienne’s belly, trying to stem the blood.
“London!” Helene screamed.
“WE’RE IN HERE!” I roared.
I was frozen, unable to do a damn thing but stare at that weapon plunged deep into the woman I loved and push against the bleeding.
Crack!
Rip.
My sons continued to tear Hale apart as movement came from the doorway. In an instant the room was filled, Helene and Riven, followed by Ryth and the Bankses. They stopped, staring as I slid my hand under her knees and gripped her around the back.
“We need to get her to the Doc!” I screamed and drove my body upwards. But they still didn’t move, frozen by the thing sticking out of her, until I jerked my gaze toward them. “Somebody fucking HELP ME!”
Movement came from the corner of my eye. But it wasn’t her sisters. Colt unleashed a low, wounded sound and stumbled forward. He slid his hands underneath her, taking her weight, his focus riveted on the knife.
That keening sound grew more desperate as he turned his gaze to her wide stare…until her eyes rolled back in her head. I pushed forwards, shoving them aside. “Out of my fucking way!”
Helene and Riven stumbled sideways. Ryth turned and ran, lunging in front of us. “Tobias…TOBIAS! HELP THEM, PLEASE!”
We ran along that corridor with Ryth and her brothers in front, guiding our way out of there. Carven’s scream haunted me until I heard the thunder of his steps as we pushed toward the front of the building. The faint boom of gunshots grew louder.
“Move!” Carven screamed.
I lunged aside, letting him shove ahead until he bowed his body around her and pushed past into an area that looked like a bomb had gone off.
“What the fuck?” Riven growled.
But I didn’t have time to care, just keeping my gun upwards, taking aim at anything that goddamn moved. Colt carried her out of there, his powerful body cradling hers against him. Those guttural sounds came from him, desperate to connect to our children…and the woman we loved.
“DOC!” Carven screamed. “FOR FUCKS SAKE, DOC!”
“Here!” Came the call from the line of cars near the treeline.
DeLuca rose from patching a hole in one of the gunmen, his gaze turning to Vivienne in Colt’s arms, and froze at the sight of the knife. That wasn’t what I wanted to see.
He took a step backwards, motioning weakly to the opened tailgate of the four-wheel drive in front of him. Colt carried her closer and eased her inside.
“How long has she been out?”
Colt looked at me. I shook my head. “A couple of minutes.”
Doc pressed against her belly, and worked his stethoscope into his ears.
“Well?” I growled.
He listened, pressing over her body, then moved to her chest. “We need to get her to a hospital now.” He straightened. “She needs surgery now, London.”
My feet moved on their own. “Is she going to survive this?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. No one could.”
Carven was already moving, lunging for our car.
“You’re coming with us, Doc. Tell me no and I’ll…I’ll—” I stuttered, unable to find the words.
“Of course I’m coming.” He answered.
Relief hit me like a goddamn truck as the four-wheel drive backed up hard and braked. The driver’s door was thrown open as Colt lifted her once more, carrying her gently toward the opening back door of our Explorer.
Doc grabbed his kit, hauling it up before he turned to the guy he’d been working on. “Keep that dry and clean and you’ll be fine. See me tomorrow if you get worse.”
I didn’t waste a second heading after them and climbed into the passenger seat.
“Baby?” I turned, watching Colt cradle her against him.
Her eyes fluttered open, her gaze wavering. “My babies.” She whispered as the doc closed the door behind him and Carven punched the accelerator, throwing me against the seat.
Dust and stones kicked up, pinging under the four-wheel drive as we skidded and surged ahead.
“It’s okay, Vivienne.” Doc pressed his hand against the wound, then tore open several packets of gauze to try to stem the flow. “I need you to stay with me here, can you do that? Can you stay here?”
She gave a slow nod, but as I watched, the color drained from her face, leaving her ghastly pale.
I was going to lose her.
I tore my gaze away, my fist clenched tight around the door handle. In the side mirror, movement came. A car skidded hard, then raced to catch up with us. The moment the dust settled I saw who it was…Guild. Then came another car behind him…and then another. Before long, the stretch of cars behind us was all I could see.
I’d never been a man of prayer.
Not even when my son was taken and tortured nearly to death.
My fists were my salvation.
My rage was my church.
But I closed my eyes now.
And I prayed.
If you’re up there. If you’re listening, don’t take her. Don’t take the one good thing you’ve ever given me…no, you’ve ever given us. I beg of you. If you have to take someone, take me instead.
I don’t know how long I stayed like that, while my world seeped away from me one drop at a time.
“Take us to Mercy,” Doc murmured. “I have a team on standby.”
I opened my eyes, finding the city skyline rushing toward us. Carven pushed the car harder, taking the corners wider as we hurtled closer. Seconds felt like hours. Minutes like days. I risked a glance behind us to where her bloodless lips were parted, and her breaths were fast and shallow.
“She’s going into shock.” Doc shifted, pulling her legs upwards, until her feet were in the air.
“Get the fuck out of my way!” Carven screamed at the traffic.
I hung on, we all did, as we turned hard once, then once more, hitting the driveway of the hospital with a jolt then tore toward the entrance. Tires skidded. I slammed forward as he hit the brakes, throwing my door open wide before we’d even come to a stop.
They were waiting for us, yanking open the door before Doc pushed out.
“Female, 20 years old, currently thirty-nine weeks pregnant with twins. Has extensive injuries to her…”
I zoned out, unable to look away from the knife in her belly. That fucking knife…what the hell had happened in there? The doctors lifted her gently onto the stretcher, nodding at the nurses to rush her inside.
“The babies.” I stepped forward and grabbed the doctor’s arm. He stopped, then met my stare. “If it comes down to it, she is the priority here.”
There was a slow nod. He never winced, never missed a beat as he said, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Then they were gone, leaving us standing there as the other cars pulled up and those who loved my wife stepped out. I stared at those closing double doors for too long. My body couldn’t move, waiting on signals my frozen mind couldn’t give.
“London.” Ryth called my name.
I shook my head and, as tears blurred my vision, I turned away, giving them my back.
“Hey.” Ryth’s small hand grabbed my arm, stopping me. I looked down at her hand. “Whatever happens, we’re going to be there.”
I swallowed that hard lump in the back of my throat as Carven and Colt headed inside, following DeLuca.
“Thank you,” I answered, then headed after them.
Flashes of images assaulted me as we headed for the bank of elevators. The knife in her belly. Her wide, unflinching eyes…then it was that bastard. That goddamn bastard who stared at me as I drove the gun under his jaw and pulled the trigger.
“London.”
I turned my head, finding DeLuca. He stared at me, searching my face as he reached out with a wipe in his hand.
“There’s blood all over you.”
I stared at that wipe, then took it as the elevator doors opened. My body moved automatically, stepping inside as I dragged the cleaner over my face. Carven was silent, staring at the closed doors. Colt was motionless, standing at the back. None of us were speaking.
“They’ll take her straight into surgery. We won’t find out anything for a while. I’ve arranged for you to have the entire doctors’ break room to yourselves. You can grab coffee or something to eat, or just even rest while we wait.”
It wasn’t for us. I knew that. It was for all the other patients and their families. Out of sight and out of the wrath of our rage. At that moment, I didn’t care. I gave a nod as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. I caught the movement as I stepped out. Vivienne was on a bed, her belly a mountain partially hidden under a white blanket as they rushed her through a set of double doors.
“Gentlemen,” DeLuca urged. “This way. I’ll get you some clean clothes and some coffee.”
I stared at those double doors before I turned. “Come on, boys,” I urged, heading after DeLuca.
They wouldn’t leave without me. Maybe they wouldn’t even leave if I did. Who could blame them? I followed the doctor to a break room marked Staff only, pushed open the door and headed for the sink.
London!
LONDON NO!
Her screams resounded in my head as I hit the faucet with shaking hands and bent over, splashing water on my face. The echo of steps was faint in the hall. DeLuca went out, guiding Ryth and her stepbrothers in as I grabbed a towel and switched off the water.
“What happened?” Caleb asked.
What happened?
Carven and Colt looked at me. They all did…but I turned away, giving them my back. I couldn’t look at them, not now. “I don’t know.” My words were a choked hiss. “I just don’t know.”
Silence grew behind me.
Empty silence.
Not a scrape of a shoe, or a drag of breath. Not even a cry from Ryth’s son, now asleep in Nick’s arms. There was nothing. Maybe this was how my life would sound now? Empty, vacant…until she came back to me.
The door opened and someone eased their head inside. “Doctor, can we see you for a moment?”
I spun at the sound, watching a nurse dressed in surgery gear glance my way.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
She forced a smile. “Just the Doctor, that’s all.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” DeLuca strode toward her. “Wait for me, London. Just wait.”
He was gone in a heartbeat, leaving us all alone.
“Okay, looks like we’re going to be here for a while. So, we need coffee.” Helene murmured and headed for the cupboards.
Doors opened. The hiss of the coffee machine sounded. Still, I couldn’t look away from that door. Not even when she pushed a cup into my hands and urged me to drink.
A nurse came in, handed out a stack of fresh scrubs, and motioned for us to change. I did, making my way to the bathroom at the side, then returned while the others followed.
Ryth and Helene left, returning minutes later with whatever they could scrounge from the vending machines. Sandwiches and bottled water were laid out on the table. Still, I clutched the cup of coffee until it went cold, unable to take my eyes off that door.
Then it opened.
And my entire world shifted.
DeLuca walked in, cradling a tiny bundle in his arms, one that mewled and cried out, stopping the entire room cold. He glanced at Carven and Colt, but slowly made his way toward me, dressed in the same surgical scrubs like the nurse wore before.
“London.” He gave a weak smile. “I’d like you to meet your daughter.”
My daughter?
I stared at that bundle in his arms. My pulse boomed as her little arms flailed in the air and she unleashed a cry. Colt stepped forward, mesmerized by the sight, and reached for her. But he stopped suddenly, turning to find me instead. “She’s calling for you.”
I shook my head as agony roared through my chest. “No…not me.”
“Yes.” He stepped to me, stopping directly in front of me. “Can’t you hear her? She needs you, she needs her father.”
Her tiny wails were piercing, like needles into my brain. I took a step before I knew it, moving around Colt to the doctor. She was so tiny, all bright red on one side of her face. I looked up at the doc.
“It’s okay, that’s just from being pressed against her big brother.” DeLuca lifted her. “Colt is right, she’s calling for you.”
“Not me…no.”
“Yes, London,” Tobias answered. “You. She needs you now.”
I flinched with a vulnerable growl, unable to take my eyes off her. She was beautiful, with dark hair and big round eyes. Her tiny fingers stretched wide as she flailed. I reached for her hand, letting her wrap those fingers around my finger. She quietened instantly, her shrieks deepening to cries.
“See, look how she needs you. If you can just—” Doc started.
But I cut him off by moving closer and taking her from his arms. She bucked, wailing louder for a second. But I knew, as soon as I held her, I knew. They were right. They were all right. She settled as I cradled her tighter.
“Skin on skin is best. She needs that right now.”
“Vivienne.” I croaked her name, my eyes filling with tears. “Please tell me…”
“She’s lost quite a bit of blood and there are…” he stopped. “Other complications here.”
Fear hit me. “What kind of complications?”
He didn’t answer but he looked at Colt. “I’m going to need the three of you to come with me.”
The floor dropped out from under me. Colt emitted a pained cry, and slowly shook his head.
“This way.” DeLuca reached for him.
Carven wrapped his arms around his brother, guiding him as DeLuca turned and headed for the door, opening it wide for me.
“We’ll be here,” Ryth whispered. “We’ll be right here.”
I cradled my newborn daughter in my arms, gave Ryth a nod, and followed them. I didn’t know what we were walking into…all I knew was it was about to change my life forever.
