Page 21

21

DEATH

“Night after night, darkness polished the lamb's bones with velvet promises until its wool grew black as dreams.” ~ Anonymous

“That guy must have been fucking with us,” I grumbled, pissed the hell off that we hadn’t located the replica of my house.

“Maybe it was another riddle, or that old man was paid to feed us that information,” Ryan replied.

“But why? I even saw a structure on Google Maps, so I know it’s around here.”

“It’s dark, and we’re in unfamiliar territory. Let’s turn around and find somewhere to stay for the night. We can begin the search again in the morning.” Ryan pulled to the side of the dirt road and hooked a U-turn. From his grim expression, he was as worried and upset as I was.

“We will find her. Alive,” I snarled. “I refuse to accept anything else. And I swear to fucking god, or Lucifer, or whoever claims my fractured, black soul, I will hunt down every last person involved in this, and I’ll flay the skin from their goddamn corpses and display them at The Met as a warning to anyone who dares to cross me or those I care for.”

“He won’t kill her, man. He’s enjoying the game way too much to end it. He’s a fucking twisted motherfucker, but don’t forget, this isn’t about Ella either. It’s about you. He wants you.”

Ryan drove in silence, taking the bumpy road slowly. My mind raced with thoughts of Ella. I couldn’t let her down. She couldn’t … die. Anxiety coursed through me with every beat of my frantic heart. There had to be something I could do. There was always an answer if you wanted it bad enough.

“What the hell?” Ryan slowed and then he came to a complete stop.

“Stay here.” I jumped out of the car before he had a chance to argue with me. Grabbing my knife from the sheath on my calf, I approached the person in the middle of the road. It could be a trick. Hell, I’d played it myself, then snatched the unsuspecting victim.

The torn and dirty dress was barely recognizable, but the black hair hiding the person’s face made my pulse skip a beat. I stilled and scanned the body. Blood pooled beneath the person’s leg and a knife protruded from the thigh. The rise and fall of the chest told me they were still alive. From the looks of the curves and petite form, the person was female. Slowly, I knelt, then moved the hair from the face.

My eyes widened in shock, but there was no mistaking her—my Ella.

“Ella,” I whispered. “I’m going to pick you up.” If she could hear what I was saying, I needed her to understand she was with me. “You’re safe, little lamb. Your wolf is here to bring you home.” With care, I scooped her into my arms and carried her to the Camry. Ryan hopped out of the car and opened the backdoor for me.

“Jesus, is it her?” He popped the trunk and then placed a jacket on the seat for her. “I have a blanket. Lay her down, and I’ll cover her up. She might be in shock.”

My arms trembled with the realization that she could be badly hurt. We weren’t out of the woods by any means.

“I’ll stay back here with her.” I gently placed her on the back seat. Sliding in, I placed her head on my lap and stroked her hair. “Little lamb, come back to me,” I whispered.

Once Ryan was settled in, he drove like a bat out of hell down the road. I wanted to argue with him bouncing her around like a rag doll, but we were both probably thinking the same thing. Would Ella live long enough for us to get her help?

I leaned down and pressed my lips to her dirty forehead. “The kids have missed their mother, and I have missed my queen. Hang in there, we’re on the way to the hospital.”

Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror, studying me. “Have you considered not going into the hospital in case the cops are around? If any police have even a hint of who you are, you could be arrested. If you’re worried about it, I can take her in.”

Four days of searching, of not knowing if she was alive or dead, had driven me to the edge of sanity. Now that we’d found her, I couldn’t let her go. “I’ll do it. She’s mine to take care of.” There was no way I was letting her go again. I would take my chances. I stroked her cheek and continued to talk to her quietly, hoping that she would wake up and know she was safe.

It seemed like an eternity later that Ryan pulled up to the emergency room. After getting out and picking up Ella, I walked through the sliding glass doors. The hustle and bustle of the ER with sick and crying people didn’t faze me. I was used to it when I tortured a victim. Besides, everyone else would have to wait. Ella needed immediate care.

A nurse approached me as she took Ella’s wrist and began checking her vitals.

“What happened?” She glanced at me briefly.

“I’m not sure. My buddy and I found her in the middle of a dirt road about forty minutes ago. She’s not been conscious, either.”

“Do you know her?”

A far away voice answered the nurse’s question in my head.

“I’m her husband. We were out hiking when she got lost.” I wasn’t her spouse, but she didn’t need to know that.

“And how did she end up with a knife in her leg?” The nurse glared at me, and I suspected she thought I’d abused Ella.

“She has a nasty habit of running with sharp objects,” I snarled. “Get her admitted and do whatever you have to do to make sure she’s okay.” Glancing at her name tag, I arched an intimidating brow at her. “I’m holding you responsible, Nurse Jones.”

A gurney caught my attention, and I hurried over and placed Ella on it.

“Sir, that wasn’t for her. There’s another patient …” Some guy said behind Nurse Jones.

Before I could wrap my fingers around his throat, Ryan stepped up.

“You’ll treat her now. She’s a witness to a murder, and we need her to stay alive. Do you understand?” Ryan flashed his badge at the nurse, but not long enough for her to realize he was an out-of-state cop.

She placed her hands on her hips. “I treat all my patients equally. You’ll have to wait just a minute.”

I left Ella on the gurney and stomped toward the nurse. “Now. Take fucking care of her now,” I growled as I jabbed a finger into her face.

The woman took a step back and nodded. “Okay.” She glanced around, then called for help. “You can have a seat in the waiting room.”

“Not happening.” My patience was wearing thin.

“Then let us examine her and see how much blood she’s lost. You can’t be there, it’s a sterile environment. She’s already at risk for infection. If you love your wife, sit your ass down. You have my word that I’ll call you back as soon as she’s in a room.”

Ryan placed his hand on my shoulder. “Come on, man. They have to be able to do their job.”

My gaze narrowed on Nurse Jones. “If anything happens to her …” I didn’t need to say anything else. She got my meaning.

I stood rooted in place as the guy and Nurse Jones wheeled Ella through the doors. There were only a few times in my life when I experienced true, deep terror. One was when I had a memory of my parents lying on the kitchen floor covered in massive amounts of blood. It was as if I’d faded in and out of reality when I realized I was holding a butcher knife. I had been responsible for their deaths, but I hadn’t ever told anyone that. It was only a fleeting recollection, but there was a knowing in my gut that I’d had something to do with it. The second time was now as I watched Ella get wheeled away. I had no idea if I would ever see her alive again, or if I would ever hold her, or hear her voice. Sucking in a slow breath, I slammed my eyes closed against the dark fears that plagued me. She had to come back.

My palms burned and itched, and I rubbed them on my jeans. I had to keep busy one way or another while they tended to Ella. Otherwise, I would lose my fucking mind. Strolling over to Ryan, who was on his phone, I paced in front of him. If I didn’t keep moving, I would rush down the hall after Ella. Every cell in my body craved her. Needed to see with my own eyes that she would be okay, because nothing that I’d seen told me otherwise.

A minute later, Ryan hung up. “I called Dope and Kip to let them know we found Ella and where we were. They’ll let Cami know.”

“Thanks.” In all the excitement, it hadn’t dawned on me to call them. At least Ryan was a voice of reason to me for now.

My arms folded tightly against my chest, I replayed the memories on repeat. A quiet and seething rage ignited inside me, pulsing with a deadly intensity. Every fiber of my being was consumed with a burning desire for revenge. I swore, if it was the last thing I did, I would hunt down those motherfuckers who laid a hand on my little lamb and make them pay with rivers of their blood. With each clench and unclench of my jaw, the familiar cold drive to kill surged through my veins, pushing me towards vengeance with relentless force.

Ryan stood and closed the gap between us, speaking in a hushed voice since we were in a public area. “You’ve got that look, man. Can you keep your shit together or do we need to find you someone?—.”

I glanced around, making sure no one could overhear our conversation. I would have preferred to talk elsewhere, but we had to stay here in case the doctor came out with an update. “I already have someone, but I have to find the son of a bitch, first.”

Ryan nodded. “I can have the guys fly out, and we can go hunting. The woods are perfect for it. Cami can stay with the kids. I can call in a few favors and have Ella’s room guarded to keep her safe until she’s well enough to travel home.”

I mulled over his words. “I won’t leave Ella until I know that she’s going to recover. But call the guys and have them get here as fast as they can. Can you call in a favor and have someone watch the house and Cami? I don’t trust her to not take off with my twins, but I also need to keep them safe. Those fuckers might come back, and I can’t leave Cami and the kids vulnerable.”

Ryan tipped his chin. “Of course. I have a buddy that knows how to be discreet and is well connected. He’ll be great for the job and keep his mouth shut with any shit he sees.”

“What’s his name?” I wasn’t too keen on the idea of a stranger learning my secrets, but at this point I had to trust Ryan’s call.

“Zayne Wilson. Good guy, ex-military, and has gotten his hands dirty several times. He’s on the East Coast, so it won’t take him long to get to your place if he’s available. If not, he has very qualified men on his team.”

“If you trust him, then I will too.” I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, restless as hell.

“I know you don’t want to hear it, but Sebastian knows Zayne too. He trusts him, and you can too.”

He’s right, I didn’t want to hear that shit. Changing the subject, I asked, “How fast can Kip and Dope get here?”

Ryan’s forehead creased before he spoke, as if he were weighing his words. “I’m not sure. I’ll check in and see where they’re at.”

Terror and anxiety consumed every fiber of my being, leaving no room for rational thought as I frantically worried about my little lamb. The words he had spoken barely registered in my brain, drowned out by the pounding of my heart and the overwhelming sense of dread that gripped me.

“For the record, Sebastian sounds like a spoiled, rich motherfucker that depends on his plane too much,” I snapped. “I prefer to drive or travel by foot. It depends on how heavy the load is. I have more important shit to worry about right now than him anyway.” I sneered and imagined throwing the body of a victim over my shoulder.

Ryan smirked. “You two are definitely different, but one thing remains the same. You love Ella and will destroy anything and anyone that is a threat to her. Same for your kids. At some point, I hope you and Bass can coexist together. You could teach the other a few things.”

My gaze narrowed on his. “You’re a bold son of a bitch, aren’t you? You think you can rattle me with this bullshit about Sebastian?”

“Nope. It’s just the truth. I’ve known you both since college, so I’m a good man to have on your side. We’ve tiptoed around you, afraid if we told you it could push you or him into madness. We weren’t willing to risk it, but the moment Ella went missing, it changed the game. She’s back now, and I’m trusting that she’s going to be okay. That means, we have work to do, and you need to get your head in the game as soon as you know she’s alive and going to make it through this shit.”

My tortured soul absorbed his words. A heavy silence fell between us as we settled in for what I assumed would be a very long wait.

Hours ticked by as I stared at the second hand on the large clock that hung on the wall in the emergency room. Finally, a female voice grabbed my attention.

“Sir? We have an update on your wife,” a petite, dark-haired woman said as she approached me.

Ryan and I turned to her at the same time. “And you are?” I needed to know if I was talking to a doctor or someone that had secondhand information.

“I’m Dr. Neely. I operated on your wife.” She took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping.

My legs trembled as I witnessed her body language. It wasn’t good. Jesus fucking Christ.

I struggled to form the words, my tongue thick and heavy in my mouth.

“Is she alive?”