Page 31 of Evergreen Desires (Wildheart Chronicles #1)

JAKE

Slam.

Oops, damn, that was harder than I wanted.

I jumped a bit as the back door slammed shut.

I just wanted the door to close a little harder so that he could hear it, not really slam.

I wasn’t mad per se, just disappointed that Beau wanted to break this off.

Well, at least he was saying that, but truthfully?

I had no idea what that was. It was a breakup that really wasn't. It's confusing.

Heading down the path towards the barn, I stopped mid-step about halfway there.

Looking around the tree line, I noticed that there are already shadows forming between the tightly packed trees.

"Yay, last time that did not really work out for me.

" I turned around and headed back down the path in the other direction; perhaps being inside the greenhouse, walking up and down the aisles, would be safer. Lord knew that between the interconnected greenhouses, there was plenty of room to mindlessly walk. The added benefit, I wouldn’t need to pay attention to the surroundings, wildlife, or stalkers. I laughed out loud .

I entered the greenhouse, which was dimly lit, as usual.

Part of the Bigfoot ‘magic’. No need for lots of excess artificial light and high electric bills.

The plants just grew. There were a few hangings lit here and there, but they seemed to be more for appearances, inspections, and such.

But it was enough to cast a dim purple hue across the plants.

Digging in my pocket for my wireless headphones, I swiped through my phone to grab a classic alternative rock mix.

Something with a drumbeat, interesting vocals, and a bit of nostalgia.

Combination of it just made good "block out the world" background music.

I turned down the first row and set off for my mindless loops through the greenhouses.

Step by step, I was thinking about the words that Beau had said, and seeing that they didn’t match the tone nor the gestures and actions he was making.

He really did not want to end anything with me.

We’d humped more than rabbits before the accident, and I knew without a doubt, he enjoyed those escapades.

I could only gather that it was a thing he just needed time to process, like Will said.

Coming around the corner at the front of the greenhouse row, I found myself jumping back.

"What the fuck?" a masked man said as I almost ran right into him.

Three figures were staring at me as I ripped the headphones out of one of my ears and froze with panic.

I must have lost track of time while walking as I was much closer to the far end of the greenhouse rather than the house where Beau was, I realized as I quickly assessed the situation.

They were dressed in black sweat suits and ski masks.

One was carrying what looked to be a drawstring laundry bag, but when I noticed the other one carrying a gas can, I knew I was in real trouble.

I turned and ran in the opposite direction, back towards the door that led towards the house. My heart was thumping in my chest, and my lungs were on fire. I dropped my phone and headphones; my only goal was to get out, to get Beau.

"Grab him! Don't let him get away!" One man yelled.

His voice sounded familiar, but my focus was on running. The adrenaline had kicked in, and it felt like I was running in slow motion; I felt no pain in my shoulder when I ripped the sling from my arm. Suddenly, I felt my legs being tackled from behind, bringing me down.

I threw my arms in front of me to brace my fall and avoid slamming my head on the ground.

During the struggle with my attacker, I managed to turn over on my back to try to get myself loose.

Kicking and hitting the guy who clearly had more muscle, height, and weight on me.

I was clearly in trouble as the other two men came up from behind into my line of sight.

"Beau! Help! Beau!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping against hope that Beau would hear me and come to my aid.

I knew I was running out of time. But pulling Beau into this danger only fueled my determination to survive.

Scratching, kicking, hitting, grabbing their arms… anything to try to get away .

The intruders, however, weren’t about to let me continue yelling for help. "Shut him up!" one of them barked, their voice filled with malice and hostility.

Despite my best efforts, my struggles began to wane as the men overpowered me.

In a last defiant act, I managed to deliver a final blow, punching one intruder’s nose with all the strength I had left.

It was not enough. My attacker drew back and punched me in the jaw.

I saw stars for a split second until darkness enveloped me, the world around me fading away into nothingness.