“The plan wasn’t to kill you, she was sent to kill Sean and then Cereus.”
My body freezes for a second at the sound of Cereus’ name. I move the knife from her face, grip the handle in my fist and plunge in to her thigh. She screams and I shove my hand into her mouth, which she bites down on, her teeth penetrating the skin. When I pull the knife back out, hot blood squirts up and paints my cheek I place the knife back at her tear duct.
“Tell me where she is or I will go between your parted thighs and knife fuck your cunt with the sharp end of this blade.”
Sweat, tears and blood pour from her and real fear sits in her eyes. “If she’s not already at your apartment or hers then she will be at my old house. Please, Ryan, let me go. I need a Doctor.”
“Where is her apartment?”
Her brows lift. “You still don’t get it, do you?” I hear the back door squeak and know I’m no longer alone. My brother’s silhouette fills the doorway but Jenna is too focused on my knife to notice him. “Belinda is the woman who lives next door to you and drugged you so you wouldn’t remember if you killed Mr. Wallis. She’s been watching and waiting for Blake to believe it was you and then she was going to kill Cereus so Blake would kill you.” I want to push this blade into her eye and watch her cry blood. Her body begins to tremble and the full realization of whom she’s actually been antagonizing sinks into her.
“Untie me now, Ryan. You don’t want to go back to Bluewater and killing me will send you back there.”
“I’m not going to kill you,” I state, and she sobs and thanks me. I step away from her and Blake takes my place, his gun out and pointed at her forehead. “Blake, thank God! He’s crazy, help me,” she pleads
“You were going to try and kill my baby girl?” he asks in disbelief. Her eyes grow impossibly big and he pulls the trigger.
A flash and bang shatter the air and her brain matter decorates the back wall. Her head drops back, her eyes still open. He turns the gun on me and I’m not surprised. I don’t hold my hands up in surrender, fuck him. His phones begin lighting up his pocket. He pulls it free, still aiming the gun at me.
“Hello?”
I can tell by his face it’s someone calling about Melody, probably Cereus. I just left her there to find her mother; she will never forgive me for this. I need to find the blonde bitch from next door and kill her slowly. His arms drops and he turns away from me, his breathing almost muting his voice as he speaks desperately into the receiver. “What?”
He doubles over and clutches at his chest,
I slip out the door before he turns around.
THE ADDRESS LAST LISTED FOR Belinda is empty and looks like it has been for a while if the settled dust is any indication. I search through the cupboards and drawers but no belongings are here. Next stop to bring Jenna in, and bring Ryan in for his own protection. It’s fucking ironic. I still feel conflicted about bringing him in. This all stemmed from what he’s done and he knew about Cereus and had mentioned her to Jenna; what was his goal there? I can’t take any risks. Maybe I let this bitch kill him and then kill her. I wish my heart were still numb in times like this because no matter what he’s done, I can’t let someone kill him. He’s my brother, my responsibility. I’ll have to kill him.
There’s blood on the door handle of Jenna’s front door. I arm my weapon and click open the door. I can hear Ryan and Jenna’s voices and her cries. When I get a look inside the room Ryan is leaning over a bloodied and naked Jenna strapped to a chair. When she mentions Cereus was the target to be killed next, fury fills me and all past demons rip free from the pits of my blackened soul and take their place in control of my mind. No one threatens my family and this sick, twisted fucking bitch would kill a kid. I take Ryan’s place in front of her and feel nothing when I pull the trigger, ending her. I turn the weapon on Ryan. I could end him right now and never have to worry about his shit fucking up my life again. The insistent ringing of my cell draws my attention. I keep him in my sights and pull my cell from my pocket.
“Hello?”
“Blake.” Donovan says my name like it pains him to do so and my guts drop and my head becomes fuzzy.
“Just tell me,” I command, scared to hear what he’s going to say but needing for him to put the words out there. If someone has hurt my baby girl, a reckoning like nothing they had ever seen was about to come down on them.
“It’s, Melody, man. We got a call from Ryan’s place. She’s been stabbed.” Bile races up my throat; my soul tries to escape to go to its mate. My body vibrates with anger, fear, and grief. “Is she dead?” I manage to ask without falling to the floor and emptying my stomach and every ounce of water I possess in tears of agony. “Her pulse was weak when we got there, Blake. They’re rushing her to surgery.”
“I’m on my way, Donovan. I need you to go to my house and collect Cereus and bring her to me.” I end the call before he has a chance to say anything else. I turn around, raising my gun but he’s gone.
I don’t have time to follow him; I’m on autopilot to get to my wife. She can’t die, I won’t allow it. I’ll go inside her chest and pump for her if that’s what it takes. Sometimes it only takes that one person to die and the world will feel empty, pointless. She is my one person. I need her to survive this.
I push my way through people to get to the reception in the E.R. A few of my detectives are littering the hallway. I rush though, ignoring the shout from a nurse. I flash my badge at a security guard coming at me; he’s lucky it wasn’t my gun. Nothing is stopping me from getting to my wife. Donovan shoos everyone away from me and grabs my shoulders.
“What happened? Where was she? Have you got Cereus?”
“You need to calm down and sit for a minute.”
I shrug his hands off me and grab him by the collar pinning him to the wall. “Don’t tell me to calm down! I will tear through this fucking place if someone doesn’t tell me where she is and if she’s okay, and get my fucking daughter here now!”
Donovan puts his hands up in a stop gesture, the surrounding officers confused and moving in to restrain me. Let them fucking try it.
“Blake, it was Cereus who called it in.” The people around us disappear and everything appears to be muted. Donovan’s lips are moving but I can’t hear him.
“Blake.” Ruth’s voice penetrates the haze clouding my senses and she pulls me into her. “What are you doing here?”
“I came over after I saw on the news about Sean and there were police at your house. They told me Mel’s here. What’s going on? I haven’t seen or heard from you, and Mel has been avoiding my calls. We’re all worried sick.”
I turn to Donovan. “Tell me,” I beg.
“We don’t know where she is or who took her but it was a female. I have officers going to pick up Dr. Jarvis for questioning. “
“Someone took Cereus?”
“From what we can gather from the call, and the fact she was missing when we got there.”
“Belinda Ruth.” I push past him and run to my car. Jenna said she would be at her grandparents’ house if she weren’t at Ryan’s or her apartment.
MY PLACE IS SWARMING WITH police and there’s no way I’m going to get to Belinda’s apartment. If she’s there they will have her anyway. I pull my cell from my jeans, hoping I can find information on where Danielle’s grandparents live, and an unknown number flashes up as an incoming call. I stare at it for a few seconds before deciding to answer it.
“Who this?”
“Ry. .an,” Cereus whispers, and it’s broken up. She’s sniffling and the reception is bad. I can’t believe she’s calling me after what I did.
“Cereus, where are you?”
“Ryan . . . help me.” My hairs lift on the back of my neck at her words and the distress in her voice.