I slowly turn my eyes to his, and the expression on his face is frantic.
“Baby,” he rasps. “Come on.”
“She’s in shock Jack’s,” Muff whispers, kneeling beside us, his voice broken. “Here.”
He pulls a flask of whiskey from his jeans, and he presses it to my mouth, forcing it down. I choke and splutter, but the burn jerks my body to life. I squirm in Jackson’s arms, and he carefully lets me go. I run towards the edge of the cliff.
“SERENITY!” Jackson roars.
I drop to my knees at the edge, and I stare down. He’s gone. I know he’s dead, I shot him in the head, and if that wasn’t enough the fall would have been. I stare into the rocks, and my heart begins to hammer. I killed him. He’s gone. Forever. I’m free.
It’s over.
I slowly get to my feet, and I turn to Jackson. His eyes are glistening from unshed tears, but the other guys, they’re crying - all silent, broken tears for their lost friend. Cade steps out of the trees, with Granger in his arms, oh god. My heart breaks for them, it cracks into tiny pieces. The hurt on their faces, the silence in the air, it’s heart wrenching. I stare over at Granger, and my body shakes violently. Poor Granger.
I turn to Spike, knowing Granger was closest to him. He’s staring at his fists, which are clenched, and his body is shaking. Slowly, I force my legs to move as I make my way over to him. I stop in front of him, and I reach out, curling my tiny fingers around his big fists. He looks up at me, his eyes glistening, his cheeks damp from his pain.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I tried to help him...it was too late.”
With a shaky hand, he strokes my cheek, so gently.
“Thank you,” he rasps.
“M-m-me?” I whisper, shaking my head. “What for?”
He grips my shoulders, pulling me into his arms, where he holds me for a long moment. His body is shaking so hard, and he’s panting. It takes him a moment to answer me, but when he does, I know that what I did not only saved my life, but his. His words fill me, and crush my heart in the most beautiful way.
“For ending my nightmare.”
CHAPTER 23
SIX MONTHS LATER
SERENITY
“Oh god, it hurts!” Ciara cries, clutching my shirt.
I stare down at her, horrified. Is this going to be me in a few months?
“He won’t answer his phone!” Addison cries, giving Ciara a frantic expression.
“Oh my god, this could only happen when he’s on a ride!” Ciara screams.
“Try Jackson,” I suggest. “Or Cade, or Muff...”
“God, I have,” Addison yells. “I have!”
“Don’t yell at me Addison!” I snap.
“Oh god, stop it!” Ciara cries.
“Keep trying them,” I say, a little more calmly. “We will take Ciara to the hospital.”
“Ok!” Addison says, pressing the phone to her ear and standing.
We help Ciara out the door. She’s eight months along, and has decided to go into labor early. The guys went for their final ride for the year, down to Granger’s family farm to honor his memory, two weeks ago, and we can’t get a hold of any of them. Ciara’s waters have broken, so there’s nothing we can do but hang by her side and take her to the hospital.
The ride over is frantic. Ciara screams, I panic, Addison cries and throws her phone out the window in a fit. Then we all start to cry. I toss Addison my phone. Ciara wails for Spike, and it starts all over again. By the time we get to the hospital, we’re all a mess and the nurses take us all in and calm us down. Ciara is wheeled into a room, and a midwife checks her over before coming back out to us.
“She’s got a few hours yet, she’s about four centimeters. You can go wait with her. Has she got a husband?”
“Her partner is out for a ride,” I say. “He will be back.”
Addison’s eyes are wide and worried. The midwife nods, and turns and walks away. I grip Addison’s arm.
“Look at me!”
She bites her lip, and meets my gaze. “If Spike doesn’t make it back, we have to be here for Ciara. She needs us calm.”
“I can’t watch a baby being born...”
“Then don’t, but be there for her until that time. She needs us, Addi.”
“I know,” she whispers. “I need a minute; she can’t see me like this. I’ll be back, ok?”
I nod, and watch her disappear out the front doors. I turn and head into Ciara’s room. Her eyes widen when she sees me, and I see the question in her eyes.
“Nothing yet, honey,” I say gently.
“What if he misses it, Serenity?” she sobs.
I walk over, sitting beside her on the bed, and stroking her hair. “He’ll be here.”
“He’ll never forgive himself if he misses this...”
I wrap an arm around her. “You just focus on breathing; we’ll do what we can to find the guys.”
She nods, and I hand her a small cup of ice chips. “Chew on these; they’ll help keep you hydrated.”
She puts one in her mouth, and the room fills with sounds of her crunching. Suddenly the door bursts open and Addison rushes in. “I got hold of him! He’s coming home!”
Ciara whimpers. “Thank god.”
Addison crawls on the bed beside her, and wraps an arm around her too. “Until then, keep your legs closed and hold tight, honey.”