Piece By Piece (The Ink Nation Series Book 1)

by Jennah Thornhill

  This shit can’t be happening.

  She was my friend.

  “You know Stacey, don’t you Trey. It was her brother that got shot, protecting you, wasn’t it?”

  She knows full well all that information is correct, the bitch is playing with me. Using my past to make me weak and defenseless.

  “Stace.... What is this? We’re friends.”

  I ignore the demented the nut job, that’s taunting me and turn my attention to Stacey.

  “Why?”

  My voice takes on a pleading tone, to get her to explain all of this to me.

  “Go ahead, sweetheart, you tell him why you’ve turned your back on him. Tell him how they’ve ruined you too.” Daisy’s mother encourages her.

  I’ve never seen Stacey look so disheveled, so not put together. She’s on the edge and I can see it in her eyes, as she comes closer to me. She has rage bubbling underneath the surface.

  “I loved you, and I let you have your fun in school. I watched and sat back, while you were with that tramp, Becca. The night Cam died; I saw you go upstairs with his girlfriend; I knew what you were doing. I knew it all. I was going to tell Cam and Becca, but before I got the chance, it was too late. He died protecting you. After what you did to him, he died, not knowing that you had betrayed him. He loved you like his own flesh and blood; you were his brother. I lost my twin, because he jumped in front of a fucking bullet for you. Well now, it’s time for you to take the bullet, you should have, ten, fucking, years ago.”

  As if in slow motion, I watch the dickhead that kicked Daisy to the ground, pull a gun out from the back of his pants and aim it directly at my chest.

  This is it, the moment I should have felt years ago. Only this time, I have something to live for. Something to fight for. If I make it through this, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that Daisy, has the happy and love filled life, she deserves.

  Closing my eyes, I wait for the gun to go off and the pain to hit me. When it doesn’t come, my eyes spring open. It’s as if they wanted me to watch myself be shot. The minute my eyes land on the gun, it goes off and the bang bounces of every, single wall, in this place.

  Finally, my legs give way, as blood pours from me. I fall to the ground in a heap, finally being released from the hands of the bastards that were holding me.

  Lying on the floor, I can see and hear Pink screaming my name. She tries to get to me, but she gets kicked back to the ground.

  Just as my eyes finally start to close, she looks at me with panic and love for me, swimming in her eyes.

  “I love you, Pink. Never forget that.”

  They are the last words I speak, before that darkness of death, claims me.

  Epilogue

  Daisy

  Six Months Later

  Six months ago, I watched the man I loved, get shot and all because our pasts collided. I lay there on the ground and watched, as he bled out in front of me. Unable to save him, like he had saved me from myself.

  When the cops came crashing into that warehouse that fatal day, followed by the guys, I had never seen three grown men, breakdown the way they had. Blaming themselves, that they hadn’t found us in time, as they watched Trey be taken away.

  I’ve gone back to therapy. I’m not confident that I will ever get over what happened, but I’m trying to regain back the confidence, he brought out of me.

  Turning on my heel, I spin around slowly and take in the pale yellow and cream walls. With the drawings of stars and a pale blue sky on the ceiling, that I did all by myself.

  Proudly, I smile and rub my protruding stomach.

  Thanks to the guys, they decided to track Trey’s phone when they realized he was missing. I was taken to the hospital, and even through all the kicks and punches I had taken, it turned out I was eight weeks pregnant with his baby. It was a bittersweet feeling when I found out, but he wasn’t with me. He was the one and only person, I wanted to tell.

  Trey was the first man I allowed to ever get close. The first man that I trusted not to hurt me and break me, further than I already was broken.

  Our princess kicks me from the inside and I smile so wide. I’ve still not wrapped my head around the fact I’m going to be a Mom.

  “I promise you, baby girl with everything I am, that I will do everything in my power to show you what love is. I will go to the ends of the earth to protect you.” I whisper, as I cradle my bump.

  On the wall above the crib, is a picture I had framed in a split frame. One half holds a candid shot, that was taken of me and Trey in the studio. He’s holding me into his side, with my head thrown back with laughter, as he nuzzles into my neck. The other half of the frame holds the picture of my first sonogram. It’s my daily reminder that with patience and a whole lot of love and determination, Trey Spencer, put me back together, Piece by Piece.

  Trey

  If I told you the past six months have been easy, I’d be lying.

  A liar, I am not.

  They’ve been fucking awful.

  Well… except for one bit, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

  That day I was shot in the warehouse, I thought that was it. I was dead and I’d never see Pink again. I’d never get to hold her, and I’d never make love to her again. I certainly wasn’t going to get to spend the rest of my life with her, because I was bleeding out and the life drained from me. I don’t regret meeting Daisy one bit. She’s the piece that’s been missing from my life. It just took me a really long, fucking time, to come to terms with it.

  When the day came and I woke up from the induced coma, the surgeons had put me in. I was told that the bullet that went into my body, missed my heart by an inch. Any closer and I would have been worm food, ashes in an urn.

  Instead, it damaged my lungs and esophagus. They had to be repaired and they had to remove fragments of the bullet, from blood vessels.

  Just when they thought I was healing; I got an infection in my incisions, which set my recovery back. They continued to keep me sedated, so my body could recover from the trauma, it was being put through.

  Coming out of my sedation, the only person I wanted was, Daisy. I didn’t know if she was dead or alive. The last thing I remember were her screams. The ones that to this day, still play on a loop in my head. I won’t tell her though. She’s been so strong through all of this; I don’t want to set her back.

  She’s already had so much to contend with. I’m not going to put something, that in the grand scheme of things, is trivial.

  Watching her walk into my hospital room, when I woke up, was the most breathtaking thing. Yet torture at the same time. Her face was covered in shades of yellow and purple bruising, that had started to fade. If I could have gotten myself out of my hospital bed, I would have kicked my own ass, for not protecting her better.

  It didn’t help that whilst I was unconscious, she found out that she was carrying my baby. That’s right, I’m going to be a daddy. The thought terrified me at first but seeing the look of despair on Pink’s face, that she had found out alone, not knowing if I was dead or alive; Made me grateful for the precious, second chance at life, I was getting.

  In the end, when I was able, I took her and our baby that was growing inside of her, into my arms. I vowed there and then, that they were my entire world. That I would protect them both, no matter the cost.

  I also owe my life to Zak, Smith and Levi. Who’d had thought that when I pocketed my phone in my sweatpants that night, that it would save my life? Thanks to the Find My iPhone app, Zak tracked me down, when I didn’t turn up for my client the next day.

  At first, I didn’t sleep that great when I first came home. The cops were constantly at my place, wanting statements and interviews with Pink. To which, we also learnt that Stacey had killed herself with the same gun, I was shot with. Before they busted in there and arrested everyone else.

  Charles, Daisy's mother and the hired goons, are now rotting in a prison cell, for the rest
of their evil and miserable lives.

  Good fucking riddance to them all, I say.

  Sitting at the kitchen island in my apartment, I’m the biggest nervous wreck. Staring down at the pale blue, Tiffany box, I look at it, as if what’s inside it, will jump out at me, giving me the answer, I so desperately want to hear from Pink’s lips. Hearing the door click down the hallway, I know she’s coming out of the nursery, she’s decorated herself. Every day she goes in there. It’s become her place to go, when she feels like that she’s not deserving of this life, she’s now living.

  Snatching the box from the counter and stuffing it into my pocket. I stand from the stool quickly and watch her waddle into the kitchen. Even pregnant, she’s fucking gorgeous. Watching her carry our child is a blessing and one I don’t take for granted. I’m lucky that I have them both.

  “You look lost in thought?”

  She pulls me from my staring, as she goes to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water.

  “Sorry, I was thinking.”

  “Oh, yeah. What about?”

  She slugs back some of her water and comes to rest her elbows on the counter in front of me. My stomach churns in knots and I decide now’s a better than time than ever. Pink’s not one for romance, anyway.

  “Come here.”

  I beckon her to me with a crook of my finger and as if she’s wired to me, she comes without me asking her twice.

  Reaching me, I help her up onto a stool. Watching her struggle used to be funny. As her stomach expanded, I realized that it was partly my fault, she was in that situation as well.

  “Trey, what are…”

  I cut her off and kiss her. I don’t just kiss her lightly either, I kiss her like I own her. Just like she owns every inch of me.

  Getting down on one knee at her feet I pull the box out of my jeans pocket as I go. I hear a loud gasp come from her mouth; at the same time, she covers it with her hand.

  “Daisy, when I met you, I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want the family life; I was happy living my life by the seat of my pants. That was, until you came barreling into my life, with your soft voice and pink hair…”

  “Oh my god, Trey.”

  “Please, just let me finish, before I fuck this up and lose my nerve.”

  Tears start to spill from her eyes and down her cheeks, on a choked sob she says, “Please, continue.”

  “I’m in this for the long ride, Pink. I’m here to make your life and smile. I’m here to stand with you at every corner. I’m here to go on the journey of life with you, until the end of time. I’m here now, I’m here forever… Will you please marry me?”

  I get no answer from her, instead she slides down from the stool, making me get my ass up from the floor, in a rush as I’m getting to my feet, she throws her arms around my neck and whispers in my ear…

  “Yes, Trey Spencer, I will marry you.”

  My heart explodes in my chest, she’s actually agreed to be my wife.

  It just goes to show that no matter how broken a person is, how damaged they are, or whatever issues they may have. They are worth saving.

  Daisy saved me from myself when I didn’t think I needed saving.

  Piece by Piece, with the bond of our love, we’ve put each other back together again.

  The End

  Playlist

  Def Leppard - Let’s Get Rocked

  Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me

  Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You

  Jason Mraz - I Won’t Give Up

  Mr Big - To Be With You

  Fairground Attraction - Perfect

  Natalie Cole - This Will Be

  Cher - I Found Someone

  James Bay - Us

  Guns ‘n’ Roses - Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

  Banners - Someone To You

  About The Author

  Jennah Thornhill is a wife and mother, who lives in Staffordshire in a town called Stoke-On-Trent. With her husband Nathan and two kids Mollie Moo-Moo, who’s eleven and her little ginger critter Noah who’s six.

  She’s had a lot of ups and downs in the past three years. Going from a full-time mother and hard worker to just fainting at work one day and ending up in hospital.

  Later finding out she needed to have a lot of tests done.

  Turns out she needed a lumbar puncture in her back, in which they drain the fluid from your brain.

  When she had the results back, she wasn’t happy to say the least.

  When they did it the first time, she got really ill from it. She soon found out why when a doctor told her they think they took too much fluid. After having a further sixteen lumbar punctures for the same thing.

  Not being able to go back to work because of this, she now manages her illness between being a mother, wife, and writer.

  The only blessing to come out of all that is it pushed her to start writing her own books. After reading quite a few books before this, and when we say a few we mean a couple hundred.

  When she’s not writing, being a mum or laid up in a hospital bed, she spends her time reading or sleeping.

  Social Media

  Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/jennathornhillauthor

  Instagram:

  https://www.instagram.com/jen.tauthor

  Twitter:

  https://www.twitter.com/Jennahthornhill2

  Jens Lovelies FB group:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/175104109620516/

  Amazon:

  http://viewauthor.at/JennahThornhill

  Other Books

  Syren Series

  Syren’s Angel (Syren Series book 1)

  Syren’s Heaven & Hell (Syren Series book 2)

  Syren’s Plaything (Syren Series book 3)

  Syren’s Rebirth (Syren Series book 4)

  Syren’s Pride (Syren Series book 5)

  Standalones

  Making Our Way Back (A Standalone Novel)

  Us Again (A Standalone Novel)

  The Forever Plan (Co-write with Sienna Grant)