I handed one to Theo and fell into his comfy chair.
“She’s working in town, on her first art exhibit.”
I smiled nervously, fiddling with my drink. God, I hoped nothing bad was happening between them. If they couldn’t make it, there was zero hope for me.
“That’s good, right?”
But I had a sneaking suspicion that her art had nothing to do with why I was here.
“Uh-huh.” He finally sat, his arms resting on his knees. “She also has a friend who owns an art gallery in Paris. They’re looking at her work, too. She has a lot of great opportunities there.”
I watched as he took a pull from the bottle.
“Hey, why am I here, Theo? Talk to me, buddy.”
I mirrored his stance, watching him struggle. This was not a common occurrence for my friend here.
“Do you recall the reason Eden was hesitant about me moving in with her?”
I could hear a thread of sorrow in his voice now. I forced my mind to recall the conversation, but I must have been so wrapped up in my world at the time, because it had slipped my mind.
“Remind me.”
“She only agreed to our moving in together if there was a future between us. I was hesitant at first, because of…” His head fell into his hands, and after a beat, his gaze met mine again. “Everything. Matt, her being my former patient, our age difference. There was a lot to consider, and it weighed on my mind.”
“But you worked it out, Theo. You’re here in Matt’s home, living with Eden.”
Suddenly he leaped into action, his feet hammering the wood floor.
Our eyes met.
And there sat the blue box. He arched a sly brow, waiting. He was extremely anxious, and my silence soon irritated him.
“So?”
His gaze narrowed to crinkled slits.
And suddenly it all made sense. My friend, the declared bachelor with a swagger that drove women wild, now wanted his forever.
“I think Eden Grant has a very nice ring to it,” I said.
His clenched jaw relaxed, and a small but cautious smile appeared on his face.
“Open it. Do you think she’ll like it?”
I reached for the velvet box and the beauty spoke for itself.
“It’s a two-carat princess cut. Do you think she’ll say yes?”
He was attempting to conceal his emotions as he rubbed a hand over his dark stubble.
“Why wouldn’t she? You’re a catch, my man!”
He collapsed back in his chair, as if he had at least one person in his corner.
“But obviously it’s her yes that matters, not mine.”
He pointed the tip of his beer at me and smiled.
“Smartass.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“It will be after her upcoming local art exhibit. I’ve rented the place for an additional hour after closing, and I’ll propose then.”
“Nicely done.”
“No devil’s advocate? No lawyer objections? No best friend warning concerning a ball and chain?”
“None.” I tossed the blue box back at him. “I’d consider it a done deal.”
If I was honest with myself, and with Theo, I would have brought up Madison and the latest updates in our relationship. Today, however, was not the day for that.
“I’ll leave you to it. Good luck, man. I’m so happy for you, really.”
He joined me at the door as we said our manly goodbyes.
***
As I headed down the backroads to my house, I was happy for Theo, but my thoughts were pulled back to Madison. This was his little sister I was involved with. Would he object? Or feel protective? Or had that bond even developed yet? Maybe he wouldn’t kick my ass. The thought made me smile. As I took the curves a little faster, l Ioved the pull of my Audi R8. It hugged the mountain like it knew the way.
“Are you fucking serious?”
I watched the dark SUV moving in behind me. He had his brights on, blinding me. I knew he was close, riding my ass as if he were trying to run me off the road. I was already doing sixty-five, and the speed limit was fifty. Going any faster would be careless, because this road was challenging on a good day. If he was trying to rattle me, he was succeeding. I continued to watch his cat-and-mouse game as we rounded another curve.
I decide to slow and hug the shoulder, allowing him to pass, the asshole, but in a matter of seconds, all hell broke loose. I could hear the roar of his engine and the impact that followed. My sports car didn’t stand a chance pitted against this monstrosity, and I was pushed through the guardrail with great force.
Instinctively tensing, a toxic mixture of adrenaline and fear ran through my veins as my life flashed before my eyes. I rocketed off the embankment at a high velocity, plunging into darkness. Suddenly I hit an unknown source, causing the car to flip end over end.
I gave into the darker side of my mind as I lost consciousness. I felt myself flying into oblivion.
I didn’t know how long I was out, but the silence was deafening. I found it hard to breathe as smoke filled the car and pain radiated throughout my body. I was unable to identify my injuries. Then the sharp smell of gasoline hit me, as the reality of the situation set in.
I needed to get out of the car. Now. At that exact moment, the moon slipped out behind the dark night, offering me a glimmer of light.
I unlatched my seatbelt to find blood coming from my gut. As I crawled out on my stomach, using my forearms, there was an unbearable shooting pain through my right foot, which was caught under the brake pedal. Every muscle in my body was taut as I breathed through the pain. I gritted my teeth as I forced my body to pull, releasing the hold on my injured foot. A nauseous feeling took hold as I tried to fight my way through it. I forced my body to move more quickly than it should.
My heart beating rapidly in my chest, I set small goals. The first involved putting more distance between me and the car, which was now burning at its underbelly. Second, I wanted to reach the biggest tree around, as far away from the wreckage as I could make it.
Once hidden by the large pine, I leaned against it. Here I had the opportunity to access my injuries. I lifted my shirt and gasped with the kind of horror usually seen in movies. A broken piece of a tree branch was impaled into my abdomen. I sat, debating if pulling it out was the right decision. I had no medical training, and I was gambling either way.
A new plan invaded my thoughts. I would pull it out, and use my undershirt as a bandage to apply pressure. I concluded that leaving it in wouldn’t allow me the mobility to get help, move, or walk. So I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth once again, bracing for what was to come as my hand gripped the offensive limb.
Then I yanked.
Two things happened simultaneously, a roar like I’d never heard came screaming out of my lungs. It was unrecognizable. My R8 also exploded in an extravagant light show, throwing debris everywhere. The fire reached unbelievable heights as the flames topped the tallest of pines.
Whoever was responsible, he had failed to achieve his intended attack—despite his best efforts.
I was alive.
I turned my attention back to the car, belatedly realizing that my phone, wallet, and water had all been neatly placed in their intended compartments. I had nothing but the clothes on my back now. I placed my white undershirt on the gaping wound and continued to apply pressure. I would need to find something to hold it in place if I intended to get out of this mess. I would have to be more inventive.
Finding a fresh green vine to wrap around my torso twice, I tied it off, tucking my shirt in my jeans to hold it in place. Although I knew this was a quick fix, it would have to do for now. Next up was my ankle. I needed to access the damage. I lifted myself up gently and attempted to walk, but my ankle wanted no part of it.
I retrieved my belt and gently wrapped it around the injury with the idea that the additional support would act as a brace. I tested the theory, and to my frustration, the pain st
ill ran through my veins like fire.
I chastised myself for never joining the boy scouts. I’m sure that would have come in handy right about now.
I needed a sturdy branch to use as a cane, and by the looks of it, I was surrounded by many choices. I found one that had recently fallen. It still had green life in it, and after a quick test, I decided it would support my weight.
I knew my choices were limited. I couldn’t go the way I had come down. It was much too steep in my condition. I had to continue on the path paralleling the road—or at least that was my goal.
I turned my attention back to the car, which was mangled, crushed, and quietly burning, letting my thoughts drift. Someone had deliberately done this, I was certain. I had no enemies I knew of, but that wasn’t entirely true. I did have an enemy.
Graham.
Was he truly capable of plotting revenge at this magnitude?
I found it too coincidental that the night I had returned from a weekend with Madison, there would be an attempt on my life. It was as if I had inadvertently caused this to happen. The only thing in my favor was that he would assume I hadn’t survived the crash, or the explosion that followed. It would give me time to escape and eventually be rescued.
I had to get as far away from the crash site as soon as possible, and that meant pushing the scorching pain out of my mind to start trekking. I squinted to see in the darkness, methodically scanning my surroundings. Each step was a small victory. The landscape was dense, the underbrush thorny.
I was fucking freezing, too. I knew once I had covered some ground, I would have to look for shelter. The temperature was dropping fast, even for midsummer, and I had to avoid the threat of hyperthermia. After an hour, I found myself standing under a large cluster of pines. A deadfall laid on the ground, and I made my way over to inspect it as an option to provide additional cover for the night. The partial hollowness would enable me to burrow within its natural depths. Before I entered, I scooped up piles of needles, creating a soft place to lay. I was incredibly thankful for the leather jacket I had casually thrown on earlier.
It was there that I first noticed my damp hair, signaling that I had a head injury. I reached and glided my fingers through my hair, tenderly searching for where the pain was coming from. I wasn’t alarmed when I found the small cut. If it had been a serious injury, like a concussion, sleep would not have been an option. I had to take a gamble, resting would be crutial in my plan to a successful escape and rescue.
Carefully lowering myself back to the ground, I edged in close, then scraped more needles around me and over my legs. I could feel myself getting warmer.
As the adrenaline wore off, the pain intensified. Taking deep breaths to control the agony, I let my thoughts drift, and remembered the way Madison felt in my arms. Whenever she had looked at me, it had all felt so right. Her touches were so deep and filled with such love, that I felt it even now. Hidden beneath the gloomy night, my body lethargic from exhaustion, I searched for the peace she offered.
The fond memories soothed me as I surrendered, letting sweet darkness take me.
Chapter Eleven
Madison
I awoke with a knowing smile on my face. Stretching my body, I felt the ache within me that linked with pleasure. I wished we could have remained in paradise forever, never coming up for air. This was serious. I’d never let someone into my life as I had with Alex. I felt safe in his arms. His tenderness filled me with warmth. And at other times, raw desire.
I went in search of my phone. There was a missed call from Graham. I couldn’t put that off for much longer. But nothing from Alex, not even a goodnight text. That came as a surprise, after the incredible weekend we’d shared, and a small flicker of doubt entered my mind, making me feel uneasy. I pushed it away for now, unable to believe that anything had changed between us.
After several cups of coffee, I gathered courage and dialed Graham’s number.
“Where have you been?” he asked upon answering.
“I explained earlier. A business trip. I’m getting ready for work now. Did you need something?”
“Yes, Madison. We have a wedding to plan, in case you forgot.”
“I thought the distance would do us good,” I said, knowing I was treading on thin ice. I was beginning to care less and less about his threats and temper tantrums.
“Still angry, I see.”
The smirk in his tone was menacing.
“I have every right to be angry, Graham. I’m questioning everything—our future, the threat you’re holding over my head, the way you treat me, how you hurt me. And how can I forget the scene at our engagement party? It’s all beginning to be too much.”
His sly tactics and evil plans were what he relied on to control me, but I was putting a stop to it right now.
“I see,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Let’s call it a change of heart, Graham. You don’t love me. It’s clear you only ever wanted to own me. I never understood that, but please let me go. Let us go.”
Then I heard what only could be described as a diabolical laugh coming loud and clear over the phone.
“And you’re prepared for the consequences, Madison?”
I wasn’t, he had me there. I wasn’t prepared at all. I didn’t want my decisions to hurt anyone else, but I was finished protecting others. Living in fear, it changes a person. Hell, I had run across the country just to escape him, and even that hadn’t been far enough.
“What are you getting at, Graham?”
His arrogant and egotistical threats to manipulate me weren’t working anymore. He was only seeking to hurt me with his harsh words.
Silence.
He waited, enjoying this little game of his. I’d wait it out, too, though, because this was it. I was done. I wanted out. Feeling a surge of strength, I decided this phone call would be the last. He was used to giving orders, and those orders had been followed without question. But not anymore.
“Have you heard from Alex?”
He threw the question out seemingly randomly, but dread flooded me. With his expressionless tone, he had my nerves spinning in turmoil. He knew the way to really hurt me now would be through Alex. And I trusted my gut. When considering whether Graham was capable of hurting someone I cared for, there was no doubt. He was more than capable. He had no heart, no conscience, no decency. He was pure evil.
“What have you done?”
My world was spinning. I felt faint, twisting in my suffering. Fear ripped through my body at record speed.
“You are a spoiled bitch, Madison, and you needed to be taught a lesson.” He paused then, and a laugh escaped. “I could’ve made you into someone important, but no. You chose wrong. A foolish mistake, and now you will pay the price.”
He hung up and I slid to the floor. I needed help. I attempted to force my mind to work in panic mode. I called Alex right away, but it went straight through to voicemail. Next I tried Theo, and he picked up almost immediately.
“Hi there.”
His brotherly greeting was so warm.
“We may have a problem.”
The tears started to flow, but I relayed everything that had just happened between Graham and I. Then I quickly highlighted the Tahoe trip.
“No, I don’t think you’re overreacting. We know what Graham is capable of. I’ll call Steel and get his team on it.”
The efficiency in his voice calmed me.
“Do you want to drive here? Are you able to drive?”
“Yes, I want to be with family.”
I heard the small breath released on his end of the line. We were becoming closer. I felt it, too.
“Be careful. I’ll call you if I hear anything.”
He hung up and I quickly gathered my things.
Over the course of the two-hour drive, I thought I’d go insane. I didn’t understand why no one had called me. I tightened my grip of the wheel as my speed accelerated, trying to make up for lost time.
I couldn’t s
top thinking the worst. I shouldn’t have challenged Graham. That had been a mistake. I had practically dared him to do harm, as if the consequences wouldn’t touch me or anyone I cared for.
Oh, how wrong I’d been.
Without a doubt, I knew Graham Carrington was pure evil. Now I was living every minute in fear. I felt so lost, barely able to function, knowing there was nothing I could do to ensure Alex’s safety. Trying to control my breathing, I felt the threat weighing on me, and it infuriated me. If only I had played along as I’d done before.
But after spending so much time with Alex, knowing he could be my life, I just couldn’t pretend any longer. It all felt so empty—the act, the lies, the pretending. It had all caught up with me, and Graham still had the power to hurt me.
I longed for Alex. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but in reality, it had only been a day. I should have been with him, and as I remembered his handsome face, every tender moment we had shared came back to me.
But what I loved the most was his generous heart.
I shuddered at the thought of losing him, and the thought that it was my fault would haunt my every waking moment for eternity.
Finally, I arrived on their doorstep. The door swung open immediately, before I even had the chance to knock. The look of terror on my face must have given away the gnawing fear that had been placed upon my chest. I was pulled into Theo’s embrace. Tears burned as they streaked down my face.
“This is completely my fault.”
His shirt was beginning to dampen.
“Have you heard anything?” he asked.
I shook my head no, my face buried deep within his chest.
“Easy there. I wasn’t implying anything. We haven’t, either, but Steel’s on it.”
“One way or another, we’ll find him.”
Eden’s angelic voice chimed in as she rubbed my back, comforting me. Given the circumstances, I had gone into complete panic mode. I thought I might pass out.
“Here, drink this.”
I was handed a glass of cold water.
“We don’t know anything yet,” Theo offered once again.
“We know Graham has insinuated responsibility, specifically taunting me with the knowledge Alex is missing. I caused this. Can you blame me for considering this to be all my fault?”
Surviving the Storm (Surviving Series Book 2) Page 10
