by Alice Raine
Undone
The Revealed Series – Book Four
Alice Raine
Published by Accent Press Ltd 2016
ISBN 9781682995921
Copyright © Alice Raine 2016
The right of Alice Raine to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Twenty-six
Twenty-seven
Twenty-eight
Twenty-nine
Thirty
Thirty-one
Thirty-two
Thirty-three
Thirty-four
Thirty-five
Thirty-six
Thirty-seven
Thirty-eight
Thirty-nine
Forty
Forty-one
Forty-two
Forty-three
Forty-four
Forty-five
Forty-six
Forty-seven
Forty-eight
Forty-nine
Fifty
Fifty-one
Fifty-two
Fifty-three
Fifty-four
Fifty-five
Fifty-six
Fifty-seven
Fifty-eight
Fifty-nine
Sixty
Sixty-one
Sixty-two
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
One
Cait
My mind was swirling as I sprinted away from the studios in a panicked daze, still able to smell the lingering acrid odour in the air.
Smoke.
Flames.
Fire.
Jack.
Oh God. Jack. I could barely believe it; the Fire Lab stage had burnt to the ground, but there was no news on Jack except for the fact that he had been taken away by ambulance. An ambulance. That didn’t sound particularly positive.
I stopped just outside the studio gates, my hands shooting into my hair and scraping my fingers across my scalp in a desperate attempt at grounding myself before completely freaking out. I failed, of course, and felt anxiety crawling up my spine and wrapping around my veins like tiny, poisonous tentacles.
Stay calm. I pinged the elastic bands on my wrist and winced as they bit into my skin far too hard. Ouch. Jack hated this habit, and would have tried to stop me if I’d done it in front of him...but he wasn’t here.
He was in hospital.
Unfortunately, thinking about him merely made me snap the bloody bands until my wrist bore a bright red ring.
My throat started to close up with panic as I tried to push away images of his face screwed up in pain, but the visions wouldn’t cease. Was he injured? Or worse?
Stay calm. Panicking wouldn’t help, would it? And neither would incapacitating my wrist by numbing it with over-the-top snaps. What I needed to do was get back to the house and look up the hospital address, and get down there to see him.
The woman on reception had told me Jack had been taken to Lakeside Hospital, but I hadn’t actually thought to ask the specific address before taking off. Idiot.
Setting off again, I took up the same rapid pace and, after dodging across the main road in an obvious jaywalk, I quickly found myself at my housing complex. Flashing my ID to Security, I then forced my lungs to work overtime as I sprinted down the street to my house.
In my rush, I stumbled over my own feet, crashing through the front door and straight into Allie. ‘Goodness Cait! Slow down! What’s wrong?’
I was so breathless from running I could barely speak. ‘I just...’ Wheeze. ‘There was...’ Wheeze. God, I was so out of breath I gave up and simply breathed his name. ‘Jack.’
Crossing her arms, Allie gave an annoyed tut and threw me an irritated look. ‘Cait, he works in the same studio as you so you’ll see him from time to time, but you’ve told him you’re not interested and I’m sure he respects that.’ Confused, I paused for a second as I tried to work out what was she was talking about. She thought I was upset because I’d seen Jack? I suppose that made sense, seeing as I usually was freaking out because of some encounter with him. If only that were the case.
Pushing her hair away from her face, she shook her head, looking as exasperated as I felt. ‘He’s a good guy, Cait, I really don’t think he’ll try and push you. It’s not as big a deal as you’re making it out to be, I promise.’
‘I know.’ Sucking in another breath, my lungs filled with a blessed rush of air and I finally felt marginally more capable of speech. ‘That’s not the matter.’
The frown now creasing Allie’s brows said that she didn’t entirely believe me, but she licked her lips and thoughtfully tilted her head anyway. ‘So it’s not Jack that’s upset you?’
My elastic bands got a ping and I bit my lip as pain spread to my wrist and caused me to ball my fist tightly. It helped settle me–just–but didn’t entirely manage to quell the anxiousness rearing up inside me. ‘Well, it does involve Jack, but not in the way you’re thinking.’ Seeing one of Allie’s eyebrows rise again, I hurried to finish my stilted explanation. ‘There was a fire on one of Jack’s stages and he’s injured. I’m...I’m...worried about him.’
Allie’s face immediately transformed into one of concern as she reached out and ran a hand up my forearm supportively.
‘Oh my God, that’s awful.’
Nodding, I swallowed to try and ease my dry throat. ‘I know. And it’s stupid to be this worried about someone I barely know but...’ I shrugged helplessly, my emotions towards Jack so confusing that I could hardly keep up with them myself, let alone expect Allie to understand. ‘... But I am.’
‘You care about him, it’s OK to feel that way. It’s perfectly normal.’
She’d hit the nail right on the head. I did care about him, it had just taken this shock to make me accept it. Sniffing back some errant tears, I leant back, feeling well and truly miserable. Why couldn’t I develop feelings for a man that was vaguely in my league? Why did it have to be mega-rich, ultra-famous, sinfully handsome Jack Felton?
Before I’d even seen her move, Allie was suddenly throwing her arms around me and smothering me in a bear hug. It was just what I needed, so I buried my face into the crook of her neck and wrapped my arms around her tightly in return.
As we embraced I felt her fingers dig into my ribs as she clung to me, and I realised that her hug seemed just as desperate as mine. It suddenly occurred to me that this was the first time I’d seen her since her trip to LA to find
Sean after his disappearing act.
‘How’s Sean? Did you find him?’
Allie leant back and nodded, and I noticed that her eyes were puffy and red. ‘I did, he’s OK...ish.’ She paused, her face scrunching up slightly before she blew out a long breath. ‘We’re still on a break. It’s...well, it’s complicated.’ Shoving her hair from her face, she gave me a firm look. ‘But we can talk about that later, it’s hardly the most important issue at the moment. Jack is injured, how badly?’
My stomach dropped again. ‘I don’t know, that’s the problem.’ Shaking my head, I sighed and recounted the story of how Jack had saved the cameraman but gained some injuries in the process.
‘Wow, it sounds like he saved that guy’s life,’ Allie whispered in awe. ‘Have you called him?’
My head immediately began a frantic nodding. ‘Yeah, but there was no answer.’
Giving me an exasperated stare, Allie’s mouth briefly hung open, ‘Well, get your phone out and try again!’
I was fairly sure that once I knew he was OK, I’d be able to relax, but the possibility that he might not be OK made dread simmer in my belly until I felt close to throwing up.
Pulling my phone out of my bag, I swallowed hard and stared at it as if it were some alien device. Several seconds passed, and when my trembling hand still hadn’t managed to do anything useful, Allie tutted, removed it from my grasp, sorted through it until she found his number, and then thrust it at me. ‘Call him.’
I paused, all my insecurities and panic rearing up in one huge tidal wave. ‘I can’t.’ Seeing Allie’s exasperation reaching an all-time high, I flushed and drew in a breath through my nose, before expelling it in a long puff from my lips as I tried to pinpoint exactly what was causing me to hesitate. ‘We’re friends...but it’s such a weird situation because we’ve admitted to having feelings for each other.’ I paused and flicked my elastic bands to get the soothing sting I needed. ‘I...I think I want more with him,’ I admitted, my eyes dropping away from Allie’s as I whispered my confession. ‘I have no idea how to go about it, though. It’s crazy. What should I do?’
Allie crossed her arms and gave an understanding nod. ‘This may sound a little blunt, but I think you need to hear it. You’re one of the sweetest, most considerate people I’ve ever met, but you need to get over your fear. Call him. This isn’t about you, or the future. This is about now, and whether or not he’s hurt. Forget the other shit and call him.’
Well, that was me told.
Two
Jack
The beeping of my phone woke me from my doze and I instinctively went to reach for it before hissing at the pain that shot up my left arm. Wincing, I blinked my eyes open and blearily assessed it–bandaged from the tips of my fingers all the way up to mid-bicep and it felt like it had been treated to a manicure from a cheese grater. What the hell?
Grimacing at the throbbing pain, I looked around and saw the sterile white suite, pale green curtains, and medical machines beside me.
Oh yeah. I was in hospital. Either that or a hotel with an exceptionally bad interior designer. The pain medication was making my brain sluggish, and each time I woke from a doze it took me a few seconds to recall where I was.
Now I was more alert I was all too aware of precisely why I was here.
The fire.
My heart rate accelerated as memories flooded back and I felt the hairs on my scalp rise. We’d been mid-way through a take, I was reciting my lines, then boom, a flash of blue sparks had come from nowhere, flaring up into a fireball to my right within seconds. The place had quickly filled with choking black smoke, panicked screams, and the acrid smell of burning plastic before I’d realised I could hear Brent yelling that he was trapped.
Thank God our show featured an arson unit, because it had meant that we had extinguishers on set as props – thankfully they were full, and not fake ones – and I had immediately grabbed one and tried to douse the flames around Brent. Between myself and Fiona the line editor, we’d supressed the blaze enough to drag Brent out, but from the hacking coughs he’d been making I bet he was a damn sight worse for wear than I was.
Talk about fiction becoming reality; I’d literally ended up doing the rescuing that my Fire Lab character did on a daily basis.
Shaking my head, I began to gingerly shift myself more upright. I eyed my right arm with distaste as I saw the cannula there, the little plastic tube piercing my skin and connected to an IV bag of fluids hanging by my side. Ugh. I didn’t mind needles, but I disliked cannulasimmensely. Just the thought that it was stuck inside my body was enough to make me feel queasy.
Turning my eyes away, I saw that someone, presumably Flynn, had been to the studios and retrieved my things for me, because my wallet and phone were now sat on my bedside table. I saw several missed calls and a new text on my mobile screen, so reaching for it I went straight for the message.
* * *
From: Duncan Maywear
Jack, how are you feeling? I spoke to your consultant and he said you should be released later this week. Don’t worry about the bandages, I have the script writers already working on an episode that will incorporate your injuries into the season. Call me when you’re out so we can discuss when you’ll be back on set. Duncan.
* * *
Duncan Maywear, my producer and all round idiot. It was typical that he seemed more concerned about delays to the schedule than my actual health. No doubt all the missed calls were from him too, desperately trying to find out when I’d be back at work.
I didn’t bother to reply, or look at the missed calls, and instead chucked the phone beside me and rested my head on the pillows. I found it ironic that he was apparently so concerned but couldn’t be bothered to visit. Arsehole. And ‘Don’t worry about the bandages’ was pretty unfeeling too. I couldn’t give a flying fuck if the bandages affected the show. Right now my main concern was the damage beneath them.
I could understand his concerns about the filming schedule, though. Fire Lab was one of those shows where the first episode aired before we’d filmed the entire season, so any major delays could cause us to postpone broadcasts. While I didn’t mind inconveniencing Duncan a little, I couldn’t upset the fans. They were the reason I got to do what I loved every day.
A visit from my director would have been a nice touch but not something I’d hold my breath for. Not that I could hold my breath for that long anyway–my lungs still felt decidedly dodgy from inhaling the smoke, even after the oxygen mask I’d been forced to wear in the ambulance.
Closing my eyes, I absorbed the sounds of the busy hospital corridor outside my room. The place didn’t smell of disinfectant as hospitals often do because the burn shield gel that had been applied to my arm smelt strongly of aloe vera, surrounding me in a calming scent and almost masking the fact that I was in hospital. Almost. The scratchy blankets, needle in my arm, and constant beeping of my heart rate monitor were fairly annoying reminders.
I was broken from my miserable thoughts by the door opening as my nurse came swanning in again. Miriam had been seeing to my burns since I’d been admitted, re-applying cream and bandages and sorting out my IV fluids, all the while attempting to flirt with me rather outrageously even though she was old enough to be my mother. She was hilarious, though, and definitely making today far better than it could have been.
‘Mr Felton, let’s check that wrist again, shall we?’ Unfortunately, I’d been wearing a watch when the fire had started, and as I’d been attempting to douse the flames the nylon strap had melted onto my skin. Fantastic. The fact that it didn’t hurt was causing the doctors to worry that there was nerve damage and that the burns below would be more severe than the rest of my arm, which although painful and unsightly, was mostly covered in superficial blisters.
Miriam had been using a gel like Vaseline on my wrist to loosen the melted nylon, and was hopeful it could be removed within the next twenty-four hours.
Just as Miriam had finished and was popping the lid
back on the tub, my phone began to ring. I let out a long sigh as I reached for it, deciding that if it was Duncan then I was definitely going to ignore it.
To my surprise, and complete delight, it wasn’t Duncan’s name flashing on my screen, but Caitlin’s. My breath hitched as I blinked and double checked I’d seen it correctly. And I had, my screen was still illuminated with the words: Incoming call from Caitlin Byrne. This was a real turn-up for the books.
I felt my cheeks heat with excitement, and embarrassingly, my heartrate monitor sped up so a rapid beep, beep, beep suddenly filled the quiet of the room causing Miriam to look up and gave me a grin.
‘Someone special calling?’ she enquired with a smirk, cutting off any answer by flashing a wink and heading to the door. ‘I’ll leave you in peace, I’m all done here for now. I’ll be back to check on that wrist in anhour or so.’
As soon as the door had closed I accepted the call. ‘Hello?’ My voice was croaky, partly from the smoke inhalation but mostly from the fact that I was nervously holding my breath.
Finally, I had to pull in a wheezy breath, because, as long as I waited, there was no response. ‘Hello? Is anyone there?’
After some muffled rustling, I heard a breath and then a voice. ‘Jack?’ I’d recognise Caitlin’s sweet, soft tone anywhere, and it was most certainly not Caitlin on the other end of the line. I pulled the mobile away from my ear to check the screen again before speaking.
‘This is Jack,’ I replied, attempting to reel in my skittering emotions and get my voice back under control.
‘Hi, Jack, this is Allie.’ Allie. Caitlin’s friend and the girlfriend Sean was so enamoured with. Or were they still broken up? I wasn’t sure, but disappointment settled in my gut.
Realistically, I should have known that Caitlin wouldn’t call me. She was attracted to me, but she seemed adamant in her denial, so why would she call? Allie, on the other hand, didn’t seem phased by anything, famous people included.
‘I thought it was Caitlin,’ I murmured, my voice not hiding the disappointment that laced my words.
‘It was, but I grabbed the phone because she had to...uh...sneeze,’ Allie blurted, sounding completely unconvincing. She had to sneeze? Yeah, right. Presumably Caitlin hadn’t wanted to speak to me, but Allie had either forced her to call me, or had grabbed her phone and done the calling herself.
