by Christina OW
Large arms wrapped around Ellie and rocked her side to side, “Shh, calm down baby. She still has a pulse so that a good thing.”
There was a commotion then Mike dragged someone in by the back collar of his shirt. Despite the bloody cuts and swelling on his face, she recognized him. Tom was the doctor she’d spoken to at the asylum they’d left Ellsa at over a year and a half ago and the same guy who accosted them in the museum. He’d promised he’d do everything he could to help her and here he was the cause of her harm.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ellie screamed at him.
“Unrequited love,” Elaine responded with an air of boredom. “If he can’t have her then no one will; yadi yadi ya and all that shit. We’ve already gone through that and I can’t stomach a repeat.”
“Fuck you… Elaine,” Tom gasped and then he turned to Ellsa, who lay still on the couch and smiled, “Now we can finally be together in the afterlife. I knew I would beat you, Damien Chan.”
“She’s not yet dead you fucking psycho!” Damien hissed through clenched teeth.
The doctor chuckled, “She will be. There is no surviving that. Her brain fried thanks to that remaining chip. I picked it up from Vladimir. You all wanted to keep us apart, but now we'll be together in the afterlife.”
“Fine by me,” Mike responded, lowering to grab hold of Tom’s chin. Ellie looked away knowing what would come next.
“Not in my house!” Dale shouted.
“Then move,” and soon after a sickening cracking sound followed.
“What the fuck!” Kris screamed.
“No time for hysterics. Loverboy, pick her up and let’s go. Mike, you know what to do.” Elaine turned around and left without a word.
Damien gathered Ellsa up in his arms so gently, like she was a prized possession and pushed up on his feet.
“Wait,” Mike stepped forward and even though Damien glared daggers at him, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against Ellsa’s head, “Goodbye, White Widow,” then he stepped aside and let Damien through.
Ellie scrambled to her feet and rushed behind them, “I’m coming with you.”
Dale grabbed her arm and stopped her, “Babe…”
“Please, Dale. I can’t risk Elaine disappearing with her again. She needs me and I’m going with her. Are you coming?”
He sighed and she was sure he was going to say no until Daniel spoke up, “Go, I’ll stay and... do what needs to be done here. Ellie needs you, so go.”
“Thanks, Daniel,” Dale shook his hand. Ellie flung herself at Daniel and hugged him tight. “Thank you.”
She released him and ignoring Kris’ calls to wait she ran out of the house and ran for the open back door of the SUV. She jumped in and cradled Ellsa’s legs on her lap.
“You really thought I was going to leave you behind, baby sis?” Elaine taunted.
Ellie glanced at her before directing her attention to Ellsa cradled on Damien’s lap. He was so quiet as he held her tightly to his chest it was scary. The moment Dale got into the front passenger seat, Elaine shot out of there with break-necking speed.
Ellie then took Ellsa’s hands in hers and bowed over them to do something she’d become accustomed to since the day Ellsa had escaped the asylum. She prayed.
****
Damien paced the floor of the white room, wishing he still had his hair so that he could pull it out. The wait was killing him. It had been hours now and they weren’t done operating on Tasha yet. They were taking out the other chip. Thanks to Tom, if they didn’t remove it, it would definitely kill her, something he’d intended to do. If it worked the way it was supposed to, Tasha would be dead right now. That thought made his heart flip.
Damien wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or march into the operating room and choke the living shit out of the scientist-doctor for putting not one but two defective chips in her head even though he was currently working on fixing his mess.
“How much longer?” he groaned.
“Damien...”
He turned to Ellie just to catch her running for the door VS had disappeared through. The doctor and Elaine were coming out. It annoyed him that they’d let her through and not him. But when she asked if he was ready to hold a gun steady against one of their heads as incentive, he caved. The woman was nuts.
“How is she?” Damien demanded when he got to the duo.
“She made it through the operation. Now we wait.” The doctor answered, then he turned to Elaine and barked something in... Russian?
Elaine smiled and responded more calmly. But that smile... Damien was sure she’d threatened him. The doctor turned around and went through the doors he’d come from, leaving Elaine behind.
“You can go in and see her if you want.”
“Elaine, is this nightmare over?” Ellie asked the question he’d been too afraid to even ponder.
Elaine wrapped her arm around Ellie’s shoulder and led her through the doors, Damien followed behind, anxious to see VS but also needing to hear the answer. “I made sure of it. You and I may not get along Ellie, but Ellsa is as much of a sister to you as she is to me.”
“Why?”
Elaine was quiet for a moment before she responded, “She made me feel again.” She stopped in front of a sliding door. “There she is, but she’s not awake yet.”
“When will she wake up?” Damien asked, looking at the figure in the bed, Ellie already at her side. She had so many wires attached to her, a mask over her face and heavy duty bandages around her head. But she was alive and that’s all he cared about at the moment.
“Hopefully soon. There were no complications like last time.”
“Will she... will she remember?”
“That’s been taken care of.” She responded as if she knew exactly what he meant, “Her last memory will be of her last episode before today.”
When she saw Ellie at the FBI. “How...”
She smiled, “Don’t know, don’t care, just as long as it’s done.”
Dale patted him on the back, “Just say thank you and go in Middle D. Everything else comes after she’s awake and responsive.”
Damien went in and sat in the free chair on Tasha’s other side and took her hand in his. “Victoria Secret, you certainly know how to turn a man’s life upside down.”
Epilogue
Elaine watched Ellsa’s family keep vigil over her for the sixth night in a row. They’d turned the safe house into their second home, abandoning their children with their parents and taking over the warehouse and Ellsa’s care. She had to seclude their side and make use of half the warehouse for other questionable characters in need of medical attention that couldn’t go to normal hospitals. Sure, the facility was set up for Ellsa, with the staff comprising of all the people that still breathed because she didn’t carry out her orders and hid them instead. They all owed her their lives and Elaine had made sure to drive that point home in case they forgot. After she’d recovered from her first surgery and the facility wasn’t needed anymore, Mike thought to make money off it. And considering how well their pockets were lined now, it wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Katarina.”
Elaine stilled for just a second. With her hand inching to her side for the Glock strapped to her thigh, she turned around slowly. With a smile she’d been forced to learn, “Derek, long time- no see. Is this visit personal or business?”
Derek stared at her thigh then back up at her face. He stepped forward and she stepped back until she back peddled right into a room. His plan all along apparently.
“Personal. Imagine my surprise to learn my cousins were getting medical help at a location we’ve been trying to find for months.”
She shrugged, “What can I say, we provide the best.”
“Do they know who else uses this makeshift hospital?”
“All they care about is Ellsa getting better.”
He nodded, “An experiment gone wrong. It was quite surprising to find out the White Widow is a part of
my family.”
“A CIA agent and an assassin sharing a Thanksgiving meal? Something like that only happens in the movies, ha?”
He took another step towards her and this time she didn’t move, “You know what else only happens in the movies?”
Her arms went around his neck when he took that last step, pressing himself against her. “A CIA agent and an assassin checking into a hotel for sexual delights in-between missions?”
“I’m fucking Jackie the Ripper, a total hard on.” He lowered his head and brushed her lips with his, “Today is our anniversary, did you forget?”
She shook her head, “Three years, how could I? But you do understand why I can’t leave?”
“You do love her like a sister?”
She smiled softly, “Just like you love your cousins. Damien needs you. He’s going to lose it soon if she doesn’t—” her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out. With a relieved chuckled she said, “She’s awake.”
He stepped away, “Time for a family reunion.”
They walked down the hallway to Ellsa’s half of the warehouse; as she’d began to call it. She watched as Derek masterfully tilted his head away from the cameras and it made her wonder how exactly he knew where they were. As if reading her mind, he turned to her and gave her one of his smiles that had literally lost her; and her panties after being hit by it a few times.
When she slid Ellsa’s door open, she was hit by laughter and crying, all from Ellie. Damien was busy kissing Ellsa like she was a drop of water after he endured weeks of thirst. That could only mean one thing; the doctor had done his job right.
“Now that’s another sight from the movies,” Derek whispered in her ear before he pushed her into the room to join the celebration.
“That’s enough, Damien,” Ellsa laughed weakly as she pushed him away, “I’m going to suffocate if you don’t stop.”
“We wouldn’t want that now would we?” Derek piped up, drawing the attention of the room. The three cousins gravitated to each other. After a few hugs and poundings on the back they moved a few feet away to talk, but Damien’s eyes stayed trained on Ellsa. Cute.
Elaine took the chair Damien had vacated since Ellie had fitted herself on the bed next to Ellsa on her other side. “Well sis, you definitely know how to draw attention to yourself.”
With one of those scolding looks she gave DJ, Ellsa said, “Why didn’t you tell me I have a twin sister?”
Yup, everything was right in the world again.
Look out for the next book in the Black Widows Series, Fatal Desire!
Also in this series Fatal Jealousy
About the Author
I’m the last of my mom’s three girls and I’m also a twin (she is an author too). It’s a lot of fun playing tricks on people with my twin sister. We did so a lot when we were younger but not so much now. We were raised by my mother and we owe her so much and try to make her proud every single day.
I would rather curl up on the couch with a book than go out, which also means I’m not into the night life. My pajamas are my best friend because they are so comfortable and I only dress up when I go out if there is a good chance I’ll meet a hot guy!
Connect with me either on my website
http://tmdangel.wix.com/chrisitnaow
blog www.christinaow.wordpress.com or
Facebook page- Christina OW
5 Prince Publishing is proud to present The Christmas Tree Guy By Railyn Stone. Please enjoy this excerpt. You can find this book and many more on the 5 Prince Publishing site at www.5princebooks.com
The Christmas Tree Guy
By
Railyn Stone
CHAPTER 1
Those children need their father...
Click. Deleting her mother’s message before it could finish, Sydnee closed her eyes and inhaled as if she were about to jump into the deep end of a pool. If she heard that phrase one more time, she would scream. One, one thousand. Two, one thousand. Three, one thousand.
Opening her eyes, she started to call her mother and tell her exactly just what she thought of Matt Garrett, her children’s absentee father, until she heard the unmistakable giggles of her rambunctious twins and their boots crunching against the snow. She sighed, realizing it was a conversation best suited for when she was home and not so tired, and definitely when the kids were asleep. Plus, it was a futile argument. Regardless of what she said, Sydnee’s mother seemed to think Matt walked on water.
“C’mon, Mommy.”
“Guys, slow down.” Sydnee watched her spirited boys run through the lot, wishing she had half the energy they exerted on a daily basis. It was the day after Thanksgiving, their usual day to get a Christmas tree and she was having a hard time getting into the spirit of the season. She could feel the weight of all of the things she needed to get done bearing down on her and she wasn’t sure how she would manage before the Christmas vacation she was sorely in need of. And now that one of her co-workers had gone out on early maternity leave, she’d been given one more project to handle, and she hadn’t even begun her Christmas shopping. Not to mention, the father that her children so ‘badly needed’ in their life, hadn’t so much as made a phone call to them in months, and she was just about through with him and anyone else who continually ‘preached’ to her about the merits of his presence in their life.
“C’mon, Mommy.” She could hear Travis yelling through the rows of trees. She smiled at the two running in and out of the evergreens dusted with the icy flakes of an early Louisville snowfall and she stopped for a moment to admire her two precious cherubs. Even though their appearance was identical, they had totally different personalities and mannerisms. Travis was a lot more outgoing and never met a stranger, while Charlie took his time to get to know someone, but once he did, they had a friend for life. Pulling the peppermint colored scarf tighter around her neck, she weaved through the trees and found the boys trying to decide on which one they wanted.
“I want this one.”
“Travis that one is nice, but look at the branches. Those are pretty low at the bottom.” She pointed to a few hanging dangerously low to the ground.
“What about this one?” He quickly pointed to the one beside it and grinned. She shook her head at his impetuous decision-making. Turning, she looked to see where Charlie was and noticed him moving slowly past each tree, taking in the branches and how they looked. He was definitely the more thoughtful and more introspective of the two.
“What do you think Charlie?”
“I like this one.” Looking up at her with big brown sparkling eyes, he smiled and pointed to a fairly medium sized tree. It was full, and the branches seemed to be perfectly proportional.
“That one is pretty.”
“I like that one too, Mommy.” Travis, not to be outdone by his brother, said, running over to stand beside the tree Charlie had picked.
“You do, huh? You think this is the one?”
“Yeah.” Their little voices rang in unison as she pulled them into her sides and they looked at her with hopeful eyes. Looking in their perfect little faces, the long list of things she had to do fell by the wayside and she smiled.
“May I help you?” She heard a deep voice rumble behind her and she turned to meet the pearly white smile of a gorgeous young man working in the lot. He had eyelashes most women would kill for, and a deep set of steel grey eyes beneath them. His dark wavy hair was short and neatly mussed, and he wore one tiny silver hoop earring in each ear. His strong square jaw was covered by a barely-there shadow of dark stubble. She was taken aback at how attractive he was and just how instantly attracted she was to him.
“Um, I think we’ve decided on this one, even though, sweethearts, now that I look at it, this may be a little bigger than what we can handle.”
“But, Mommy,” Travis pleaded, looking at her with his innocent eyes.
“I know, but somehow we have to get it home and in the house and-”
“Mommy, please.” Charlie tug
ged at her hand as he and Travis took turns asking ‘please’.
“I don’t know.”
“You know, we can deliver it.” She heard the baritone voice behind her and she turned back to the man who was smiling at her sons and their exuberance over his last statement. She was having a hard time taking her eyes off of him and his hypnotic smile was slowly convincing her she wanted, no, she needed to buy the tree. She continued to hear a chorus of ‘Mommy please’ and she grinned at him.
“You really aren’t helping any.”
“Sorry, but I can see this is the tree they have their hearts set on.” She followed his gaze over to the twins who were now dancing their way around the tree.
“I know, but it’s a little bigger than I really planned, and getting it home is going to be a bigger deal than I thought.” She’d been so focused on getting a tree, she hadn’t really put much thought into how her 5 foot 6 inch diminutive frame was going to get it to the car, much less haul it in the house.
“I’m sure their dad will be okay with it knowing they’re happy, right?”
“Honestly, he doesn’t even care. I’m divorced.” Sydnee shrugged at the thought of Matt and his absenteeism in the boys’ lives, and she felt a stabbing pain of loneliness she just didn’t have the strength to revisit at the moment.
“Oh wow, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s okay. You couldn’t have known.” She put her hands up to keep him from apologizing.
“Oh, well, we’re about to close for the night and I can deliver it for you if you need me too.” There was that smile again. Did he know how unbelievably sexy he was? Focus Sydnee.
“I don’t know. I-”
“Oh wait, here’s our business card and if you need me to, I can give you a copy of my driver’s license. I can sense the hesitation, but I promise I’m not a serial killer or anything.” She watched him grin at her with maddeningly perfect teeth as he handed her the card.
