“No, I’ve never seen the man before. Maybe he was senile. Or, just taking a chance.” I pulled Alyssa against my side, trying to keep her covered as much as possible.
It wouldn’t do for the men to report that they saw my wife’s ankles. Hopefully they would allow her the embarrassment of her state of undress.
“That’s true. There are some fine saddles in the shop at the moment. I’ve been keeping my eye on one, hoping it won’t go before payday.” John grinned at me before he turned back to the sheriff.
The lawman smiled too, nodding his agreement. “Well, I’m sure your good friend will hold it back for you.”
Nodding, I rubbed my hand over my chest. It was getting cold now the initial shock of Bill and his bullet had worn off. “Of course, John, you only need to tell me what one it is.”
The sheriff laughed at the same time as my friend. He had manipulated the situation, or had he just helped me get out of more questioning?
“Okay, well, I’ll assume that’s what it is for now. I’ll come back tomorrow and see if there’s anything around. I just hope there’s no one else involved. You keep your house locked up tight at night.” Tipping his hat to Alyssa again, he went to the door, gesturing for John to open it.
My friend did, letting the sheriff out before he did the same. “I’ll be back in the morning.”
The door closed behind them. Alyssa ran to it, locking it straight away. The whole neighbourhood was a little sloppy with keeping houses locked up tight. We were all friends, with no enemies. As she turned back to me, Alyssa shot me a grin.
“We did it,” she said, coming over and placing her hands on my chest.
“We did?” I had no idea what she was talking about.
Taking her cold fingers, I rubbed them between my hands before I put my arm over her shoulder and led her back upstairs. The stairs creaked, but I ignored it. We both needed to get in front of a fire, or in the bed, to warm up.
When we were inside the room, I gestured for her to get straight under the covers.
“I think you deserve to get in, too.” She climbed under, rubbing her legs. Her gaze followed me as I grabbed my blanket and went to sit by the fire.
“No, I respect your wishes. What do you mean ‘we did it’?”
Alyssa sat forward, patting the bed forcefully beside her. “You’re freezing, Larry, come and get under the covers. It will do no harm to sleep next to each other.”
Doing as she said, I approached the other side of the bed, trying not to look at her. I was Larry in that moment, husband to the woman who was pretty close by. Lying down, I turned on my side to look at her. She lowered down, also going onto her side.
“Before, you’ve never saved me in time. You’ve always frozen in place, unable to get to me before the bullet pierces my heart.”
I swallowed, reaching out and wiping the tear that dripped from her cheek. A softness melted my heart as she looked into her eyes. She was an amazing woman just to live with everything she knew.
“How do you do it?” I asked.
“Do what?”
I tucked my hand under my head to stop from touching her more. There was still the whole problem of how we would cope with everything going forward.
“How do you keep loving me in all these lifetimes? And now, in 2016, you know exactly what’s happened…and what could potentially happen…in the past. I could never cope with that.”
More tears came as she buried her head in the pillow. No matter how much we insisted that we didn’t care about each other in the future, it was a lie. I cared about her wherever we were. The feelings weren’t the same all the time, yet, they were there. A bond that was so strong, it could never break, no matter what happened.
“I don’t have a choice. That’s why I choose not to love you in our future life. I want to be free, and as long as we can convince Nick that we’re not united, I will be. He will stop hunting for us if we’re not together.”
Moving onto my back, I sighed heavily. “Then you shall have your freedom.”
My heart may have ached slightly, but at the same time, when I thought about Leo and the life waiting for me, I agreed with her completely. I didn’t want that hassle, I wanted freedom too.
“How?”
Putting my hands under my head, I stared up at the ceiling. “As soon as we get back, I’m telling my siblings that I’m not going to unite with my twin flame soulmate.”
Chapter Twelve
My head snapped up soon as I gained consciousness. The smell of strong coffee and bacon alerted me to my destination. 2016.
“Sir, those men…” a woman rushed up to me, pointing through the window.
Megan was being marched down the road by the Dysfunctionals. Nick followed behind, his head bent low.
Thrusting from my seat, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and ran outside. My feet carried me down the street. My finger hovered over my phone. Who would I call? I wasn’t exactly on speaking terms with three of the boys. Virgo.
One of Nick’s men turned as I thundered down the street after them. He said something and they picked up their pace, including Nick.
“Leo? Thank god! Why haven’t you answered me?”
“I’m near London Bridge, trace my phone…I need help.”
Putting the phone down, I tucked it away as I almost caught up with the men. A van zoomed up to us, the door opening as it screeched to a stop. There was no way I would let them take Megan, no way.
“Nick, leave her alone!” I shouted as the men filed into the van.
Megan screamed, kicking out as they tried to drag her. One of them swore, hitting her around the head. She shrieked but didn’t go limp, thank goodness.
Sprinting, I caught up to them. The van was still moving. Nick had moved around to the other side, his figure disappearing into the vehicle. Megan pushed and punched, hitting the men quite accurately for a pregnant woman. One man howled when she grabbed his nether regions. His arms came away from her, just at the time I reached out and managed to get hold of her leg.
I ran, trying to keep up with the van as it sped up. Megan let out another scream as the man she had hold of pushed her roughly and she tumbled. I couldn’t keep hold of her, or catch her, as she fell from the van, hit the concrete and rolled a couple of times before coming to a stop.
The van door closed and accelerated down the road, leaving tyre marks as it went. How dare they do that to a pregnant woman?!
Moving next to Megan, I scooped her into my arms. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. A grey van pulled up next to me.
“Get in!” Scorpio.
The door opened automatically. Taurus sat on the other side of it. Climbing in, I manoeuvred onto a seat and sat down with Megan on my lap.
“Get us to a hospital.”
None of them said anything as the minibus started to move. I cradled my friend’s face, checking her over. Blood matted the back of her hair. She had obviously hit her head, which knocked her out. If she or the baby was hurt, I would never forgive myself.
“Nick?” Scorpio threw over his shoulder as he drove.
“Yeah. But, it’s all my fault.”
I shook away the memory of the past life I had visited in the few moments I had been unconscious. It was the here and now. Megan was my priority. And, I had failed her.
“It’s never our fault,” Taurus said, glaring out the window.
He knew Nick much more intimately than any of us did. When he was an addict, he had gone and got high with him. It was his way of learning who Nick really was. A sad man who had been wronged by us a long time ago. And, yet, he could not let it go.
“I wish he would just get over it.” My muttered words were met with grunts of agreement from the front and back.
Holding Megan close against me, I watched for any sign of movement. Her chest rose and fell but she stayed unconscious. Would she ever forgive me? I would have to try and explain why I had passed out back there. She would never understand.
&nb
sp; “I think you have some explaining to do,” Scorpio said, looking in the rear-view mirror at me.
Nodding, I didn’t reply. He was right. Like I had told Amelia in the past life, I had to tell my siblings that I wasn’t going to unite with my twin flame. I just hoped they would understand. I choked back a scoff. They would never get it.
“Here’s the hospital. We’ll help you.” Scorpio pulled up, ignoring the shout of an official trying to get him to move the van. “I’ve got a pregnant lady passed out in here!”
His sting made the man step back and nod. Taurus slung the door open and took Megan from me as I climbed out. Grabbing her from him as soon as I was on my feet, I hurried into the hospital.
“What happened?” a nurse asked as I rushed up to her.
I was about to answer when Taurus stepped up beside me and took over. “We were celebrating her birthday. She tripped in the road and banged her head. She’s still breathing, but she won’t wake up.”
His worry was evident. So was mine. I nodded along, letting him take the lead. There was the risk I would bite off their head if they asked too many questions.
The nurse gestured for me to follow her. Pointing to a gurney, she asked me to put Megan down. I hesitated for a second, but quickly did as I was asked. There was no point in delaying help for my friend.
“I see that you care about her very much, but I’m going to need you to step away while I look her over.”
We had gone into a private cubicle. Moving back, I stayed by the entrance, watching the nurse. As she went to lean over Megan, she pulled back when Megan groaned. Her hand came up to her head, exactly to the spot she had hit on the ground.
“Leo?” Megan moaned, her eyes opening and landing on me.
I rushed to the other side of her, taking her hand. “Are you okay?”
The nurse carried on with her examination. Megan tried to nod, but winced when her graze rubbed against the pillow. I stayed quiet, letting the nurse do her job. She checked her eyes and head.
“Okay, you have a concussion. Do you hurt anywhere else?”
Megan put her hand on her bump, stroking gently. “I landed on my stomach, can you check if the baby’s okay?”
The nurse agreed. “I can, but I’m afraid your men will have to leave.”
I glanced up to see that Scorpio and Taurus stood at the end of the bed too. I hadn’t even noticed them follow me in. Getting to my feet, I kissed Megan’s hand before going to leave.
“Leo?” Megan called, just as I was about to pull the curtain across.
I looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say.
“Thank you for helping me.”
Frowning, I rubbed a hand over my face before I pulled the curtain shut. Following the others to a seating area, I slumped in a chair.
“What happened?” They weren’t going to wait until we were out of the hospital to interrogate me.
I checked that there was no one nearby that could overhear us. The last thing I needed was suspicion around our circumstances. Our family had somehow managed to stay out of the police’s way. However, it had often got pretty close.
“We were in a café. Nick’s men were there, but I didn’t realise. Or, I was too absorbed in myself to notice them, anyway. I…”
I couldn’t tell them that I had travelled back in time, leaving Nick to do what he wanted to me and Megan. I was lucky he had left me where I was. He could have easily taken me, even if he couldn’t kill me.
“I let my guard slip. He managed to get Megan and drag her away. I ran after her as they tried to kidnap her. She put up such a fight…”
“We saw.” Taurus lifted his cap off his head and ran a hand over his shaved skull. Kerry had tried to persuade him never to wear the hat again, but he sometimes sneaked it on when she wasn’t looking.
“You saw? That’s a point, how did you get there so quick? I called Virgo…”
“We were already there. Do you really think we would let you go off on your own in that state?” Scorpio patted my thigh. “Besides, I like watching you attempt to dance. You look like such a twat.”
Smacking his arm, I gritted my teeth. “You spied on me?”
They both shrugged, looking pretty disinterested. Of course my brothers followed me. They knew I was meant to be meeting my twin flame at some point. Which meant Nick would step up his game. Although, he had been pretty quiet considering. Tonight was pure chance. I had walked straight into a café without keeping a lookout.
“I suppose…well, I’m glad you were there to help me get Megan here.”
Scorpio looked at Taurus. “Was that a thank you?”
Taurus frowned. “I’m not sure.”
“You wish,” I replied, getting to my feet when the nurse came out of the cubicle.
She approached us, her gaze fixed on me. “Are you the father of the child?”
Glancing at my brothers, I nodded. They knew to keep their mouths shut. I wasn’t the father, but if I didn’t pretend, she wouldn’t allow me to know what was happening.
“Okay. Please, wait here a moment, I’ll be right back.” The nurse went up to the desk and spoke to the receptionist.
Coming back, she waved for me to follow her back to Megan’s cubicle. I went, glancing over my shoulder to my brothers. Their eyes were wide as they watched me. Concern etched on their face.
“What’s the matter?” Megan said as soon as we went in.
She held her bump, her hand rubbing furiously over it. I went over and took that hand to steady her. Sitting, I squeezed to try and reassure her.
“Leo, is it?” the nurse asked me. I nodded, looking at Megan. The nurse glanced between us before she went on. “Megan, Leo told me he was the father.”
Megan didn’t even blink as the nurse spoke. At least she knew not to say anything. She obviously needed me there as much as I wanted to be there.
“I’ve paged the doctor to come and see you. I want him to check the baby. He will be here any minute now.”
Megan looked at me, her blue eyes huge. I grabbed her other hand to try and still her shaking. She knew something wasn’t right. I could see it in her eyes.
“I’m just going to meet him. I’ll be right back.” The nurse left us, hurrying out.
“Leo…”
“Megan, what’s going on? Did the fall…? Are you in pain?” I pointed at her stomach, not able to bring myself to touch her there.
Blinking away tears, Megan sucked in a deep breath. “It’s not the fall. I…I’ve been ignoring…she doesn’t…move…anymore.”
Letting go of her, I rubbed my hands over my face before I leant against the bed and wiped away the tear that dropped down her cheek. Megan had been like me. Ignoring something until it was too late. I just hoped it wasn’t too late for her baby.
“Megan, this is Doctor Lindle. He’s going to do a check up on the baby. Would you like Leo to stay or step out?”
Megan grabbed my hand, not having to answer the nurse’s question. The doctor was an average height with grey hair. His eyes rested on the pair of us before he set about his work. Pulling Megan’s top up, he put a stethoscope over the bump, checking different areas. Obviously listening for a heartbeat.
The man’s face was clear as he started to feel the bump, pushing and manoeuvring. Eventually, he stopped and looked at us. Megan’s fingers clung to mine so tightly, the ends of them were white. I didn’t care. I needed to know the outcome as much as she did.
“I can hear an extremely faint heartbeat. It’s incredibly weak. The baby is obviously in distress. We need to get a scan and then go for a C-section delivery.” The doctor looked at the nurse. “Thank you.”
Megan gasped as the nurse rushed out of the room. “But, it’s too early, she…”
Clearing my throat, I tried to listen to the doctor. Blood rushed in my ears. Was it my fault? Was her child at risk because of what had happened with Nick?
“It is too early, however, we have the best equipment to give your baby a fightin
g chance. If we don’t deliver her now, she won’t survive.”
Megan nodded, her head dropping back on the bed. Tears streamed down her face. I sucked in a breath, not able to quite fill my lungs enough.
“You will be taken to have an ultrasound straight away.”
The doctor left when Megan agreed, her hiccups echoing around us. I stayed silent as we processed what was happening.
“Megan, shall I ring someone? Your father? Her father?”
She had never told me the identity of the baby’s father. That was something she didn’t want to tell anyone. I guessed it was because he was someone famous…or married.
“No, I just want you with me. Please.” Her pleading was enough for me to agree to anything she wanted.
“This is all my fault,” I said, rubbing her hand with my thumb.
Violently shaking her head, she screwed up her face. “No! I told you, Leo, I knew something wasn’t right. I could feel it. But, I was too scared to do anything about it. In case they told me that she was…gone.”
Placing my hand on her bump, I swallowed hard. For some bizarre reason, I felt responsible for the child. Even though she wasn’t mine. Could my experience in the past have softened me now?
“Okay, let’s go,” the nurse announced, coming back in the room.
The whole thing was a blur. We moved to a different part of the hospital. Taurus and Scorpio followed to the nearest waiting room. I walked with them, numb, quiet. As much as Megan insisted it was nothing to do with me, I couldn’t help but feel it was.
“Okay, Leo, we’re going into theatre now.” The nurse gestured for me to follow as Megan was wheeled down the corridor.
I walked beside her, holding her hand. She didn’t say anything as we looked at each other. My best friend was about to have her world change dramatically. I just hoped that it was a good change. For the first time in my life, I pleaded with the universe to keep the baby alive.
“Leo?” Megan’s voice was small as we went into the delivery room.
I crouched next to her as soon as she was put in place. “What is it?”
Leo Page 13
