Torn Apart (Fatally Flawed #2)

by Dusty Lassetter

  When I’m finished, the gentleman hands Candice a tissue to wipe her teary eyes. She then takes a deep breath, “I lived in the dark for so long, I lost all hope that there would ever be light in my life. Every time I look into your eyes I am reminded of the good in people and it helps keep the demons at bay. With you I don’t have to count to ten or take deep breaths to keep from freaking out, you’re my anchor Jasper. The only man in this world that I’m sure was meant for me. I will spend the rest of my life reminding you of the dark soul you helped bring back to life.”

  Her words mean so much to me that I can’t wait for the man to announce “You may kiss the bride.” Instead I gently take her by the face and place my lips to hers. Sealing our commitment to each other.

  Chapter 31

  Candice

  Walking hand and hand with my new husband we make our way to our group of friends waiting for us in Jasper’s private area of the club. He asked Dalton to make it as closed off from the public as possible but still able see the majority of the activity in the club. The turnout for tonight is much better than expected making it difficult to get through the doors. With the little bit I could see, Dalton completely gutted the place making it more modern. There are lots of mirrors and steel framed chairs.

  Jasper walks up to Dalton bringing him in for a man hug, patting him on the back. “You did better than I imagined.”

  “Thanks man, it took a lot of called in favors, but I think we did alright.” Daltons replies. “Where in the hell have you two been anyway?” He asks.

  “We got married on the way.” I blurt out, excited to tell everyone. Aunt Stacy spits her drink out of her mouth and starts coughing like an eighty-year-old smoker. Uncle Troy starts patting her on the back, while trying to dab his shirt dry, “You did WHAT?” Izzy yells.

  “We got married in a small chapel before we came here. There will be a bigger wedding on a later date.” Jasper takes over the conversation, trying to explain ourselves to this very angry group, “We didn’t plan it, it just happened. There is no amount of anger or hurt you could express that would ever make me regret it, so get the stupid looks off your face and let’s celebrate.”

  “He’s right, let’s fucking party.” Dalton yells out, grabbing a bottle of champagne and popping the top off. My Aunt Stacy walks up to Jasper and me, “I’m so happy for you two. I’ve always wanted a nephew, maybe in the next few years I could be a great aunt.” Now its Jasper’s turn to start coughing up his drink. “We’ll see Aunt Stacy.” Is my reply because to be frank, Jasper and I obviously feel the same way about having children.

  Liam and Josie make their way around, after everyone else, congratulating us. To my surprise Izzy and Bethany are not that upset with us, they are more excited about being bridesmaids in the ceremony we will throw for our families. The rest of the night is spent laughing and enjoying the company of the most important people in my life.

  We had planned for a limo to come pick K.J., Izzy, Dalton, Bethany, Jasper, and myself up after closing the club tonight. It’s four in the morning and everyone including myself is tired and dead on their feet. Dalton and Jasper do a walk through the building while K.J. goes outside to check and make sure everything is good for closing. When they all agree it’s fine, the six of us make our way out the front entrance. The limo is waiting on the opposite side of the street, so everyone walks across and starts piling in. I stay back with Jasper while he locks the door and jiggles it ten times to make sure it is locked. When he is satisfied, he takes my hand in his pulling me behind him.

  The sound of screeching tires I hear causes me to turn my head to the left right before I get the wind knocked out of me from landing on the ground. Catching my breath again I slowly get up into a sitting position and that’s when I hear the chaos going on around me. Izzy and Bethany are running toward me, while K.J. and Dalton are kneeling over an unmoving body in the middle of the street. My mind won’t allow me to process what my eyes are seeing but my heart instantly stops beating. I instantly recognize the person lying in the street wearing a charcoal covered suit, covered in blood.

  I scramble off the ground desperate to get to Jasper, but Izzy steps in front of me, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to see him like that.” I practically shove her out of my way. The only thoughts running through my head right now is to get to Jasper, to my husband.

  I push K.J and Dalton out of the way as well and kneel down in front of Jasper’s contorted body. His arm is bent the wrong way and there is so much blood coming from his face, it’s hard to see exactly where I need to apply pressure to try and stop it. Taking his head, I place it in my lap and rip off some of the material at the bottom of my dress. I place the fabric on the deepest cut I see on his head and start begging him to wake up, “Jasper I need you to wake up. I need you to open your eyes.” I say to him. I grab his left hand and holding it, hoping against all hope he squeezes back. “Remember your promises Jasper.”

  Time stands still as I sit in the street holding onto the only man that I will ever love, watching as his breathing turns shallow. I feel a pair of arms wrap around me and see Dalton kneeling by me, “You have to let the paramedics do their job.” I look to my right and sure enough there is an EMT trying to reach for Jasper’s head. I softly place it back on the ground and willingly go into Dalton’s arms, watching as they load Jasper’s unmoving body into the ambulance. I never get the chance to ask if I can ride with them. Dalton carries me to the limo as K.J. tells the driver to follow the ambulance.

  Izzy and Bethany sit beside me, each one taking one of my hands, whispering comforting words that have no meaning to me. My body is numb and the only thing I can see when I close my eyes is Jasper’s bloodied body.

  Chapter 32

  Candice

  The smell of the hospital assaults my nose and I have to control my breathing to keep from throwing up. I hate hospitals as much as any one person can. Once Jasper arrived, a nurse came out and told us he was going into emergency surgery but she would keep us updated on his condition. That was three hours ago. Bethany and Izzy have repeatedly tried to get me to drink or eat something. I shake my head no, knowing there is no way I will be able to keep food down. They called my aunt and uncle, asking them to go by our hotel and bring me a change of clothes. My once white dress is now ruined with streaks of red. The bottom half is ripped, with no white to be seen.

  “Candice honey, we brought you some clothes.” I hear my Aunt Stacy’s voice but it sounds distorted and far away. I continue to stare forward at the same spot on the wall that has captivated my attention since we arrived. I can hear mumbling from other people and assume they are talking about me once again. Then I feel two hands wrap around my arms, lifting me out of the chair I was in. “Listen to me Candice. You are going to go change your clothes and come back in here and drink some coffee. Then the nurse will come get you and take you to see Jasper. You will do this for him, do you understand?” K.J. is looking me in the eye and I can see the absolute devastation that he is trying hard to hide. He waits for me to agree then he places me back on my feet. Grabbing the clothes from my aunt I walk by everyone and head to the bathroom to clean myself up before I see Jasper.

  I don’t know how he knew it would happen but thirty minutes after I finished my cup of coffee the doctor walks in to the waiting area, “Johnathan family?” He asks, walking toward us. I stand up and shake my head yes, “I’m his wife.” I say, hearing the fear in my own voice. He extends his hand, “I’m Dr. Jones.” I take his hand in mine giving it a slight shake.

  “Your husband pulled through the surgery with a few minor complications. We reset his right arm that was broken in three places. He also had two broken ribs and clavicle. They should all heal nicely but the impact of the vehicle caused severe organ damage mostly on his right kidney. We had to take it out and because of the trauma to the rest of the body we have him in ICU incase the left kidney can’t hold up on its own.” I try to take in everything he just said, but the only t
hing I’m hearing is he is alive. I start crying tears of relief, “I’ll have a nurse come get you as soon as we get him situated. Two family members at a time and it will have to be quick because visiting hours are from nine to nine”

  “Can I sleep in his room with him?” I ask.

  “I’m afraid that is not allowed in ICU Mrs. Johnathan.” The doctor states.

  “I’m sure arrangements can be made.” Dalton says.

  “I’m sorry but that is hospital policy.” The doctor declares before walking off.

  An hour later I am brought into Jasper’s cubicle in ICU by, Beverly, his nurse for the night. She gives me a sympathetic smile before walking out, closing the curtain behind her. I push a chair close to the head of the bed and tentavily grab Jasper’s hand as I sit down. He has a breathing tube down his throat helping him breath because of the medical induced coma they have him on. His skin is pale and there is still blood in his hair. His face is covered with bruises and there is so much gauze wrapped around him he resembles a mummy. I tuck my head into my chest and wait for everyone else to come in one at a time.

  K.J. is the only one that doesn’t come in. I don’t put much thought into it, other than no one wants to see a loved one lying in a hospital bed like this. After Dalton leaves, the nurse tells me it’s time for me to leave as well. Leaning down I place a kiss on Jasper’s cheek and promise to be right down the hall. That is where I intend on waiting until visiting hours start up again in three hours.

  Chapter 33

  K.J.

  I leave the hospital just as everyone starts going into the room to see Jasper. There is no reason for me to be there. I can’t help Jasper at this point. I should have seen that mother fucker behind the wheel of that black car when I checked the outside perimeter. I didn’t do my job right and now Jasper is paying the price. I feel a twinge of guilt but it is being over powered by the feeling of pure anger pulsing through my veins right now. I will find this mother fucker and I will make him pay.

  Taking a cab back to the club, I take the key for the door out of my pocket and let myself in. Dalton asked me to give this place the best security system possible and that is what I did, so the camera in front of the building should have caught the whole thing.

  I let myself into Jasper’s office and start working on getting the images off the camera that I need. Once I’m done with that, I make a phone call to one of my resources named Sticks, “I sent you some pictures of a license plate. I need to know anything on it you can find.”

  He tells me to give him fifteen minutes and he will call me back. I hang up the phone and prop my booted feet up on Jasper’s desk going over the many ways I will make the bastard that did this suffer.

  Sticks tells me the car is registered to a man named Thomas Brown and gives me his Nevada address. I don’t have my bike down here and taking a cab is out of the question, so I do what any natural criminal would do. I steal some piece of shit car that the insurance company will end up paying top dollar for.

  It takes me forty-five minutes to get to the run down dump on the outskirts of town. Once I’m there I see the black Lincoln Town Car that hit Jasper sitting in the driveway. I drive by, staking out the house, before parking down the street. The neighbor’s house looks vacant but I’m still going to have to keep as quiet as possible. Walking up to the door I ring the janky doorbell and wait for the unlucky mother fucker that is going to open the door.

  “What in the fuck do you want this early….” I don’t let the bastard finish his sentence, I knock him over the head with my gun and watch as his flabby body falls to the ground. Stepping over him I walk further into the house and straight into the kitchen where I hear people talking. I have no way of knowing how many people are in there but at this point I don’t give a fuck.

  I stride into the kitchen and pull out my 9mm, “Don’t even think about it.” I tell the younger guy sitting at the table, reaching for the knife. He eyes me, probably trying to judge whether I’m serious or not but ultimately decides to listen to my warning. Sitting at the table with him is another male that looks like an older version of the asshole. Between them there is a far too skinny woman with sores all over her body. “Which one of you were driving the car tonight?” I ask.

  The lady looks to the older gentleman telling me all I need to know. It was him. Gesturing toward the stupid bastard. I tell him, “Get up.” The lady does not like my command, and starts yelling before standing up. “Sit back down.” I warn her. She must think because she is a woman that I would take mercy on her, but mercy is not something I was born with. She goes to charge at me but is stopped dead in her tracks by the bullet I just placed between her eyes.

  Instead of the man trying to defend what was most likely his wife, he gets on his knees and starts pleading for his life. I look over at the boy still sitting at the table, “Learn from your parent’s mistakes and live a better life.” With that I pick the dad up by his shirt and all but drag his babbling ass out to the trunk of the car. He must be in shock because the junkie never fights back. Slamming the trunk, I get in the car and head straight to the middle of the desert, where no one can hear his screams.

  Chapter 34

  Candice

  Jasper has been in this hospital for a week now. With all the fans that have been gathering outside and sending gifts they decided to give him a private room which allows me to stay with him over night. I use the small shower in the bathroom and Izzy brought me more clothes to change into. She also brings me lunch every day along with Bethany and Josie. Liam and her arrived the same morning everything happened and, along with everyone else, agreed to stay in Vegas until Jasper woke up. The MGM has been very generous giving everyone rooms free of charge for as long as needed. Dalton’s family also flew in to help where they can, which is good for Dalton because not only does he have to worry about Jasper, but all this stress isn’t good for Bethany and the baby.

  There is a knock on the door before Dr. Jones walks in greeting Dalton and me, “Good morning. I have the results of Jasper’s kidney test. I’m afraid it’s not looking good and he is showing early signs of kidney failure. I’ve added him to the top of the donor’s list but the best outcome would be if there was any family that could be a match.”

  “His mother died recently. That was the only blood relative he knew.” I say, trying to hold back the tears that are demanding to fall.

  “I understand. We will keep you up to date on his condition. The only thing we can do now is hope someone somewhere is a match.” With that said he exits the room. I feel my knees get weak and right before I fall to the floor Dalton catches me in his arms. “You know what Jasper once told me when we were in school and he had just met you?” He doesn’t wait for my response just continues to talk, “He told me if he ever caught me with my arms around you, he would rip them off and beat me with them. That’s how I know he’s going to be alright. He would never miss out on a chance at kicking my ass.” I look up into his eyes and we both start laughing for the new found hope Dalton has brought.

  Days go by. Morning after morning Dr. Jones continues to lose hope of finding a donor for Jasper. His health is declining fast. I expect the same gloom expression on Dr. Jones’ face this morning but when he walks in there is a smile stretching across his face. “Good morning Mrs. Johnathan, I am happy to announce we have found a donor for your husband. He is set to have surgery in just a few hours, I’ll just need your signature on these forms.”

  As soon as my mind processes what he just said, I walk up to him and cry ugly fat tears of joy all over his white coat. “How?” I ask, in compete shock of the turnaround from yesterday.

  “Turns out your husband does have a blood relative and he was in town. Offered to do the testing and give his kidney if everything was a match. He is in the room on the fourth floor getting prepped for the procedure.” Dr. Jones states, “Shall we go over these forms.” I shake my head yes in a daze. Jasper has family he doesn’t know about.

  Once I’ve fi
nished signing all the paper work, the doctor informs me Jasper’s donor would like to talk to me, so I follow him down the hall and into the elevator. This is the first time I have been out of Jasper’s room in days and to my utter shock it’s to meet the person saving his life.

  Once I’m at the room, I put my hand on the door knob, nervous to meet the man that is giving me back my life. Dr. Jones gives me some words of encouragement before opening the door slowly. The room is not as spacey as Jasper’s but the smell is the same. The bed is empty but I hear the flushing of a toilet and turn to see the bathroom door opening.

  I squint my eyes trying to figure out if the person I’m looking at is really there or a figment of my imagination. There is no way this is the guy Dr. Jones was referring to. “K.J. what are you doing here?” I ask.

  He strides over to the bed, still wearing his black shirt, wranglers, and boots. He must be here to meet Jasper’s brother as well. I guess they took him to another room to get ready.

  “Sit down Candice.” He commands. I walk over to the chair by the wall and sit down, waiting to hear whatever he has to say. He rubs his hand through his short hair then looks up at me, “I have a sordid past that I like to keep private. While none of that is yours or Jasper’s business, I recently found out that Jasper and I are half-brothers. We have the same shitty father. “