by Wilder, L
COMBUST
A Devil Chasers’ MC Romance
Copyright 2015 L Wilder
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication or any part of this series may be reproduced without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This book is a work of fiction. Some of the places named in the book are actual places found in Paris, TN. The names, characters, brands, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and owners of various products and locations referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Warning: This book is intended for readers 18 years or older due to bad language, violence and explicit sex scenes.
Editor: Brooke Asher https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooke-Asher-Editing/517436751724676
Cover by: Carrie at https://cheekycovers.com/
Cover Photographer: Randy Sewell https://www.facebook.com/rlsmodels?fref=ts
DEDICATION
To My Readers
Your support through messages and posts has touched me more than you will ever know. Thank you all for making the Devil Chasers’ series such a great success.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Prologue
One Month Earlier
“After reviewing the accusations against you, Ms. Sanders, I have decided to suspend you from the residency until further notice,” Mr. Edwards said coldly. He glared at me through his reading glasses, disgust apparent in his eyes. His hands were hidden in the pockets of his freshly ironed lab coat. He towered over me with his broad shoulders, intimidating me for the first time since I’d met him. He’d always been so nice to me, encouraging me to push myself harder. Seeing him look at me with such disapproval hurt more than I’d expected.
“I don’t understand,” I told him. “What accusations? I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“There are several things actually. The allegations against you just keep growing, Ms. Sanders. It looks like you have been a very busy young lady.” He crossed his arms, and I felt myself cower under his daunting glare.
“What things?” I asked.
“There is evidence that you have cheated on multiple exams. A disturbing report that you mishandled distribution of medication which caused one of our patients to have multiple seizures, almost killing her. If that isn’t enough, it seems that you’re having relations with one of our married surgeons. I am extremely disappointed in you. You’ve made some very poor decisions, Ms. Sanders.” He said my name with such anger, such repulsion. None of what he said was true, but I knew he wasn’t going to listen to my defense. Everything I’d worked for was slipping right through my fingertips over a bunch of lies. My mind was racing, and a tightness was building in my chest. I couldn’t look at him, so I glanced around his office, trying to ground myself. I needed to say something, to try to fix things, but I didn’t know where to start. I couldn’t understand how it’d all happened. I’d always tried to do the right thing. I’d been totally dedicated to becoming a doctor, letting everything else in my life fall second.
I’d given everything I had to succeeding, and I would’ve never done anything to jeopardize my career. Something just wasn’t right. I knew deep down in my gut that Jason Thomas was behind it, but I had no way to prove it. I didn’t know how he’d done it, but I had to find a way to clear my name. I just had to. Being a doctor had been my dream for as long as I could remember, and I wasn’t going to let some rich prick take it away from me.
I turned my head back to Mr. Edwards, looking him straight in the eye, and said, “Sir, none of this is true. Not one word. I know you don’t believe me, but I will find a way to prove it to you.” I grabbed my bag and pulled the strap over my shoulder, preparing to leave the room. Before I left, I looked back to him and said, “I am the strongest student in this residency, and we both know it. I will find out who is behind all of this, and I will make it right.”
Without waiting for his response, I walked out of his office. The hallway was just a blur as the tears filled my eyes. I kept my eyes locked on the floor as I made my way into the restroom. After locking the door, I rested my back against the wall and slid down to the cool marble tiles. The tears were flowing freely, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop them. I felt so lost. My life was spinning out of control, and I didn’t know what to do to stop it.
I sat there feeling sorry for myself for several minutes before the anger began to rise in the pit of my stomach. I wiped the tears from my eyes and lifted myself off of the floor. I brushed off my pants and walked over to the sink. I splashed cold water on my face, trying to erase the trail of tears that crossed my cheeks. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. I was stronger than the person staring back at me. I wasn’t the kind of person that let something like that tear me apart. I needed to get home and get my shit together. No one stopped me as I rushed out of the hospital.
I called Steven as soon as I got into my car, and thankfully, he was sitting on my front step waiting for me when I pulled into my driveway. Just knowing he was there gave me a sense of relief. He’d been my best friend for almost six years. He’d moved into the house next door to me when I was seventeen. He was an English author who moved to here to focus on his next book. We really were an odd pair. I was always so reserved, watching every word that came out of my mouth, while he was the smartass, always giving everybody hell. I honestly didn’t know how we got along so well, but we worked. I felt lucky to have him. I’d never have been able to survive my mother’s death if he hadn’t been there for me. I’d spent two years watching her fight a losing battle against ovarian cancer, and it was heartbreaking. It was painful to watch her try to hide her suffering, but I refused to leave her side. When she finally passed away, I was devastated. Steven was my rock. He was always there for me, pulling me out of my deep depression.
I grabbed my stuff and got out of the car, heading towards him while I tried to put on a brave face. I didn’t know why I even bothered. He knew me better than anyone. I glanced over to him and tried to smile.
“Bloody hell, woman! You look awful,” he told me as he grimaced. “What’s going on with you?”
I let out a deep sigh and walked past him, unlocking my front door. “My life just went to shit. That’s what’s going on,” I told him as I dropped my things on the floor and headed into the kitchen.
“How’s that?” he asked with concern, as he sat down on one of the stools by my kitchen counter.
“Mr. Edwards called me into his office before rounds. He told me that he was suspending me from the residency program because apparently I cheated on my finals, almost killed a patient, and I am screwing one of the surgeons.�
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“That’s bullshit!” he snapped. “Didn’t you tell him it wasn’t true?”
“I told him, but I could tell he wasn’t listening. He’d already completely made up his mind about me. Until I can prove it, he’s going to keep thinking I’m lying.”
“Somebody is doing their best to make sure you don’t complete the residency program,” he said flatly.
“Tell me about it.”
“You think Jason has something to do with this?” Steven asked.
“I have no doubt in my mind that he’s behind all of it. He’s gone to a lot of trouble. I just can’t figure out why he’s so determined to ruin me like this.”
“He doesn’t like the fact that you’re a better doctor than him, Ana. He’d always been on top until you came around, and he doesn’t like to be second. I’m sure that he isn’t very fond of you right now.”
“None of this makes any sense. I don’t even know why he bothered to ask me out. I thought he genuinely liked me,” I told him.
I’d been surprised the day he approached me in the lunchroom. He was so sweet, almost bashful, as he’d asked me to dinner, but I’d quickly turned him down. It wasn’t that I didn’t find him attractive; he was handsome in his own way. At that time, I’d had no interest in starting anything up with any man. I hadn’t been on a real date since my mother had died, and I didn’t see that changing anytime soon. I was completely focused on becoming a doctor, and I didn’t want or need any distractions. I was determined, and I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything stand in my way. Regardless, he wasn’t happy about me turning him down. After that, things shifted between us.
At first, I didn’t even recognize the difference in him. But shortly after our quarterly exams, everything changed. Jason began glaring at me during class, making me feel on edge. Then, he started interrupting me whenever I tried to make my diagnosis during rounds. He would look over to me and smirk whenever he was given credit for acknowledging a medical problem first. It had all really begun to irritate me, but I didn’t know how to stop him. I’d noticed a few mistakes he’d made with his patient’s medication, but no one listened when I’d tried to point out the errors. They’d always seemed to take his side whenever I’d brought it up. I’d even tried talking to him about everything, but that had just seemed to make things worse.
Strange phone calls from the hospital had started coming at random times throughout the night. Each time I’d seen the number on my phone, I’d assumed it was someone calling me into work, or that there was an issue with a patient. Occasionally, it was one of the other residents calling to check in, but those calls were few and far between. Usually when I answered, no one even spoke. Whoever was calling would sit there without saying a word and just breathe into the phone.
The phone calls had just been the beginning, though. Threatening letters were randomly put in my mailbox or my car. Then, someone hacked into all of my email accounts, sending awful emails to everyone I knew. Yes, the problem had been escalating, but I’d never expected to lose my job. It had been a bombshell, and I had no doubt that it was all related.
“I don’t know what his true intentions were, but now we know it couldn’t have been good,” Steven told me as he walked over to me. “Do you think this has anything to do with Jason’s patients you were asking around about?”
“I have no idea, but I don’t think there’s any way I can find out now.”
He wrapped his arms around me and said, “I’m sorry, doll. I wish I could make this all go away.”
“What am I going to do? I’ve worked so hard for this, and now….” I couldn’t continue. I rested my head on his shoulder and cried for the second time. I really hated crying. It made me feel weak and needy, but I couldn’t stop myself. Steven held me until I was able to get myself together. I pulled myself away from his embrace and said, “I’m sorry about that. I’m okay. I’ll figure something out.”
“Stop it, Ana. You’re not alone in this. We will figure this out, and you know your dad will do anything he can to help,” he told me.
“I’m not going to say anything to him… yet. I need a few days to try to figure all this out, and I don’t want him to worry,” I replied.
“We will find a way to fix this, Ana. You’ve worked too hard. I won’t let them take your dream away,” he assured me.
“Thank you, Steven,” I said as I wiped the tears from my face.
“Why don’t we go have a few drinks? Take your mind off of things for a bit.”
“Not tonight. I just want to take a hot bath and go to bed,” I told him.
“Do you want me to stay here with you? Maybe watch a movie or something?” he asked.
“No, thanks, but I think I’d rather just be alone,” I said with a heavy sigh.
“Alright, but I’ll be down at the pub if you need me,” he said as he leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s called a bar, Steven. We’re in Kentucky. There are no pubs in Kentucky,” I told him with a smile.
“It’s all in one’s perspective, my dear,” he said, giving me a wink.
I shook my head as I watched him walk out the front door. It’d only be a matter of time before he had some poor woman swooning over him. It cracked me up how they all fell for him. He didn’t even have to work for it. As soon as they heard his English accent, he had them eating out of the palm of his hand. They always found him so charming, with his wavy, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Those beautiful eyes got them every time. They drew the ladies in like bees to honey. The women just couldn’t help themselves. The minute he mentioned that he was an author, they were completely hooked… and it didn’t help matters that he was devastatingly handsome. Those poor women didn’t stand a chance.
There was a time that I’d actually wondered what it would’ve been like if we ever tried to be more than just friends. The truth was… he was more like a brother to me. I knew that sounded cliché, but it was true. I didn’t think I could ever see him as anything more. We kept each other going whenever the world around us got all screwed up. As always, he had been there for me again when I’d needed him. I had no idea what was going to happen with my residency, but I knew at least I wouldn’t have to go through it alone.
Chapter 1
Sheppard
The Black Diamonds are closing in. We’ve been doing a pretty good job of holding them off, but they are determined to take us down and have more men than us. When I notice that my president, Bishop, is under attack, I don’t take the time to think. I quickly step out from the protective barrier of the barge’s steel side rail. The smell of gun smoke fills the air as bullets fly past me. I begin to advance towards my target, oblivious of the danger that surrounds me. I only have one thing on my mind… removing my target. The two men continue to fire in Bishop’s direction, and I know I have to do something before it’s too late.
There is no way I would let anything happen to him. He’d been the one person that was able to pull me free from the darkness and make me feel human again. I had been a changed man when I’d returned from Afghanistan. Not only did I have shrapnel embedded into three-fourths of my body, I’d had a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. I was a man haunted by the demons of war, unable to escape the dreadful thoughts inside my head. Without Bishop’s help, I’m not sure what would have happened to me. He’d encouraged me to join the Devil Chasers, become part of their family… their brotherhood. They’d helped me fight back the nightmares and find my way back to reality. I owed them my life, and I would do anything I could to protect them.
I take my shot and smile with satisfaction as the first man drops to the ground. The man standing beside him watches his partner fall and quickly turns, pointing his gun in my direction. Surprise crosses his face as he sees me standing there in the open. Before he has a chance to react, I fire my weapon, killing him instantly. Relief washes over me as I watch his limp body crash to the ground.
I should have moved… taken cover… something, but
I hesitate. It costs me. Searing pain explodes through my chest as the first bullet forces its way through my flesh. The impact of the second bullet is so strong that I lose my balance, falling over the side of the barge and colliding into the water below. I’d always heard about the water being rough by the dam, but I never dreamed that it could be this strong. When the raging current pulls me under, I can hear the roar of the water as it rushes through turbines at the spillway.
My body rips through the water, forcing water into my nose and mouth. I feel myself being pulled deeper into the water, and my mind races with panic. I am trained for situations like this, but the two bullet wounds make it difficult to pull myself together. I begin kicking my legs, trying my best to make it to the surface. Each time I reach the top of the rapid water, the current catches my legs and pulls me back under. The sporadic gasps of air are making me desperate, but I refuse to die gracefully.
My adrenaline finally kicks in, and I no longer feel any pain. I manage to free myself of my heavy leather jacket, knowing it is only dragging me down. This is no time for sentiment. I am on the verge of losing consciousness and fighting against the current is draining all of my strength. I am getting close to my breaking point. I reach the surface again and take a frantic, deep breath. Thankfully, my military training takes over. I know I need to stop and let the current do all of the work. It may carry me down a few miles, but it will eventually get me to shore.
I struggle to keep my head above the water as the current continues to pull me under. The icy water is starting to make my limbs numb, and I’m finding it hard to stay awake. My heart races in desperation as I try to keep myself from passing out. I can see a small group of houses along the shore, and I pray that I have enough strength to make it to land. My body is just about to give as my feet begin to drag along the bottom of the lake. I try to stand, but my legs are too weak. After several attempts, I am finally able to get my footing and begin the long trek to the shoreline. My clothes and my body feel like lead as I trudge through the riverbed. As I finally reach the edge of the sand, my body drops to the ground in exhaustion, and everything goes black.
