“Yes, I’ll marry you,” I said smiling at him.
He pulled me back into his arms and dipped me, kissing me hard once more. I heard hoots and banging coming from our table and I had to take a second to right myself when he pulled me upright.
After collecting myself and fixing my hair, I waved goodbye to the table and headed back behind the bar. Only then did I realize I hadn’t looked at the ring yet. I glanced down and saw the most gorgeous ring. It was simple like I would want, white gold band with a solitaire diamond. It was perfect. I looked back over to the table and saw Cole watching me. I smiled at him and blew him a kiss. Best New Year’s Eve ever.
I spent the next hour and a half busy behind the bar. The staff from the kitchen had just come out to help pour champagne and we were running low on some whiskey, so I went to the storeroom to grab a few bottles. I stopped in the bathroom first because I had only had the one break and I squandered it talking to Cole. Although, seeing the ring that was now on my finger, I wasn’t too upset about that.
I walked in the storeroom and grabbed a few bottles. When I turned to leave, the lights went out and I stood alone in the dark. I knew there were some cases of alcohol that were in my way and I was going to have to be careful getting over there. Just as I started to feel my way to the door, a low chuckle came from behind me. It scared me so much that I dropped one of the bottles. My pulse skyrocketed and my palms grew damp. At this point, I didn’t give a shit about breaking any bottles. I was going to run and get to that door before whoever was in here with me got to me first. I turned to sprint to the door, but my ponytail was yanked back and I flew to the ground. I landed in the glass from the bottle I had dropped and I felt tiny cuts on my arms.
“Didn’t I tell you the only way you would escape me is in death?”
It was the raspy voice from a week ago. I tried to think of how to get out of this, but now I was a little disoriented and I couldn’t figure out which way to go. I thought I just had to walk straight, but I couldn’t remember what was in the way. Anything I ran into would only slow my escape and I needed every second I could get. I had to stall and hopefully someone would come looking for me. I still had the other bottle in my hand and if this guy came close enough, I could hit him in the head with the bottle.
“Who are you?”
“Don’t you remember me, little Lexi?”
My breath rushed from my lungs at the name. How did he know that name? Jeffrey was dead. What the hell was going on?
“I remember you. I was there that night. I saw the horror on your face when you realized your family died and you were the sole survivor. You made it out of there and went on to live a full life and then you killed him. He had work to do and you killed him.”
“I don’t understand. Who are you and how were you there the night my parents were murdered.”
“He was training me. Jeffrey was training me to assist him and eventually go out on my own, but you got in the way of that.”
That didn’t make any sense. I didn’t really want to know his sick, twisted reasons for coming after me, but the more time he spent talking the less time he would be harming me.
“I don’t understand. Jeffrey was out murdering people for the last twenty years. I didn’t get in the way of anything.”
“Yes you did! You took away what was suppose to be the greatest time of my life! I was finally getting my time to shine and you ruined it all!” He was shouting at me and I hoped that someone could hear it, but the music was thumping so loud I was sure no one could hear. That’s what he was counting on.
“I’m really sorry. I never meant to do anything. I didn’t even give the cops an accurate description. I couldn’t identify anyone. They didn’t even use my testimony because I was viewed as a traumatized child, so whatever you think I did, you’re wrong.”
A hard punch hit the side of my head and I fell back to the concrete. I was stunned and laid on the ground trying to regain my balance. Luckily the punch hit the left side of my face, so even though it hurt like a son of a bitch, my right cheekbone was still in tact. I wasn’t sure if I should try to get up or not and I decided staying on the ground was best. Unfortunately, he had different plans. He yanked me up by the arm and sat me up against something hard. The other bottle had slipped from my grasp when I hit the floor, but I didn’t hear it break. If I could find that, I could hit him with it. My hands searched for something to grasp, but I soon realized I was leaning against taped up liquor boxes and there was no way for me to get in them easily.
Air swooshed by my face and I was afraid I was going to be hit again, but instead something soft was placed over my eyes and yanked tight behind my head. I felt him tying it and then I could see the faintest light peeking from underneath. He must have turned on a light somewhere.
“Now, that’s better. It increases the terror, don’t you think?” He chuckled to himself and my terror ramped up with his maniacal laugh.
“Please, just tell me who you are.”
“My name is John Morris. Remember me?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry I don’t.”
“Detective Morris? I investigated your parents’ deaths. I had that case wrapped up in a pretty little bow. When you gave a description of Jeffrey, it wasn’t much to go on. It could have been a case of mistaken identity, but his DNA was under your fingernails. Jeffrey…convinced his brother to take the fall and I made sure he did. Then I spent the next twenty-four years making sure he was never caught because Jeffrey decided that I would be more useful to him as a detective than as his apprentice. I missed my chance to shine because of you! You identified him, gave a description that helped point the police in his brother’s direction. If not for you, they never would have gone after him and I never would have lost my chance!”
He grabbed me by the hair and pulled me towards him. Spittle flew in my face as he yelled at me some more. I searched around for something to hold onto, but there was nothing within reach. My fingers scraped some glass from the broken bottle and though it wasn’t a huge piece, I picked it up and swung it at his neck. I heard him jump back and curse and I scrambled to my feet as I tried to rip the cloth from my face. He had his hands around my waist in a matter of seconds and I started screaming, hoping that someone would hear me. He ripped the rag off my eyes and shoved it in my mouth to stop my screams. I started to gag on it when I could feel it in the back of my throat. He pulled on it slightly, just enough for me to not gag.
“Ah, we can’t have you choking on your own vomit and dying before the big finale, now can we?”
He pulled me over to a support post in the middle of the room and pulled my hands behind my back, tying them behind the post. I tried to fight him, but he was too strong and had my arms wrenched back in a painful angle. When he released his grip on me, the pressure in my shoulders eased slightly and I was grateful for the reprieve.
“Now, I have to go get the fireworks ready. You be a good girl and wait patiently here for me.”
He tapped my cheek with his hand and left the store room. I heard the lock click in place and started frantically searching for some way to get out of the room. I twisted my wrists in the ropes, hoping that I could yank my hands free, but he tied them too tight.
Memories of me trying to escape from ropes in the cellar assaulted me. I remembered Jeffrey coming into the cellar and all the times he tortured me. I could smell the urine and shit that I had to live in for five months. I remembered running through the woods and the terror I felt as I was escaping. The memories were coming fast and I felt nausea swirl in my stomach. I pushed the cloth out of my mouth with my tongue as far as I could and then started dry heaving. The cloth fell from my mouth just as I turned to the side and wretched my dinner from earlier. There were too many memories coming all at once and I started to cry at the emotional overload. I started to cry when I remembered how I first met Cole and how I fell in love with him over time. I could kick myself for having wasted so much time with him. I realized that I may
never see him again and I was happy that the last memory he would have of me was me saying I would marry him.
I couldn’t think that way. I had to find a way to escape. I looked around for something to help me, but there was nothing that I could reach with my foot. That’s when I smelled smoke and the alarms started to go off. He was going to burn me alive in here. The door unlocked and he stepped back inside with a grin on his face.
“I’m afraid I don’t have much time. I need to be going now. Can’t be at the crime scene, ya know.”
He walked over to me and grabbed my face. “Just a goodbye kiss then. You’ve come to mean so much to me little Lexi.” Then he crushed his lips against mine and forced my mouth open, sticking his tongue inside my mouth. I bit down as hard as I could and tasted his blood seep into my mouth. He struggled to get away, but I clamped down harder. I felt half of his tongue break off in my mouth and he pulled back from me, punching me in the stomach. I spit out the tongue and cried out at the pain in my stomach. He picked up a bottle of booze and swung it at my head. The pain was intense and I struggled to stay on my feet as booze and glass washed over me. He picked up another bottle and swung again. This time, my legs gave out from under me and I passed out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cole
I was on top of the world. My girl said yes and was going to be my wife. Nothing could make this night any better. I couldn’t wait for this night to be over so I could take her home and make love to her. We hadn’t had sex since we got back together. I had wanted to, but I didn’t want to push her. I would settle for her becoming my wife. That was all I really needed right now. I sat around bullshitting with the guys, trying to keep my eyes off the clock. It was even harder to keep my eyes off Alex. Every time I looked over, I wanted to haul her out from behind the bar and throw her over my shoulder like a caveman and take her home.
Everyone was really happy for us and Harper was gushing over what kind of wedding we could have. Anna and Luke had shown up after I proposed because they had trouble with the sitter. Now Harper and Anna were off doing wedding planning for me. I doubted that Alex would like anything they decided on. She was pretty low key and wouldn’t want anything big. Still, it was great to see people so happy about something that was going on in my life. I hadn’t had a lot to celebrate in a long time and I had Alex to thank for turning that around.
It was almost midnight when Alex slipped away from the bar. Ryan started talking to me about this new project that he and Logan were working on. It was a building for VAS, Veteran Assimilation Services. He wanted my input in the design, but also thought that maybe I could make some furniture for the building and maybe we could even set up a wood shop, seeing as how it had helped me so much. We stood there talking about it for a good ten minutes when I looked back at the bar. Alex wasn’t back yet and I really wanted to kiss her at midnight.
I made my way over and asked one of the other bartenders where she was. They told me she had gone to the storeroom for more alcohol. It seemed like that was taking a really long time so I decided to go check on her. As I tried to work my way back through the crowd, the fire alarms started going off and smoke started to filter in from the kitchen. People started screaming and pushing to get to the front door. I was going the opposite direction and it made it impossible to get to the back of the bar. I looked over and saw my buddies trying to get their women out. It was mayhem in here. There were a few people that had been pushed to the floor and were getting stepped on. No one was even bothering to try to help.
I could hear the sirens in the distance, but I wasn’t waiting for firemen to come in and find Alex. I started shouting her name, hoping that she had made her way out already, but I couldn’t see her. I finally pushed my way to the back and made it to the hallway. The smoke was thick and I couldn’t see in front of me. I got down on my knees and crawled down the hall, feeling along the wall. I pulled my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth, but the smoke stung my eyes. I finally reached the storeroom door and pushed it open. I barely stood up when I saw Alex tied to a post and some fucker swinging a bottle at her head.
Fire forgotten, I ran towards him and tackled him to the ground. I started punching him, going into a blind rage at the sight of him hurting her. He managed to kick his leg out and twist from underneath me, knocking me off him. He got me in a choke hold, cutting off my air supply. I grabbed the fingers on his left hand and snapped them out, then used my other hand to rip his arm away from my neck. I slammed my left elbow up and back into his face, breaking his nose.
Blood gushed and he stumbled back. I took advantage, stood and spun around grabbing his head and slamming it down onto my knee. I spun behind him, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other hand on his shoulder. I yanked his neck to the right and pulled his shoulder to the left. I heard his neck break and dropped him to the ground.
I ran over to Alex, her body hanging from where her wrists were held to the post. There was glass all around, so I grabbed a piece and started cutting through her ropes. By the time I got her free, the smoke had filled the room and I was struggling to breathe. I took off my shirt and wrapped it around her face, trying to ignore the massive amount of blood that was pouring from her head. I pressed my face into her clothing and took a deep breath, hoping to filter as much of the smoke out as possible. I held my breath and hauled her up into my arms and ran towards the door. It was impossible to see, but luckily the storeroom wasn’t too far down the hall from the bar. I made it out into the bar before I started choking and gasping for breath. All I could think about was getting her out of there.
I started to see spots and my knees gave out beneath me. I tried to get back up, but it was like there was an elephant on my chest and I couldn’t take a breath. I pulled her in close to me and prayed God would save us. I felt myself being lifted and carried out the door. I was laid down on the ground and an oxygen mask was placed over my face. Someone was standing over me talking, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. They were doing something to me, but I couldn’t tell what. Then I saw Sean running over to me and I reached up to pull the mask off my face. The paramedic fought me, but Sean intervened when he saw I needed to tell him something.
“Alex. Is she out? They gotta help her.” I started choking and the paramedic put the mask back on my face. Sean grabbed my hand and held tight.
“She’s out. She’s in the back of an ambulance right now. We’re gonna get her to the hospital.”
I pulled the mask down again. “I need to be there. I gotta make sure she’s okay.”
“Sir, you need to leave this mask on. We’re gonna get you in the ambulance now.” The paramedic was fighting me now to keep the mask on and I felt the fight leaving my body. My vision started to grow dark and I heard Sean say he was gonna take care of Alex and then he squeezed my hand one last time.
✯✯✯✯✯
I heard the beeping and immediately thought of how much I hated waking up in a hospital. I’d had enough of it for one year and this shit needed to stop. I tried to take in a deep breath and started choking for my effort. There was something in there and it made me panic and cough even harder. I felt a hand grasp mine and I finally peeled my eyes open and saw a nurse standing next to me.
“Sir. Calm down. There’s a tube down your throat to help you breath. Don’t try to breath. It’s doing it for you. I’m gonna get someone in here to get it out okay?”
How did you not try to breathe? It was a natural thing. I tried to relax my throat and it helped some. A doctor came in and started to prepare to remove the tube. A minute later I was coughing and fighting the urge to vomit. The nurse handed me some water and told me to sip. Then she slipped an oxygen tube under my nose and around my ears. Mom and Dad came running into the room and Mom started yelling at the nurse for not letting her know I was awake.
“Momma, calm down. I just woke up.”
The use of my nickname for her seemed to shut her up because she stopped yelling at the nurse and walked over
to me with tears in her eyes.
“We thought you weren’t going to make it. When Sean called us and told us you had been trapped in a fire, we thought for sure we had lost you.”
“I’m okay, Mom, but how’s Alex?”
My throat was scratchy and it really hurt to talk, but I needed to know where she was and that she was okay. She glanced at dad and I knew it was bad.
“She’s in surgery right now. She was in pretty bad shape and they aren’t sure if they’re gonna be able to save her. She had smoke inhalation and she had a subdural hematoma. They took her up to surgery right away so she should be out at any time now.”
I felt like that elephant was back on my chest. The thought of losing Alex when we finally made our way back to each other was more than I could take. I rubbed my eyes as the tears started to fall. The air left my lungs in stuttering breaths as I tried to wrap my head around what was happening.
“How long have I been out?”
“It’s about six in the morning.”
I laid my head back against the pillow and closed my eyes, praying to God that he would help me one more time and keep Alex safe. I felt Mom grab my hand and tell me that everything was going to be okay, but I was beginning to seriously doubt that.
I fell back asleep and when I woke up, Mom said the doctor came in to update her on Alex’s condition. She was being placed in a medically induced coma to let her body heal. The surgery had gone well, but they wouldn’t know the extent of the damage until she woke up. Sean came in a few hours later needing to talk to me about how Alex was injured.
“We found a body in the storeroom. Coroner said his neck was broken.”
It was an unspoken question, but I didn’t care much at this point. It was self defense and no jury would prosecute me.
“I killed him.”
“Okay. I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that. How about we start at the beginning and we’ll see where this story goes.”
Cole: A Romantic Thriller Novel (For The Love Of A Good Woman Book 2) Page 23
