Aligned: Volume 3 (20 page)

“Thank you,” I say instead.
 

I hear a knock on the door before a petite nurse pokes her head in. “The police would like to speak with you. Are you up for it?”
 

“Of course,” I say smiling back at the young woman. Although I’ve had enough of the police, since they haven’t done anything to help and protect me.
 

Two gentlemen walk in. “Sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but we would like to speak with you about the robbery and attack.”
 

“I understand.”
 

“I’m Officer Nash and this is Officer Stiles.” He walks over to Ethan. “And you are?”
 

“Ethan Wolfe, her husband.”
 

James stands up and extends his hand to the officer. “I’m James Proc. I’m their friend and I run security for them. I’ll wait outside but would be happy to answer any questions or help in the investigation in any way that I can.”

“Wait, you’re James Proc?”
 

“Yes sir,” James says.
 

“James Proc, you are under arrest for the robbery and attempted murder of Alexa Wolfe. You may ...” The police officer begins cuffing James, who just stands there wide-eyed.
 

“Wait! James didn’t try to kill me!” I scream sitting up in my hospital bed.
 

“Ma’am, please calm down. We will take your statement in a minute. We have probable cause that James was the person who attacked you,” says the second police officer whose name escapes me while the other one begins escorting James out of my room.

“Wait! You have the wrong guy! It wasn’t him!” I scream again. I begin climbing out of bed despite the pain, only stopping when my IV tugs me back into bed. I rip out the thin tube and move to the edge of the bed to put my feet on the floor when I realize I don’t have my prosthetic leg on. I can’t chase after him.
 

“Ethan, stop them!”
 

Ethan has jumped up from his chair but is coming toward me, not James.
 

“Let them take him. You need to get back into bed.”

“But he didn’t do it!” I scream, tears now falling down my face choking me.
 

“Baby, calm down. Get back into bed.”
 

I watch the police officers take James out of the room. “We will be back later to question you,” one of them says before leaving.
 

“No!” I scream again hysterically as Ethan holds my body in bed.
 

“Alexa, stop it,” Ethan says forcing me back into bed.
 

“But they have the wrong man,” I sob.
 

“No, they don’t.” Ethan lets go of my arms. A somber expression on his face.
 

“What do you mean they don’t?”

“The police officers in NY told me they thought a member of my staff had leaked information to Alfie King. That’s why I got rid of our security and wanted us to move out here. I thought if we started fresh, we would be safe. The only person I trusted was James. But I ... I saw the surveillance tape in the hallway following the attack. It was James.”
 

My mouth drops as my world stops. James tried to kill me. Twice. He was my friend, and he did this to me. But it doesn’t make sense.
 

“I don’t believe you. The man who attacked me had dark black eyes. James’ eyes are light brown, not black. I would have recognized if James attacked me. He had on a mask, but I would have recognized his voice. It wasn’t him.”
 

“Oh, sweetie.” Ethan brushes his hand on my cheek trying to calm me. “You were under a lot of stress. That makes it hard to remember anything. Trust me. I have a hard time figuring out what really happened to me and what didn’t. But I saw it with my own eyes. James did this to you. The evidence will support it; you need to accept that James was never our friend. He was working for King the whole time. The good thing is now we are finally safe.”
 

I nod, trying to accept it, but I don’t. I don’t accept anything. He’s said we were safe before. He’s lied to me. We weren’t safe then, and we aren’t safe now. I try to think back to all the dreams I’ve had lately. They all had black eyes. The man who raped me, the man who targeted us in the car accident, and then kidnapped Ethan, and the man who attacked me all had the same dark, menacing eyes. Eyes I would recognize anywhere. The same man was behind all of the attacks. He’s tried to kill me three times now. Three times. Now, I just need to figure out who he is and why he wants me dead. I need to go back to New York. I need to put my past together. That’s the only way I’ll be able to find out who is behind all of this.

Please just keep breathing.

Please keep your heart beating.

Please don’t let me lose my love.
 

Please don’t lose, love.
 

Most importantly

Please don’t die, love.
 

I jump out of the cab and run into the hospital covering my face with the hood of my sweatshirt and large sunglasses. I know she’s here. A huge group of paparazzi waits outside the hospital, and it’s the closest one to her condo. She has to be here. I run into the lobby of the hospital, but now, I have no idea where to go or how I’m going to get to her.
 

I slow down as I walk through the lobby trying not to draw any attention to myself. I see a sign labeling the use of each floor in the hospital. I scan the list: cardiology, radiology, labor and delivery, pediatrics, surgery, emergency, and intensive care.
 

I don’t know if I should head toward surgery, emergency, or intensive care. The only information I have is what I’ve read in the tabloid magazines that have already declared her dead despite no official statement from her husband. She’s not dead. She can’t be. I would feel it if she were gone. She’s not gone.
 

Intensive care, tenth floor, is what I choose as I step into the elevator. If she isn’t there already, she will end up there.
 

The doors open on the tenth floor, and I step out as I contemplate my next move. I don’t know if she will be allowed visitors or not. Especially non-family visitors. I try to walk past the nurse’s station, acting like I’ve been up to this floor hundreds of time. Unfortunately, the experienced nurse sees through me.
 

“Sir, you need to check in. You must wear a name tag on this floor before you can visit.”
 

I reluctantly follow her back to the nurse’s station.
 

“Your name and name of the patient you are visiting?” the woman says. I glance at her own nametag that reads Pamela, RN.
 

“Pamela. I really don’t want to cause a commotion. I’m just here to visit my cousin, Alexa Wolfe. I was told they moved her to this floor.” I lower my sunglasses. “My name is ...”
 

“Landon Davis,” Pamela says her hands covering her mouth in exacerbation. I grin smugly. Thank God, she is a fan. This is going to be easy.
 

She gives me a nametag, which I write Drew Davis on. I’m told that Alexa is in room 1025. That she is allowed visitors. Thank fucking God she is alive. I just need to see with my own eyes that she is all right.
 

I reach the door. 1025. I don’t know what she is going to do when she sees me. Kick me out, most likely. I don’t know what I’ll do if that husband of hers is here. Kick his ass, most likely, and then get thrown out of the hospital. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I can’t do anything that will change our fates. I just need to see her alive.
 

I knock softly on the door before pushing it open. Before I lose my nerve and back out.
 

“Wow, that was fast,” Alex says flicking the TV off before looking up at me. Her eyes grow wide at the sight of me.
 

“You’re alive,” I say as relief fills me.
 

“Yes, why do people keep saying that? Like it’s a surprise or something.”
 

“Not a surprise.” I walk closer to her. I watch her hand that could press the call button at any minute to kick me out. “It’s never a surprise that you can survive the unsurvivable. You’re amazingly strong like that, but it’s still comforting to see with my own eyes.”
 

A door slams down the hall, but Alex jumps slightly, her eyes going to the door of her hospital room instead of locked on mine like I want. She slowly turns her attention back to me.
 

“Why are you here, Landon? Aren’t you supposed to be sweeping Caroline off her feet in front of the cameras somewhere?”
 

The rib stings. I don’t want to think about Caroline, but she needs to know the truth. I’m tired of doing the right thing. I’m tired of living a life that I didn’t choose.
 

“I’m supposed to be on my honeymoon right now.”
 

Alex sucks in a breath as her gaze drifts down to my left hand, searching for a ring that isn’t there. She bites her lip, trying to pretend I don’t affect her. Like the thought of me marrying another doesn’t destroy her, but she doesn’t hide it well. It’s destroying her.
 

“Then why aren’t you?”
 

I move closer and sit on the edge of her bed. I do my best to inspect every inch of her body, to find out what damage was done. But she seems as strong as ever. Her strength makes her more beautiful than ever, despite the hospital gown trying to disguise her amazing figure. I grow hard just thinking about her naked body beneath the gown. It’s been too long since I felt her beneath me as I drive deep inside her. Too long since I last tasted her feisty lips.
 

I try to clear the image from my head. I didn’t come back here to fuck her.
 

“Because it would be weird to go on a honeymoon when I didn’t attend my own wedding.”
 

She blinks back tears as I tell her I didn’t marry Caroline.
 

“Because I had to be here for you even if you didn’t want me here.”
 

Alex swallows hard but doesn’t speak. I know her tears are coming. I move closer to her body needing to be as close to her as possible if this is the only chance I will ever get.
 

“Because I don’t love Caroline.”
 

A tiny droplet begins moving down her rosy cheeks.
 

“Because I never fucked Caroline when I was with you.”
 

A second droplet follows the first. I reach my hand out, brush the tear away, and close my eyes when she gently nuzzles my hand with her face. She takes a deep breath, breathing in my scent as she does. I open my eyes to find hers before I speak again.
 

“Because I still love you, Alex. I always have and always will.”
 

She moistens her lips, almost as if she is anticipating a move that I will probably regret, but I can’t stop from happening. My lips crash into her. Her lips don’t fight me as I expect. Instead, they welcome me, as if they’ve missed me just as much as I’ve missed them. Nothing else feels this good. Nothing. I could kiss this woman forever. I need to kiss this woman forever. My tears finally fall when I realize she is really alive. It takes kissing her soft lips, connecting our souls through our lips, for me to finally believe with all of my heart that she is going to be okay. Whatever happens, I don’t care because my prayers were answered. She’s alive.
 

Alex kisses me harder as our tongues dance with each other. In perfect synchrony, we claim each other. We beg and plead for the other to be ours. Until we both surrender, accepting to be owned by the other. She pulls my lip into her mouth, biting down until a drop of blood oozes from my wound. She laps up the blood with her tongue, fully claiming me as hers. I willingly give all of myself to her.
 

I let all thoughts of everything else drift away from my mind. I let go of Caroline, Drew, Ethan, the press, music, everything. I lose myself in this kiss that will last forever if it’s up to me. A kiss that says so much. I’m sorry. I love you. I need you. You’re mine. A kiss that tempts fate to take away everything in a moment.
 

A temptation that I realize fate has accepted as a challenge, as I feel my body flying off Alex and into a chair. It should hurt being thrown into a chair, but I don’t feel it. My body is still filled with joy from the kiss that ended far too soon for my liking. I stand up and come face to face with Ethan.
 

“Ethan, leave him alone. I can explain,” Alex pleads. Ethan doesn’t listen, though. I don’t think I’ve ever faced a more furious opponent, and I’ve been in my fair share of fights over the years. His face has turned dark with rage and fire. His eyes turn darker so I can no longer see any whites surrounding them. His nose flares, and I swear smoke emerges when he breathes. His mouth turns into a grimace, ready to do battle. And so battle we will.
 

I run straight at him putting all the force I have into his waist backing him into the corner of the hospital room, where I’ll have the upper hand. His tank of a body doesn’t move as easily as I would expect for someone smaller than I am, but eventually, he inches backward despite his legs and arms pushing against me.
 

I get one good punch into the side of his face before he retaliates with a kick to the waist knocking the air out of me. He had been waiting for me to attack, so he could get the kick in. This man has been in a fight or two himself, despite his slick city looking suit. He’s lived a day or two on the streets. You don’t learn the moves he’s giving out from a typical boxing or wrestling coach.
 

I punch him hard in the ribs, trying to knock the breath out of him, but it doesn’t slow him down. Not one bit. Instead, his head crashes into mine knocking me backward.
 

I hear Alex scream, and it distracts me enough for him to get another good punch in. I don’t feel anything other than her pain, though. She’s climbed out of bed now and is hopping on one leg. She reaches Ethan trying to pull him away from me. Trying to stop the fight. I throw my hands up in surrender, not able to bear seeing her in this much pain, when Ethan shoves her backward. I watch as she hits the floor hard. Anger spools out from her. I know she’s not a fragile woman easily broken and that she can fight her own battles, but now, I can’t see straight. Ethan hurt her. Now, he will pay.