Bound By Blood: (The Betrayed Series Book 2) (33 page)

“H
OLD YOUR FIRE!”

The furious beat of my heart is wild in my chest as I take in the sight before me. Noah’s voice through the earpiece telling me he’d found her was a breath of relief. Then getting tangled up in a nasty shootout kept me from getting here as quickly as I wanted, only to find a dead body on the floor, Kylee covered in blood, and Noah bleeding out from a neck wound in her lap. The princess I’ve been keeping locked up in her ivory tower rampages, demanding all of the bottled up emotion be let out. Noah’s pained groan snaps me out of my daze.

Bolting into action, I yell into the COM, “We need a medic!” My eyes frantically search Kylee’s face and body, looking for any signs of injury. There’s so much blood. Her tiny hands are applying pressure to the wound at Noah’s neck. Sprinting in their direction, I drop to my knees, a pained groan leaving me as I take in the sight of my friend and colleague.

“Hang in there, Jester. Help’s on the way, buddy,” I choke out. His eyes never once leave my Goddess. His face is pallid, lips tinged blue as he stares deeply into her eyes.

“Violet,” he whispers. Scrunching my eyebrows in confusion, I wonder what he’s talking about. Could he have had a girlfriend I didn’t know about? I’m momentarily struck dumb as I watch Kylee freeze, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

“Yes,” she whispers.

My confusion continues to grow. What could they possibly be talking about? Oh no. He’s in shock, hallucinating from the blood loss. Fuck. We’ve seen it dozens of times.

Turning my head, I bark, “What’s the ETA on the damn medic?”

“ETA five minutes.” Sam’s voice is tight when he replies.

“Not good enough! It needs to be faster!” I grit out.

“Dammit. You have to hang on, Noah. You have to show the rest of us all this medic stuff, remember?” My words go unnoticed as he continues to stare into Kylee’s chocolate colored eyes.

He gives her a bright smile, one that she returns as he says, “Don’t cry, pretty girl. Violet and I, we’re gonna be just fine.”

Noah’s eyes close, and I’m left yet again to wonder who Violet is. The pain in my chest intensifies, threatening to overwhelm me as I peer down at my friend. His torso stills, his breathing becoming sparse. Tears sting, threatening me with their presence as pressure builds against the backs of my eyes.

Gasping, Noah breathily rasps, “Kylee . . .”

“Y-Yes?” she chokes out, her voice filled with unshed tears. Her dark hair cascades around them as she leans in closer.

“It wasn’t your fault . . .” Noah whispers the words on his dying breath.

His jaw slackens and peaceful tranquility settles over his features. Tiny sobs emanate from her chest as she clings to Noah’s body. Peering up at me with tear-stained cheeks, the raw pain in her eyes steals my breath. Emotion clogs my throat as I reach down, touching her blood soaked hands. Gently, I try to remove them, but she freezes, looking at me with wild, uncertain eyes.

Keeping my tone calm and soothing I say, “Baby, I need you to let go. We have to move Noah so we can get you out of here.” She drags Noah into her chest, hugging him tightly as she sobs.

“I-I can’t, Alex. H-He saved me. He’s going to watch over her, and he said it was worth it. But it’s not worth it. It’s not. I’m not. It’s too much. The price is too high . . .” she rambles, her wild gaze searching mine.

My heart shatters. My strong girl . . . this was the last straw. I owe Noah everything. He protected her, saved her. Tilting my head to the side, I see the forlorn faces of my brethren, each mimicking how I’m feeling inside. Brighton’s expression is downright crushing. His best friend is pressed to my beloved’s breast.

Clearing my throat of the thick emotion, I look to Sam and nod. He steps forward to retrieve Noah’s body from Kylee, but Brighton stops him.

“No. Let me.” His voice trembles, heavy with emotion. Kneeling down before her, he takes her face into his hands and places a gentle kiss on her forehead. She startles, her wide eyes searching his face before realizing where she is.

Tears mix, mingling with the blood smudging her cheeks. Her voice wavers as she says, “H-He saved me, Brit.” She shakes her head in disbelief as if she’s trying to wrap her head around it.

“I know, baby girl . . . I know. He’s a hero and hero’s need to be taken care of properly. In order for that to happen, you’re going to need to let him go, princess, okay?” She shakes her head once.

“It’s okay, baby girl, I know. I promise I’ll take good care of him.” His voice cracks, breaking at the end. Kylee’s eyes snap up, watching Brighton intently. It’s as if a light has turned on, as if she’s seeing something for the first time.

She nods once and says in a whisper, “Okay, but you’re going to have to help me. I don’t know if I can let him go on my own.”

Brighton steadily holds her gaze while he softly pries her fingers from around Noah’s neck. Her hands slip free, blood sliding down the side of his neck. Kylee lets out a pained cry, wet tears continuing their trail down her cheeks. With her arms gone, Brighton sucks in a deep breath.

Still holding her gaze, he says, “I’m going to lift him from your arms now, okay?”

She gives a shaky nod as Brighton places a kiss on her forehead and lifts Noah from her lap. The moment Noah’s weight is gone, she hunches forward, loud sobs taking over her tiny body. Banding my arms around her, I lift her into my lap, cradling her against my chest. Anger flares momentarily as her slight weight registers. She’s smaller, frailer than she was before she was kidnapped. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I trace my hand along her spine.

The leash holding my unbridled rage threatens to snap with each new mark I find on her body. Letting out a shaky breath, I center myself, focusing on the task at hand. There will be plenty of time to focus on vengeance and making them pay later. Resuming the path along her spine, I bury my nose in the top of her head and breathe deeply. Underneath the blood and grime, it’s there . . . cherry blossoms and sandalwood and something completely her.

“Shhhh. Goddess, it’s all right, baby. I’m here.” I rock her back and forth soothingly.

“I-I’m so sorry, Alex,” she cries into my chest.

“What do you have to be sorry for, baby?” My arms tighten around her when her sobs increase. She buries her face into my chest, inhaling deeply. I know she can’t be comfortable with her face smushed against my vest. My chest constricts, the tightness in my torso worsening with every tear she sheds.

Unable to take it any longer, I finally coax, “Goddess, you know it kills me when you cry.” She stiffens in my arms, her little body going rigid. What in the hell caused that reaction? Glimpsing down at her, I watch as she stares blankly at my MBAV.

Brushing the hair back from her face, I gently question, “Goddess, look at me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“You said that in my dream. At least, I think it was a dream. That you don’t like it when I cry.” She mumbles the words into my vest.

Chuckling, I respond, “Well, that is something I would say, sweetheart.”

She breathes out a heavy sigh. “A-Alex, I have to tell you something. I don’t want you to hate me, though.” My brows crease with her comment.

“You know better than that, Goddess. It’s you and me. Nothing you say is going to change that.”

“Promise?” she hesitantly asks. Tilting her head back so that I can look into her rich, chocolaty eyes, I say, “I promise that you are stuck with me forever.”

“W-What about Sabrina? Those pictures? She said . . .” Kylee’s voice chokes, clogged with emotion as tears silently stream from her eyes.

“Sabrina?” I growl. Kylee nods. Rage tugs on its leash again, willing me to search for her and demand answers. Blowing out a breath, I center myself yet again.

“Sabrina lied. Those pictures were a farce, one that I did not participate in willingly, I might add.” Her body relaxes, melting in my arms.

“It’s my fault,” she whispers through silent tears.

“Nothing is your fault, baby.” Leaning down, I kiss her forehead.

“She died because of me. I know he said it wasn’t my fault, but . . . I can’t help but feel like it is.” Her chest hitches as she desperately tries to inhale.

“Who?” I ask, trying to make sense of her rambling.

“Violet, our baby.” All of the air is sucked from the room as it begins to spin before my eyes. Baby? We are having a baby? Wait. She said she died. She? How far along was she?

Still confused, I ask, “Baby, I’m a little confused. You’re gonna have to help me out here.”

“I-I was pregnant. I didn’t know. I just found out. She had already been doing vile things to me. If I had known, I could have saved her. I would have tried to save her, Alex. You have to believe me,” she pleads.

Torture. They tortured my Goddess when she was pregnant with our child, and she miscarried. The leash holding my rage snaps. I’m going to kill every last one of those motherfuckers . . . if it’s the last thing I do. My chest heaves with the rage inside, my breaths loudly tainting the corridor.

“Her?” I croak.

Blushing, she looks away. “I-I don’t know that, really. I just had a feeling.”

“Violet?” I ask.

She nods, silently confirming my suspicion. The name she’d given our unborn child. The fissure in my heart spreads as a piece breaks off, withering away to nothingness. My gaze drops to the Goddess in my arms, the woman who’s been broken and abused yet always manages to put others before her.

“It changes nothing.” My voice cracks, the pain coming through loud and clear. Her gaze whips back to mine. She searches my eyes as if seeking the answer to an age-old question.

“It changes nothing,” I say with confidence.

“I love you.” Her voice is strong and clear underneath the pain.

“And I you,” I say, kissing her hair. The sound of gunfire interrupts our moment. Jumping to a standing position with Kylee still cradled in my arms, I look through the faces of my team.

“Where is the Colonel?” I demand.

“Hadn’t realized he wasn’t behind us until a moment ago,” Sam replies.

“The Colonel?” Kylee questions. I nod as fear makes its way into her dark gaze.

“Please tell me it’s just some random Colonel that I wouldn’t happen to know,” she murmurs.

Sighing heavily, I say, “Wish I could, Goddess. Wish I could.”

Unease builds, quivering in my belly as restless thoughts enter my mind. Where could he have gone? What on earth could he be doing? Why wasn’t he right behind us? Shaking away the uneasy thoughts, I demand into the COM, “Falcon, come in. What’s your location?”

No response. Frowning, I bark at Sam, “Take her. Secure her in the vehicle. Brighton has already gone to take Noah’s body. Both of you guard her with your life. You’ll come with me.” I nod to Cooper.

Sam steps forward to retrieve Kylee.

She tenses, murmuring, “Please don’t let me go. P-Please don’t.”

Fuck. I can’t fix this shit and hold her. Placing her on her feet, I look her in the eye. “You have to do exactly what I tell you. If I say run, you run. Got that?” She nods vigorously. Sam frowns, but accepts that we have no choice; she’s likely to bug out if we separate.

Gesturing to Sam and Cooper, my voice is terse as I say, “Let’s make our way back toward the kitchen. That’s where they were last.”

Pulling Kylee behind me, I try not to wince as she utters tiny little whimpers with each step. Just outside the kitchen, we hear voices loudly conversing. Signaling everyone’s silence, we move closer and overhear the Colonel speaking to someone.

“How could you? She’s our daughter,” he spits angrily.

“I-I did only what I had to do, Kyle. Nothing more.”

“What you had to do? What you had to do!” The Colonel huffs, each word exploding from his lungs.

“You do not understand our ways, Kyle. You never did.” The woman’s resigned sigh rings through the kitchen.

“Oh, I understand perfectly, Min. I understand that you chose to have our daughter gang raped at ten-years-old. I understand that you orchestrated her kidnapping as an adult where you not only tortured her, but you now tell me that you caused the loss of my grandchild. Because
you
tortured her. And for what, Min? For what?” Kylee’s father screams at her mother, his voice colored with the rage we all feel on her behalf.