Maid for Me (19 page)

“Alright, let’s do it.” Amelia knelt down besides Jaiden. She kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry, but after all, you’re not really my child. People are selfish. With you gone, my child will be reborn.”

Matt prepared a knife by burning it with candle fire. He intended to use the knife to carve out Jaiden’s heart. The many voices inside his head had told him this was a magical way to bring back Amelia’s baby.

The voices convinced Matt to convince Amelia that a blood letting ritual beneath the full moon an hour after midnight would resurrect her unborn baby. Of course, she would also have to eat Jaiden’s fresh heart.

Amelia bent down and dragged Jaiden out of the cabin.

A quarter of a mile away from the cabin, Baby ran out of gas and Graham cursed. “We’ll have to walk the rest of the distance,” he said. “The cabin’s right up ahead.”

“You’re kidding, right? How far away from Jaiden are we?”

“About a thousand feet.”

Mina hopped out of the pickup truck. “We’re not walking there, we’re running.” She pressed the button on the tracking device. Without a second thought, she ran down the empty roadside. Graham dashed after her. Asthmatic, he ran a hundred feet before he wheezed and stopped.

Lactic acid made Mina’s calves burn. Her feet were hurting from the long walk back to the manse earlier. Still, she pushed herself to sprint faster. She didn’t care if she busted all her leg joints—Jaiden’s life mattered more than her legs.

“Wait, Mina.”

Mina stopped running and glared at Graham.

“Do you even know where you’re going without the radar? Here, take it. I need to catch my breath.” Graham tossed his radar toward Mina and she caught it smoothly like an outfielder.

“Some hero you are. I told you Baby couldn’t be trusted,” she said before she ran again, following the directions on the radar. She ran like a cheetah on fire, easily covering a quarter mile in less than four minutes.

A million stars lit up the black skies. Dozens of fireflies, dreaming of becoming of stars boogied. On such a lovely summer night, heart carving rituals should not be performed. Tell that to Amelia and Matt.

Amelia wiped down Jaiden’s body. Her fingers traced the contours of his face and his strong jaw-line. She remembered how he reminded her of an owl as a child, with his eyes big, bright, and alert, staring at her in the dark. They were often brimmed with tears when his parents fought. Amelia always comforted him, pretending he had been born from her womb. Amelia removed Jaiden’s tuxedo jacket and shirt. She touched his collarbones and broad chest. His chest rose with each inhale. He looked too beautiful in his sleep to Amelia.

Matt approached Jaiden with the large knife in his hand. He knelt down beside Amelia.

“Ready?” Matt raised the knife, directly over Jaiden’s chest.

“Wait. Let me watch him sleep for a little longer. He’s so handsome.” A soft smile curled Amelia’s pale lips.

Matt clenched his teeth. “What? Are you interested in him too? Slut.”

When Matt had first learned about the affair Amelia had with Jameson, Matt had wanted to kill his boss. He had bought a collection of dolls for Amelia. She never appreciated them. Hence, he decapitated all the dolls and stabbed them every night to vent. He even smeared the doll heads with stray-kitty blood.

Amelia gave Matt an angry look. “Jaiden’s my child! I won’t let anyone hurt him. But me!” Amelia lunged at Matt and grabbed the knife in his hand, slicing her own palms.

She tried to overpower burly Matt, but failed when he shoved her away. She fell backward on her bottom.

“I’m killing all the damned Daniels,” Matt said, waving the knife. “Jameson took you away from me and now his son is doing the same!” He positioned himself above Jaiden and raised the knife.

“Jaiden!” Mina arrived in front of the cabin and before she could even catch her breath, she threw the radar at Matt, hitting him between the eyes. Matt groaned. He stood on the balls of his feet, raised the knife, and ran toward Mina. Mina readied herself and kicked the knife out of Matt’s hand, almost shattering Matt’s wrist. Mina kicked again, using all of her body’s strength, this time aiming at the side of Matt’s head. Matt staggered and pointed his finger at Mina.

“I’ll kill you too!” Matt launched his fists at Mina. She parried and moved to the side, readying herself to kick again. Her second kick knocked Matt backward.

He fell and his body convulsed before he fainted.

Mina hyperventilated, still breathless from the quarter-mile run toward the cabin. The air she sucked in felt ice cold in her lungs. She wheezed and dropped to the ground next to Jaiden. She patted his face, ecstatic beyond words he was still alive. A strange sensation rushed through her. Relief and joy mixed with another feeling she couldn’t decipher.

“Wake up, Jaiden.” An eon seemed to pass before Jaiden stirred.

He opened his eyes and felt as if he were Zeus, about to have Athena jump out of his split head.

“Mina.” He smiled before his face bore a panicked expression. “Watch out!” He pushed Mina away as Amelia dove at Mina with Matt’s knife. Amelia missed stabbing Mina in the back, but thrust the knife into Jaiden’s left shoulder instead. Amelia pulled the knife out of Jaiden and blood gushed out of the wound.

“No no no!” Amelia dropped the knife and clasped her hands over Jaiden’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never did.” Amelia looked at her blood stained hands and wiped them all over her clothes. She buried her face in her hands and wept.

Mina kicked the knife away and knelt beside Jaiden and applied pressure over his wound. “You’ll be okay. Just breathe. The police will be here soon.”

Jaiden shook his head and reached up to touch Mina’s tear stained cheek with his right hand. “You’re awesome, you know. I didn’t expect you would come to save me.” Jaiden coughed. He couldn’t even feel the pain in his shoulder anymore—the sedative messed with his brain. His entire body shuddered and the world around him spun.

He closed his eyes and mumbled, “I love you, Mina,” before he fainted again.

“Jaiden!”

Arriving just in time to wrap things up, as usual, the police arrested Matt and Amelia. Graham had tagged along in one of the police cars. He hopped out of the car and ran toward Mina and Jaiden.

Minutes later, the paramedics arrived in a helicopter and sped Jaiden back to the UMC. They hooked him up to an IV and a nasal cannula for oxygen. Mina and Graham rode the helicopter with Jaiden. Graham dialed Jameson’s number.

“We’ve rescued your son. He’s safe now.” Graham snapped his cell phone shut and raised his hand in the air. “High five? Good work, Watson.”

Mina narrowed her eyes at Graham and would have punched him in the nose if she had any energy left. “Whatever.” She took Jaiden’s hand and squeezed it. She could not even register what he had said to her earlier, assuming he had said what he said because he was delusional from his injuries. Everything that had happened seemed surreal.

“It’s over now.” Mina squeezed Jaiden’s hand again, closed her eyes, and prayed.

Daddy, please watch over Jaiden.

*FIFTEEN*

The next morning, Jaiden woke up from a nightmare that left him crying in his sleep. He blinked in his surroundings and realized he was in a UMC private suite. He focused his eyes. Sleeping in a recliner chair next to him was his father. Mina napped on a sofa across from his bed. In sleep, she had her brow wrinkled and under her eyes were dark circles pandas would be proud of. Asleep, Mina still looked imposing and ready to strike down any Stalker, Intruder, or Attacker.

Jaiden flinched when he tried to move his shoulder. He wore a blue sling. Though he had painkillers pumped through his body via an IV, he still felt pain around the knife wound. Unsteady, he got out of bed and Mina woke up.

Without a second thought, Mina limped over to Jaiden and hugged his torso. Her entire body screamed in achy-pain and fatigue. And yet, all the running and fighting was worth it.

“You’re okay,” she said, fighting back happy tears. Jaiden patted Mina’s head with his good hand.

“All thanks to you.” Jaiden smiled. “I owe you my life. So I guess I’ll have to repay you with my body?” His breathing became heavy. He stared at Mina with fervent eyes. He bent his head and said, “Do you remember what I said to you last night?”

Every pulse in Mina’s body thundered. She shook her head.

Jaiden looked at her lips. "I don't know when, how, or why, but I think I love you, Mina."

Mina gulped as her heart pumped a million liters of blood through her body. Not caring he had his father right next to them, Jaiden caressed Mina’s cheek with his good hand, closed his eyes and claimed her lips with his. His kiss was soft and slow at first, right before his passion sent fire through her spine to her toes.

For a second, Mina welcomed the dream. Then she pushed herself away.

“You’re talking and acting crazy because you’re not completely well yet,” she said, face red, eyes shifting, and nose twitching.

“I can't explain it. I'm very comfortable when I'm with you... I can be myself,” Jaiden said.

"That doesn’t mean you’re in love with me. This is just a heat of the moment thing. Besides, I don't want to be hurt again.” Mina sighed. She hated her lack of confidence, but at least she was being realistic.

She coughed, stuttering, “You still have drugs in your system so I’ll just pretend what you said and did didn’t happen. Sit down before you hurt yourself.”

“If I hurt myself, I’ll have you to make me better.” He admired the sprinkle of freckles across her flushed cheeks. He could see her gulp. He licked his dried lips and looked as if he wanted to crush a kiss to her mouth again.

“You need more rest.” Mina forced Jaiden to lie down in bed. “Since you’re safe now, you don’t need me anymore,” she stammered. Seeing Jameson stir as an opportunity to disappear, Mina moved away from the bed.

“You should have a talk with your father,” she said, walking out of the bedroom.

You’re wrong, Mina I do need you
, Jaiden wanted to say. He sighed and looked at his father. Jameson yawned, stretched his arms over his head and beamed at his son. He looked as if he wanted to hug Jaiden, then hesitated and sat back.

“Last night was hell. The last time I was this worried, you were three years old.” Jameson blinked tears from his eyes. Overnight, he seemed decades older to Jaiden. Jaiden sat up in bed.

“I know.” Jaiden smiled at his father but the smile quickly faded. “We need to talk. I need to know everything that happened between you, Mom, and Amelia.”

Jameson rubbed his tired face and nodded. “I shouldn’t have kept any secrets from you. But I was so ashamed of myself.” He blinked and tears formed in his eyes. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, son.”

Afterward, Jameson apologized to his son. “Because of my mistakes, you lost your mother.”

Jaiden, speechless, closed his eyes and laughed as tears rolled down his cheeks. All these years, he had hated Emma Daniels. He had learned everything about her life after she left Jameson. Not once did Jaiden suspect his father, nor did he ask Graham to discover why Emma left.

“I’m sorry, son. I’m sorry.” Jameson buried his face in his large hands.

Jaiden blinked away the last of his tears. “Just leave me alone, Father. Give me some time and space to think.”

Jameson nodded.

~*~

Outside Jaiden’s suite, Mina’s heartbeats quieted.

Jaiden’s not himself. When he’s better, he won’t say crazy things again.

Besides, Mina had a feeling she would win the lottery before a billionaire really fell in love with her.

A minute later, Mina heard wailing and screaming in the adjacent suite. Three nurses and a doctor rushed into the room and the screaming ceased. Mina heard a familiar voice. Curiosity led her to the doorframe. She peeked in and saw Michael pacing in front of the bed. Lying on the bed was a sedated Madison. She had her right leg casted and the top of her head bandaged.

“I don’t care what you do. You better make sure my daughter and grandchild are safe.” Michael covered his sweaty hand over his eyes. “I don’t care how much money I have to spend, as long as they’re both okay.”