Make A Wish (Dandelion #1) (12 page)

My body soon stopped responding to what my heart was telling me to do... To keep fighting. My eyes widened
—
full of fear
—
the men in my focus becoming more and more blurry. Darkness enveloped me, welcoming me like an old friend after a long winter’s nap.

MILES

“And why exactly did you stand back and watch instead of helping me detain her?”

“Uh. Y-y-you looked like you had it handled.” Miguel stuttered under my gaze.

“I should have opted to work alone. You’re a complete dumb ass.” Fuming, I snatched the medical instruments out of Miguel’s hands as he knelt down beside the unconscious pain in my ass, strands of her blue colored hair draping over her face. The large bruises of my handiwork were beginning to appear on her face.

“You said that you wouldn’t hurt her.” Miguel counter-argued, but the look I gave him shut him up rather quickly.

“I guarantee now that this Juliette chick has finally learned her lesson. She won’t be fighting back any more. If she does, then she’ll be suffering the consequences of her actions. The decision is in her hands.”

As soon as I’d successfully extracted what I’d needed, I placed a bandage over her arm to soak up the small amount of blood that was beading on the surface.

“Here.” I shoved the vials roughly at my partner, the grimace on my face continuing to harden. “Get started testing this. There has to be some way to explain the rapid regeneration of animal cells.”

MIGUEL

“Okay,” I responded as I looked down at the samples in my hand and then back over at the unconscious girl draped against the wall, her head hanging off to one side, resting against her shoulder.

I knew now more than ever that what I had agreed to from the start was the wrong choice. What did this girl ever do to warrant this kind of treatment?

Wracked with guilt, I just didn’t know what I could do or say to improve the situation. I was too far involved to turn back now and the shadow of Miles’ threats against my family hung over my head.

As the man of the house, I provided everything for them despite what it cost me in return. It was my choice to agree to help with his plan, but Miles made it so I couldn’t back out, even if I desperately wanted to.

I thought of my two-year-old son and my wife, who was now in her last trimester with our second child. I couldn’t lose them; they needed me. Looking down at Juliette Mitchell pained me and made the guilt even more unbearable.

What if someone did this to my pregnant wife and unborn child? I didn’t know if anything could’ve been done to stop me from killing anyone who dared to lay a finger on her.

But I made my bed and now I had to lie in it. So be it.

SAYLOR

I answered the door, only to find Beau’s massively large frame standing in my doorway.

“Well, I’d say, ‘Good Morning!’ but considering you’re blocking all of the light, I could just as easily say, ‘How’s your night going?’ And by the way, how the hell did you find out where I live?”

Beau snickered at my commentary while I stood back and ushered him into my place.

“Everything is on Google, Saylor. Everyone knows that.”

“Well o-kay then. What’s up, Hugo?” I asked, cracking myself up. I laughed so hard that I was leaned over, clutching my stomach as tears streamed from my eyes.

“Ha ha,” Beau responded, though the twinkle in his eyes showed his commendation. Now that we’d gotten everything out in the open, I had somehow subconsciously forgiven him. He wasn’t a victim but he also wasn’t the only one to blame, I understood that now.

“I’ll give you that one.” He smiled at me as my giggling began to dwindle. When I was finally calm enough to listen, Beau began to talk, his voice taking on a much more serious tone. “I’m gonna find her.”

Dear God.

“Wait, pause and rewind. You’re gonna what?” My hands flew through the air as I spoke in disbelief, eyes widening with shock.

“The police gave up on her and I don’t intend to sit by while she’s suffering through God knows what, in God knows where.”

“Okay, I’m with you on that, I really am. I want to find her just as much as you do, but we can’t just charge in guns blazing with absolutely no game plan, clues, or resources.”

“Sure we can.”

I sighed.
Stubborn ass.
I looked him straight in the eyes, a multitude of emotions in the very depths. Beau cared more about Juliette than he was letting on and I sure as hell wouldn’t be the first one to bring it up.

Everything in me screamed that he was right. Jules needed to be rescued. I knew that more than he did.

Beau wanted her found because he had a connection with her and possibly felt something for her, but if he knew that she was pregnant with his child, the poor guy would most likely blow a gasket, or break something. Maybe even both.

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Juliette could handle herself, but being preggo with an eggo could pose a small problem, clouding her judgment.

“Okay, so what’s your game plan?” My mouth twisted into a devilish smile. “I’m ready to get my girl back.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no? Didn’t you just say you were going to find her?” Confusion plagued me while I stared at the stiff man
—
who refused to take a seat or even look me directly in the eye.
Wuss.

“I said,
I’m
going to find her. Not you. It’s not safe.”

“Oh, you have
got
to be kidding me. Not safe? What do I look like to you, a defenseless weak little girl?” As I looked at him, I began to get angry, knowing that he truly believed that to be true. “Don’t you dare answer that and tell me I’m not coming, because
you
don’t get to decide what I can and cannot do. I’m twenty-three for crying out loud and Juliette is my family. I won’t sit back and let some random guy with whom she had a one-nighter with determine that I’m not capable to help. Plus, I’ve already taken an indefinite leave of absence from the bar. Until Jules is home, I refuse to continue on as if  everything is okay when it isn’t.”

So maybe I’m not completely over the grudge, but I’m getting there.

I leaned against my kitchen counter, my breathing heavy as I glared at the man who looked at me with mock sympathy. It pissed me off.

I knew he wasn’t trying to be an ass, but I was so over people looking at my tiny self and assuming because of my size, that I’m weak and small. It happened more often than I liked to admit.

BEAU

“Please.” Her word a plea that felt like a stab in my heart. I wanted to protect her, for Juliette. The last thing I wanted was for Jules to come back and for something to have happened to her best friend. I would blame myself and there wasn’t a chance that I’d let that situation come to fruition.

“Fine, but I’m in charge of the investigation. If I say something is dangerous or unsafe, you need to abide by it. I won’t let anything happen to you in the search for Juliette, so don’t push me or you won’t like what I resort to.” My comments sounded more like a threat with every syllable, almost as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. I sat back on her living room couch and motioned for her to take a seat beside me.

“I need to explain a little about me, because you’ll kind of be a tad surprised when you meet my family. They’ll be helping run the investigation and it’s important that I have you prepared for what you’ll come across.” With a small nod from her, I went on. “My family isn’t family in the traditional sense. We aren’t all related, but yet we are.”

“I don’t get it.”

“When I was in high school, my life, for lack of better word, changed. I learned something about who I am, which now runs my entire life.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you that part. All I ask is for you to let it go and not go searching for the answers. Can you do that? It’s a family secret that I’m obligated to not share.”

“Alright. Got it. Don’t ask questions. Done.” She flashed me a smile that made me feel more easy than reassured. Saylor not asking questions, a nearly impossible task.

“My family has unlimited resources when it comes to dealing with situations like this. We deal heavily in protection, meaning we’re trained in all forms of martial arts and have untapped potential with tracking and hacking.” I paused, giving Saylor an opportunity to interject but when nothing came from her mouth, I continued. “I fully believe that my family will be able to find and track down whoever took her. We’ll bring her home.”

“Wait. Hold up a minute. If you had all the tracking, jacking, hacking, whatever, then why didn’t you start using this when you found out? You’re saying that she could’ve already been home by now?”

“Saylor cut me some slack, I just found out about her kidnapping. I’m surprised the police weren’t more help—”

“Don’t be. Police only do what is convenient for them. If it requires them to do more paperwork or research, they let it go. Probably to go shove their faces with donuts or something.” She shrugged.

“I hear they do that a lot.” I smiled one of my real, genuine smiles that rarely anyone saw. They were saved for special moments and special people, and I knew Saylor was one of them.