Redemption (Book 3) The Fixer Series (3 page)

She looked so frail as she lay there with the IV stuck in her arm.  Her coloring had changed from its normal pink to a pale, ghostly white.  Her face was horribly sunken in from malnourishment and her hair had thinned since we'd married.  It took everything I had to compose myself and be a man. 
But inside, I was dying. 

Stephanie came over and placed her arm on my shoulder as I continued to watch my wife sleep.
  "She's going to be okay, Dylan."

I choked back tears before responding.
  "I don't know, Steph.  Look at her.  Do you honestly think she'll ever be the same?"

"I don't know if she'll be the same, but I have a feeling that she'll come out even stronger than she was before.  She's a fighter, Dylan.  Brooke has had to fight her entire life."
  

"I know and I'd hoped that our life would be different.  I wanted to give her everything, the peace that she finally deserved.  But now, look at her.  Look what I've done to her."

"Dylan," she said, giving me a soft hug.  "You didn't do this to her.  Our fathers did.  There was no possible way that any of us could have known what they were capable of.  No one wants to believe the worst about those we love.  Brooke will find her way back to you.  It may take time, but she has never loved anyone as much as she loves you."

"
I need her so fucking much."

"You're hurting, Dylan.  The future seems uncertain to you.  You've lost your father to unfathomable circumstances and everything seems hopeless.  You'll get it all sorted out, because Dylan, you too, are a survivor."

I hugged my sister-in-law back, despite how much it hurt to move.  I needed the comfort of those closest to me, right now.  I had treated Tristan like shit when all he had been doing was exactly as I'd asked.  I would soon be begging for my friend's forgiveness. 

Brooke b
egan to stir and a beautiful smile formed on her lips.  "Hey, Cowboy," she said, in a weak voice. 

"Hey
, Princess, how are you feeling?"

"Better
, now that you're here with me.  Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes
, baby, I'm fine.  It was just a little bullet, but the doctor got it out.  I was lucky as the bullet didn't cause any permanent damage."

"Oh good, I was so worried about you.  After all that you did to get me out of that mess, the last thing I wanted was for you to be hurt."

"As you can see, Princess, I'm good as new."

"Dylan," she said, as tears began falling down her face.  "I remembered something and we need to talk about it."

"Shh...not now, baby.  We'll have plenty of time to talk when we're both feeling a little better."

"But
, Dylan, I don't want to forget."

"Listen to me
, Brooke.  We've both been through hell and back.  You're not going to forget.  If anything, you'll remember even more.  Just relax and get the care you need.  We have the rest of our lives together, whatever it is, we'll deal with it...together."

"Excuse me.  Mr. Prescott, we need to get you back to your room so you can rest," Lydia interrupted.

"Just a few more minutes, please?" I asked.

"
You have five minutes.  Doctor's orders."

"Fuck the doctor," I fired back at Lydia.

"Mr. Prescott, we can go back now if you'd like," she said, with a raised brow.

Tristan covered his mouth and laughed. 
"Back to being an asshole, I see," he smirked.

"Yeah, and I see you haven't changed one bit either
." I flipped him my middle finger.

"
Princess, I have to go.  You heard Nurse Ratchet over there, barking her orders," I said, holding my stomach as I leaned in and kissed her hand.  "I love you.  Don't ever forget that, Brooke."

"Nothing but diamonds.
Right, Cowboy?" she asked as I was being wheeled away. 

"That's right
, Princess. Nothing but diamonds."

She remembered.  I couldn't believe it, but she
remembered.  It was what I'd said to her after she had made her promise to me.  It would forever be etched in my heart: her words, her confession of her love to me.

"You’re perfect,” she said, placing her lips on mine
. “I love you more than anything in this world.  I will give you whatever you want, whatever you need. That is my promise to you, Dylan.”

She had looked so damn beautiful sprawled out before me, completely naked.  I couldn't help myself when it came to her.  That night, I surprised her by introducing toys into our sex play, and then told her, I wanted to fuck her while she was wearing diamonds and nothing else.  Of all the things to remember...she remembered me making love to her.   

CHAPTER 3

Brooke

I'd
been whisked away so quickly by Tristan and Alexi, that I hadn't had time to process what was going on.   I presumed that they were on a rescue mission, and I was the target.  I was afraid.  After being kidnapped the first time, I had learned not to ask questions, but to go with the flow.  This was different, though.   These men were kind and explained what was happening, once we made it to the car. 

I still didn't understand as confusion over took me.  I had to trust them, because they wer
e my only way out.  Tristan explained that Dylan was my husband, that I'd been missing for a long time and that I'd been kidnapped right after my wedding day.  I felt a sadness immediately come over me, as if I knew.  In some way, I think I always knew.  The drugs I'd been given had clouded my judgement and rendered me helpless, to the point of not even knowing my name.  It was a terrible, lonely time for me.

We
'd traveled for several minutes after we left Kristof's palace.  The scenery looked vaguely familiar, as if I'd been there prior to this visit.  But everything was still a blur and I was confused about my whereabouts.  Everyone had such strong accents, unlike my own or Dylan's. We turned down a narrow, one-way street, where Alexi pulled in front of a small hotel inside the city.  He quickly walked me into a room, and Tristan jumped in the driver's seat and left. 

We sat
, waiting as Tristan went back to the palace to look for his friend, Dylan.  From the looks of things, we were in Dylan's hotel room.  I looked around, but there was nothing impressive about the space.  It was small, with a double-sized bed in the middle of the room and a small bathroom in the corner.  I felt anxious, and a bit curious about my new captors. A photo on the nightstand caught my eye of what I assumed was Dylan and I on our wedding day.  We looked so happy and I looked so, very different.   My hair wasn't short and black.  I could only assume that was Kristof's doing, in trying to hide my identity. 

The pieces were slowly coming together, but
they all still didn't fit.  We seemed happy, and I longed for the days when I would feel as happy as I looked in that picture.

Dylan was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen, even while lying in a hospital bed
, fighting for his life.  I reached out and placed my hand in his, in hopes that I could somehow ease his pain.  Nothing helped.  He let go of my hand, gripping his stomach as he cried out in pain.  It broke my heart to see him like that, and knowing that I was the cause of it, made it worse.  I wanted to comfort him and tell him that I loved him, but everything was a blur, and I knew better than to make promises I couldn't keep.  In that moment, all that mattered was being there for him, and I would do whatever it took to help the man that saved me.

I watched as Dylan slowly slipped away from
the world... from me.  I hadn't told anyone, but the longer I was away from Kristof, the more I remembered about my past.  I hadn't remembered Dylan entirely, but I knew there was something special about him and that I had a special connection to him in some way. 

The machines bells started going off as Dylan slipped further and further away from reality.  His body jerked out of control for several minutes
, and then he lay there lifeless as doctors and nurses rushed in to try and save him.  I felt like I was losing control as anxiety washed over my body, leaving me in a mental state of shock.  Looking down at my hands, I tried to keep them from shaking, but the more I tried stop them, the more they shook.  I was crying, screaming for Dylan to come back to me when I felt someone behind me.  Tristan.  He held me as we watched them try and stabilize Dylan. 

I was sobbing, and no amount of consoling
from Tristan helped.  I was out of control, unable to rein in my emotions or communicate what I was feeling.  It was a shit-storm of a mess, having feelings for a man that I couldn't remember. 

I don't recollect what happened next, but when I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV stuck in my arm.  Alexi sat in a chair located in the corner of my room.  He looked exha
usted, which told me he must have been keeping watch over me for quite some time.  Alexi didn't speak much English, so communicating with him was a challenge.  I had realized that much from when Tristan had left me in the hotel room with him while he went back and got Dylan.  Therefore, I would have to save my questions for later when Tristan came to visit.  If he came to visit. 

I wondered what h
ad become of Dylan and if he'd made it, or if he was laying on a cold slab down in the morgue.  The more I thought about him, the sadder I became.  I missed him, and I knew why. My memory was coming back in full force.  Whatever they were giving me through my IV drip, was helping me to remember the good times and...the not so good times.

Tears streamed down my face as I remembered the first time I met him.  He was so young, beautiful and full of life, not like the man I had seen suffering in pain, just days ago. 
My heart burned to see him, my fingers ached to touch him, just like when we shared our first kiss.  A kiss that I would never forget for as long as I lived.  It was forbidden, both of us promised to another, but the attraction was so strong, neither one of us could fight it.  I could still feel it, no matter how far apart we were. He was my soulmate. 

I wiped my tear
-stained face and stared out of the window.  Alexi told me in broken English that he was stepping out to grab a cup of coffee.  I knew he wouldn't be gone long as I suspected he was in charge of babysitting me.  And I knew how crazy my husband was about my safety - something else I had remembered - so I knew I wouldn't be alone for more than a couple of minutes. 

There
was nothing pretty about the place I'd been captured and taken to.  It must've been wintertime, because it was gray and the trees looked like sticks.  It seemed like a cold and dark place. 

There was a knock at my door that pulled me out of my trance.
  It was Tristan and he had a familiar-looking woman with him.  It took me a moment before finally recognizing her.  It was my sister, Stephanie.  She covered her mouth with her hands as she sauntered over to my bed, tears spilling from her eyes.  "Brooke, oh my...," she said, grabbing my hand and leaning down to hug me.

"Hey
, Steph," I muttered in a weak rasp, hugging her back.

"You remember me?"

I nodded, "Of course, I remember you. How could I forget my favorite cousin?"

Stephanie's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"I'm only kidding, Steph.  I know you're my sister, I was just messin' with ya."

"You're a real shit
, Brooke.  You know that?  That's not even funny to joke about."

"You're right.  I'm sorry," I said
, trying not to burst out laughing.  I don't know what had come over me, but I had a terrible urge to be a smartass.

I could hear Tristan in the corner
, trying to rein in his laughter as well.  It wasn't funny, but everyone was being so serious and it was making me crazy. 

"Getting back to your old self, I see," she
commented in a sarcastic tone.