Alphas & Millionaires Starter Set (40 page)

Alex and I lay on the floor for what seems like an eternity. I hate that he’s the one holding me, but what does it matter anymore? My life is over.

My heart is gone.

The first person I ever loved…the one who saved me from myself.
Over and over again…

Gone.

“Ma’am?” the gum-chewing receptionist interrupts. I glance over, wondering what the hell she wants.

“Yeah?” I mutter though broken sobs. I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand and stand up. I expect she’ll want his family’s information.

“Your friend is being moved to ICU. You can go see him in there,” she informs, continuing to chew loudly.

Wait, what?

“I think you have me confused with someone else.”

She crosses her eyes at me, flipping through her stupid clipboard. “You signed in as Velaney, right?” I nod. “Mr. Reilley is in room eleven and he’s being transferred to ICU now.”

I’m sorry…what?

“Wait, did you just say room eleven?” I narrow my eyes, ready to run her dumb ass down.

“Yes, ma’am. He was in trauma room eleven. And now he’s being moved to the ICU,” she says slowly as if I’m stupid or something.

“You told me room twelve!” I scream, ready to strangle her. Alex puts a hand on my shoulder as he senses my intentions.

She looks back down at her paperwork, smacking her lips. “Oh…looked like a two a minute ago. Sorry about that,” she mutters, having no emotion in her face.

I run past her and rush through the doors back to where the trauma rooms are. I leave Miss Chews-Gum-Loud-Enough and Alex behind, not caring if I’m breaking any rules or not.

I look in room
twelve
and see the sliding doors are shut and covered by a curtain. Directly across…room
eleven
. I peek my head in and there he is…

His eyes are closed and he has what looks to be a chest tube, but he’s breathing. There’s an oxygen line under his nose and IV lines in both hands. The monitor above him shows a strong heartbeat and high oxygen level. I’m so freaking happy, I start to cry all over again.

“Sweetheart?” he whispers, cracking his eyes open just enough to see the emerald shine through.

I slowly walk to his side, blinking to make sure it’s really him. My mind is wandering a million miles right now at the realization of how many emotions I just felt over the past couple of hours.

Aiden.

Alex.

Eric.

I can’t handle it. I never could handle Aiden…and now he’s vanished somewhere to God knows where. Alex is still too sketchy for me to trust. And Eric. I fully believed he was gone. Dead. I never thought I’d see him again.

“Babe?”

“Please tell me that son-of-a-bitch looks worse than I do.” He flashes a grin, making my insides melt.
He must have some good pain medication.

I give a small smile back before telling him the bad news. “He escaped before the paramedics arrived.”

He goes still, eyes wide with disbelief

I inhale quickly before speaking again. “I thought you died. When I first arrived, they told me you were in the room across the hall. And that person crashed.” His eyes widen as he realizes how scared I just was. “I thought I lost you,” I cry, unable to hold it in any longer. I lay my head on his shoulder as his hand wraps around me.

“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart. I will never leave you.”

“My heart broke into a million pieces, Eric. I’m the reason you’re hurt. I’m the reason for all of this.” I pull my body back, looking him directly in his eyes. I want him to know I’m serious…that this will never end with Aiden.

“Sweetheart, this is not your fault. I’m going to find Aiden and make sure he never bothers you again,” he says slowly and emphasizes the word
never.
It sends chills down my body at what Eric is saying…
at what he’s capable of doing to ensure my safety
.

It only brings me back to what Aiden may be planning. Clearly, Aiden is always a step ahead of me. There has to be some reason he’s back in my life now. But why?

“I don’t know where he is. I don’t know what he wants. I just don’t know!” I don’t mean to panic and have a complete meltdown but considering everything I just went through, it just erupts out of me.

Before Eric can respond, his nurse enters the room and informs us he’ll be moved to the ICU now. I kiss Eric’s cheek and walk out without saying another word.

* * *

“What the hell is going on?” Carissa races into the ICU waiting room, where I wait to be allowed in by Eric. I called her in tears, begging her to come to the hospital right away. I can’t handle the overwhelming emotions I’m feeling. It’s too much…
so freaking much.

This is now the second time in my life that something has gone completely wrong after saying the F bomb. I might be superstitious, but it doesn’t feel like coincidence.

“I don’t even know where to begin, Riss. I mean…there was Alex, then Aiden…he went after me, after Eric…Aiden is missing…Eric is here.” I weep before I can continue any further.

She doesn’t say anything. She just holds me as I let every emotion, feeling and thought drain out of my body.

When my breathing finally steadies, I lift my face and wipe away the tears. I collect myself and exhale slowly as I prepare to tell Carissa the whole story.

“Holy shit balls!” she squeals after I bring her up to speed.

“Exactly.”

“So, Aiden was just gone? Like, he disappeared?”

“Yeah. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. Who knows where he is now. No matter what, he’ll always be…
around.
” The thought sends shivers down my body. There’s no escaping Aiden. He won’t stop until he gets what he’s after.

Me.

I’m finally allowed in to see Eric. He’s mostly covered in bruises and scratches. The doctor explains how his muscular body saved his life. He cracked a couple of ribs and his lung collapsed, but other than that, he’ll be out of the hospital in a few days.
He could have died…because of me.

* * *

I try not to freak out every time I see Eric when I visit him. That first night was the hardest, but since then he’s been on steady pain medication. His bruises have also started to fade and his gashes are becoming scars.

“Sweetheart, stop worrying. I’m fine.” He looks at me sincerely. “I get to go home today.”

“I can’t help it, Eric. I can’t help blaming myself for this. And I can’t help worrying it’s not the end.”

He swings his leg over the hospital bed, free of IV’s and tubes. He pulls me in for a hug, rubbing his hands up and down my back. I should be the one soothing him after all of this. He’s the one that was hurt. That risked it all.
For me.

Taking Eric home, I drive ten miles under the speed limit. Although he reassures me repeatedly, I can’t help but want to protect him.
Like he always protects me.

“I’m so glad to be back home!” he says as we walk through the door. It doesn’t feel right anymore. I’m afraid that no matter what I do, I’ll always be putting Eric in danger.

I try my best to put it in the back of my mind so I can take care of Eric. I miss his touch and the feel of his skin against mine. I want that back;
I want us back…

“So, what do you need me to do, babe?” I ask as he lowers himself to the couch. He keeps insisting he’s fine but I can tell he’s sore.

“I need you…to come sit with me.” He smiles, making me melt. This whole thing with Aiden has me completely torn and mentally messed up, but when it comes to Eric…
damn, he makes everything right.

We spend the evening watching movies and taking it easy. I’ve taken off from the bar for the weekend so I can make sure Eric doesn’t do anything his doctors told him not to do. Something interesting I learned while he was in the hospital—Eric can be very stubborn.

We must have fallen asleep because I wake up hours later to a blue screen. Eric is laying behind me, but I can tell he’s asleep too, by his steady breathing. I know he didn’t slept very well in the hospital, so I decide to cover him up instead of waking him.

I tiptoe out of his apartment and quietly shut the door. As I walk down the hallway to the elevator, something overcomes me. Something I’ve never felt before.

Courage.

The next morning, I wake up as the sun is rising. I shower, get dressed and head out. I drive the long four hours back to where it all began…
home.

I haven’t seen my parents or spoken to them in four years. They have lost all my respect—all rights to be called
parents
—but I guess it’s what they are, whether I like it or not. I twirl ideas around in my head the entire time I’m driving—things I want to say…scream…shout at them. I pray I don’t chicken out. This is something I should have done years ago.

I drive the road where I grew up. It hasn’t changed a bit. The houses are all old and made of brick. The trees in the front are all full and beautiful. There are small children playing in the yards and people out walking their dogs. To the outside world, this looks perfect. But it was my hell.

I slowly inhale and exhale as I park my car on the road. It feels strangely right to be here again. Although I can’t say I have very many
good
memories, there’s always something about being home.

I finally force myself out of the car and walk up the short driveway to the front door. I knock twice on the door as I secretly pray to God for the courage and strength not to run away.

I hear a couple of voices before someone finally reaches the door. It’s my mother. The shocked expression on her face tells me she’s as surprised to see me as I am to be here.

“Hi, Mom,” I say quietly.

“Velaney!” she gasps. “Is it really you?”

I step forward, letting her hug me. “Yeah, it’s me, Mom.”

She yells for my dad, who soon approaches the hallway where we’re standing.

“Well, I’ll be damned! Is that my little Laney?” He rushes in for a hug, and like my mom, I let him. The feeling is overwhelming. Part of me wishes I could forgive them while the other part wants to rip their lungs out with hate.

But I decide to take the high road. Yes. The freaking high road.

I’m not at all surprised by their greetings. They always thought I acted out in immaturity and spontaneity. Whether they believe me or not about what Aiden did, it was as if they always kept it hushed, never wanting to talk about it.

I let a smile form as my parents take a good look at me. I’ve grown, matured, and become what my mother says, “a young lady.” My parents look the exact same, perhaps maybe just aged. However, their hair, clothes, mannerisms…all the same.

I suppose they wonder why I’m here, so I decide to get right to the point. My mother leads me to the kitchen, opening the fridge to get me a bottle of water.

“I need to ask you something,” I finally blurt out. “Why did you bail Aiden out of jail?” I keep my tone firm, but low. I need them to know I’m serious and I won’t leave until they answer me.

“Because I was wrongly accused,” a dark, ridged tone interferes.
Aiden.
He rounds the corner entering into the kitchen. His eyes are dark and his face hard like stone. I jump at the sound of his voice. It’s eerie how his voice can bring me back…to all the horrific memories.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” I reply, shocked that he looks unharmed and unaffected.

“I suppose you didn’t.”

“Did you inform Mom and Dad how you almost killed my boyfriend? How you attacked me
and
him?” I cross my arms, staring him down.

“I told them about defending myself from him, yes.” He inches closer to me, never taking his eyes off mine.

“Self-defense?” I yell, shoving him back as he gets closer. “That’s a lie and you know it!”

“Now now, Velaney. We all know who the compulsive liar around here is,” he says in a fake, soothing tone.
Ugh, I could rip his eyes out right now.
 

“How is it self-defense when you forced your way into my apartment?”

“Velaney, that’s enough,” my mother interrupts, pounding her hand into the counter. She hates conflict, which is usually why nothing ever gets resolved. She never lets me tell my story, and even if I have the chance, she never takes my side. She always makes excuses for Aiden, as if her precious baby boy can do no wrong.

I cross my arms and seethe.
Why did I even bother to come home?
I should’ve known better, but I want to prove to myself that I’m strong, and that I'm no longer letting
him
control my life.
Perhaps I was wrong.