Combust: A Devil Chaser's MC Romance (2 page)

“Stop it, Ana. You’re not alone in this.
We
will figure this out, and you know your dad will do anything he can to help,” he told me.

“I’m not going to say anything to him… yet. I need a few days to try to figure all this out, and I don’t want him to worry,” I replied.

“We will find a way to fix this, Ana. You’ve worked too hard. I won’t let them take your dream away,” he assured me.

“Thank you, Steven,” I said as I wiped the tears from my face.

“Why don’t we go have a few drinks? Take your mind off of things for a bit.”

“Not tonight. I just want to take a hot bath and go to bed,” I told him.

“Do you want me to stay here with you? Maybe watch a movie or something?” he asked.

“No, thanks, but I think I’d rather just be alone,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“Alright, but I’ll be down at the pub if you need me,” he said as he leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s called a
bar
, Steven. We’re in Kentucky. There are no pubs in Kentucky,” I told him with a smile.

“It’s all in one’s perspective, my dear,” he said, giving me a wink.

I shook my head as I watched him walk out the front door. It’d only be a matter of time before he had some poor woman swooning over him. It cracked me up how they all fell for him. He didn’t even have to work for it. As soon as they heard his English accent, he had them eating out of the palm of his hand. They always found him so charming, with his wavy, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Those beautiful eyes got them every time. They drew the ladies in like bees to honey. The women just couldn’t help themselves. The minute he mentioned that he was an author, they were completely hooked… and it didn’t help matters that he was devastatingly handsome. Those poor women didn’t stand a chance.

There was a time that I’d actually wondered what it would’ve been like if we ever tried to be more than just friends. The truth was… he was more like a brother to me. I knew that sounded cliché, but it was true. I didn’t think I could ever see him as anything more. We kept each other going whenever the world around us got all screwed up. As always, he had been there for me again when I’d needed him. I had no idea what was going to happen with my residency, but I knew at least I wouldn’t have to go through it alone.

Chapter 1

Sheppard

The Black Diamonds are closing in. We’ve been doing a pretty good job of holding them off, but they are determined to take us down and have more men than us. When I notice that my president, Bishop, is under attack, I don’t take the time to think. I quickly step out from the protective barrier of the barge’s steel side rail. The smell of gun smoke fills the air as bullets fly past me. I begin to advance towards my target, oblivious of the danger that surrounds me. I only have one thing on my mind… removing my target. The two men continue to fire in Bishop’s direction, and I know I have to do something before it’s too late. 

There is no way I would let anything happen to him. He’d been the one person that was able to pull me free from the darkness and make me feel human again. I had been a changed man when I’d returned from Afghanistan. Not only did I have shrapnel embedded into three-fourths of my body, I’d had a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. I was a man haunted by the demons of war, unable to escape the dreadful thoughts inside my head. Without Bishop’s help, I’m not sure what would have happened to me. He’d encouraged me to join the Devil Chasers, become part of their family… their brotherhood. They’d helped me fight back the nightmares and find my way back to reality. I owed them my life, and I would do anything I could to protect them.

I take my shot and smile with satisfaction as the first man drops to the ground. The man standing beside him watches his partner fall and quickly turns, pointing his gun in my direction. Surprise crosses his face as he sees me standing there in the open. Before he has a chance to react, I fire my weapon, killing him instantly. Relief washes over me as I watch his limp body crash to the ground.

I should have moved… taken cover… something, but I hesitate. It costs me. Searing pain explodes through my chest as the first bullet forces its way through my flesh. The impact of the second bullet is so strong that I lose my balance, falling over the side of the barge and colliding into the water below. I’d always heard about the water being rough by the dam, but I never dreamed that it could be this strong. When the raging current pulls me under, I can hear the roar of the water as it rushes through turbines at the spillway.

My body rips through the water, forcing water into my nose and mouth. I feel myself being pulled deeper into the water, and my mind races with panic. I am trained for situations like this, but the two bullet wounds make it difficult to pull myself together. I begin kicking my legs, trying my best to make it to the surface. Each time I reach the top of the rapid water, the current catches my legs and pulls me back under. The sporadic gasps of air are making me desperate, but I refuse to die gracefully.

My adrenaline finally kicks in, and I no longer feel any pain. I manage to free myself of my heavy leather jacket, knowing it is only dragging me down. This is no time for sentiment. I am on the verge of losing consciousness and fighting against the current is draining all of my strength. I am getting close to my breaking point. I reach the surface again and take a frantic, deep breath. Thankfully, my military training takes over. I know I need to stop and let the current do all of the work. It may carry me down a few miles, but it will eventually get me to shore.

I struggle to keep my head above the water as the current continues to pull me under. The icy water is starting to make my limbs numb, and I’m finding it hard to stay awake. My heart races in desperation as I try to keep myself from passing out. I can see a small group of houses along the shore, and I pray that I have enough strength to make it to land. My body is just about to give as my feet begin to drag along the bottom of the lake. I try to stand, but my legs are too weak. After several attempts, I am finally able to get my footing and begin the long trek to the shoreline. My clothes and my body feel like lead as I trudge through the riverbed. As I finally reach the edge of the sand, my body drops to the ground in exhaustion, and everything goes black.

Chapter 2

Ana

I cringe when the telephone rings, waking me from my nap. I almost don’t even answer, but I decide to take the risk. I look down at the screen, and I’m relieved when I see that it’s my father. He wants to take me into town later today for some shopping, so he can get a few things for the farm. He says he’s running low on feed for the horses, but I know it is just an excuse to get me out of the house. It’s been over a week since I’ve been anywhere, and I do need to get a few groceries, so I agree to go. It’s a “two birds with one stone” sort of thing.

After a quick cup of coffee, I decide to take one of my walks down by the lake. It is the only place I still feel a level of freedom. It is my one true escape from the hell I’ve been going through over the past month. I keep praying that things will get better, but they never do.

I grab my hoodie and scarf and head out my back door. The cool air nips at my nose, but fortunately it isn’t as cold as it usually is in February. As I step outside, the light from the sun makes its way through the trees, warming my face. I love days like this. This time of year, the weather changes at the drop of a hat. I know I need to take advantage of these beautiful days while I can.

I follow the gravel trail that leads down to the water and then begin my hike along the rocky edge. I love listening to the birds chirping as I walk along the trail. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I can’t hold back my smile. I know spring is just around the corner. Soon, the leaves will start to change, bringing the lake back to life.

I’ve barely reached the water when I notice something lying along the rocks down by the dock. There is something familiar about its shape, leading me to step closer. I quickly realize that it is a person… a man lying face down in the water. I rush over to him, immediately filled with a sense of foreboding.

When I reach his limp body, I see that his head is barely out of the water. I quickly drop down to my knees, lifting his head, and place two fingers against the side of his neck, searching for a pulse. I don’t feel anything, but something inside me urges me on, telling me this man isn’t dead. Everything that had happened to me over the past month seemed to vanish at that moment. With newfound confidence, I feel like I’m a doctor again. I press my fingers firmly into his neck, determined to find his pulse. I breathe deep and try to concentrate on feeling something… anything. Relief washes over me when I finally find it. I kneel down in the icy water and the cold wind sends chills through my body. I plunge my hands and arms into the murky, dark water and reach under his shoulders. Bending and locking my hands under his arms, I wedge my feet in the mud and with all my strength, pull. We both fly backwards, his body landing hard on top of me, stunning me with its weight. I roll him off of me and quickly examine the body. Two bullet wounds catch my attention first, but they have to wait.

He shows no signs of breathing, so I tilt his head back and pull open his mouth by his chin. I stare down at his rugged, masculine face covered in cuts and wonder what had happened to him. I kneel by his side and lean over, covering his mouth with mine. I exhale, filling his lungs with my breath. I repeat this ten times and then recheck for any signs of breathing. There’s nothing, but I’m not giving up. I continue to give him CPR until he coughs and jerks to life. I roll him over onto his side to help get the water out.

A sense of pride fills my soul as I watch him take another breath. Seeing the rise and fall of his chest makes me feel more alive than I have in my entire life. At that moment, I wonder who had really saved whom. I grab my cell phone and call my dad. Luckily, he lives just down the road. It will still take him a few minutes to get here, so I remove my hoodie and press it to the gunshot wounds. I have to try to slow the bleeding while I wait for my father.

A look of utter shock crosses my father’s face as he approaches us. He isn’t the kind of man to turn his back on someone in need, so I have no doubt that he will do all he can to help. I watch as he tries to make sense of what is happening. He kneels down and lifts my hoodie. He lets out a deep breath as he glances over the wounds on the man’s chest. He shakes his head from side to side and then looks over to me.

“You have to help me,” I plead.

“What exactly do you want me to do here, Ana?” my father asks.

“He’s going to die if we don’t do something,” I tell him.

“I don’t know, Ana. Someone wanted this guy dead bad enough to shoot him twice and toss him into the lake. He had to be in some kind of serious trouble, and the last thing we need around here is more trouble. If this goes bad, you’ll never get back your residency at the hospital. You can’t be linked to a dead body, Ana. ”

I know he’s right, but I have to try to help. I want to become a doctor so I can save lives, but there is more to this than that. This isn’t just the urge to save someone’s life. There is something about the look on this man’s face that grabs me. I can’t explain it. I just have to help him. I have to.

“Please, Daddy. Just help me get him inside. I’ll take care of the rest,” I beg.

He walks over to the shed and grabs the old wheelbarrow. He runs his hands through his silver hair as he walks back over to me and says, “It’ll be hard to get him up the hill; he’s heavy.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” I reply, bending down to grab the stranger’s feet. My dad reaches under his shoulders, and together we carefully lift him up into the wheelbarrow. His head tosses from side to side as we push him up the path that leads to the house.

“Where do you want me to put him?” he asks.

“Let’s try to get him to my room. I’ll need your help getting these wet clothes off of him.”

“I think you’ve got more to worry about than a few wet clothes. He really needs a hospital,” he warns.

“You know we can’t take him there. Besides, there’s no time,” I plead. “He’s not going to make it much longer. Let me see what I can do to help him first. If there’s nothing I can do, we’ll think of something else.” As much as I know he needs a hospital, I just can’t risk it. I can’t trust anyone there. The entire hospital has been corrupted by the Thomas family and their money. Jason’s father is the chief surgeon on staff, and he’s known for being tough. No one dares to ask questions. I know there is something going on… some kind of secret, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. Over the past few months, strange things had happened in the hospital. When I’d started making inquiries, Jason and his father had done everything in their power to shut me out and make things difficult for me. They didn’t want anyone meddling in their plans… especially me. With all of that going on, I just can’t risk taking a stranger there. I only hope that I have what it takes to save him.

“I’ll work on the clothes, and you make a list of things you might need from town, and I’ll go get them,” my father says determinedly.

“Thanks. I really appreciate this,” I tell him.

“Just be careful, honey. We don’t know anything about this guy,” he warns, never letting me forget that I’m still his little girl.

“I will. Just hurry. We don’t have much time,” I urge him as I head to my room, preparing myself for what lay ahead. 

Chapter 3

Sheppard

So this is what dying is like…. I see the face of an angel as I’m lifted out of the water. I try to focus on her as I’m haphazardly tossed into some kind of metal wagon. My lifeless body sways from side to side as I’m carried up some kind of rocky hill. I can hear her beautiful voice calling out to me, urging me to stay. I want to answer, but no words come out. Her hand brushes across my face, calming me, but shadows are closing in. There isn’t anything else I can do to stop it. It’s getting more and more difficult to breathe, and I can feel the life slowly drifting out of my body. She whispers in my ear. Her words are so soft, so gentle. There’s something about her voice…. She’s like a light, beckoning me through the darkness. I want to go to her, but the pull is too strong. I can’t get to her.