Destiny Disrupted (There's Always Tomorrow Book 1) (18 page)

“Oh, hey, Vance,” Dayne’s dad says, glancing over as he finishes Dayne's hair.

“Hey,” Vance says quietly and walks over to the bed with Melina.

“Who is this lovely lady?” his dad asks and comes around the bed to shake Melina's hand.

“My girlfriend, Melina. Melina, this is Dayne's dad.”

“Nice to meet you,” Melina says with a tight smile.

“You, too, hun,” he replies.

Dayne reaches out and grabs Vance's hand. “Are Tripp and Ryder okay?” Dayne asks frantically through his wired shut jaw.

“Ryder's okay. Tripp's in the ICU with a fractured skull, but he’ll be all right,” Vance replies and sits down next to him.

“Fuck...Xander and Bryan?” Dayne asks, tears actually forming in his eyes. The only time that Vance has seen Dayne cry is when his mother died.

“Xander is fine, but Bryan didn't survive his injuries,” Vance says quietly.

“Shit,” Dayne chokes, covering his eyes with his free hand as the tears run down his face.

“Did you see the guy?” Vance asks.

Dayne shakes his head. “No”

“Tell me what happened,” Vance says softly.

“I don't remember much. I just remember walking into the kitchen and seeing Ryder laid out. When I went to help him, I got smashed in the face with something really fucking hard. Then I blacked out.”

“Shit,” Vance breathes and stands up. He paces back and forth next to the bed and rakes his hands through his hair. This is a nightmare.

Melina sits down next to Dayne and strokes his hair. “Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Not so much at the moment. They pumped me up full of morphine,” Dayne says through his clenched teeth.  I can't believe I have a broken jaw. I'm gonna be on a liquid diet for at least four months.”

“God that sucks,” Melina says.

“You're telling me,” Dayne grunts.

“I'm gonna go see Ryder, alright?” Vance asks Dayne.

Dayne nods. “Okay, I wanna go back to sleep anyway.”

Melina gives Dayne a kiss on the forehead before following Vance out of the room. She catches his hand as they walk down the hallway to Ryder's room. Vance lets her hand go and wraps it around her shoulders. She then slides her arm around his lower back. Vance gives her a kiss on the top of her head.

“Melina?” Vance asks quietly.

“Hmm?”

“I need you to stay close to me, day and night. This bastard threatened you and I don't want you out of my sight,” Vance murmurs into her hair then kisses her again.

“What about work?” Melina asks.

“I'm not sure yet. I have to think of something.” Vance sighs.

“So we're going to stay at my house then?” Melina asks, looking up at him.

“No, we can't. If he knows about you, then he knows where you live,” Vance says grimly.

“What are we going to do then? Rent a hotel room until he's caught?” Melina scoffs.

“Not a hotel room, but another house for all of us,” Vance says.

“For all of us?” Melina asks dryly and casts him a sideways glance.

“Yeah, the guys can't stay at our house. Where else are they going to stay?” Vance says, brows furrowed.

“Aren’t they gonna stay with their parents?” Melina asks.

Vance stops walking, halting Melina with him. He turns her to face him. “Melina, my friends are in these hospital beds because of me, because of my job. I need them living in one place. I need to come home at night and make sure that they’re all okay, just as I need to make sure that you’re okay. These guys are my family, Melina,” Vance says, frowning hard.

Melina sighs and rubs her face. “I know, babe. I'm sorry. My mind is just a mess right now.”

Vance slips his hands into her hair and cups her face. “I know, baby, I know,” Vance whispers then kisses her tenderly on the lips. “Everything’s going to be okay, I promise.” Melina closes her eyes and nods. 

After checking in on Ryder, they head to the ICU to visit Tripp. When they walk into Tripp's room, Melina lets out a small cry at the sight of him. Vance, too, gets choked up. They had to shave his head to get to his injured skull. Right now, it’s bandaged up and has a drainage tube coming out of it. He’s in a medically induced coma and has a ventilator breathing for him.

“Shit, Tripp,” Vance blurts then drops to one knee. He takes Tripp's hand in his and puts his forehead down on the back of Tripp's hand. Out of all of the guys, he and Tripp are the closest, so seeing him like this is tearing Vance apart.

Vance feels Melina's hand on the back of his head. “Do they have any idea if there's brain damage?” he hears Melina ask. He’s assuming that she’s talking to Tripp's parents.

“They won't know until they’re able to bring him out of the coma. That should probably be in a few days or so,” Tripp’s mom tells Melina.

“What I don't understand is how this even happened to him. He’s a Navy Seal, a trained fighter. How the hell did someone sneak up on him and smash him in the head?” Tripp’s father says, bewildered.

Vance has been wondering the same thing. He suddenly looks up, an idea popping into his head. He wipes the tears away and stands up. “It's gotta be someone who's had similar training. Tripp doesn't get snuck up on, ever,” he says.

Tripp’s dad nods. “I agree. Do you think there could have been more than one person?”

Vance frowns, debating in his head. “No, Xander said it was one guy. And he saw a tattoo of an anchor or maybe an eagle,” he answers then thinks aloud.

“That could be Navy,” Tripp’s dad interjects. Vance nods in agreement.

“Not that I'm complaining, but why do you think the killer left everyone except Bryan alive? Why not just kill everyone?” Melina asks quietly.

Vance glances at her. “He's fucking with me; letting me know that he can get to me.”

“How does he know who you are?” Tripp’s stepmom asks.

Vance shoves his hands through his hair.  “I've got no friggin’ idea. But he said something to Xander about knowing him for a long time. None of this makes any sense.” He sighs.

“Do you have any enemies that you think could be capable of this?” Tripp’s dad asks.

Vance paces as he tries to think of anyone he could have wronged that would want some kind of serious revenge on him. Someone with Tripp's tactical skill level. Of course, when you're a cop, you make a shitload of enemies. The people you put away hate you, and would love any opportunity to take you out. He has put away several people who have threatened revenge if they ever got out. Vance tries to think of anyone who sticks out.

A name pops into Vance's head; one he hasn’t thought about in years. Oh, Jesus. Vance sways, as he suddenly becomes light headed. He drops down on the end of Tripp's hospital bed. It can't be him. Please don’t be him.

Navy trained.

Knows Xander from the past.

Hates Vance.

It’s gotta be him.

Motherfucker! Why didn’t Vance put this together sooner? Because there’s no way he could do something like this, or so Vance thought. Vance looks at Tripp. This is going to break his heart.

“What is it, Van?” Tripp’s dad asks, as he comes up next to him.

Vance just shakes his head in denial.

“Tell me who you think it is, son,” Tripp’s dad asks again, placing his hand on Vance’s shoulder.

“Damien,” Vance whispers.

Tripp’s father stumbles back until he bumps into the wall. “No, Van, no. It can't be. It can't be!” he chokes out, as he slides down the wall until he is sitting. Tripp’s stepmother rushes over to him and wraps her arms around him as he starts to sob.

Tripp’s mother is standing by the window with her husband. All of the color drains from her face and she looks ready to pass out. “But no one has seen Damien in three years,” she breathes.

“Who's Damien?” Melina asks.

“Tripp's little brother. He’s a couple of years younger than Tripp and always looked up to him. He would do everything that Tripp did, even became a Navy Seal. Only problem was that he didn't like Ryder, Mike, or Dayne, and he hated me, because of how close I was with Tripp. It's not like Tripp ignored him or anything, but Damien wanted Tripp all to himself. Tripp and Damien actually deployed to Afghanistan together. Tripp came back okay, but Damien had serious PTSD, and became a Deserter.  No one has seen or heard from him in three years, and he's the only person that I can think of who hates me this much, and who has Tripp's skill level. They are trained in stealth; it's no wonder that no one has seen or heard anything during the other murders. And he's the only one who could have snuck up on Tripp.”

Tripp’s dad continues to sob and his mom is now bawling after hearing Vance's reasoning. They have to come to grips with the fact that one of their sons is a serial killer, and the other is lying in a hospital bed because of him. Vance loses count of how many times he curses in his head, but it’s a lot. Only problem now is going to be finding and catching him. 

Vance tracks down Shawn, who is still milling around the hospital.  No way would he leave his partner after what he just went through. Vance tells him everything he’s thinking about Damien, and they both decide that they need to talk to the new lead detective on the case. The hospital is swarming with officers and detectives.   Half of them are there for protection, the other half are there to interview each of them. When they finally find the detective on the case, Vance explains to him his hunch in detail.  It’s enough to put out an APB on Damien and have the entire LAPD out looking for him. Let the manhunt begin. 

Chapter 13

**Tripp**

Tripp gags as he comes back to an altered awareness. Something’s being pulled out of his throat and he can't help but gag. As soon as whatever it is, is out of his throat, he’s fine and can breathe easily. Tripp then feels someone doing something with his head, maybe wrapping it or something. And he can hear voices talking around him that are slowly getting louder and louder.

Tripp cracks open an eye and tries to focus. What the fuck happened and where the hell is he? It’s very white, heaven maybe? Did he die? He can't remember anything, not even his own name. He cracks his other eye open and sees people standing all around him. Blinking a few times, he tries to focus on the male standing directly to his right.

This guy is tall, blond, and attractive. Not that he’s gay or anything – at least he doesn’t think so, but what does he know? - but the man is extremely good looking. And his eyes are a brilliant blue that light up his whole face, along with his perfect smile. Tripp feels as though he should know this guy, but he just can't place him.

“Hey, Tripp, buddy. Welcome back,” Mr. Good Looking says and cups his cheek with a big hand.

“Tripp?” Tripp croaks, throat raw from whatever was in his throat.

Mr. Good Looking's smile fades. “Yeah, man. That’s your name. Don’t you remember?”

Tripp shakes his head slightly. “No.”

“Do you know who I am?” Mr. Good Looking asks dejectedly.

Tripp meets the man's painfully sad gaze. “I'm sorry,” he says with another shake of his head.

The guy swallows hard. “Vance. I'm Vance. Your best friend. Ring any bells?”

Tripp tries to remember. He wants to remember. “No,” he whispers.

Mr. Good Looking's jaw clenches as he nods. The guy drops his gaze and Tripp catches sight of the tears running down his face as he turns away and into the arms of a gorgeous brunette, who is standing slightly behind him. Tripp feels horrible. The guy is obviously devastated that he doesn't know who he is.

Tripp goes through this routine with a few other people who claim to be his parents and stepparents. Then the doctor comes in and does a whole bunch of tests on him. The doctor explains that he obviously has amnesia, and he can't be sure if it is long term or not. Time will tell he says. Bullshit, Tripp wants answers. He wants to remember what happened to him. The doctor then asks everyone to leave the room for a while so that Tripp can rest because his blood pressure is a bit high. Everyone follows the doctor’s orders and leaves him alone to think.

Tripp doesn't realize that he's fallen asleep until he hears the door to his hospital room shut. He opens his eyes to see his GQ model “best friend” walking tentatively toward the bed. When GQ sees that he’s awake, he gives Tripp a tight smile.

“Hey,” GQ says. Tripp is having trouble recalling what he said his name was.

“Hey,” Tripp replies.

“Mind if I sit?” GQ asks and motions toward the chair next to the bed.

“Not at all,” Tripp says and watches his “best friend” sit in the chair. He rubs his face hard before looking up at Tripp. Heartbroken, the poor man is absolutely heartbroken; it is clear as day in his no longer bright blue eyes.

“So the doctor says that we should all tell you stories and show you pictures to try to help you remember. But honestly, I don't even know where to start; we have so much history together,” GQ says softly, leaning forward to put his forearms on his knees.

“Start by telling me your name again and how we met,” Tripp says, his voice a deep rasp, like he chewed on some gravel.

“Vance, my name is Vance, and we've known each other our whole lives. We've done everything together. It’s been me, you, Dayne, Ryder, and Mike since kindergarten. We’ve lived together since we graduated high school, except when one of us was deployed. Mike is the only one still over there.” Vance sighs heavily and rakes a hand through his hair.

“Dayne, Mike, and Ryder?” Tripp asks, shaking his head in confusion. He has no idea who these people are.

Vance stands up and pulls a phone out of his pocket. He hits a couple of buttons then turns the screen toward Tripp. He reaches out and takes the phone, looking at the picture on the screen; it’s Vance and four other guys. The first has blond buzzed hair with blue eyes. He must be a soldier or some sort because he is wearing a brown and green uniform. One has long blond hair that comes down to his shoulders. He also has a goatee and is decked out in leather pants, boots, a navy blue wife beater, and a leather jacket. Then the other guy has dark hair that is long on top and swooped down over his forehead to partially cover his left eye. He has a lot of piercings and tattoos. He has on faded jeans and a white t-shirt. Then the last guy, who’s not Vance, has dark brown hair with a buzz cut similar to Tripp’s. His face is lightly covered in dark stubble. He’s wearing black jeans and a nice blue plaid button short sleeved shirt. And Vance is wearing a suit. They all have their arms around each other and have huge smiles on their faces.

“Which one is Dayne, which is Ryder, and which is Mike?” Tripp asks, glancing up at Vance.

Vance points to the longhaired blond in leathers. “This is Dayne.”

He then points to the dark haired guy. “This is Ryder.”

Lastly, he points to the buzz cut guy. “And this is Mike.”

“Okay. So you said Dayne, Ryder, and Mike. But there’s another guy here besides you,” Tripp observes.

Vance looks at Tripp, and he can tell that Vance is desperately hoping that he’s kidding. “That’s you, man.”

Tripp’s eyes widen in surprise. “I'm in the military?” he asks and looks up at Vance, who is watching him very intensely.

“You're a Navy Seal, Tripp. Well, you were honorably discharged.  Now you work for the FBI, and are one of their top agents. This picture was taken right after you got back from Afghanistan...you really don't remember anything? Because if you're fucking with me, I'm seriously going to have to kick your ass,” Vance says, his voice cracking with emotion.

Tripp frowns. Vance is tearing up again, dammit. “I wish I was fucking with you, man, but I don't remember a thing. I feel like I've just been born, my life starting when I woke up. I don't even know my own parents, Vance. I hate that you're so upset about this.”

“I'm just overwhelmed right now, Tripp. There’s a lot of fucked up shit going on. I wish that I could talk to you about it, but I can't because you'll have no idea what I'm talking about,” Vance murmurs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Do you have more pictures on here that I can look at?” Tripp asks after a moment of silence between them. He figures changing the subject is a good idea.

“Oh...uh, yeah. Just swipe your finger right or left across the screen like this,” Vance says, leaning over to show Tripp how to get to the next picture.

“Why don't you sit next to me so you can tell me about the pictures,” he offers and moves over a bit.

Vance hesitates for a second before sitting down on the bed next to him. He tells Tripp the stories behind the pictures, which are mostly of him, Vance, Dayne, Mike, and Ryder. Most of the stories are fucking hilarious and absolutely crazy. There are also a bunch of pictures of Vance with the brunette from earlier.

“Is this your girlfriend?” Tripp asks as they look at a picture of Vance and the gorgeous woman wrapped in his arms.

“Yeah, that's Melina,” Vance says with a warm smile.

Tripp smirks. “You love her, huh?”

“Is it that obvious?” Vance chuckles, giving Tripp a sideways glance.

“Oh, yeah.” Tripp laughs. “Have I met her?”

“Yeah, we've been together for a little while now. You two get along really well.”

Tripp smiles. “She's gorgeous.”

“And she has a great personality, too. It’s so hard to find a woman who's both beautiful and normal. I really got lucky,” Vance says fondly.

“Do I have a girlfriend?” Tripp asks, suddenly worried of what he would be putting a woman through by not remembering her.

“No, no, you’re single,” Vance says quickly and pats him on the chest, picking up on his sudden panic. “You were in a serious relationship with Mike’s sister for a few years, but it ended when you were deployed.”

“Oh, ok, good.” Tripp sighs in relief.

There’s a knock on the door right before it opens. Vance's girlfriend, Melina, is pushing a guy who looks like a beat up version of Dayne in a wheelchair. He’s in a hospital gown, his face is bruised and swollen, and his hair is pulled up into a pony tail.

“Hi, guys,” Melina says cheerfully, “I brought the grumpy douchebag to see you, Tripp.”

Tripp laughs at Melina's choice of words, but Dayne doesn't find it so funny. “Bite me, Melina. I'd walk if this goddamn hospital would let me, but no. If I go anywhere, it has to be in a wheelchair like I'm a fucking cripple,” he says through clenched teeth, which Tripp thinks is a little odd.

“What’s wrong with your mouth?” Tripp asks.

“Broken jaw; it's wired shut. I think they’re just trying to torture me,” Dayne grunts.

“Ah,” Tripp replies then looks Dayne over again. Not one ounce of recognition, fuck!

Melina goes over to the bed and gives Vance a kiss on the lips. “Hi, honey.”

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey, Tripp. How you feeling?” Melina asks sweetly.

Tripp shrugs. “Not remembering anyone is hard, especially after Vance has been telling me how close we are. I really want to remember, but nothing’s familiar.”

“And here I thought I was unforgettable.” Dayne snorts.

“Asshole.” Vance snickers.

Tripp watches the little brotherly exchange and is actually jealous. He’s supposed to be a part of that. But now he’s just a stranger on the outside looking in.

“I'll be back; I'm gonna go get Ryder,” Melina says and heads for the door.

“Don't take too long nurse Melina or you might miss your shot at seeing my ass when I go take a piss,” Dayne calls after her as best as he can.

Melina lets out a bark of laughter. “I wouldn't dream of missing that,” she responds as she shuts the door behind her.

Vance, on the other hand, kicks Dayne in the shin. “Watch it,” he warns.

Dayne rubs his shin. “Ow, dickhead. She knows I’m joking, or did you forget that we’ve bonded and have a special connection. She understands me, man.”

Vance snorts and rolls his eyes.

“Wait, so why are the three of us in the hospital? What happened?” Tripp asks, looking between Vance and Dayne.

“I'm a detective for the LAPD and am working on a serial killer case, but I got reassigned by request. It seems that this pissed off the serial killer because he's actually after me. So he decided to fuck with me and go after you guys and my brother,” Vance says with a grimace.

Tripp stares at Vance for a moment then says, “You're kidding, right?”

“Nope,” Dayne chimes in. “No joke, brother. We got our asses kicked by a serial killer. You better thank god that we all made it out alive. Well, almost all,” Dayne murmurs.

“Almost all? Someone died? Who?” Tripp asks.

“This kid, Bryan, that we took in. He was one of Melina's students, she teaches dance,” Vance replies softly.

“Shit, I'm sorry.” Tripp sighs.

Vance just nods. Dayne also looks solemn. Once again, there is a knock, and in comes Melina with the last of their foursome – not including Mike, of course. Just like Tripp and Dayne, Ryder looks like shit. His face is bruised and swollen. His left arm is in a harness that keeps it tight to his chest. Tripp is guessing that he has a broken collarbone. His hair is a disaster. Melina sets him up next to Dayne, who brings his hand up to pat Ryder's shoulder, but Ryder holds his other hand up and speaks before Dayne lands his hand on him.

“Motherfucker, you touch my shoulder and I will re-break you're motherfucking jaw,” Ryder snaps, his voice hard as a rock. The look he gives Dayne is even harder.

Dayne snatches his hand back as if it just got snapped at by a rabid dog. “Fuck, man. Why don't you just bite my fucking head off next time,” Dayne says.

“Fuck you,” Ryder growls.

“Alright, boys, knock it off. Dayne, Ryder is in a lot of pain and is very uncomfortable, so just leave him alone, okay?” Melina asks calmly.

“Fine, jeeze.” Dayne snorts and shifts in his wheelchair so that he’s farther away from Ryder.

“Ryder, can I please brush your hair? I can't stand it looking like a bird's nest,” Melina complains.

“Whatever,” Ryder mumbles.

Melina puts her purse on the chair and searches through it before pulling out a little portable brush. Vance watches her lovingly as she goes back over to Ryder and starts working the knots out of his hair. Tripp looks at the people surrounding him. They’re a family and he’s part of it, even if he can't remember. They still want him with them; otherwise, they wouldn't be here spending time with him, trying to help him remember his past.