Their Marriage Reunited (14 page)

“You’re going to let her get killed because you can’t be bothered to watch her?” Cameron demanded incredulously and Connor glared at him.

“It isn’t me who can’t be bothered to look after my wife,” Connor retaliated. That seemed to get through to Cameron and he took a defensive stance at the accusation.

“The hell I can’t. I’ve been looking out for her since the day I married her,” he denied and Connor scoffed at that.

‘If you’ve been keeping an eye out for her then where the hell have you been all these years?” Connor demanded.

“I’ve been watching from a distance. I can’t drag her in to my world, you know that,” Cameron said. Connor simply glared at him.

“You think I want to bring Lilly in to your world? She deserves better than whatever crap you’ve dragged home with you. In fact we all do,” Connor said and then he turned and left without another word while Cameron watched him go.

Connor wasn’t going to stand around and watch his wife go through everything that had happened before. He was going to make a stand and he was going to tell her the truth and hope that she could understand.

Lilly was asleep when Connor got back to the hospital and she looked so peaceful that he didn’t have the heart to wake her. Instead he stood guard all night and made sure that her sleep wasn’t disturbed. He must have fallen asleep in the chair at some point because he awoke abruptly and saw Lilly laughing softly.

“What time is it?” he asked gruffly and she glanced at the clock.

“Just after nine,” she said and he was relieved to see that the smile remained on her face. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

“I’m ready to explain everything,” Connor said and Lilly looked taken aback for a second but then she shook her head and offered him that same charming smile again.

“I don’t need to hear it. At least not yet,” Lilly said.

Connor felt so confused. First she’d demanded answers and now she didn’t care? What was he missing here?

“I don’t understand,” he confessed.

“Your mother visited me last night,” Lilly said. Connor started at that. His mother had visited? How the hell had she done that without him realising?

“What?”

“It was after you’d gone and before you came back with the mysterious bruises that you didn’t explain,” she said and he kept quiet at that.

“What did she want?” he asked curiously. His mother could be sneaky when she wanted to be. She was always trying to meddle in some way and they’d all learnt early on to keep her as far away from their business as they could.

“She wanted to explain some things to me,” Lilly said. He wasn’t any clearer on what she was talking about.

“Like what?” he asked dreading the answer.

“She told me more about your brother,” Lilly said. That absolutely was not what he’d been expecting her to say.

“Cameron?”

“I never really understood what he meant to you. I mean I obviously realised that he was your twin and that Alexa was his wife but I didn’t really get it. Your mother explained it to me in a way that I understood,” she said. He still didn’t understand.

“What exactly did my mother say?” he asked slowly. She grinned at him.

“She explained to me that Alexa and Cameron married young and that he just disappeared. She told me that you both worried about him because he was in the army and that he was constantly at risk and never got in touch. I can understand what Alexa feels like because I felt the same when I was away from you and I can understand why you’d be worrying about your brother because I would feel the same,” she said.

“My mother told you this,” he repeated and she nodded.

“I just never got the connection between you and Alexa. I never understood why you two always seemed so close and why you couldn’t just be there for me instead,” Lilly said.

Connor felt guilty at this honesty. He hadn’t realised how much he’d been pushing her away. He hadn’t thought about her feelings every time he’d put Alexa before her.

“I’m sorry,” he said but it felt inadequate.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I told you, I don’t mind.”

Connor simply stared at her in disbelief. He couldn’t believe the dramatic change in her since the night before. He’d expected to have to crawl on his hands and knees over glass as he begged for her forgiveness.

“I didn’t realise how much this affected you and I’m sorry. I should have put you first all the time,” he said and her smile widened.

“I’m glad you realise that now but it doesn’t matter,” she said.

“I wasn’t having an affair,” he announced and it took them both by surprise. He’d just wanted to get that out there so that she knew he hadn’t betrayed her.

“I know. It was just my own insecurities getting the better of me,” she said.

Connor couldn’t believe the change in her. Her mood was brighter and she barely seemed in any pain at all. It was like things used to be and he couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t last. They didn’t have a very good track record when it came to their relationship.

It was later that day when Lilly was discharged and Connor took her straight home and tucked her in to bed. He fussed over her and she laughed at the way he treated her as though she were spun from glass. By the afternoon she was sick of him and she sent him out to fill her prescription just to get some breathing space. She wouldn’t complain because she appreciated that he was worried about her and she loved him all the more for it but she couldn’t handle any more mothering.

Connor hadn’t been gone long when there was a hesitant knock at the door. Lilly had just settled herself in the lounge with a good book and she frowned at the door because she wasn’t aware that they were expecting anyone. She got to her feet and ignored the faint pain in her side. She was surprised when she opened the door to find Alexa standing there shifting nervously from foot to foot.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just.. Can I come in?” Alexa asked hesitantly and Lilly’s eyes widened in surprise. Of all the people she’d expected she was probably the last.

“Connor’s not here right now but I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” Lilly said as she stepped aside to let Alexa in.

“Actually its you I came to see,” Alexa said which surprised Lilly even more. They’d been friends years ago before everything had gone to hell but they hadn’t really spoken in years.

“What’s up?” Lilly asked. The least she could do was be friendly, especially after realising what a foolish cow she’d been all these years.

“I found out that I was the one who had come between you and Connor and I wanted to apologise,” Alexa said in one rushed breath. It was as though she’d been holding those words in because as soon as she said it her shoulders relaxed and seemed like the tension between them lifted.

“You weren’t the one who destroyed our relationship, I was,” Lilly insisted but Alexa shook her head.

“No. If I hadn’t been such an idiot then I would have realised that I was taking up all of his time and getting in between you two,” Alexa refuted.

“I let my insecurities get the best of me,” Lilly tried to insist but Alexa kept shaking her head. Lilly laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation because they were both trying to take the blame for something that should never have been an issue in the first place.

“Please forgive me,” Alexa pleaded.

“There isn’t anything to forgive,” Lilly told her. For the first time she felt like that might actually be true. She had spent so many years hating Alexa for stealing her husband when the truth was that she hadn’t had enough faith to trust them.

It was a weird few minutes as the two reconnected and Lilly realised just how much she had missed having a friend that she could count on. When she’d first been married she’d been quite close to Alexa and she hadn’t realised how much she missed her.

They were just about to get a glass of wine and head to the lounge when the door there was a bang and the front door flew open behind them. Lilly could only watch in stunned silence as three masked men came storming in to the house brandishing weapons. She was too shocked to even move. This wasn’t the sort of thing that happened in real life, this was a scene from the movies.

“What the hell?”

Alexa wasn’t quite as frozen in place. Instead she was stepping in front of Lilly in a protective gesture and confronting the armed men. Lilly thought that she must be insane because the one thing that you probably shouldn’t do when a group of armed men confronted you was to antagonise them.

One of the men pointed a gun at them and Lilly gave shriek that came out more like a squeak. She couldn’t believe that this was really happening and she definitely couldn’t believe how cool Alexa was being about everything. Did she not see the guns? Lilly didn’t even know what kind of guns they were; all she knew was that she could be moments from death.

“Move!” One of the men ordered Alexa as they advanced towards them.

“Take anything you want, just don’t hurt us,” Lilly begged. She wasn’t sure what they would be after but she knew that Connor was a very rich man who probably had plenty of expensive things in his home.

“It’s you that we want,” one of the other men said and Lilly froze in fear.

“You’re not taking her,” Alexa told them as she dropped in to a fighting stance. What the hell? Lilly hadn’t even known that Alexa knew how to fight let alone that she would feel confident enough to stand against armed men. It seemed like a stupid move to Lilly.

“Last chance. Move,” the first man said. Alexa didn’t move. One of the guns fired and Lilly shrieked. She panicked for a moment that they’d shot Alexa but quickly realised that it had been a warning shot. There was a bullet embedded in the wall and Lilly swallowed nervously as she realised how easily that could have killed one of them.

“I don’t understand what you want,” Lilly said. Why would they break in here and start shooting? That gunshot must have alerted someone that there was trouble. She could only hope that someone had called the police.

“Your husband will understand,” one of the men said and Lilly frowned at that. What the hell had Connor done that these men would have broken in to his house?

One of the men gave a signal and they all began advancing. Lilly couldn’t breathe, as they got closer. All she could think was that something really bad was about to happen and she would lose another one of her babies, if not her life.

Before they could reach them Alexa moved and Lilly could only watch in stunned fascination as she launched herself at one of the gunmen and managed to disarm him as the force of her sent them backwards before he’d even realised what the hell was going on. Alexa grabbed a heavy ornament from nearby and smashed it over the man’s head and he stopped in his efforts to throw her off and went limp. Alexa’s success was short-lived however when one of the other men headed in Lilly’s direction while the other simply slammed the butt of his gun in to the side of Alexa’s head which knocked her off the fallen man and in to the wall where she fell in to a crumpled heap. Lilly let out a cry of distress but before she could even move the other man had grabbed her around the waist. She started to struggle in earnest but it had no effect.

He put a cloth over her mouth and stifled her screams.

“Night, night princess,” he said. She was too panicked to even realise that there was something on the cloth until darkness claimed her.

The first hint of something not being right was when Connor noticed the front door ajar. He didn’t have an expensive alarm system because he’d never needed one. The small town where he lived was full of family and friends who looked out for each other. The one thing that he was very careful with though was ensuring that the doors were locked and secure. Seeing that door partly open caused his system to be flooded with fear even as he tried to convince himself to calm down because he was probably just being paranoid.

He rushed up to the door uncaring of whatever threat may lay within. He just wanted to know that Lilly was safe. He could tell as soon as he opened the door fully that whatever she was, she wasn’t safe. The first thing that he noticed was an ornament overturned before his eyes locked onto the small figure on the floor.

“Alexa!” he shouted and he ran to her side as panic sliced through him. Oh god, please let he be alright. He wasn’t even sure what she was doing here but there was no sign of Lilly. He checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it. For a moment there he’d thought that she wasn’t even breathing. He was just taking his phone from his pocket to call and ambulance and the police when Alexa groaned and moved her head from side to side.

“Alexa?” he said and she groaned again and squeezed one eye open. She reached a hand up to her head and then let it flutter uselessly to the ground as she groaned again.

“What happened?” she asked in a weak voice. That was what he wanted to know, Connor thought grimly.

“I’m not sure, honey. You’re bleeding though,” he said as she moved her head and he saw the trickle of blood at her temple.

“Lilly!” she shouted as she suddenly launched herself in to a sitting position and her eyes widened in both horror and pain.

“Easy there,” Connor said as he put an arm around her and tried to ease her back down but she wasn’t having any of it. Instead she stared up at him with wild, panicked eyes.

“They took her,” she said and Connor’s heart felt like it stopped.

“Took who?” he demanded even though he already knew the answer.

“They took Lilly.”

Connor’s first instinct was to call the police but then he had a sudden horrifying thought. It seemed odd that he’d never had any trouble until his brother had turned up again. The problem was that if his suspicion was correct then what the hell could the police do? Making a decision he dialled his brother’s number and waited for the call to connect.

“I have a situation. Get to my house now!” he demanded and then he hung up before Cameron could say anything. His phone rang immediately but he ignored it. Maybe his brother would finally get it through his head that this was damn well serious and that he had better get his arse here now.

“Who was that?” Alexa asked but Connor was more concerned with the state of her. She looked pale and there was the trickle of blood that was worrying him.

“I need to call an ambulance,” he told her and her panicked gaze met his.

“No ambulance,” she insisted and he hesitated.

“I have to call one,” he said. He knew that if it were Lilly laid here then he wouldn’t have hesitated.

“Don’t you dare call an ambulance or I swear I’ll never forgive you,” she snapped.

They were still arguing about whether to call an ambulance or not when Cameron appeared in the doorway. His assessing gaze scanned the room and narrowed in worry at the sight of Alexa sat on the floor. It was the only thing she hadn’t argued with Connor about and he was glad that she hadn’t tried to stand up.

“What the hell is this?” Cameron demanded. He looked the most pissed off that Connor had ever seen him and he’d been on the receiving end of a few of his brother’s tempers over the years.

“What is he doing here?” Alexa demanded of Connor who tried not to look guilty. He was completely within his right to ring his brother and let him know that she was injured. Especially since she wasn’t the main reason that he’d called.

“Have you even rung an ambulance?” Cameron demanded as he strode over and bent down to try and fully assess her injuries. She batted away his hands when they tried to touch her.

“Don’t touch me,” Alexa hissed. It didn’t do any good though as he simply ignored her and carried on checking her injuries.

“I tried but she refused,” Connor said. That stopped Cameron’s roving hands as he turned an incredulous look on his brother.

“And you listened to her? Are you out of your fucking mind? Look at her,” Cameron snapped. They both turned to look at her and Alexa folded her arms over her chest and glared at both of them.

“I am absolutely fine and I don’t need any alpha male to protect me. Meanwhile Lilly is in serious trouble and all you two can do is argue,” she told them. Connor was all in agreement with that. He might be concerned about Alexa but at the end of the day his wife was in more immediate danger.

“What’s going on with Lilly?” Cameron asked, taken off guard.

“Men broke in with guns and kidnapped her,” Alexa said. Connor paled at that. He’d established that someone had taken her but he hadn’t realised that they’d had guns. What if she’d been shot? She was pregnant, alone and scared. He wished that he’d been here and had the chance to stop them from taking her.

“What men?” Cameron demanded.

“They didn’t exactly say who they were but they had matching tattoos. I saw it clearly on the one that I knocked out,” Alexa said. Cameron’s eyes snapped to hers at that and if his anger had been bad before then it had just gone nuclear.

“You knocked one of them out?” he asked in a deadly soft voice and she shrugged as though it were nothing for him to concern himself about.

“Yes,” she confirmed and Cameron gritted his teeth together.

“Are you fucking insane? They had guns and could have shot you,” he ground out. She shrugged again.

“But they didn’t.”

“Then what the hell is that bullet hole?” Cameron demanded as he finally spotted the bullet embedded in the wall.

“They weren’t aiming for me,” she said firmly and with her chin stuck in the air.

“And what if they bloody had been? You could have been dead,” Cameron told her and she shrugged again.

“But I’m not,” she said stretching her arms out to confirm that in fact she was still alive. At least she would be until he throttled her. How could she have been so damn stupid?

“Can we get back to the men with guns please,” Connor said and Cameron finally focused on his brother’s problem.

Within minutes he’d gotten the headlines of the kidnapping from Alexa and established that the men were part of the group that he was hunting. He figured that they’d probably confused Connor with him and assumed that Lilly was his wife instead of his brother’s. It wasn’t that big of a mistake to make. People had often been confused by which brother was which when they were younger. Alexa and their mother had been about the only ones who actually knew which brother was which.

“So what do we do?” Connor asked. He looked lost without his wife and Cameron’s heart went out to him. He knew exactly what he was going through because he had felt it everyday since they’d threatened Alexa’s life. Tonight they’d almost ended her life and he wouldn’t let them get away with it.

“You are going to take my wife to the hospital,” Cameron said.

“Don’t call me your wife. And I’m not going to hospital,” Alexa told him stubbornly. She may as well have saved her breath as both men ignored her completely.

“And what are you going to do?” Connor asked his brother.

“I am going to get my team together and bring Lilly home,” Cameron announced. Connor was relieved by this declaration. That was one thing that he could say for his brother, he kept his promises to him.

“I am not going to the hospital,” Alexa repeated.

“I’ll make sure your wife is cared for and you make sure you get my wife home safe,” Connor said. Cameron gave him a nod and then with one last unreadable look sent Alexa’s way he disappeared in to the night.