Dominic-Valerie scrambled away and stood up. “Get in here!”A few seconds later, two more men entered the room, and I fired the gun at them. The gun I held was small and had limited ammo, but I counted each bullet. With only one more bullet left, I knew I couldn’t get Hayden out of this alive.“Can you stand?” I asked Hayden as I rolled off her and jumped to my feet.Valerie staggered back wide-eyed, but I lunged toward her and grabbed her. Pulling her in front of me, I pressed the barrel of the pistol against her head. Hayden moved to her feet just as a group of men entered the room.“Get behind me!” I ordered Hayden. She did as she was told and pressed her body against my back.“You do realize you won’t get out of this alive, right?” Valerie laughed, but I could tell she was afraid. Her body was tense, and her voice shook. “If you want to survive, you are better off leaving the girl and escaping on your own.”“Over my dead body.” I pressed the gun harder against Valerie’s head.“Th
Dominic-Placing my hand against the side of the car, I bent over when a wave of dizziness hit me. Closing my eyes, I focused on breathing until the world stopped spinning. I knew I should wait for Tristan or someone else to take us to the hospital, but I was worried that Hayden’s injuries couldn’t wait much longer.Once I felt steady enough to drive, I got in the Hummer. Hayden was unconscious when I looked over at her as I put on my seat belt. Reaching across her, I pulled the seatbelt over her and strapped her in.“Hold on. I will get you to the hospital.” I pulled my hand back after briefly touching her face.I ignored the speed limit to the hospital. When I pulled in front of the emergency room, I didn’t care that I was blocking the path for an ambulance. Slamming the vehicle in park, I left the Hummer running as I got out.I dropped to a knee when my feet touched the ground but caught myself with the door before I fell completely. Tristan must have informed some of my men to mee
Hayden-When I woke up, I was a little disoriented. I knew I was in a hospital room, except I didn’t know why. My last memory was getting off the plane. Seeing Dominic sitting beside the bed with his phone in his hand, I cleared my throat to get his attention.“How are you feeling?” Dominic put his phone down and stood up.“Thirsty.” I groaned and tried to sit up but stopped when I felt a sharp pain in my ribs.“Let me help you.” Dominic pressed a button on the rail of the bed, and the head of the bed started to lift until I was mostly sitting up.Dominic turned toward the bedside table and poured water out of a pitcher into a cup with a straw. As he moved the cup toward me, he placed his hand behind my head and guided the straw into my mouth. My throat hurt, so I could only take a few sips.“How long was I asleep for?” I asked after Dominic set the cup down, scooted the chair closer to the bed, and sat down again.“A little over twenty-four hours. How are you feeling?” Dominic presse
Hayden-“We have something to talk to the both of you about.” My mother said after we finished eating breakfast.Almost every morning, it was more of a ritual for the family to sit together to eat. It was the only time we were able to spend time together. I was in my senior year of high school, so I rarely had time to be at home between classes, cheerleading, debate team, advanced college classes, and hanging out with friends.The same went for the rest of the family. My mother was a surgeon at the hospital, so she spent a lot of time away from home. My father died when I was young, but my mother remarried six years ago. Not only did I get a stepfather, but I also got a stepbrother.My stepfather was a businessman, but I was pretty sure he lied about his job. A few times, I found blood stains on his clothes. My stepbrother, Dominic, was the same way. He was four years older than me and getting ready to graduate from college.Every so often, Dominic would return home late at night with
Hayden-It has been four years since I received the most devastating news of my life. Four years of living with the most profound regret of my life. In less than a month, I would graduate from college, and I was already dreading the day.I was tempted not to graduate at all. Knowing my family died at the same time I was on stage receiving my high school diploma, I didn’t feel like I deserved to graduate. If it weren’t for my best friend, Lillian Conner, whom I call Lily, I would have considered ending my life on the day that I was supposed to graduate.It would be a bittersweet way to die. I had gone as far as writing a suicide note, but Lily had found it and convinced me not to. I met Lily on my first day of freshman year, and we have been friends and roommates ever since. At first, I hadn’t wanted to be her friend, but she pestered me endlessly until I gave in.Her life was almost as tragic as mine. When she was a senior in high school, her family had been killed in a car accident.
Hayden-Arriving at the bar, Tristan led me to a table in the back of the room. We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes until a waitress arrived to take our order. I was relieved when he ordered a few shots and a couple of mixed drinks for each of us.“I can see that you are tense.” Tristan said after the waitress returned with the shots and then left. “I thought you might feel a little better with a little liquid courage.”I took the two shots that he placed in front of me and downed them one after another. It didn’t take long for the shots to take effect. It wasn’t enough to make me feel drunk, but it did loosen me up a bit.For the next hour, we chatted about random things. I learned he was the vice president of Fox Ink, one of the largest publishing companies in the world. I told him about my career goals, and for once, I was looking forward to it.Even if the booze was easing my troubled soul, I started to believe that I would eventually be able to let go of the past en
Hayden-“Daddy!” The female cried.Looking up, I saw the unknown female crawl over to the dead man, leaning over his body and shaking him. The more she shook him, the more he bled. As the pool of blood increased, so did the bile in my stomach.I felt the urge to vomit again, but I couldn’t move. With wide eyes, I watched as the female cried over her father’s body. I should have listened to Dominic when he told me to leave. If I had, I wouldn’t have been responsible for killing someone.Despite the female’s protest, she was hauled to her feet and dragged to the door. One of the men who came with them picked up the man I shot and carried him away on his back. The female’s red and swollen eyes met mine when they were at the door with a deadly glare.“You will regret this day.” The female screamed as she was pulled out of the room.Once they were gone, I looked down at my trembling hands, still clutching the gun. Although I knew I didn’t touch any blood, my eyes played tricks on me. Dropp
Hayden-“What is all this?” I asked, sitting down at the table.Dominic was still in the kitchen, with his back turned toward me. I didn’t think I would have much of an appetite, but I couldn’t resist leaning forward and grabbing a piece of bacon off one of the plates. As I took a bite, I looked up just as Dominic turned around.Forgetting about the food, I stopped chewing and stared at Dominic. He wore an apron over a black dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Balancing two plates, he walked toward the table. Ever since I have known him, I have never seen him cook.This was also the first time he had ever seemed domesticated. At the same time, a dangerous energy was surrounding him, giving off the perfect balance. It took me a moment to realize I was staring.Forgetting the food in my mouth, I swallowed and almost choked on the bacon. Covering my mouth as I coughed, I reached for the water next to my plate. Taking a few gulps, I set the cup down and patted my chest.“I didn’t know wha