We Were Lost (A Southern Heroes Novel Book 5) Page 12

  Zac

  Just two more weeks then Chloe will be working the day shift again. I can’t wait. Damn, I’ll be able to take her out on a decent date then.

  It’s nearing midnight, and missing Chloe something fierce, I decide to message her.

  ‘How’s work?’

  When she doesn’t reply, I get up from the couch, and after switching off the TV, I head for the stairs. I stop on the second step, then glance back at Chloe’s closed bedroom door. Walking back, I open the door and let myself in. The room smells like her and weed. I don’t care what she says, but those herbs she burns is way too similar to weed.

  Smiling, I sit down on her bed, then I lie back until I’m in a comfortable position.

  Opening Google, I search smudging, making sure the shit is legal.

  ‘It’s quiet, and I keep falling asleep. Why are you still up?’ The message flashes over my screen.

  ‘I miss you. I’m lying on your bed.’

  ‘Mmmh… it’s a pity I’m not there.’

  I let out a chuckle.

  ‘What would you do if you were here?’

  I turn onto my side and watch the damn screen like a hawk for her reply.

  ‘I’d sleep.’

  I begin to laugh because I’m pretty sure that’s a lie. Before I can call her out, Chloe sends another message.

  ‘I might feel you up.’

  “That’s more like it,” I grumble, grinning like an idiot.

  ‘Yeah?’

  I stare at the screen until the lights go off, then place it on my chest. She must’ve gotten busy. I begin to doze off after a couple of minutes before my phone vibrating wakes me.

  The smile falls from my face when I read the message.

  ‘Stella called. She needs help getting away from the house. I’ll text you the address. Please come. I’m heading over there now.’

  I’m up and out of her room before the next text comes through with the address.

  I hate waking Aiden, but I’d be stupid going over there without back up. Who knows what kind of situation we’ll be walking into.

  Bringing his number up, I press dial, and within a couple of rings, he answers, “What’s up?”

  “Chloe needs our help. She’s headin’ over to a victim’s house to help her get out.”

  “Pick me up?”

  “See you in five.”

  Getting in the SUV, I hook my phone up to the Bluetooth, then dial Chloe’s number. I want her to wait until we get there.

  When the call goes to voicemail, I frown, but I leave a quick message, “I’m on my way. Wait near the house. Don’t go inside without us.”

  Stopping outside Aiden’s place, he comes jogging down the driveway, and climbing in he asks, “Do you have any info on what’s happenin’?

  “Just that a woman is trying to get out and there seems to be trouble. I think we should treat it as a normal domestic disturbance and just escort her to the shelter.”

  “Sounds easy enough.”

  Chloe

  I’m out of breath by the time I reach the trailer, and I suck in air as I try to peek through the windows, but it’s useless because of the dark curtains.

  Should I wait for Zac?

  I stick my hand into my pocket to pull my phone out, but there’s nothing. Shit! I’m sure I took it? Did I drop it while running over here?

  Shit. I don’t even know if Zac got my message. He might’ve fallen asleep. My heartbeat speeds up again after it just calmed a little from all the exercise. What should I do?

  “You’re not fuckin’ leavin’,” someone yells from inside the house, and fearing for Stella’s life, I rush forward.

  I hesitate for a split-second but then knock on the door. I’ll just stay outside. Stella needs to know I’m here and she’s not alone. If I can get her out of the house, we can both make a run for it.

  Shit.

  My mind is filled with reckless thoughts, and I know I’m being stupid, but I won’t be able to live with myself if something were to happen to Stella. I promised her I’d help.

  No one answers the door, so I try it, and when it opens, I push it then take a quick step back. “Stella?” I call out, so she’ll know I’m here. “Can you come out quickly?”

  Beau comes around the corner, looking like a pissed off bull that’s high on something. “What the fuck do you want? I told you never to come here.”

  “I’d just like to talk to Stella. Just for a second.” I try to stand my ground, but as he stalks closer, I take a couple of steps back.

  His reactions are faster than mine as he darts forward, and grabbing hold of my wrist, he yanks me closer to the house.

  “I don’t want any trouble,” I say, my voice pitching with panic.

  “Then you shouldn’t have come by,” he growls, yanking me inside the house.

  The smell of solvents is overwhelming, ripping my breath away and making my eyes sting. Blinking through it, my eyes dart around the place until I see Stella, where she’s sitting on a beaten-up couch.

  Shit, there are four men in total. This is bad.

  I glance at Stella again, but she keeps her head low.

  Beau shoves me forward, and I take a couple of steps then quickly sit down next to Stella. My eyes are wide as they flit from the one man to the next.

  “I’m sorry,” Stella whispers, which makes the man nearest to her lash out. “Shut the fuck up!” Stella instantly cowers closer to me, and I place an arm around her shoulder.

  “We don’t want any trouble. Just let us leave,” I say, injecting as much strength into the words as I can.

  Beau lets out a dark chuckle. “Too late. You’re not leavin’.”

  “What the hell are we gonna do?” One of the older men snaps. “The last thing I need is to land behind bars again. I’m not doin’ time for you idiots.”

  “They’re just women,” the man closest to Stella says. “Worst case, we off them.”

  Off them? Like, kill? Fuck. Fuck, this is bad.

  The oldest of the men takes a step forward. “We’re not killin’ anyone. I don’t need murder added to the list of shit they’re tryin’ to nail me for.”

  “We’ll keep quiet. Just let us leave,” I try again to bargain with them.

  “Yeah, I heard that one before,” Beau grumbles.

  “You two leave, and we’ll clean up this mess,” the other guy says to the older men who seem to be in charge of whatever this is.

  “And what about the loss? Who’s gonna pay for that?” Old guy number one asks.

  “Come on, man. How were we supposed to know they’d run off with the shipment?” Beau complains, looking antsy as hell.

  Drugs. Fuck, they’re talking about drugs. It’s only then I take a good look around me, and I see the guns. Through an entryway, I see a room where there are tanks, bottles with rubber tubing attach, and a bunch of other equipment.

  Shit. I close my eyes, and my heart sinks to the floor.

  Zac

  “The shelter says Chloe’s not back yet,” I say to Aiden where we’re sitting in the car which I parked not too far from the address, Chloe gave me.

  “Wanna walk around the trailer?” he asks, knowing I won’t be able to sit still for much longer.

  “Yeah.” I get out and hate not knowing where Chloe is. I wish she’d answer her damn phone. As we walk closer to the trailer, I reach for my gun. “My gut is tellin’ me something’s wrong.”

  “Yeah, I’m gettin’ the same feelin’,” Aiden whispers, and when we’re close to the trailer, Aiden stops and looks at me. “You smell that?”

  “Meth,” I grit the word out. Fuck, it’s a meth lab.

  Aiden points to my right. “I’ll take the left.”

  I nod and begin to quietly move around the right side of the trailer. I’m almost to the back when I spot a car parked a little ways from where I am.

  Pastor Doug’s station wagon.

  I keep moving and meet up with Aiden at the back. “See anythin’?” he asks
, keeping his voice low.

  I point toward Pastor Doug’s car.

  “Bingo,” he mouths, then nods toward the trailer. “We’re going in?”

  If Chloe’s inside it will put her life in danger and I won’t do that. I’d rather risk losing this lead, than losing her.

  Chloe

  Please let us get out of this place alive.

  I eye the gun on the coffee table, but I’m too scared to take the chance. With my luck, I’ll be dead before I reach it.

  Mindlessly, I rub Stella’s back, trying to comfort her and myself.

  For the first time in my life, I’m so scared I can almost taste it. It’s bitter and hopeless, something dangerously close to terror which is making my chest feel so tight it’s becoming hard to breathe.

  “Fuck, this is your fault,” the man closest to Stella snaps and then he grabs her arm, hauling her up.

  “No!” The word is a sharp burst over my lips filled with panic. I get up and reach for Stella just as the man gives her a backhand across the face. “Stella!” My shriek echoes through the small space, and I dart forward so I can get to where she fell.

  I crouch down and noticing she’s unconscious, a fresh wave of worry hits me.

  Suddenly chaos erupts around me making it hard to focus on Stella.

  “Police, don’t move,” the familiar voice soaks into my burning skin like cool water.

  Just as I realize Zac’s here, someone grabs hold of my arm and yanks me up, pressing cold metal to my neck.

  I think I’m suffering from delayed shock because I’m still riding a wave of relief as my eyes focus on Zac before the terror returns tenfold because of the gun pointed at me.

  My hands fly to my face as I cover my eyes and a scream dries my mouth of all spit when a loud bang goes off next to me.

  Gunfire erupts, and I expect to feel the searing pain of a bullet hitting me any second, but instead it’s over in seconds which took years off my life.

  I’m a trembling mess, and my arms sag down, hanging next to my sides as if my brain lost the power to move them.

  Shit, I’m going to pee my pants.

  “It’s over, Doug. Let her go,” Zac says, and his voice which is much calmer than what I feel drifts through my haze of fear and panic.

  “I can’t go to prison,” Doug says, sounding like he’s close to having a panic attack himself. “Move back. Let me get to the car, and she won’t get hurt.”

  With a heavy hand gripping the fabric on my shoulder and the cold metal against my neck, Doug pushes me forward.

  It feels like I’m dragging my feet through sludge, every step is heavier than the one before.

  Zac

  Slowly, I move back, matching my steps to Doug’s. I can’t get a clear shot at him, and I’d be risking Chloe’s life, so, for now, I’m letting Doug have his way.

  I’d like to believe Doug won’t shoot Chloe, but it’s not a chance I’m willing to take.

  Seeing the naked fear on her face, all I want to do is pull her from his grip, but instead, I force myself to focus on the situation.

  Doug makes his way to the station wagon just as I hear sirens in the distance. Aiden must’ve called it in without me even noticing.

  Years of training is the only thing keeping me from losing my shit as Doug and Chloe reach the vehicle, and he gets into the driver’s side, pulling her inside with him.

  Doug lies over Chloe, hiding so I can’t get a clear view of him, and then the station wagon sputters to life. It almost stalls as they pull away, and I glance over my shoulder just as Aiden pulls up next to me in my SUV. Climbing in, we set after them.

  “That went bad at the speed of light,” Aiden mutters under his breath.

  I can’t even get a word out as my worry for Chloe strangles my heart.

  “Doug won’t shoot her,” Aiden says, more to comfort me than anything else.

  My eyes are glued to the station wagon, and as we near the main road, I start praying there’s not enough gas in the station wagon for Doug to get away.

  “I can’t force them off the road,” Aiden states the obvious.

  My heart is beating a mile a minute, and I tighten my grip on the gun as frustration and panic flood my veins.

  Suddenly the vehicle pulls over to the side of the road, and it stops. Aiden takes the chance and quickly goes past it, only to sharply stop in front of them so they can’t get going again.

  I’m out of the SUV and moving fast, with Aiden coming from the driver’s side just as Chloe opens the door, and her voice hysterical fills the morning air. “I’m not drivin’. If you’re gonna kill me then just do it.”

  Time slows down as Doug’s eyes jump to Aiden and me and as he moves a flash fills the cabin of the car, instantly followed by a loud shockwave from the discharge of the gun.

  In that critical moment I freeze, my eyes are on Chloe as she gets out of the car and walks a couple of steps away before sinking to the ground and just sits next to the road.

  Doug, being near hysterical from firing the gun, points it at Aiden as he gets out, and it only takes Aiden a couple of seconds to shoot the man in the leg and to get the weapon away from him.

  My feet begin to move on their own as I run toward Chloe. I kneel by her side, and she looks up with a puzzled look on her face.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, my voice thin and harsh from all the worry.

  “It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would,” she says, then lets out a chuckle.

  She must be suffering from shock, but then she looks down and asks, “Do you have a first aid kit in your car?”

  First aid kit. My eyes drop and when I see the blood all my years of training and on the job could not prepare me for the moment absolute terror slams into me.

  Chloe’s been shot.

  Laurie’s been shot.

  Blood, there’s so much blood.

  “Emergency services will be here any minute,” Aiden says. “Let me look at her.” I fall to my ass, the words coming to me through a daze of memories while my eyes never leave the bloody stain which keeps growing as if it’s threatening to cover every inch of her in death.

  I’m sorry, Zac. She didn’t make it. Laurie died on her way to the hospital.

  CHAPTER 22

  Chloe

  “I’m fine,” I say for what must be the millionth time.

  “You’re not fine. You got shot,” Emma snaps her face tight from worry and shock.

  “Emma, look at me,” I wait for her eyes to meet mine. “I am fine. It’s just my arm.”

  Her breathing begins to speed up and lifting a hand to her face, she rubs over her forehead as emotions ripple through her.

  “Come here,” I whisper, and sitting up, I wrap my good arm around her. She engulfs me in a hug and then her body shudders from the weight of her worry. “I’m really okay. I promise.”

  “I was so scared,” she sobs. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

  I lie back down, giving her a warm smile. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Emma can’t stay for long because she needs to get back to Laurie. After she leaves, I close my eyes, still trying to process everything that happened.

  A new worry blooms in my heart because no matter how amazing Zac was last night in dealing with the crisis, I can’t help but feel anxious over the daunting look he had on his face after he saw I was shot.

  To my surprise, Aiden comes into the room, and the haggard look on his face makes my heartbeat speed up.

  “How’s Stella?” I ask.

  “She’s good. She’s at the shelter.” He takes a seat in the chair next to the bed and brings his eyes to mine. There are heavy lines of remorse and contempt etched deep on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask when I can’t handle the silence anymore.

  “Pastor Doug died,” he whispers words I didn’t expect to hear. Aiden lets out a hopeless sound and looks down at his hands. “I shot him in the leg to stop him.”

  Compassion
for this man who has been nothing but good, fills my heart. “The bullet hit the femoral artery?”

  He nods, still not looking up.

  I reach out with my right arm and have to lean forward to get to Aiden. Placing my hand on his forearm, I give it a squeeze. “You didn’t mean for him to die.”

  He nods again, then taking a deep breath, he brings his eyes up to mine. “If you need anything let me know. Zac…” Aiden’s eyes beg for my understanding, and it makes my breathing stop as I wait for the next words. “He just needs time. The shock of you being shot brought back a lot of memories.”

  I nod quickly. “I understand.” The words are a soft whisper.

  “You’re getting discharged tomorrow, right?” I nod again, still unable to form words. “I’ll come get you. I think you should stay with us until you’re better.”

  I don’t give Aiden an answer because I don’t have one.

  All I can think as Aiden leaves is that I’ve lost Zac before I even had a chance.

  “I fear being abandoned after giving you my heart,” I whisper as a thick lump settles hard in my throat. I understand the shock Zac must be dealing with, but will he be able to move past it and come back to me?

  I wish there were a way I could help him, but I know this is something he needs to work through on his own.

  Zac

  I’ve been sitting at Laurie’s grave, trying to make sense of the mess inside of me.

  The case is closed, but it’s not the way I wanted things to go down. Doug Liles wasn’t supposed to die. I don’t know how Aiden and I will ever face Birdie. I can’t even think about that now.

  “It feels like the walls are closin’ in on me again,” I whisper to Laurie. My voice sounds as exhausted as I feel. “Losin’ you… it almost killed me.”

  Laurie was shot.

  She didn’t make it.

  The words keep tormenting me, not giving me a second of peace.