Don't Look Back: A Psychological Thriller, page 14
In The SUV, Charlie’s doctors worked on Elijah and Will, getting them patched up quickly. Matt and Aaron then went to work on Shawn and me, trying to keep us stable. They were all fixed up and ready to jump into action. Matt then called ahead to the house to the backup team that was there. “We need to get the living room prepared to be a makeshift clinic.”
They had gotten the message, and the living room was ready. They unloaded Shawn and me into the living room. Matt went to work on Shawn with Will, and Aaron went to work on me with Elijah.
“I am not leaving Kristen. You can treat us both here unless she wants it differently.”
“She’s not conscious, so it’s up to Will and Elijah.”
“Yes, that is fine as long you keep her covered as best as possible.”
“Okay, let’s get to work. Let’s get her knee first.” Aaron said as he began to clean the wound and stitch it up. After the knee, Elijah went to work trying to stop the bleeding on my lip when Aaron took off the bandages on my back. He was shocked but kept going. “She needs help... Get me that antibiotic cream” Some of the gouges on my back were deep and required stitches.
Will filled everyone in on what he knew of my injuries; they were horrified. They finished with my back, redressed the wounds, and tried to close the ones they could completely. They then went to work on my clavicle. They were working on my ribs. While doing that and finishing up with Shawn, they brought Charlie in.
“Gunshot, to the left shoulder. Jacob pretended to surrender, reaching for his gun and shooting Charlie. We got the bleeding under control, but we need help here,” The medic said, getting Charlie into a comfortable spot to be treated.
“Okay, Aaron and I need to take Charlie. Will and Elijah, will you monitor Shawn and Kristen?”
“Yes, we have them,” Elijah said, looking at Shawn and me sitting side by side on one of the couches. We grabbed each other’s hands.
Everyone smiled. They worked on Charlie, and he was up within a few hours. He was nowhere near ready for field work, but he was back to sitting on the couch and on the road to healing.
Three months later, life looked completely different. We were all happy and doing so well. We completely healed from our injuries, were cleared to go back into the field, and the Ravenwood Rippers case had been solved. It had consumed our lives entirely for almost two years.
Our parents all had gotten justice, as well as all the other victims. We discovered all their jars lined up and labeled at the beach house. Our mothers had been victims 1 and 2. We had given closure to a lot of victims. It was very gratifying to provide justice. We were also excited to have our own closure. At first, the changes in our lives were terrible and shocking. We had accepted all the changes such as the fact that our parents weren’t travel agents and homemakers. They were spies and secret agents.
We all said yes to jobs with Charlie and were now officially “Angels.” His company had many more resources and could do so much for many people. We were excited about the new possibilities. It was nice to have cases and help people beyond our town. We had all taken time off and were rested and refreshed to go and save the world again.
Heading to the beach house was our next stop. We had been going to the beach house every weekend to remodel it. We wanted to erase all the tragedy that had happened there. We were redoing everything, making it our childhood’s bright, cheerful place again. We had to scrub the blood off. Charlie was kind enough to pay for an exceptional cleaning service specializing in crime scenes. We removed all the furniture, repaired the damage to the walls and floors, repainted, and redecorated. Now it was the place we all loved, and we spent a lot of time there.
Shawn and I were doing very well and were going out on dates. Apparently, declaring our love for each other in a life-threatening situation was magical. We had been stuck together like glue ever since. We had a great time exploring what this new side of our relationship meant.
We headed to the beach house before Charlie and everyone else arrived for a party. We were thrilled and excited for the alone time. We still didn’t get a lot of it. That happens when you live with your two brothers, and they always have their friends over. Then your boss and coworkers were always coming over. When we arrived, I left Shawn and went for a run on the beach. I loved going for runs; they helped me clear my head and make decisions. I came back sweaty and in need of a shower. Shawn said he was going to watch TV.
So much for our date, I thought. After my shower, I changed into my favorite silk pajamas to relax before the party which would probably end up with everyone spending the night.
As I put on the tank top, I saw the scar Ethan had left me with. It had come to mean something more to me over the last few months. It started as a reminder of that night, of him torturing me. Now it was a symbol of survival. He had wanted to defeat me, and he didn’t. I refused to quit and fought my way back from something terrible. It reminded me of where I had been but not where my future lay.
I opened my bedroom door to find pink rose petals leading downstairs. I followed them and was surprised to find the trail continued to the back porch. I held my breath for a moment, after reminding myself to let go.
“Focus on the future, not the past, and making all new memories,” I thought. There were all of my favorites there: wine coolers, snacks, movies, and even the TV. One of the sofas was outside on the deck. It was the perfect movie night. I had other things on my mind besides movie night, however. I had been waiting such a long time to have great mind-blowing sex with a man I loved and could trust. Shawn had no idea what I had been planning. I assumed that he would be okay with this, and I smiled to myself.
“Why are you smiling so big? You have that I have a secret look. I got all your favorites. We have snacks, your favorite movies, and the sunset. It will be a beautiful and perfect date.”
“I am smiling thinking about you and how lovely this is. How in the world did you get the sofa here? Tell me; you didn’t carry it yourself?”
“I got your brothers to help. I didn’t tell them what I was going to do with it. I told them we needed it for the party.”
“This sofa folds out into a bed, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, so you will be very comfortable. Are you ready to get this party started?” Shawn asked, clicking on the TV. He had worked hard.
I leaned over, kissing him deeply and passionately. “I was thinking of having another kind of party,” I said, holding up a condom.
“Are you sure? We can wait…”
“I am tired of waiting,” I said, peeling off my silk tank top and throwing it at him. We started kissing and made the most perfect, passionate love as the sunset ebbed.
AJ Faris, Don't Look Back: A Psychological Thriller
