Private Listing Tease Me, page 34
“How gracious of you.” I roll my eyes. I should have known Coop would be like this when he’s hurt.
“I am a Graham.” His voice fades and his head falls to his chest.
“Coop? Coop, come on. Stay with me. Damn you, wake up.” The world around me is silent, but I can hear his breath. I can’t lose any of them.
Fuck, I should have controlled the gun sooner. I should have figured out Patrick was the stalker sooner. I should have protected them all.
“Come on, Coop. Stay with me. Fight this. Madison needs you.” I rest my forehead against his and try to give him all my strength. “I need you. We all need you.”
Chapter 167
Taking Inventory
Seth
I’m winded as my cell phone finally finds a signal. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I call Bill Carr and take deep breaths while waiting for him to answer. I’m not as far as the helicopter, but still some distance from the house. I can’t leave them alone for long.
“This is Carr.”
“We couldn’t wait for the police. There were shots fired and Anna Beck ran straight to us. She said Madison was unconscious.”
“Fuck. The police are on their way. They should be there any second.”
“We went in. Patrick Beck is the stalker. He’s tied up, but he managed to shoot Coop in the struggle. You can tell the police to come straight to the house and we’ll need that ambulance too.”
“Yeah, let me radio them. Make sure you put pressure on that gunshot wound and we’ll take care of the rest.” He hangs up.
“Fuck!” I shout into the still afternoon air. Coop can’t die. I saw the blood and ran to get help. Now I need to head back to see how I can keep him alive until the EMTs get there.
Before I return to the cottage, I text Noah with shaking hands, letting him know what’s going on. We don’t know what Patrick gave Madison. We knew going in that something could go wrong. But Coop was unexpected.
He has to make it. There’s no alternative. No reality where him not being here makes sense.
“Hey. I was coming to join you guys.” Noah raises his hand as he jogs toward me. “You okay? What’s happening? Is Madison okay?”
“Come on, I’ll explain on the way.” I gesture toward the house and we hurry back. “Coop’s hurt. Patrick’s neutralized. Madison’s unconscious.”
“Fuck.” Noah picks up his pace and so do I.
When we enter the house, Patrick stirs on the ground. I’ve never hated anyone the way I hate him. We trusted him and then he pulls this shit. If I had nothing to lose, he wouldn’t be breathing.
But he’s not worth my freedom.
“Will you check his ropes?” I nod to Noah because I still don’t trust myself. Patrick hurt Madison. He hurt Coop. I hope he rots in jail. But if he even tries to talk to me, I might lose it.
I’m hanging on by a thread here.
But they need me. I walk to the hallway and squat next to Blake. His face is pale, but he’s doing everything he can to apply pressure and stop Coop’s bleeding. His hands are bloody and there’s blood running down his arm. The source is a fairly large gash from a bullet.
“Fuck.” I dart into a bathroom and grab a towel. I kneel beside Blake and grab his arm.
“No. I can’t let up on the pressure.” He jerks away.
“Your wound needs attention too.” I press against it and he hisses in pain. “I’m not losing you either.”
Blake’s eyes meet mine. “We’re not losing anyone today.”
Sirens sound in the background, heading our way, maybe a minute out. Relief pours through me. These guys are my family. I can’t lose any of them. I won’t.
Noah
Glancing over at Coop and Blake as Seth moves toward them, I kneel next to Patrick and check the knots in the ropes.
“She’ll never be yours.” His voice is hoarse. “You wouldn’t even have her if it weren’t for me. I made sure you interviewed her. I picked her for you.”
His eyes are cold as they meet mine. I tighten some of the ropes, maybe a little more than necessary if his grunt of pain is any indication. Good. All the pain he inflicted on Madison over the past month, he deserves to feel every minute of it for the rest of his life.
I glance over to Blake holding Coop’s wound while Seth holds Blake’s. We’re friends, but we’re family. Madison holds us together. We would have always found her because she’s ours.
“You’re wrong.” I look Patrick dead in the eye. “She’s been mine since the moment I saw her. She was ours before she even knew you were in the equation. You may have known her first, but she never wanted you.”
“She was made to love me.” Patrick truly believes that. I see it in his eyes. “I’ll find my way back to her. You can keep her warm for me, but I won’t go down for this. You watch, I’ll find the loophole. I always do. I’ll find her again.”
“Maybe.” I sit back on my heels. He made a severe miscalculation. “Or maybe you shouldn’t have shot the sole heir of the Graham family. Or pointed a gun in the face of the favored daughter of the Whitley family. Both have money and influence that you can never contend with. You want to know what I think will happen?”
I don’t wait for his answer. “I think the police will take you into custody today, but my guess is you won’t walk out of that jail. You’ll leave it in a body bag.”
His eyes narrow on mine, but I don’t care about this man. He’s never been my friend. He was a guy who worked for us. I just need to make sure he can’t hurt the people I love anymore.
I stand and walk away from him without a backward glance. He’s not going anywhere. Coop is passed out. His face pale against his dark hair that falls in a curtain. Blake doesn’t look much better, to be honest.
“Hang in there.” I touch Blake’s shoulder and nod to Seth before continuing into the bedroom.
My breath leaves me as the tightness in my chest releases. Madison. She remains completely still, like some sleeping fairy-tale princess. She wears an identical dress to the one I ripped off her. When I sit next to her on the bed, I brush my hand over her blond hair.
“You’re ours, kitten. I don’t want anyone else but you. No one else can have you.”
She’s been out of communication for hours. Who knows what’s happened to her? What new nightmares she’ll have to deal with? The temptation to go back and beat Patrick is only stifled by the sirens fast approaching.
“I don’t know what he’s done to you, but we’ll heal. This will all be a terrible memory someday.” I lift her hand to my lips. “I promise to fill your life with so much joy that this day has no room in your mind. Patrick will just be a bad memory that we’ve washed away.”
The sirens stop as they park out front.
“In here,” Seth yells. “We need an EMT.”
I wish she’d open those blue eyes. “You’ll see, kitten. Everything will be okay.”
Madison
Darkness holds me down as I struggle to surface from the endless night. There’s this steady beeping in my ear, pulling at me, leading me, calling me home.
“Come on, kitten. I know you can hear me.”
Noah. A smile pulls at my lips and I turn my head toward his voice like a flower following the sun. His hand touches my cheek and warmth floods my chest. My eyes open and he smiles from his seat beside my bed.
“There you are.” His smiling brown eyes hold mine.
“Where are we?” My eyes clear and realization sets in. A curtain surrounds the hospital bed I’m on. I lift my hand with an IV on the side of my wrist. I don’t know how I got here. “What happened?”
“What do you remember?” Noah moves to sit beside me on the bed.
I focus on what I remember last. “The stalker. My old apartment. The car. The house. Hope! How’s Hope?”
“Hope is good. She’s a few rooms down getting fluids and being monitored. Do you remember anything else?” Noah strokes his hand over my hair. There are worry lines around Noah’s eyes. Are they for me?
“It’s fuzzy. Why can’t I remember?” It’s like the day is there, but someone smudged oil on the lens, making it hard to see.
“Patrick gave you a drug cocktail, hoping to make you more susceptible to suggestion. And more easily coerced into what he wanted from you. He was trying to speed along Stockholm syndrome from the sounds of it.” Noah looks down as he takes my hand.
“What happened, Noah?” I try to sit up, but he holds my shoulder down.
“You need to stay in bed.” Noah sighs. “After you passed out, Anna escaped from Patrick. She found us on our way to rescue you. I took Anna back to the helicopter while Coop, Seth, and Blake went to get you.”
I swallow because they aren’t here. Oh my god, why aren’t they here? Tears choke my throat at the possibilities. But maybe they’re in a waiting room, maybe it’s only one visitor at a time. My voice shakes when I ask, “Where are they?”
“Patrick had a gun.”
A shot rings in my memory, followed by another. I cover my mouth, remembering. “He shot Hunter. Hunter’s dead.”
Noah nods. “Blake and Coop got hurt.”
I grab onto Noah’s hand to steady myself as my world tips on its axis. “What?”
“When they came for you, Blake got shot in the arm. He’s getting stitches now. But Coop got shot in the side.” Noah quickly continues. “It went through and he just got out of surgery, which went well. Seth is with him in the recovery room.”
“I have to go to them.” I try to rise, but Noah pushes me back down.
“You need to wait for the doctor. Some of those drugs are still in your system. We don’t need you to get hurt. They’re being taken care of. I’m here to take care of you. I just left Blake, who waited until Coop was out of surgery before he got his stitches. Coop is still not awake yet from anesthesia.” Noah brings my hand to his lips and presses a kiss there. “Everyone is safe. Everyone is taken care of. You can rest and recover.”
I blow out a breath. I still want to see for myself, but I sit back. They were hurt and I wasn’t there for them. Everyone was hurt because of Patrick. “What happened to Patrick?”
“The police arrested him. Anna got treated for her head wound and insisted on giving her statement. She went home to her kids. The police picked Yvonne up on her way to the house. They blocked off the road. She was more than willing to talk when she found out Patrick killed Hunter.”
“Good.” I rub at my head, trying to get the details out of my memory from before I passed out.
“I’m fine. It’s just a little blood.” Blake’s voice comes through a moment before he bursts through my door, followed by a nurse with a bandage.
“I need to put this on you, sir.”
Blake stops beside my bed. His green eyes rake over me probably the same way mine rake over him. Besides the fresh stitches, nothing looks wrong with him. His shirt has dried blood on it and I think of Coop. The nurse presses the bandage to Blake’s arm and shakes her head before leaving.
Noah stands and moves out of the way. Blake takes his place, curves his hand behind my neck and pulls me into his chest.
“Fuck, tiger,” he whispers as he rests his head down against mine. “You scared at least ten years off my life.”
I wrap my arm without the IV around his back, wanting to climb onto his lap and let him hold me, but this is good. The fear flows through me like I’m back there in the apartment, back in that basement, back in that house. Tears run down my cheeks as I cling to him.
“You found me,” I whisper. “I knew you would.”
“Always, love. Always.”
Chapter 168
Pieces of Me
Madison
I’m in a freaking wheelchair when my feet work perfectly fine, but it was the only way the doctor would allow me to go see Coop. And that was only after Blake threatened to carry me, which would have been bad on his arm.
I’m nervous as Noah wheels me down the hall to the recovery room. I don’t know what to expect. Patrick shot Coop. Coop could have died. All because of me.
The guilt settles like a lump in my stomach. I know this is Patrick’s fault. I know he’s to blame for everything. He manipulated this situation to his liking, and that’s how this ended with Coop recovering from surgery.
But what if I had talked to the guys before running off? What if I hadn’t trusted Yvonne to deliver that message to Blake? What if I’d been the reason Hope died?
My stomach twists.
“What is she doing here?” Victoria Graham’s disdain carries to me.
“She’s Coop’s fiancée.” Seth’s blue eyes meet mine and hold. “He needs to see her.”
Fuck, I missed Seth. I want to run into his arms and let him hold me, but that wouldn’t be appropriate in front of Coop’s mother. That and I’m in this frustrating wheelchair.
Victoria presses her lips together and turns her back on me before walking into what I assume is Coop’s room. It’s bad enough I already feel responsible for what happened, but dealing with the vitriol from his mother might be too much after everything that’s happened. But it won’t stop me from seeing Coop.
Then Seth is next to me. He leans down and presses a kiss to my head. “Princess.”
I grab his hand and squeeze it, needing that connection, our connection. “I’m sorry, boss.”
“You were trying to protect your friend.” He squats down next to me and rests his forehead against our joined hands. “You’re safe. We’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
His blue eyes capture me again, and all I want to do is sink into his arms and cry like I did with Blake. Seth cups my cheek. “When do you get discharged?”
“Doctor wants to monitor her overnight.” Noah rests his hand on my shoulder, and I draw in a breath. None of us should be in this hospital.
“Madison?” A tall man with gray eyes steps out of Coop’s room. His hair is white, but aside from coloring, he’s an older version of Coop. My heart skips.
“This is Madison.” Seth stands. “Madison, this is Carter Graham, Coop’s father.”
When I move to stand, Carter steps forward, waves me down, and offers me his hand.
“Pleasure to meet you. Coop’s asking for you.” Carter shakes my hand and steps out of the way so Noah can push me in.
Carter follows us.
As soon as we enter the room with all the machines hooked up to Coop, tears fall down my cheeks. His eyes are closed and his brow pinched like he’s in pain. Noah stops the wheelchair. I stand before anyone can stop me and take Coop’s hand.
“Coop?” I try to brush my tears away, but they keep coming.
His hand squeezes around mine as his light blue eyes open. “Ah, there’s my goddess.”
“You got shot.” The words tumble out of my mouth.
“Yeah, but you got drugged.” He blinks a little.
Someone moves a chair over for me. I sink into it and when I look up, Coop’s dad smiles at me. He gives me a small nod before moving over to Victoria who has tears in her eyes and her hand covering her mouth. He draws her into his arms and she leans against him.
“How are you doing?” I clutch at Coop’s hand. Now that I’m close to him, all I want to do is climb into bed next to him and hold him until he’s okay.
Noah moves to talk to Coop’s parents. After a few nods, Carter leads Victoria out of the room, leaving the five of us alone.
“Well, I got shot.” He gives me an arrogant smile. “Figured I’d be the only one with a nifty scar proving how much I love you and want to protect you.”
The tears won’t stop coming. They’re here. They’re alive. I’m fine, but Coop is in this hospital bed.
“But then Blake had to get stitches too.” Coop glares at Blake. “Cocky bastard.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t bleed to death.” Blake puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “Madison would have never forgiven me if I’d let you die.”
“I am her favorite.” Coop lifts my hands to his lips. His eyes sparkle mischievously. “Next time you visit, come dressed as a nurse. I’ll order you a little white dress and we can play doctor.”
Fuck, he’s out of it. Must be the pain meds. “How about we do that when we get you home?”
“I might be bedridden for a while, sweetheart.” He winks.
A laugh slips out of me. His smile fades.
“I’m just glad we got to you in time.” His tone turns serious and the tears press against my eyes again. “I don’t know what we would have done if—” He cuts himself off and tugs on my arm. “Come here, sweetheart, please.”
I stand and sit on the edge of his bed. He draws me closer. I try to be gentle but he holds me against him like he just found me again. The steady beat of his heart pounds in my ear and I soak it in. Every beat confirms he’s alive.
“You’re mine, Madison. Ours. No one else’s. No more games. We’ll figure out how to make this work.” He kisses my head. “We’re in this together. All of us.”
I hold him carefully, trying not to hurt him. “That’s all I want.”
He holds me like that for a while before both of us need to rest.
When Noah wheels me out, Carter stops us.
“Victoria is upset that Cooper was shot. It’s not about you, dear.” He glances at Noah before returning his gaze to me. “We know Cooper loves you and we’ll do what it takes to support you two in whatever decision you make for the future.”
“Thank you. I love him too.” Tears choke my throat, but I swallow them down.
We stop in Hope’s room. Jason sits in the corner while Hope and I talk for a few minutes. The doctors say she’ll be good to go home tomorrow too. The police took her statement earlier. I can’t stay for long, but I’m glad I could see her and we’re both free of that place now.
“I’m fine to walk,” I argue as we step off the elevator to our apartment.
“You can lean on me if you need to.” Blake keeps trying to pick me up, but I’m not the one with the gunshot wound.
