Page 13 of Forever Found

Any strength or courage I had been feigning since the moment I woke on that jet, was now long gone and I just felt empty, and broken. I knew I should be stronger for Eli. I had been sodetermined to protect him, but in the end he had saved me. Now he was hurt, recovering from surgery and I was of no use to him. I was just a burden, as I had been since the day he met me. Knowing that though, did not mean I could do anything to change it. I simply didn’t have the strength or will to do anything but hide against Eli and allow my anxiety to pull me deep down into that darkness once again.

CHAPTER 6

KANE

Ash and I leapt from the car that had collected us at the airfield, and into the emergency room of a small county hospital out in the middle of fucking nowhere Nevada.

“Eli Lyle and Adeline Brooks. They were brought hours ago. Where are they?” Asher demanded long before he even got close to the reception desk, behind which sat a geeky looking kid who couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old. His whole body tensed and he sat up straighter, looking shit scared as Ash and I approached him. I had no doubt we looked pretty intimidating, our anxiety and worry for Addy and Eli easily mistaken for anger.

“Are you a family member?” the kid asked, and I had to give him points for keeping his voice steady when he was obviously terrified of us.

“I’m their brother. Where are they?” Asher demanded again.

We had been like a pair of caged lions on the flight over, neither of us able to sit still, just desperate to get to the both of them and know they really were okay. The phone call with Addy had been hell. She’d been so distraught we’d barely understood much she’d said. Then she stopped speaking and I almost lost my shit completely. All we really knew was that Addy was too hurt and traumatized to speak with us, and Eli had been shot. Asher hadcalled the local cops to ensure Addy and Eli would be safe while they were in the hospital, to which the police had agreed, but they weren’t willing to share any more information with Asher over the phone.

Asher had also arranged some guards from a Vegas based private security firm who should have arrived hours ago to watch over Eli and Addy, but it wasn’t enough. We had no idea if the guards were any good – though Asher had been sure to employ a company with a good reputation – recommended to him by a military buddy. We just needed to get to them and find out what the hell had happened and who the fuck we needed to kill to keep Addy and Eli safe for good.

“Let’s move!” Asher barked as he set off half walking, half running past the reception and through some double doors. I hadn’t even heard what the kid had said. I’d zoned out. It was impossible to think about anything but getting to Addy, and worrying about the state she would be in when I did get my arms around her. Would she even allow me to touch her, or would it be like when we first met all over again? Would she be scared of me again?

For the first time in a long time I wished I had others to rely on to help me through whatever came next. I wished for Jordan and Adam to be at my side so we could work together to take care of Addy and give her everything she needed.

It was clear to see we were in the right place when we walked into a unit of the hospital and found two cops and two bulky guys, who had to be private security, all stationed outside the door of what looked like a private room. As we hurried in that direction, one of the security guys – tall and built with a bald head and definitely concealing a weapon under the jacket hewore – stepped towards us and held out his hand, his other hovering close to his hip.

“You’re fromJ Black Security?” Asher questioned as we drew to a stop, referencing the security company he had hired.

“I am. And you are?”

“Asher Lyle. Your client,” Asher answered as he pulled out his wallet and handed over his ID. “This is Kane Chase, my head of security.”

“Lee Wilson. That’s Gary.” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the other guy, who still stood outside the door of the hospital room but was watching us closely. I was impressed so far, They seemed alert and vigilant, way more so than the two cops who were now sat down in some chairs further down the hall, chatting to each other. “Boss sent us over. We’re the security detail you requested. I also have a driver and an armored car outside if you need to go anywhere. “The cops have been getting pissy about taking statements, but we’ve kept them out as you requested. The only people in and out of the room have been doctors and nurses,” Lee explained.

“Addy and Eli are both in there?” I asked anxiously.

“Yeah. We didn’t introduce ourselves, since the nurse told us the your sister is pretty fragile right now. We didn’t want to scare her.”

“You did the right thing. I appreciate you being here,” Asher reassured him. “Try to keep the cops out for now please, at least until I see how they both are. Any updates on where they escaped from or who held them?”

“Not yet. We have a team going out to the diner your siblings were picked up from, to check out the car they arrived in, butit’s tricky with the cops all over it too. It’d help if you can give us some names to work with before the cops find out,” Lee said with a pointed look between Asher and I.

It wasn’t that we didn’t want the cops involved. They had a job to do and we’d take any help we could get to keep the people we cared about safe, but we just wanted the security company to have the leads they needed to work the case too, and police weren’t in the habit of sharing information. They also moved at a snail’s pace. The security company Asher had employed would get results much faster.

“I’ll pass on anything we find out,” Asher agreed. Lee nodded, then he stepped back, allowing us access to the closed door of the private room.

I felt my cell vibrate in my jeans pocket and knew it would be Jordan, asking about Addy. I had texted him in the car, telling him we were almost at the hospital and promising to let him know as soon as I knew anything, but I couldn’t blame him for being too worried to await my messages. We were all fucking terrified about how hurt Addy was, and about just how far back this whole fuck up would set her.

It was all my fucking fault. How could I have worked with Leo every fucking day and not have realized what he was up to? I hired him! I had vouched for him, for Christ’s sake! He was a friend, and someone I had trusted to have my back on some seriously dicey missions overseas. I still didn’t understand how he could have betrayed us all, but he damned well had, and that was wholly on me. Whatever had happened to Eli and Addy was all my fucking fault and I would never ever forgive myself for that fuck up.

Asher opened the door and we both stepped in, Eli holding a finger to his lips to silence us instantly. He looked pale and exhausted, dressed in a hospital gown with bandages wrapped around his left bicep just visible under the sleeve. He had some scratches on his face and down his arms too, and a few bruises I could see, but he looked whole.

Addy was curled up into his side, her knees pulled up and her thighs leaning against Eli’s side. She was clutching the sheets around him and her head was pressed into his side. She looked like she had tried to have contact with Eli at every point she possibly could. Her cream colored dress was covered with blood and her legs and feet were completely bare. I longed to see her face, but she seemed to be asleep, which I was guessing was the reason for Eli keeping us quiet.

“Eli. Christ. I was so worried,” Asher whispered as he crossed the room to the side of the bed Addy wasn’t at. He leaned down and grabbed the back of Eli’s neck, pulling him forward just enough so their foreheads could touch.

“I’m okay, Ash. I’m good,” Eli whispered back.

“Addy said you’d been shot and wouldn’t wake?” Ash questioned as he pulled back just enough to look Eli over.

“My arm. Bullet hit an artery and I lost too much blood, but they told me I’ll be fine. Probably need some physio once it heals,” Eli shrugged.