Page 15 of Rescuing Our Bride

Coma? There’s still time to save her.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The doctors are wrong. They have to be. “Tell Mom I’ll be there soon. I’m on my way. I heard somewhere that people in comas can hear you talking to them. Talk to her, Dad. Tell her I’m coming.”

He’s quiet for a moment, doesn’t ask how I plan on escaping my kidnappers, how I’ll get from wherever they’re keeping me to the hospital. He doesn’t say anything. There’s only the sound of his soft sobs coming through the phone until he manages to pull himself together enough to whisper goodbye. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll tell her.”

The phone slips from my hand, hitting the hardwood floor with a thunk. “Take me home.”

My tone brooks no argument. There won’t be one. I’m leaving and there’s not a goddamn thing they can do to stop me.

10

JAX

“Don’t worry, Anna. You’re going to see your mom real soon,” I whisper while rubbing small soothing circles across her back. “Mark and I will drive you to the hospital.”

It’s a fucking terrible idea.

Not because I don’t want her to see her mom. No, Anna was right to call Mark and me out on that bullshit. Her mom’s sick, worsening by the day from the sounds of it. If someone tried to stand in the way of me or Mark spending time with Penny, we would have gone ballistic. Somewhere along the way of planning and implementing our revenge against Patrick, we lost sight of why we wanted to get back at him in the first place.

We did the research. We knew Barbara had cancer when we decided to kidnap her daughter. She was supposed to be in remission. At least, that’s what the medical records said when we hacked into her oncologist’s server and went through Barbara’s file. It looks like his staff was behind on updating office notes in the patient records. I wish I could blame the incompetent employees for the situation that we’re in, but I can’t. Mark and I should have kept digging.

Hell, we never should have taken Anna in the first place.

But then, she wouldn’t be ours. Maybe that’s for the best. We can still cut her loose, cut our losses, and run. It’s not too late. Who am I kidding? Of course, it is. Now that we have her, had a taste of her, there’s no way we’ll be able to let her go.

Which brings me full circle. Right back to why taking Anna to the hospital is a horrible idea. We can’t protect her. Not from that piece of shit, Patrick Calhoun, her father, or herself. Especially herself. Anna was ready to go back and marry Patrick before we called her mom. She was supposed to talk to Barbara, let her know she wasn’t hurt, and that despite being kidnapped from her wedding, she wasn’t in any danger. She is safe.

That plan went to shit too.

As it turns out, Mark and I aren’t the strategists we thought we were. We’re clueless, bumbling in the fucking dark and making a huge mess of Anna’s life. And yet, I’m having difficulty regretting anything we’ve done. Well, except for the pain and suffering we’re causing Barbara. We never would have let that happen to Penny. Anna’s mom is innocent, just like Penny. She didn’t do anything to deserve this.

We fucked up. And now we have to fix it.

“Anna.” Her face is buried in my neck, and her tears are soaking through my shirt. Her entire body is trembling. I hate seeing her like this, knowing we had a hand in it. “Hey, come on, baby. Your mom’s a fighter, right? You had to get it from somewhere. I’m guessing it wasn’t your dad.”

She laughs. It’s a soft, halfhearted chuckle and a little snotty, but it’s the most beautiful sound to my ears right now because if Anna can find even the smallest spark of humor, she’ll be okay.

It’s either laugh or cry, boys, and I’m not one to waste time on tears. That’s what Penny used to say. Her sense of humor was a little dark, a little jaded, and a hell of a lot sarcastic. I guess it had to be working in a factory and raising two boys with a knack for getting in trouble. But Penny always found a way to crack a joke no matter how hard or bad things were.

If Anna can laugh, even a little bit, she’ll be okay. She’ll get through this.

“Come on, baby. Grab your things. Mark and I will get you to the hospital.” With my hands on her hips, I ease her off my lap and steady her as she gets to her feet. Mark takes her hand, adding support from above.

“There’s nothing to grab. I don’t have anything here.”

Anna doesn’t catch my wince or the pained expression I see in Mark’s eyes at her choice of words. I’m not sure she means it the way it came out, but damn, to hear her say that cuts fucking deep. You have us. I want to tell her but now isn’t the time. We need to get her to the hospital.

“Do you want us to swing by your place on the way? Is there anything you want or need to take with you?” Mark’s voice is a little rough. It’s obvious he’s struggling with the same memories, the same guilt that I am.

“No, the only thing I need right now is my mom. Besides, everything I own is at the landfill. After Patrick surveyed my clothes and accessories, he said there wasn’t anything in my closet or dresser drawers good enough for the wife of a Calhoun. I need to look and act the part. He even took my ID and said there wasn’t any point hanging on to it when I have to get a new one anyway.”

Not good enough my ass. He wants her under his fucking thumb, dependent on him for everything. He wants to make her weak, to break her. Over my dead body. I glance at Mark, and we share a brief, knowing look. His clenched fists and jaw say it all. He feels the same way I do.

Anna is not marrying Patrick Calhoun.

We have more than enough money to cover Barbara’s medical bills and any treatments she might need in the future. Cyber security pays well, and Mark and I are good at our jobs. We would have cleared the debts already if we knew she was sick again.

“All right then, let’s get you to your mom.” Mark laces his fingers through hers. She grips his arm with her other hand, clinging to him like he’s the only thing keeping her upright.

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