Page 22 of His Paradise

Chapter eighteen

Aden

Grayson knocks his body against Nina and the man holding her, sending them to the ground and the man's gun flying. Grayson’s hood falls away, showing the skull tattooed on the back of his head as he grips the man's head and snaps his neck before anyone can move. He covers Nina with his body, baring his teeth like a feral animal as he looks around at all of us. Blood covers the left side of his face, dripping from his mutilated ear.

A flare of jealousy rips through me. David lets out a shout and rolls, taking me with him as he grabs my gun and tries to wrench it away. My ears pop when another gun fires and I catch Jared using one hand to rag doll a man. The sound of his bones breaking makes my teeth clench, and my hands tighten. David sinks his teeth into my arm as he loosens my grip and I can feel the skin ripping. I slam my fist into his nose, hearing the sound of it cracking brings me a twisted satisfaction. He lets go finally, gasping for air as he chokes on his own blood that leaks from his broken nose.

“Kill them,” He shouts, coughing as he slowly gets to his feet, the two of us staring each other down.

“This ends here.” I tell him. David smirks, and lunges for me. My head smacks the floor, but I fight past the pain, beyond the blurring in my vision. I slam my palm to his already injured nose, making him roar with pain as he straddles me and swings a fist wildly. Throwing my arms up in time to block, I punch his wounded ribs and he jerks away.

“I’m not done with you,” I jump to my feet, bringing my leg back to slam a kick to his side. I don’t see the gun in his hands as he crawls away in time. But when he raises it, it isn’t at me.

Nina’s wide eyes are on me as she mouths the words ‘I love you’, but time seems to slow. I dive onto him, the shot ripping through the air a breath before I drive my knee into his head and rip the gun away. David stops moving, unconscious beneath me as I turn to see the pain in Nina’s eyes.

She slams her palms down, putting pressure on the red stain that spreads over the fabric. My feet feel as if they’re cemented in place until Jared’s anguished cry rips through me.

“Luna!” He drops next to her as Nina does her best to stop the bleeding. I rush to their side, my arm wrapping around Nina as I brush the hair from my sister's face. Her skin is clammy and she reaches out to cup Jared’s jaw. “I think I won this time, Biggums. I got more than you.” She smiles, but I can see the heavy way her lids droop. Jared nods and for a moment, pride flashes across his face as he cradles her in his lap.

“You sure did, Lunatic. But then you go and pull another stupid stunt and put the two of you in danger.” He shakes his head, struggling to keep his composure. “We need to get her out of here, now.” Jared doesn’t take his eyes off of Luna. Nina slumps against me, struggling to keep pressure. A hand holds out a ripped sheet, nodding for me to take it. I quickly fold it, guiding Nina’s hands away as I take over. When I press down, Luna whimpers, burying her face against Jared.

“Be easy, you fucking idiot.” He snarls. But the words don’t hold any malice. Alec has vanished up the stairs and we all quickly follow Jared as he gathers his wife. Nina wraps her arms around my neck and I rub my face in her hair, breathing her in. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jared move so fast, until Luna’s hand falls away from his back, and her head drops backwards.

“Luna, you better open your damn eyes before I fucking pry them open!” Jared cries, and I shove him forward, pointing to where Alec holds a phone to his ear and shouts into it. A helicopter appears in the distance and Alec shoves his cell into his pocket.

“Just a little longer, Jared. She’ll be okay.” Alec’s voice is steady, but there’s uncertainty in his eyes.

“She’s not breathing!” He lays her down, clamping his mouth over hers to force her lungs to inflate. Nina is crying silently in my arms as I watch in horror. His massive hands cover her chest, pounding down to make her heart beat. My wife is safe, she’s in my arms, and I’m watching my sister die. Grayson stops next to me, tossing David’s limp body to the ground. His hands and feet are bound, and I nearly smile seeing the gag shoved into his mouth.

“Grayson helped save me,” Nina says and I hold my hand out to shake his. He stares at it, frowning before taking a step back. “I helped torture her.” He mutters, the sound of the helicopter nearly taking his words as it lands on the deck. Markus leaps from it, ducking low when he rushes to me as paramedics swarm my sister.

“We can take two,” He begins, and Nina points to Jared and Luna. “Take them. I’m okay.” She says, her grip tightening on my shirt. Selfishly, I breathe a sigh of relief as I watch Jared follow my sister. We watch in silence, fear burrowed deep.

“If she dies, that entire thing is gonna fall to the earth in a ball of flames.” Markus' tone is serious, and I know he’s right.

“Remember when he threatened the doctor's life over Luna, and when the doctor tried to kick him out, he bought the damn hospital?” Alec says, shaking his head before he leans against the railing and rubs a hand over his face. Grayson’s words sink in and I slowly turn to face him.

“You tortured Nina?” Ice flows through my chest as I speak and Nina sighs.

“David was threatening his daughter. Grayson just did what he had to do and I forgive him.” She says, making me pause as I stare down at her with wide eyes. I can see the wounds across her body, the bruising that covers her exposed skin. Her blood is dried and crusted on her cheek. Yet she still has sympathy for somebody that hurt her.

“Keep your fucking pity, Nina. There’s no excuse.” Grayson snaps at her and she rolls her eyes.

“Watch how you speak to her, or I’ll make David look like a fucking teddy bear.” I warn him. I find a place to sit and wait for the boat Alec calls for us. I can't stop rubbing my hands over Nina as I convince myself she is really here, and she’s alive.

Chapter nineteen

Nina

Smearing my hand across the glass to clear the fog, I can see Aden’s silhouette as he watches my every move. The first thing I wanted when we were home was to see our son, but I had to wash away what I could. Or try to at the very least. Aden hasn't let me out of his sight and I can’t be more grateful, even if we’ve barely spoken. The shampoo slips from my fingers, crashing to the floor and I slam my hands outwards to catch myself as I stagger backwards with a soft cry. Aden slowly opens the door while stripping his clothes off as he climbs in to stand with his chest to my back.

His arms wrap around me, holding my shaking body tight as he hums in my ear. I lean into his touch, finally relaxing after a breath and he leans down, picking up the bottle and gently massages the soap into my scalp. My chest clenches, my heart aching. He can’t fix the newly broken pieces of my soul, but I know with time he will help me put them back together. Even if there will always be cracks.

“You’re home, Nina,” He mutters the words, almost to himself as he guides me to turn and dip my head beneath the water spray. Why do I still feel as if a part of me is trapped in that room, chained down and locked away for good?

“We need to get you checked over, there's a doctor waiting for us downstairs whenever you’re ready.” He frowns at the loofa in his hand, then back to the wounds that pepper my body. The shallow gashes on my back aren’t terrible, but they still sting and burn beneath the water. The entire left side of my face is an array of bruises and split skin, and I know the butterfly stitches Alec helped put on aren’t enough to hold the skin together.

“I’m asking, because you can tell me anything.” He takes a breath, and my stomach twists when his eyes find mine and he cups my cheek with his hand. “Did he hurt you, or touch, anywhere we can’t see?” The question sends a shudder through my body and my eyes slide shut as I drop my forehead to his shoulder. Aden’s fingers dig into my hips and he holds me tighter, until I shake my head. His breathing stops and his entire body locks up.

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