Page 59 of Wanted

As Brian tried to usher me toward the front door, Megan cametearing down the hall, wielding that damn knife and threatening to do somedamage.

“What the fuck are you doing? Move away from her before I killyou both.” She advanced on us, anger and craziness mixed together to form themost deadly concoction.

The front door crashed open before she reached us. The loud noisestartled all three of us, and for a split-second, time stood still.

Alek crouched in the doorway, assessing the situation for what itwas. Dangerous. He saw the knife in Megan’s hand then rested his eyes on myarm. There was still a steady flow of blood dripping from my wound.

Without hesitation, he pushed off the door frame and ran straightat Megan.

“Alek, no!” I screamed, but it was too late. He had rushed herand knocked her to the ground, her head bouncing off the hard floor before shewas knocked out cold.

When I glanced back at Alek, I saw there was a confused look onhis face but I couldn’t figure out why. Until I ran my eyes down the fulllength of his body only to come across a horrific sight.

The knife Megan had brandished was plunged into his stomach. Onlythe handle was visible. Screams tore from me as he fell to his knees. I triedto rush to him, but my body wasn’t cooperating. Falling to the ground, I did mybest to crawl toward the man I loved.

Toward the man who had given his life for me.

~36~

Alek

Images of Sara in distress keptflashing through my head. For a brief moment, I saw her slumped in her chair,barely having enough strength to sit upright. Blood oozed from a pretty nastycut on her arm, dark liquid torturing me as it fell from her body. Her eyeswere hazy at best as she tried to take in the scene around her.

Then I saw Megan. And the knife. Allowing my rage to take overlike a beast I’d tried to keep at bay for far too long, I lunged forward withno regard for my own safety. My only goal was to ensure Sara made it out ofthere alive.

Thankfully, Brian had been able to at least untie her, eventhough she could barely keep from falling over. Whatever that bitch gave herwas enough to slow down any natural reaction she would have normally had. Herbody wasn’t her own, and I was sure she was terrified.

I never made eye contact with her as I rushed to put an end toMegan’s crazy rant. Knowing the pain and worry in her eyes would make mefalter, I focused on one thing and one thing only.

Removing the threat from my woman.

So many thoughts ran through me, almost like a bombardment of memoriessince the first day I’d officially met Sara. They were all jumbled together,though, and I couldn’t make sense of any of it.

A searing pain shot through my stomach and I tried to clutch thearea with my hands, but I found I couldn’t reach it. In fact, there wasn’t asingle part of my body following my brain’s instruction to move.

A faint noise sounded somewhere in the background, the odd pitchof the beeping confusing me as to where I was.

Is my alarm going off?

Then I heard the sweetest voice.

My Sara.

“Doctor, when do you think he’ll wake up?” I heard her say, thefear in her voice instantly making me nervous.

But why?

I was only sleeping.

Wait, why was there a doctor in my bedroom?

Where the hell am I?Allof a sudden, everything came crashing back full-force, images hitting me sofast I couldn’t differentiate what was real and what wasn’t.I remembered busting down a door, my eyesflying to Brian and Sara, before rushing forward. The next memory whichstrangled me was being on my back and glancing at something sticking out of mystomach. A silver handle, but I had no idea what it was. I didn’t rememberfeeling anything. No pain.

My body reacted to the intrusion all the same. Tunnel visionracked my sight and before I could open my mouth to say anything, the cruelgrips of darkness dragged me under.

Wherever I was, I was okay. At least I could still hear herangelic voice, the lilt of her tone soothing my frantic nerves. Realizing Sarawas not only alive, but unharmed enough to speak on my behalf, gave me comfort.

“It’s hard to say. He had a close call, Miss Hawthorne. Thesurgery went as planned, but now it’s up to him. Sometimes, a trauma such ashis causes the body to go into shock to protect itself.” There was a briefsilence and I swore I heard Sara crying. “We’ll have to wait and see whathappens. The good news is he’s stable and we’re keeping a close eye on him.”

---