Page 6 of Weston

Without her, he was nothing. A lost soul destined to wander this earth aimlessly.

Squeezing his eyes shut, his mind wandered back to the one time he’d royally fucked up. The only time he thought he might’ve messed things up enough to lose her. It had been a fight over getting a dog, but the real issue had been their inability to conceive. They’d both expected to have children at some point, but when it wasn’t happening, they’d gone to the doctor, seeking answers. After running some tests on them both, the doctor had explained their chances of conceiving naturally were low. Although disappointed, they’d still tried, but it wasn’t in the cards. Ellie suggested they adopt a dog and Wes had asked how a dog could replace raising a child. The argument had escalated until Ellie stormed out.

Panicked, determined to get her back, he’d gone to her parents’ house and pulled a move from theSay Anythingplaybook, showing up on the front lawn with a boombox and singing “She’s Got a Way.” Of course, it started raining and the tape cut off mid-song, but Wes just kept singing his heart out.

Despite his awful voice, Ellie had come out and finished singing the song with him. Then she threw herself into his arms and forgave him. Thank Christ. They’d danced in the rain together, humming their song, and he’d promised her he’d never be an idiot again.

That was the night she told him she didn’t need anything else to make her happy except him. Not a baby, not a dog. Just them together, forever, and she would be the happiest woman on the planet. The kind of love they’d shared was rare and beautiful and wonderful.

Ellie had truly been his one-in-a-million.

Wes turned the Explorer off and reached for the jar of ashes, remembering how he used to pull Ellie onto his lap. How she used to wrap herself around him like an octopus and kiss him senseless. Now all the beauty and warmth, her vibrance, was gone. All that remained was dust.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

“I’m going to put an end to them, Ellie-Bean, so they never hurt anyone again,” he whispered. “I promise you.”

???

The dream was one she’d had before. But this time, Ellie could see more details and recall things that had been fuzzy previously.

She was walking through the house, not sure who it belonged to or what exactly she was doing. It didn’t feel like she was breaking and entering, though. Something about the space felt familiar. Cozy even.

The setup of the living room was lovely. Two recliners, side by side, a couch with a soft throw laying across its back, fluffy pillows, fresh daisies in a vase on the coffee table. The windows were open and the curtains blew inward, caught in the breeze.

Running her fingers along the back of a recliner, she paused and looked down at the bowl of jelly beans on the table in between the chairs. Grabbing a handful of them, she plucked a red one up and popped it into her mouth. Mmm, she loved jelly beans. Always had. It’s why Wes always made sure there were bowls of them around the house, full of her favorite flavors.

Wes…

Where was Wes?

Ellie’s eyes popped open, the tangy, sweet cherry taste still on her tongue. “Wes,” she said, sitting up. Again, that name. She began to rub her temples, trying to force her mind to remember who he was and why he seemed so important. This was the second time she’d thought that specific name and it felt like she was on the verge of a breakthrough.

Finally. Thank God.She’d been stuck in darkness for a year and a half, struggling to piece fragments together, doingher best to make sense of dreams and random thoughts. She’d been desperate for a name, something specific to help trigger her memory. And now she had one.

“Wes…Wes…Wes…” Repeating the name helped anchor her thoughts which, until very recently, seemed like floating, wispy clouds. The moment she reached out to grab onto one, it dissolved into nothingness. “Who are you?”

Although she didn’t know that answer yet, a surge of excitement and hope swept through her. Living on an isolated island where the population didn’t speak English wasn’t helping her remember her past. But she’d gotten her hands on a map of the United States and studied it closely, wondering where she’d lived. For whatever reason, her attention always moved to the left side of the country, making her think she might’ve lived somewhere out west.

Or, maybe it was the word “west” that she’d been drawn to. It sounded very similar to Wes.

Ellie dropped back on her pillow and grinned. Maybe she was grasping at straws, but at least she had something to grab onto now. Something that felt tangible, possible. Because up until earlier that day, she’d had nothing.

And now she was craving jelly beans. With a laugh, Ellie snuggled down into her blanket and hoped when she fell back asleep, she would discover more secrets about who she was and where she came from.

???

Being stuck on an airplane for seventeen hours wasn’t Wes’ favorite thing to do, but the private jet was a helluva lot betterthanSpitfire, Lex’s Antonov An-26. Every time he’d traveled on the old Soviet aircraft and made it back home without incident, he considered it a small miracle. Sure, Lex claimed she was in great condition, but Wes much preferred the comfort of the sleek jet they were on now.

The long flight gave Wes time to gather his thoughts and mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do—check his conscience at the door and engage in a slaughter. No mercy. Because these bastards hadn’t shown Ellie or her crew an ounce of compassion.

As they traveled closer and closer to the place Wes hated most, simmering rage began to boil inside of him. What gave those fuckers the right to play God? To take away the most important, most precious person in his life? How dare they destroy the woman who’d brought him so much joy? Snuff out her light. Take away his reason for everything.

So many torturous questions still plagued him. What exactly had happened? Where the hell had Paul, their security, been when the pirates boarded? Ellie had always been brave, but Wes knew she must’ve been terrified during those final moments. Had her death been quick? Prolonged? Or, the thought he despised most, was she humiliated? Abused? Violated in any way?

Sucking in a sharp breath, Wes remembered the vague report he’d gotten about the incident through a military buddy with connections to the Indonesian government. The attack had been swift and deadly. All victims had been shot. Any valuables were stolen, including Ellie’s wedding rings. The knowledge that some asshole had taken her engagement ring and wedding band, which represented his and Ellie’s love, renewed Wes’ fury. He clasped his hands together to stop them from shaking.

There’d been no autopsies. Wes had been about to board a plane to retrieve Ellie’s body when his buddy told him the victims had already been cremated and the ashes would be returned. Fucking cremated without his permission or knowledge.

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