Black Horse (Breaking Black) (23 page)

“You just like him because he helps you cut the grass.”

“It’s more than that, and you know it,” Randy said. He didn’t want to say that in the moments when they were fighting against Black Horse, trying to protect Averi from his wrath, that they had become brothers again.

Shelly smiled at both of them.

“It’s time.”

***

Tim stood at under the gazebo with Colton before a small crowd. As the music began to play, the crowd stood up and Colton gazed expectantly at the front door of the house. He
cleaned up well, dressed in a black tuxedo. His hair was slicked and his eyes had an alluring quality that would suck Averi right in. He had jitters, but it was a good nervous. He couldn’t wait to have her as his wife.

After a long moment of waiting, the front door opened. Shelly stepped out holding a nosegay of roses and lilies. She smiled at the intimate crowd and walked gracefully up the aisle. She winked at Tim as she took her place beside the gazebo and excitedly waiting for her best friend to emerge from the house on the arm of her brother.

A second later, they crossed the threshold. With brilliant smiles on their faces, the pair walked down the porch steps and down aisle. She was a radiant beauty, smiling at each person she saw. As Colton’s gaze met hers, her heart sped like a jack hammer. She saw her future in his eyes. Her past. Twenty-two years of friendship. There was no one else she was supposed to marry. It was always Colton and Averi, right from the start. Lord only knows where they would be without one another. As Randy and Averi reached the gazebo, Reverend Pritchard emerged from his seat behind Tim and Colton. Randy held onto Averi’s arm tightly, afraid to let go.

“It’s okay to let go now.”

“I know, you’ll always be my little sister, though.”

“Yes, I will, and you’ll always be my bossy older brother. I love you.”

Randy kissed Averi on the cheek and he stood between Colton and Averi at the altar. Randy leaned over to Colt and whispered quietly in his ear, “Hurt her, and I’ll kill you.”

Colt laughed as he shook his head. As he reached out for Averi’s hand, he said to Randy, “You still haven’t learned, have you? This woman is everything to me. I have the scars to prove it.”

Randy stood next to Tim as Reverend Pritchard started the ceremony. It was brief but sentimental. When the time came for Colton to kiss his bride, such anticipation had built within him that he had never encountered before.

“Colton McClain, you may kiss your bride…”

Colt’s lips rushed Averi’s as they engaged in a passionate kiss. He felt like he had been away at war, fighting against an enemy, winning an unwinnable battle, but somehow, they had won. They had each other. Averi’s heart pounded as they kissed, but then a tiny bump made her laugh. Colt pulled back and looked at Averi with a perplexed look.

“What on earth was that?!” Colt asked looking down at Averi’s stomach.

“Your baby just booted you. Apparently our baby is embarassed at this display of public affection,” said Averi with a laugh.

Colton had an amused look written upon his face.

“We’ll they’ll just have to get over it…” he said as he kissed Averi again.

“Mr. and Mrs. Colt McClain…”

As they departed down the aisle, Colt and Averi had never been so happy. Not as children, not as adults. Ever. They held on to each other, him needing her and much as she needed him. They found love in the darkest of places, it saw them through the depths of hell and sailed them into brighter harbors. Despite all of the struggles, all of the blood shed and heart ache, the heart wants what it wants. There was nothing that could tear her away from him now.

Epilogue

Black Horse

“Patient John Doe… He is in a medically induced coma after receiving third degree burns over ninety percent of his body. He appears to have severe brain damage and he was shot multiple times.”

“Do we have any idea who he is?” Dr. Sawyer asked.

“No. He had no ID on him and no family has stepped forward.”

“If a next of kin does not step forward, we will initiate DNR protocol. What about the media?”

“It’s been four months. We will follow hospital regulations.”

On the man’s file, the nurse wrote, “Do not resuscitate,” and closed the file promptly.

“Poor man. I wonder why no family has come forth,” the nurse said as she closed the door.

Black Horse, and his black heart, had a short lease on life. The doctors were amazed that he wasn’t dead, and he would likely die the moment they took him out of his medically
induced coma. For days the nurses would check on him, record his vitals and leave him be, nothing more than a blackened corpse waiting for his date with the devil. But according to all accounts of the lives he had touched, Black Horse was the devil.

A few days later, Dr. Sawyer and nurse Ragonesi came into his room and began the process of taking him off medical support. They watched the heart monitor carefully, expecting him to
flat line... But he hadn’t.  Nurse Ragonesi came closer to his face, and spoke softly, “Sir?”

He was breathing.

“Can you hear me?”

He didn’t respond. The nurse waited a moment, trying to see if his vitals were on the down turn… but he seemed to be keeping steady.

At the speed of thunder crashing across the sky, Black Horse opened his eyes. He was blind in one eye, partially blind in the other. He couldn’t hear, see or walk, but he was alive.

In a croak of a voice, he said, “My name is Black Horse McClain… I want to see my son.”

The nurse quickly ran for the phone dialing Colt’s digits.

***

“McClain residence…” Averi said as she picked up the phone.

“Hello Mrs. McClain… This is Michelle Ragonesi calling from St. Catherine Medical Center… Is your husband available to speak?”

“He is working right now… Can I take a message?”

“Ma’am… I’m sorry to tell you this, but your father-in-law has been identified as John Doe… the John Doe that was on the news. The burned man.”

Averi’s blood ran cold.

“He’s asking to see his son.”

“Thank you. I will let him know.”

Averi quickly hung up the phone and dialed Colt’s phone.

“Pick up… Pick up….”

“Hey baby!” Colt said sounding happy.

“You’ll never believe this…”

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s alive…”

Colt’s heart damn near stopped.

“John Doe… at St. Catherine’s… that’s him. You know. The burned man that’s been all over the news.”

Colt’s face went stony.

“Good. Let him rot.”

“He’s asking to speak to you.”

“He’ll not be granted the privilege. I’ll send a representative instead. Don’t you worry about it.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with my brothers, right?”

“Nope.”

“And you’re not going to get arrested, right?”

“Of course, not.”

“I’m glad to see that you’re taking this so well. They just took him off life support and they think he’ll pass soon. Are you sure you don’t want to say goodbye?”

“I said goodbye to that man a long time ago. This world will be a better place without him.”

“I agree, babe. I agree.”

***

Colton picked up his phone and spoke in a hushed tone.

“John Doe at St. Catherine’s… It’s him.”

The person on the other end of the line did not respond. They waited for the end of Colt’s message and immediately disconnected the call.

***

Black Horse laid in the bed in the semi-private room that he shared with another burn unit victim. He thought Colt would come. He thought he was too decent to let his old man die without a final word. Black Horse was wrong. Colt’s hatred of the man was too great. The man in the next bed coughed, but didn’t say a word. Suddenly, the nurse came in.

“Is my son coming?”

“He declined.”

“He what?”

“Colton said he cannot come.”

“Cannot or will not?”

The man in the next bed shifted uneasily. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. The nurse checked on the man before exiting the room again.

Black Horse couldn’t believe it. His son had refused to see him. Even on his death bed. Even when he begged to see him. That is when Black
Horse realized that he had been dead to his son for a very long time.

Slowly, he drifted to sleep with his son’s face clear in his mind. It wasn’t until he felt someone sitting on his mattress with him did he wake up.

A man was sitting on his bed next to him, eyeing his monitors and watching his heart rate. Black Horse’s heart began to pound like a battle drum as he tried to determine the man’s identity. The visitor was of a stocky build, dressed in jeans and a gray hoodie. His hood was up hiding his identity.

“Colt?” Black Horse asked hopefully.

“No. I am Colton’s messenger,” said the man as he faced Black Horse.

Captain Shawn Hall stared down at Black Horse with a contemptuous look upon his face. He was dressed in plain clothes and had no compassion in his eyes.

“And what message do you bring?”

Without saying a word, Shawn twisted his silencer on his gun and brought it to Black Horse’s badly burned head.

“Even the devil has to pay his due,” Shawn said as he pulled the trigger.

Black Horse was dead.

As Captain Shawn Hall ran from the room, Jimmy Hearns stood up in his hospital bed beside his father. He caught the profile of Shawn’s face and Jimmy’s mind raged with fury. In that moment, his heart had decided he would avenge his father. He would break Averi from Colt’s white knuckled grip and the memory of Black Horse would continue through him.

***

Averi and Colton had found love in the darkest of places, they only had to survive to tell the tale. But when plunged into the depths by the other son of Black Horse, will they be able to swim to the surface, or will they drown under the oppressive rip tide of Jimmy Hearn’s poisoned mind?

A war is coming. Seventy Devils have been released from their cages… and Black Horse’s vendetta lives on.

~End~

About Addison Kline

Addison Kline is an Amazon Best Selling Author who published her first book, Down To You in October 2013. Mark My Words followed in February 2014 and Black Horse is slated for release on June 28, 2014. She is a prolific writer and has many more plans in the works. Later this year, she hopes to release book three in the Love on Edge Series, titled Fighting for Chance. In addition she is working on book two of the Breaking Black series which is currently untitled. 

Addison loves to read and will read anything as long as it has a solid plot. Romance novels with no plot annoy her, so she tends to steer towards romantic suspense novels the most. Her favorite authors are Nora Roberts, M. Sembera, S. Donahue and Nicholas Sparks. When she is not reading and writing, she is spending time with her family. Addison lives in Philadelphia with her husband and their children. They love to travel, watch movies and chill out at home together. 

Books By Addison Kline

Down To You

Mark My Words

Black Horse

Asher

(Coming Soon!)

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I want to thank my readers. Unlike some writers, I don’t write for the money, I write for the thrill of it all. The thought that I can bring joy or entertainment or reach a reader is absolutely amazing to me! I love hearing from you guys. Never hesitate to drop me a line on Facebook!

My partner in crime, S. Donahue. Seriously, there are no words. Just thank you!

My beta readers and street team… You know who you are. You girls are AMAZING! I love your faces!

The blogs… Way too many to list. Please know I appreciate everything you do. Without the amazing book blogs that promote indie authors, it is likely you wouldn’t have this book in your hands. I am eternally grateful for everything you have and continue to do for authors like me!