Primitive Fix (15 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Thunder cracked overhead and the rain whipped around her, causing her hair to tangle in her face, but Juliette managed to find an SUV parked close enough to the building to make it useful for them. All Nik would have to do would be pull Logan from the building and join them here by one of the delivery entrances. But as the minutes ticked by, she worried that he wasn’t going to make it out of the building.

The girl they’d rescued was sitting in the back seat, her knees pulled to her chest, long blonde hair falling in disarray all around her shoulders. Her torn clothes and the dirty condition of her body told Juliette she had been here for several days. She didn’t speak. She just stared straight ahead, her body shaking with each whimper slipping from her lips. As soon as Logan and Nik made it out of the building, they would head to the nearest hospital. Of course, Juliette had no idea where they were, but Nik would know. If he would hurry up and come.

Staring back at the building, she waited, her lip permanently squeezed between her teeth, drawing blood.

“Where are you?” she whispered. Sliding from the driver’s seat, she moved toward the door. If they’d gotten into trouble, she still had the gun and could help. It was better than just sitting there waiting for the worst to happen. She’d almost made it to the door when someone reached out and grabbed her, pulling her flush against a body that didn’t move. When the gloved hand covered her mouth, she dropped the gun, and she knew who had her.

“Shhh. Now, poppet. You don’t want to cause any more trouble, do you? I don’t know who you have coming to rescue you, but he will not make it out alive.” The man’s voice washed over her, sending a new wave of terror through her. She struggled against him, but it got her nowhere.

“Nice try, love, but you aren’t getting away this time. If he kills every one of my men, I will still have you.” He jerked her body away from the building, and she was sure he was heading back to the SUV. “I see you found my escape vehicle. Unluckily for you, I have the keys.  With them, you might have gotten away from here. But one thing is for certain, you’ll never get away from me.”

The darkness inside his voice sent a shiver up her spine and she forced the rising bile to settle back into her stomach. All she had to do was think. If she could get away from him, she could grab the gun. She hated that she’d lost it when he grabbed her.

They were almost back to the SUV when a gunshot rang out. The man twisted around, pushing her body in front of his, but she pulled to the right in the same instance and managed to slip away from him. Her body hit the dirt hard just a few seconds before the tiger’s roar filled the air. It only took a few seconds for the horrible death gurgle to erupt from her captor’s chest. This time, she couldn’t fight the panic rising inside her, and she vomited on the ground, purging herself until she felt empty.

This time when a set of hands closed around her, they were steady and safe. Nik helped her to her feet and put her in the SUV. She settled into the passenger seat and stole a glance at Logan in the backseat. His breathing was shallow, but it was still there. The blonde was staring down at him in wonder as if she’d never seen a man before. Nik climbed into the driver’s seat, pulling a pair of pants around his waist as he moved. He was glad the rain had switched to a drizzle, the storm subsiding as they moved farther away from the factory that had held them captive.

“Come on. We’re getting them to a hospital, then I’m taking you home.”

She nodded. Home sounded good. She missed her safe haven in the swamps, missed everything about those days with Nik. All she wanted was to have him wrap his arms around her while she fell asleep, knowing she would be safe.

* * * * *

This was not how Nik had planned to do things with Juliette, but once Logan and the mayor’s daughter were safely checked into the hospital, there were so many questions to answer that Juliette decided it was best if he slipped out. How would they ever be able to explain what had happened at the factory? He had killed so many men that the thought made him sick, but each one had died trying to harm him or Juliette.  It was self-defense, but it still felt like murder, and he knew it would weigh on him for the rest of his life. Even if those men looked soulless, the way Juliette had described those whose souls she’d stolen, he’d still had a hand in ending their lives.

Juliette fielded answers from the mayor like a professional, explaining that Logan had been searching for his daughter and that the person who had kidnapped her had also taken Juliette and Logan. The tiger who’d escaped from the truck stop weeks ago was also being held prisoner in the old factory and he had killed many of the men, including their leader. It was a nice story wrapping everything up with a fucking bow, but it did very little to ease Nik’s conscience. And it served to only enforce the feelings that had been coursing through him since he had first laid eyes on Juliette. He wanted her. Wanted to take her home. To his home. Wanted her to help him lead the Maddux clan.

She was sitting next to Logan’s bed when Nik returned to the hospital. Someone had brought her some scrubs to wear, but she looked like she hadn’t eaten or slept in days. It was hard to believe she’d only been gone for twenty-four hours the way this whole situation was weighing on her.

“How is he?” Nik cleared his throat when he walked in. She didn’t stand, but she turned to look at him.

“He’s resting. They have him medically sedated. He’s got several broken bones and one of his lungs is on the verge of collapse. We got to him just in time. Hell of a concussion and some swelling, but it should all go down and he’ll be good as new. The main thing right now is to keep fluid off his lungs.” She spoke like a medical professional, which he realized she was. He had seen her past and knew all of her secrets now, but he still wanted her as strongly as he ever had.

He let out the breath he had been holding. “I’m glad I got there in time. And how about you? Did you let them look you over too?”

“Yes. I’m fine. A little dehydrated, but it’s no big deal.” When she looked up at him, her eyes glittered with tears. “I couldn’t heal him. I tried to put my hands on him, to breathe in some healing vibes, but nothing happened.”

He looked down at her, his heart aching for the woman he loved. “I shouldn’t have left you. I shouldn’t have let you handle all the questions yourself, deal with all this yourself.”

“You were covered with the blood of about ten different men. How else could we explain things?” She gave a weak smile. “And I’m fine. Just tired. Ready for him to wake up and be better.”

“Still, I should have stayed.”

She stood and took the two steps that stood between them. “I promise you, I’m fine.” When she wrapped her arms around him, his heart finally started beating again. He didn’t know what he would do if she rejected him after all they’d been through. “Now, you said something about taking me home.”

He grinned down at her. “I did. But I don’t want to take you back to the swamp. I want to take you to my home. To a place where you will always be safe. Where there are others like me.”

“Like your brother who broke you out of that cage?”

He swallowed hard. “How did you know about that?”

“Logan told me about the breakout and I put the rest together.”

“Yes. That was my brother, and I have done a lot of damage since I’ve been gone from there. I have a lot of things I need to fix, and I want to do them with you by my side. I love you, Juliette. I want you to be with me.”

She smiled, then snuggled against him, her head on his chest. When she looked back up at him, she took his breath away. “I love you, too, Nik. And I don’t care what you’ve done in the past. I want to help you make it right. I want to be part of your future.”

He let out a low groan that turned into a purr. “Don’t you know, woman? You are my future. You aren’t just part of it, you’re the whole thing.”

“I sure like the sound of that.”

He let his hand trace down her cheek, then rest on the back of her neck. Tilting her head up toward his, he lowered his lips to hers. He would die for her, and he would kill for her.  She was his everything, his salvation, and he was ready to face his future with her by his side.

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alicia Sparks is a Southern girl with a flair for all things a little naughty. From writing about sensual ice cream to sexy tigers, her stories all contain a high level of heat, which she blames on her Southern surroundings and her smoking hot husband. She has been writing for ten years and shows no signs of stopping any time soon!

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More of Alicia’s Books:

Damon:
 
http://amzn.to/18LRnMj

Wild Shifters:
 
http://jupitergardenspress.com/shop/wild-shifters-copy/