Their Marriage Reunited (15 page)

Lilly woke up with a pounding head and a mouth that tasted like cotton wool. Wherever she was it was pitch black and she couldn’t see a damn thing. She tried to move and found her wrists and ankles restrained. It was quite disconcerting not to know where she was or who was in there with her. The last thing she remembered was Alexa’s crumpled form and she hoped that she was alright. Her main problem right now was figuring out where the hell she was. She sensed movement in the room but couldn’t make out where it was coming from. She moved her head from side to side and strained to see anything but it made no difference. All she saw was darkness.

“Hello?” she called out. Her voice sounded thin and echoed but there was no reply. At least she wasn’t gagged and prevented from calling out for help. That was probably a bad sign though. She’d once seen something that the only time a kidnapper left their victim without a gag was when there was nobody around to hear their cries for help.

Movement sounded again and Alexa strained to hear which direction they were coming from. She screamed when something brushed against her leg. That was when she realised that the movement she’d heard wasn’t from the shuffling of her kidnapper’s shoes but from whatever bugs and rodents inhabited wherever she was being held.

“Oh god,’ she whispered in to the darkness. She’d never been a fan of bugs and rodents at the best of times and especially not when tied up and unable to move or even to see them. She tried to keep the fear at bay but it was hard when she was aware of being stuck there and the space seemed to be closing in on her.

Time seemed to drag and she kept drifting in and out of consciousness. She’d expected someone to come and talk to her or something. She wasn’t sure what they’d wanted but it couldn’t have been just to leave her alone in the dark. What was the point?

Lilly nearly jumped out of her skin when she opened her eyes from one of her unconscious moments to find a man kneeling in front of her with a small light behind him. She screamed and jerked back. He laughed as he straightened up.

“Welcome back princess,” he said.

Terror flooded her veins as she realised that this was the man who had taken her. She recognised his voice and she knew that whatever he was here for wasn’t going to be good. She didn’t even understand why they’d taken her. Surely they were drawing more attention to themselves by kidnapping her than they would have done from robbing his house.

“What do you want?” she asked and was embarrassed at the quiver in her voice. She put that down to the fact that she could finally see some of her surroundings and could see the giant rats that were keeping a wary distance and the spiders that were scuttling away from the light.

“Your husband has become a thorn in my side,” the man said and Lilly frowned at that.

“What did he do?” she asked. She didn’t understand why anyone would hate Connor enough to do something like this.

“He destroyed something of mine so I’m going to destroy something of his. I want him to suffer for the hell that he’s put me through recently,” the man said. He’d moved closer as he spoke and Lilly was able to get her first good look at him.

He looked to be in his early 40’s and had a bald head and a strong physique. A jagged scar crossed the length of his left cheek and she wondered how he’d gotten it. His eyes were the scariest part of him. They glinted with glee at the things he was doing but behind that glint she saw nothing but death and destruction. This man had obviously done terrible things in his life, to the point that his soul was forever tainted. That knowledge scared her as she realised that she may not make it out of this alive.

“I don’t understand. What did he destroy?” she asked. Maybe if she could understand his reasoning behind kidnapping her then she could talk him round. It seemed like the best chance she had now. At least if all else failed then she would know the reasons why it had come to this.

“Your husband and his friends thought they were clever infiltrating my organisation and taking us down from the inside. Shame they didn’t do their homework and realise that we are everywhere and they can’t get rid of us all,” he said with a gleeful laugh. Lilly frowned. What the hell was he going on about?

“I don’t understand. My husband hasn’t tried to infiltrate any organisation,” she denied. The only thing her husband dealt with was hotels and she doubted that the man before her was on about them.

“You don’t need to protect him. We know all about his history. He may go by different names but we know about his time in the army and his weakness for damsels in distress,” the man said. Lilly’s frown deepened. She might not have featured in his life for a few years but she doubted whether he’d suddenly developed a double life.

“I think you have the wrong person,” she told him. She wasn’t sure how it had happened but they’d mistakenly mixed up who they were after.

“Trust me, we don’t.”

Lilly couldn’t believe that he wasn’t taking this seriously. She was being held here and was terrified and all because they’d gotten the wrong person. She didn’t know who they were after but it definitely wasn’t Connor.

“Trust me, you do,” said a voice from the darkness around them and Lilly screamed as there was the sound of a gunshot and then the man in front of her fell. At first she thought he was simply injured but then she saw his unseeing eyes and realised that he was dead. She screamed again, louder this time. She didn’t even know who this new threat was but she was certain that it couldn’t be anyone good.

“Help!!!” she screamed. She knew that it was a long shot but maybe someone would hear her and save her.

“It’s okay Lilly,” said the voice and she glanced up to find Connor stood there. She breathed a sigh of relief that turned in to panic when he moved closer and she realised that this wasn’t Connor at all. His features were harder than Connor’s and he seemed more ruthless. Unlike the man that she had loved for years this man appeared similar to the one who had held her hostage. Both had eyes that suggested they would kill someone without remorse. The man at her feet was evidence of that fact.

“Who are you?” she demanded. The man before her looked startled as though he hadn’t expected her to realise he wasn’t Connor. She didn’t understand how anyone could be fooled in to thinking that he was. This man was the polar opposite of her husband in every way and now that she had spotted those differences it was hard to even think that he looked similar.

“Not fooled huh?” he asked.

Lilly was about to answer when he bent before her and produced a knife. She stifled a gasp and eyed him warily as he moved the knife closer to her. Just as she thought he was going to use it against her he took hold of her bindings and sliced through them. She stretched her arms out and winced at the pain as she felt the blood flow back in to her aching limbs. She watched him warily as he cut the bindings on her leg too before he sat back on his haunches and observed her curiously.

“Who are you?” she demanded again and he gave her a crooked smile.

“Clean this mess up,” he called to someone behind him and then before Lilly had any warning he leaned over, slid his arms around her and lifted her in to his arms. She gave a squeak of surprise.

“Are you going to tell me who you are?” she demanded and was aware of his grin as he carried her out in to the blinding sunlight.

“I’m Cameron, and you must be my lovely sister-in-law,” he said.

Lilly could only stare at Cameron in disbelief. She’d almost reached the conclusion that he was a myth considering that she’d been part of the family for years and never once seen him. It was disturbing to realise how alike him and Connor were.

‘Nice to meet you,” she said and then winced as she realised how ridiculous that sounded. Just her luck though that she would meet her brother-in-law for the first time when she was looking her worst. She’d hardly expected to meet him at all but when she’d envisioned the meeting she hadn’t pictured herself dressed in yesterdays clothes with scrapes and bruises covering most of her body while he carried her from a building that she’d been held hostage in.

“I can see why my brother likes you,” Cameron said and she frowned at that. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

“Is Alexa okay?” she asked. It was one of the things that she’d been desperate to know ever since she woke up. She needed to know that she wasn’t seriously injured.

“She’s stubborn as a damn mule but fine,” he said and Alexa raised her brows at his tone.

“How long was I gone?” she asked and his gaze softened as he looked down at her.

“Only overnight. My brother was going out of his mind with worry though,” Cameron said.

“They thought I was Alexa,” Lilly told him conversationally and his lips tightened but he didn’t say anything.

It wasn’t long before they reached a car and Cameron placed her gently in the passenger seat before going round to the driver’s side. Lilly only waited long enough for him to start the car before she continued the conversation.

“They said that you’d infiltrated some organisation and tried to destroy them but that they’re everywhere. They wanted retaliation,” she said. His hands tightened on the steering wheel but his voice when he spoke came out nonchalantly.

“They were quite the chatty bunch,” he said.

“They wanted to hurt me because they thought it would hurt you, didn’t they?” she said. He shrugged though she could see the truth in his eyes.

“They probably mistook Connor for me,” he said.

“So what you’re saying is that this organisation are going to want revenge still and when they realise that they had the wrong person they’re going to come for Alexa,” she said. Both of them seemed to realise the implications of that at the same time.

“You and Connor will be safe. I’ll make sure of that,” he promised her. She shrugged at that. After today she doubted that Connor would be taking any chances with her.

“What about Alexa? She was the real target,” Lilly said. Cameron didn’t answer.

She really hoped that he realised Alexa needed him before it was too late. She genuinely liked Alexa now that she was certain she wasn’t trying to steal her husband and she didn’t want anything to happen to her. She doubted that her good health would remain if these men had it their way.

The rest of the journey was conducted in silence. Lilly hadn’t really thought ahead to where their destination was. She’d just been glad to be out of that hellhole. It was only as Cameron parked the car that she realised he’d taken her to the hospital. It seemed like ages ago that she’d last been here and she started to worry about her unborn baby. She hoped with all her heart that what she’d been through hadn’t hurt the baby but she knew better than to pray for miracles. All she could do was hope for the best and do her best not to shut everyone out.

Cameron insisted on carrying her again and he made sure that she was on a stretcher and seen to immediately. It was barely any time at all before Connor was beside her and she collapsed in to his arms with a cry of relief as she took the comfort that he offered. She had never been so glad to see him in her life. She realised right then how important he was to her and how she’d been such an idiot all this time.

“I was so worried,” Connor told her as he kissed her over and over again.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said and he looked at her incredulously.

“You’re glad I’m okay? Honey, you were the one who was kidnapped,” he reminded her.

“I’m just glad that we’re both okay, no matter what happens we have each other.”

Connor realised that she was worried about their baby and he held her hand tightly through all the tests and stitches as they waited for news. No matter what he would be by her side and even if she wanted to get rid of him he wouldn’t leave. He was going to support her through whatever was thrown their way no matter what. It seemed an age before a doctor finally took them in to a room and gave them a scan to determine whether the kidnapping had damaged their unborn child.

“You can stop worrying now. This little one is quite resilient,” the doctor said and Lilly breathed a sigh of relief while Connor squeezed her hand supportively.

“You’re sure the babies okay?” she asked and he smiled kindly at her.

“I promise you that the baby is doing fine. See for yourself,” he said and Lilly stared at the image of the tiny baby within her as love swelled in her heart.

“This baby is going to survive,” Connor assured her as he placed a kiss on her knuckles and she smiled up at him.

“We’re all going to survive whatever the world throws at us,” she agreed.

“Marry me.” Connor said abruptly and Lilly looked at him in confusion.

“We’re already married,” she reminded him.

“Then marry me again. Let’s start this off right,” Connor said. Lilly didn’t hesitate.

“I will marry you and I will pledge my life to you as many times as it takes,” she promised.

Cameron hovered outside the hospital room. He knew he had to suck it up and go and check that his wife was all right but he wasn’t sure that he would be very welcome right now. He didn’t remember Alexa having this stubborn streak before but then he’d blocked out a lot of his past. He’d finally made the decision and was reaching for the door handle when the door swung open and he found himself face to face with the woman herself. His eyes narrowed on her as he registered that she wasn’t wearing the enforced hospital gown and was dressed in casual clothes. She had a small bandage on her temple and a bigger bandage on her right arm. He knew for a fact that she was supposed to be staying in overnight because Connor had kept him updated on what the doctor had said.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded and then cursed himself inwardly. He’d planned to go in there and talk to her properly and have an adult conversation instead of returning to the bickering that they seemed to do now.

“I’m discharging myself, not that it’s any of your business,” she informed him as she tried to move past him. He simply moved to block her path. When she tried to move the other way he moved and blocked her again until she gave up and threw her hands in the air in disgust.

“Everything about you is my business,” he said and then winced inwardly as he realised how heavy-handed that might sound.

“Why do you do this?” she demanded and he frowned in confusion.

“Do what?” he asked.

“You disappear from my life and then just randomly turn up when it suits you to fuck my life up before you run away again without a word,” she said. He sighed at that. He knew that the accusation was a fair one. He had done that to her many times over, but in his defence he’d felt like he didn’t have a choice.

“I’m here now,” he pointed out and she glared at him.

“The problem is that I’ve had enough and can’t take anymore,” she said. He ran searching eyes over her as he assessed the truth of her words but he dismissed them as a side effect of the painkillers.

“What you need to do is get back in to bed and relax. You’re all banged up and tired and stressed from a long, dramatic day,” Cameron told her as he ushered her back towards the bed. He thought he’d finally won the battle and then the stubbornness reared its ugly head again and she slammed on the brakes as she froze in place and refused to move.

“What I need is for you to leave me the hell alone,” she informed him furiously and he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Lord but she could be difficult when she wanted to be. Before she could do anything more he simply picked her up and carried her back to the bed. He ignored the string of curses she sent his way, though he did raise his brows at a few of the more creative ones. Before she could climb out of bed again he joined her and pulled her in to the circle of his arms. She struggled against him for a few moments and tried to aim several kicks at him that likely would have connected if his reflexes weren’t so quick. Finally she gave up and relaxed in to his embrace.

Cameron couldn’t have guessed how nice it would feel to have her back in his arms again. It had been years since they’d shared this kind of intimacy. He hadn’t realised how much he missed it, how much he missed her. He’d thought that he was doing the right thing by staying away and letting her live her life without him there to ruin it, like he did everything else. Now though he realised what an idiot he had been and that maybe they were actually perfect for each other.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Alexa whispered and the heart he’d thought long dead gave a painful thump.

“Can’t do what?” he asked around the sudden lump in his throat.

“I can’t do this, us.”

Silence followed that statement. Cameron wasn’t sure why exactly that hurt so much considering the fact that they’d barely spent any time in the same country since they’d married and definitely didn’t have a traditional relationship.

“We could be good together,” he said and realised the truth to that statement. Why had he never realised that before? He’d spent so much time trying to protect her from everything that he’d never realised how much he wanted to be with her.

“We’re a disaster. All we do is argue and bicker and hurt each other,” she reminded him. He went silent for a few moments at that. It was true that they tended to descend in to bickering whenever they were together, but it hadn’t always been like that. At one time they’d genuinely been good friends and had relied on each other for everything. When had that changed? Had he been the one to destroy that easy relationship they’d shared?

“It wasn’t always like that,” he reminded her as visions from their past filled his mind.

“Things change,” she said in that same sad tone and he had to agree with her. Somehow things had changed for them and he realised that he missed what they’d once shared. He wanted that back again.

“I think we can go back to how we were,” he said stubbornly and felt her sigh.

“That’s the thing. I don’t want to. I want to end this and I want to forget that we were ever married,” Alexa said. Each word was like a dagger to the heart and he winced. That was the moment when he made a momentous decision. He wasn’t giving up on them. He’d been an idiot and he was going to fix everything. He wanted a real marriage and he wanted a family instead of the emptiness that was his life.

“Never going to happen,” he informed her curtly. She finally turned her head to look at him and he curses at the sight of the tears in her eyes.

“I promise I’ll stay overnight for them to check me out. But only if you leave,” she said and he searched her gaze and found the truth of that statement staring right back at him.

“Fine, but this isn’t going to be over,” he warned her as he slipped from the bed. He took one last look at her and then strode from the room.

Alexa watched him leave with sadness in her heart.

“It’s already over,” she said sadly.

It had been over for a long time already and she was only just aware of the truth of that. She knew without a doubt that she couldn’t survive like this anymore. She needed to start over somewhere new and take the kind of life that she wanted, one that didn’t include Cameron.