Chapter Twenty-One
The man who haunted my dreams walked into the room. I whimpered and pressed into Ashton’s back, trying to disappear. My eyes raked over him, seeing that he looked exactly the same as I remembered him, although he had a few grey flecks in his brown hair now. Mark, Jimmy, and two other guys walked into the room behind him. I hated the fact that Mark was here. I had seen him torture people for hours before he killed them; he was going to torture Ashton, I just knew it. A sob rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back down. I couldn’t cry, crying was weakness to Carter.
“Well, this is the guy, is it? The one who killed seven of my men?” Carter asked, sneering at Ashton. The sound of his voice made me whimper and clutch Ashton’s shirt for dear life. It was just as I remembered and still made my blood turn cold in my veins and a shiver run down my spine.
Mark nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, I found some SWAT credentials on him. Agent Ashton Taylor, but then, we already knew his name,” he stated, holding out Ashton’s wallet to Carter.
Carter cocked his head to the side, his eyes raking over Ashton slowly from head to toe. “Agent Taylor. Well, I guess that saves me some time, now I don’t have to come and look for you in LA. But why are you here all alone? I thought you’d been reassigned,” Carter asked, raising one eyebrow curiously.
My breathing hitched as my eyes widened. They knew Ashton lived in LA and had planned on moving on him? Please let me get him out of here! “He’s my bodyguard, Carter,” I said, quickly stepping out from behind Ashton. Before I could get more than a step away from him, Ashton grabbed my wrist and jerked me back behind him.
“Stay behind me!” he ordered harshly.
I saw Carter nod, and almost immediately Mark punched Ashton in the stomach, making him double over with pain. I screamed, but he still didn’t let go of me, he held me behind him protectively.
I can’t watch this again, I just can’t. I pushed Ashton, making him lose his balance and fall to the floor. I ripped my wrist from his hold and punched Mark as hard as I could in the face, looking at him challengingly. Come on, asshole, hit me back! Come on, do it! He spat blood onto the floor and whipped back his hand, slapping me hard across the face. My eyes rolled in their sockets as pain exploded in my head, making my eyes water.
In an instant there was a gun to Mark’s head. “You touch her again and I swear, not only will I kill you, but I will kill your whole family,” Carter growled menacingly at him.
And here was my chance. “Kill him, Carter. Please, baby, he really hurt me,” I pouted, holding my face. Please kill him; I can’t have Mark hurt Ashton! Please.
“You want me to kill him? Are you getting sadistic, Princess?” Carter asked, looking me over for the first time since he entered the room.
“That’s not the first time he’s hit me today.” I raised my chin, pouting and trying to look wounded.
A look of hatred went across his face and his eyes flashed with rage. The shot rang out loud in the room. Blood splashed across my face. Mark slumped to the floor, dead. I watched, emotionless. All I could think of was: at least Mark won’t be able to torture Ashton now.
“Come here, Princess,” Carter instructed, smiling at me warmly. Without hesitation, I stepped over Mark’s dead body, but Ashton was back on his feet. He grabbed me, throwing me behind him protectively, slamming me against the wall.
“You don’t fucking touch her!” he spat at Carter, looking so angry that I was slightly surprised that Carter wasn’t dead already from the force of the hatred coming from Ashton.
Carter’s jaw tensed, his eyes locked on Ashton’s in some kind of battle of the stares. “I appreciate you looking after my wife for me while I was away, Agent, but I’m back now, I can take care of her,” he replied calmly.
Ashton’s body tensed against mine. “Wife… but…”
When he looked back at me with wide, shocked eyes, silently asking if that was true, I pressed my lips into a thin line and nodded in confirmation. I couldn’t deny it while Carter was there. I couldn’t explain that I didn’t want it, that it was forced upon me, that it repulsed me to the very core. Ashton’s jaw tightened as his eyes shone with sympathy.
“Yes, wife,” Carter confirmed harshly. His gaze flicked to me, his eyes hard and warning. I knew that look, and it was always one I didn’t dare ignore. “Come here, Princess,” he repeated.
I went to move, but Ashton wouldn’t let go of me. Carter raised his gun, aiming it directly at Ashton’s face. My world stopped spinning. This was it, he was going to die. He was going to be murdered right in front of me. I loved him so much that I would die for him; actually, I loved him so much I would live for him. Death was easy compared to Carter. If Ashton died it was going to kill me inside, and that would be worse than death. I couldn’t go through that, not again. I loved Ashton so much, more than anything and everything. He was my life, he was my soul mate. I couldn’t allow this to happen.
“Please don’t, Carter, for me. Please, baby, I’m begging you, please.” I tried desperately not to cry as I struggled against Ashton’s hold. His gaze flicked to me, a little shocked expression on his face. He was begging me with his eyes to stay with him, to stay behind him. I shook my head. “Carter, please. I’ll do anything you want, anything. Just don’t hurt him. I can’t see any other people die because of me, please?” Ashton still wouldn’t let go of my wrist, so I elbowed him in the ribs where he had the bruises. He grunted in pain. It hurt my insides to know that I had caused him pain, but it worked to my advantage, just like I thought. His hold loosened for a fraction of a second and I scooted away just out of his reach, towards Carter.
“No, Anna!” he screamed, trying to grab me, but I was too quick.
Four guns all pointed in his face, making him stop in his tracks. He was looking at me, pleading with me to go back to him, but I couldn’t. I needed to try; I needed to make him safe if I could. I put my hand on Carter’s gun and pushed it away so it wasn’t pointing at Ashton anymore.
“Please don’t hurt him, baby,” I pleaded, looking right into his brown eyes. I pushed away all my fear and hatred. I didn’t care what he did to me, but Ashton had to live. I stepped forward slowly towards Carter. “Please,” I whispered as I got right in front of him. I ran my hands up his chest, making him shiver. Lust crossed his face and I fought with every nerve in my body not to flinch. “Please don’t hurt him.”
He sighed deeply. “Tell me why not then, Princess,” he suggested, lowering his gun and trailing his fingers across my face.
Oh shit, what the hell can I say? “I’ve seen too many agents be killed because of me today. Plus, I… I know his girlfriend. I like her. She really loves him, Carter, he’s everything to her. He’s all she has in the world. He’s all she lives for. Please don’t hurt him. She needs him,” I begged, putting my arms around his neck. He looked at Ashton. I didn’t move, I couldn’t look back at him, I knew what I’d see: shock, love, horror and hurt. Carter regarded Ashton with indecision clear across his face. I could see how much he wanted to kill him for putting his hands on me, but he also didn’t want to do it because I was begging him. He always had liked to try and give me everything that I asked for. “For me? Don’t take him away from her. Just let him go home. I’m here now, we’re together. No one else needs to die because of me.” I smiled – at least, I hoped I was smiling, it felt more like a grimace. Carter rolled his eyes, and his face softened. My heart took off in a sprint knowing that he’d conceded.
Carter dipped his head slowly, and I held my breath, knowing what was coming. When his lips pressed against mine, I whimpered and fought the urge to recoil and gag. His arms snaked around my waist, crushing me against him. He moaned in the back of his throat and finally pulled away, his eyes shining with excitement.
“I’ve missed you, Princess,” he purred, kissing down my neck. I swallowed my sobs and squeezed my eyes shut. I heard Ashton groan.
“I’ve missed you too, Carter,” I mumbled.
My scalp suddenly burned as Carter gripped the back of my hair roughly, pulling my head back so I had to look up at him. “Don’t mumble, Princess, you know I don’t like that,” he growled, pulling hard on my hair, making me grit my teeth against the pain that was shooting through my scalp.
“I’ve missed you too, Carter,” I repeated, louder this time.
“Good girl.” He smiled before setting a soft kiss on my cheek.
“Keep your fucking hands off her!” Ashton growled, trying to step forward as he reached for me.
One of the men that had entered with Carter smashed his gun into the side of Ashton’s face, hard, sending him to the floor with blood pouring from his mouth. Carter ignored him. I glared at Ashton, begging him silently to be quiet. He shook his head at me as he spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. I didn’t dare move. I needed him to be safe, I would do whatever it took, but he needed to help me by being quiet. Carter was going to let him go, and that was all I needed.
“Princess,” Carter murmured, running his hands down my body, squeezing my ass as he moaned in the back of his throat. “You are so fucking hot. I hope you got plenty of sleep last night because I’ve missed you so much, I don’t think you’ll be getting any tonight, Mrs Thomas,” he purred lustfully. Vomit rose in my throat as a cold shudder trickled down my spine. Carter didn’t seem to notice my reaction though as he used the sleeve of his expensive white shirt to wipe the side of my face. “So beautiful,” he whispered, smiling at me proudly.
Behind me, I could hear Ashton pushing himself up. Carter’s eyes flicked over my shoulder and he cocked his head to the side. “Right then, what shall we do about him?” he pondered, nodding at Ashton.
“I thought you were going to let him go,” I mumbled. Had I not convinced him enough? Had I not made my case strongly enough? Knowing I needed to do everything in my power, I stepped closer to Carter and gripped my hand around the back of his head, guiding his mouth to mine as I went up onto tiptoes. He responded immediately, kissing me fiercely, taking control. The kiss was just like I remembered, rough and demanding.
Finally, he pulled away and put his forehead to mine. His brown eyes danced with excitement and joy. “Fucking hell, Princess, I forgot how much I loved you.” He smiled, running his hands through my hair. “Tell me you love me,” he ordered.
“I love you,” I replied, instantly. It was a natural response to the order, although every single syllable left me feeling dirty and used.
He sighed contentedly, his hand cupping the side of my face, caressing it gently with his thumb. He nodded and pulled away, a playful smile on his face. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do; we’ll play Russian roulette. We’ll each do a shot, the three of us, and if he’s still alive then he can go free,” he offered, grinning happily.
I started to shake, I hated this game. This game was the reason that guns terrified me.
Wait, is he actually going to give me a gun? If he gives me a gun, I’m going to kill him with it! I felt the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, and I fought to keep my composure so that he wouldn’t know what I was thinking. I nodded eagerly, and he smiled at me curiously.
“Are you over your gun phobia now, Princess?” he asked.
I shook my head in response. “No. Guns still scare the hell out of me, but I really want him to go free. I’ll do anything. I’ll take his shot as well as mine,” I offered, holding my hand out for the gun.
“No, you fucking will not, Anna!” Ashton cried, stepping forward. One of the other men shoved him against the wall, punching him repeatedly in the stomach and chest. The sound of Ashton in pain would haunt me forever.
“Stop it! Please, stop it!” I screamed, clinging to Carter’s shirt, almost shaking him in desperation.
Carter laughed quietly. “Richard, stop, we have a game to play,” he chirped excitedly. The guy stopped hitting him and stepped back.
Ashton pushed himself painfully back to his feet. “Anna, don’t,” he begged, barely able to talk. I turned away from his face. I couldn’t look at him anymore; he was breaking my heart. He’d only just fixed it and now he was breaking it again. Worse this time, nothing could ever fix me; I would never get over him because he was everything that was good in my world.
I watched Carter take out all of the bullets and put one back in; the whole time a grin was stretched across his face. “Now, I don’t think I want to give a SWAT Agent a gun so I’ll pull yours for you,” he said to Ashton, who actually didn’t look frightened, just extremely pissed off and murderously angry.
I couldn’t allow that to happen, I couldn’t take the chance of the bullet being in the chamber when the gun went off. “No! Point it at me, I’ll take his one too,” I insisted. A lone tear rolled down my cheek as I reached for Carter’s hand, trying to pull the gun in my direction.
Carter scoffed. “Princess, that’s not how the game is played, you know that, you’ve played before,” he stated sternly, raising his gun to Ashton, whilst holding me back with his other hand. Panic surged through me and I grabbed for his arm again. He shifted and rewarded me with another slap to my already sore face. I yelped and slammed against the wall, putting my hands out for balance to stop me from falling to the floor.
“I’m going to kill you!” Ashton growled through his teeth. “I swear to God, I’m going to rip you to fucking shreds with my bare hands.”
Carter chose to ignore him and didn’t respond. The gun was pointed directly at Ashton’s face. “Carter! At least aim for his leg or something! Please, I don’t want anyone else to die today. Please?” I begged.
My heart was in my throat as Carter’s finger squeezed the trigger. I flinched, waiting for the loud bang, waiting for the sound of Ashton’s agonising cry of pain as the bullet ripped through his flesh, waiting for the sound of his body hitting the floor.
But nothing happened. It just clicked.
Unable to hold my nerve anymore, I turned to the side and vomited violently. Carter laughed wickedly, gripping my arm and pulling me to my feet while I continued to dry heave. “Nope, not over your gun phobia. You threw up last time we played too, you remember that? Best night of my life,” he cooed, looking right into my eyes. I was barely able to stop myself from punching him in the face; I just needed to get Ashton out first. “You remember that night, right?” he repeated, slipping his hand down to my ass and pulling my body flush against his. I nodded and closed my eyes, willing myself not to remember the night that he first forced himself on me and took my innocence. My whole body was shaking, my breathing was coming in gasps, and my heart was beating too fast. I closed my eyes, fighting for control of my emotions so that I didn’t switch off and go into meltdown – that wouldn’t help Ashton survive.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that Carter was looking at me, clearly amused. He wiped my mouth roughly, laughing before bending and planting a kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Your turn now, Princess,” he instructed, waggling his eyebrows at me. He turned the gun in his hand so he held out the handle to me. I looked at it hesitantly, unsure if I would be able to do what I had planned. I took a deep breath before raising a shaky hand and taking the gun from his grasp. “That’s a good girl. All you need to do is pull the trigger.” He smiled and pushed the gun so it was pointing under my chin. I closed my eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. When I opened them, I looked straight at Ashton. I nodded, hoping that he would get ready and know what I was planning.
I took one last deep breath before I whipped my arm down, aiming at Carter’s chest and pulled the trigger again and again, counting them as they went through the chamber. Ashton had one click, and this was probably only a six shooter gun.
Click
Click
Click
Click.
Okay, it’s the next one! I braced myself for the slight recoil of the gun. I pulled the trigger again.
Click
Nothing happened. I pulled again and again, still nothing. Ashton groaned. What? No! Why didn’t it go off?
Carter burst out laughing and took the gun out of my trembling hand. “As if I would give you a loaded gun, Princess. You’d probably shoot your beautiful face off, then where would I be? Widowed at twenty-eight,” he said, pulling me to him. “But I am pretty pissed off that you just tried to shoot me,” he growled, pulling my hair back and slamming me into the wall.
Oh shit, this is it, Anna, fight or die.
I heard a gunshot go off. A real one this time, loud and horrifying. I heard a groan of pain, I snapped my head around quickly to see what had happened, and my world collapsed in on itself. Ashton was falling to the floor, blood seeping across the shoulder of his shirt. I screamed hysterically. He was dead. Ashton, the love of my life, my soul mate, the only thing I cared about, was dead.
Desperation and horror washed over me as Carter threw me to the floor. I wanted to stay there and curl into a ball and die, but I couldn’t. Carter wouldn’t let me die. I would have to live, knowing that Ashton was dead because of me, and I couldn’t do that.
Either Carter was going to die or I was. I wouldn’t live without Ashton. I pushed myself up off the floor and punched Carter hard in the face, catching him off-guard and sending him stumbling backwards. My foot shot out and landed a kick right in the middle of his chest which made him fall to his knees. While he groaned in pain, I took the advantage, grabbing the back of his hair and slamming his face into my knee with as much force as I could manage. I heard his nose snap and I smiled, throwing him to the floor, smiling as he writhed in agony. I kicked him in the groin and stomach, bringing my foot back again to kick him in the face, but he grabbed my foot, pulling hard so I fell onto my back, knocking the wind out of me.
“Shit,” I gasped as I saw him getting to his feet.
I could vaguely hear sounds of a scuffle, a chair or table breaking, but all I could focus on was Carter. He was going to kill me, I could see it on his face, there was no going back this time; this was it. I rolled to my side, pushing myself up to all fours. As he went to kick me in the face, I put my hands up to shield myself and pushed his leg to the side, making him lose his balance slightly, allowing me time to get to my feet.
I smirked at his shocked expression; I’d never once tried to fight him back, well, not like this anyway. My meagre sixteen year old attempts at fighting him were pathetic because back then I’d known nothing, unlike now. “Yeah, I had lessons. I wanted to be able to kill you if I ever saw you again,” I explained, shrugging.
I was actually enjoying this. My back was hurting like hell, but I ignored it as he came for me again, almost growling with rage. His hand shot out towards my hair, so I whipped my head out of the way and kicked him in the stomach. Stepping forward, I grabbed hold of his shirt, throwing my knee up as hard as I could into his stomach twice before he grabbed me and slammed me into the wall.
He pulled his arm back and I saw a flash of silver before pain like nothing I had ever felt in my life blasted through my stomach. It felt like a burning hot poker had been shoved into me. I grunted, gasping for breath as he pulled his arm back, sliding the knife back from my flesh before driving it back into my stomach again.
Using all of my might, I shoved him away from me, seeing the serrated edged flick knife he had in his hand. My blood dripped from the blade, landing in patters at his feet. I sucked in a ragged breath, leaning against the wall for support as my hand fumbled at my stomach, feeling my wet, soggy T-shirt.
I could taste the blood in my mouth and my whole body seemed like it now weighed a thousand pounds. My breathing was laboured as my lungs constricted because of the pain that was consuming me, crushing me, drowning me.
“Princess? I… Oh God, what have I done?” Carter gasped, stepping forward, his eyes wide and frantic. “Shit. I need to get you some help. You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine,” he muttered, reaching down and pressing his hands over the wounds he’d inflicted, trying to staunch the blood flow. “I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t have pushed me. You made me do this!” he ranted, shaking his head angrily. I wasn’t sure if he was angry at himself for stabbing me, or angry at me because I’d ‘made’ him do it.
“I hate you, you sick son of a bitch. I never loved you. Just let me die!” I hissed, shoving his hands away from me with as much strength as I could manage.
He recoiled, his mouth popping open in shock. Clearly, in his sick, twisted, little mind, we loved each other and were the perfect couple. He didn’t understand that he murdered my boyfriend, kidnapped me, raped me, beat me, starved me, and shattered my soul. He only saw what he wanted to see.
The pain in my stomach was blinding me. I was exhausted. I couldn’t stand anymore; my legs wouldn’t support my weight. I could barely breathe through the pain and the grief of seeing Ashton die. I slumped to the floor. Death was coming too slowly; I wanted it over with already. I knew just how to make Carter angry enough to end me quickly.
“That agent that everyone thinks was just undercover and an act, well, he wasn’t. I love him. I’ll always love him. You should just kill me now because I’ll never stop fighting you, I’ll never give in. I’ll never conform. I’ll never feel anything for you but hatred!” I spat.
“You ungrateful little bitch! Mark kept trying to tell me that it didn’t look like a cover, but I refused to believe it,” he growled. He stepped forward and I saw the resigned expression wash over his face as he finally realised that I would never be what he wanted me to be, we would never have what he wanted us to have.
“I hate you, you piece of shit!” I shouted, sneering at him. “Just kill me already!”
His eyes flashed with menace at my disrespect and he staggered forward, his lips pressed into a thin line as he twirled the knife in his hand. I fought a smile, knowing that death was coming for me now. For the last six and a half months that I’d known Ashton, I’d learned to live again. For those six and a half months, I didn’t want to die. But he was gone now, and so was my reason for being.
I closed my eyes and thought of Ashton. His eyes, and the way his hair felt when I ran my fingers through it. I thought of the way he held me at night, his laugh, his smile, and the amused way he would look at me when I was behaving like a bitch to him. I remembered the way he kissed me, his taste, the way his smell made me feel, and how his voice sounded when he said he loved me. I smiled at the thoughts, and was thankful that the nightmare that I called a life was finally over.
A loud bang erupted out of nowhere. A gunshot, then another, and another, and another.
I waited for the pain, but it never came. My eyes fluttered open, seeing Carter’s wide eyes. He coughed and blood gurgled out of his mouth. He slumped down onto his knees in front of me, and another shot filled the room. My breath caught in my throat as he fell, face first onto the floor, with a heavy thump.
He’s dead? But he can’t be dead; he was going to kill me! I looked up to see Ashton leaning against the wall, holding a gun out in front of him. His face was murderously angry. He was covered in blood and dirt, his T-shirt was ripped, and his body slightly hunched on one side as if he was nursing it. He looked like a hot freaking badass.
I couldn’t speak. Confusion made my brain fuzzy. He was dead. I heard the shot. I saw him fall. He definitely died.
He pushed off the wall, leaving a trail of blood smeared there and limped over to me, practically falling down to my side. He looked like hell. His face was broken and swollen, there was blood everywhere and his white T-shirt was now almost entirely red, from where it was soaked with blood. His hands were swollen and grazed and he could barely breathe, but he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.
My heart took off in overdrive. He’s alive? He didn’t die? Or am I dead too? Maybe this is heaven…
“You okay, Baby Girl?” he asked, taking my face in his battered hands.
“I… I… You… Ashton, you died. I heard it. You got shot, I saw you,” I choked out.
“I’m okay, I promise. What about you?” he asked, touching my stomach worriedly.
I winced, gritting my teeth against the pain. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly. I wrapped my tired arms around him, noticing how he flinched as I touched him.
“Are you okay, Ashton?” I asked, touching his blood-soaked shirt. I pushed him away and moved the soggy, wet material away from his bicep, making him suck in a breath through the pain. I gagged as I saw the bullet wound on his upper arm, just before it met his shoulder. Blood was trickling out of it, running down his arm and dripping slowly from his fingers. I squirmed on the spot, thinking how painful it must be to have been shot. “Ashton, shit! We need to get you some help!” I cried, trying to get up. Pain coursed through my stomach and I screamed and slumped back to the floor in agony. It was so bad that I leant over and threw up again.
“Shh, stay still, Baby Girl. I’m okay, I promise. The bullet went straight through, no permanent damage done. I’ll be fine,” he assured me, kissing my forehead. “Don’t move,” he ordered, crawling over to Carter and searching through his pockets for something. He pulled back after a few seconds with a cell phone.
“This is Agent Taylor. I have the jewel. She’s hurt, you need to send an ambulance, now! 4232 Western Ambrose. No, the threat has been neutralised. No, he’s dead. They’re all dead. Just get the medics here now!” he ordered.
They’re all dead? How can they all be dead? I glanced over and saw five bodies on the floor in the room. Carter, Mark, the guy called Richard, Jimmy and the other guy that I didn’t really know. Ashton had killed all three of them while I was fighting Carter? He got shot and still managed to kill three people? I smiled weakly because he was so skilled at his job. The pain in my lower body was starting to fade now, and I was grateful for that. The cold, hard floor made my teeth chatter, and my eyelids were getting heavier and heavier by the second. I decided just to sleep for a little while, just until the medics came, then that way I’d be able to stay with Ashton at the hospital when he had to stay there for his treatment.
“No Anna! Stay awake. I need you to talk to me,” Ashton gasped, shaking my head.
“I’m tired,” I whined, not opening my eyes.
“No! You need to stay awake, Anna. It’s extremely important. Can you do that for me, Baby Girl? Can you stay awake for me?” he asked desperately.
I nodded. Of course I could. “I’d do anything for you, Ashton,” I promised, forcing my eyes open to look at his broken face.
He smiled weakly. “I know you would, Baby Girl, I know.” His arms slid under me, pulling me into his lap as he groaned in pain from his injuries. I hissed through my teeth as the pain doubled in my stomach and back. I forced my arms up around his neck so I could hug him back, but they were so damn heavy. “Stay awake, Anna,” he rasped in my ear.
“You’re so damn sexy, Ashton.” I smiled weakly; even his painful voice was a turn-on.
He laughed at that statement. “So are you, Anna, so are you.” He kissed my lips lightly. I moaned when I felt his soft lips on mine; I’d missed his kisses and his affection so much in the last seven weeks. I kissed him back with as much force as I could manage. He felt like home, like a safe, warm home, and I loved him so much.
When I opened my eyes from the kiss, it was so bright that I had to squint. I looked around, wanting to turn the light off, but I realised we were outside. I looked back at him as he sat down on the steps outside the building, resting his head against the wall, holding me tightly on his lap. He looked like he was in excruciating pain, his face deathly pale.
“How did we get outside?” I breathed, barely more than a whisper.
He smiled weakly, rubbing his hands over my face tenderly. “I carried you, Baby Girl. We just need to wait for the medics; it won’t be long now. Just stay awake for me, okay?” he whispered, kissing my lips again. I was so tired that it was almost impossible to keep my eyes open, but I just couldn’t look away from his face. I could barely respond to his kiss, even though I felt like it would kill me not to.
I pulled my mouth away from his, making him whimper, but I needed to tell him something, I needed to say it, he needed to know. “I love you, Ashton.”
He grinned, his pained eyes shining with excitement and love. “I love you too, Anna.” He pressed his lips to mine again in one of the sweetest, most tender kisses that I had ever felt in my life. With that one kiss, he showed me exactly how much he loved me, how much he cared for me and how much he had missed me. That one kiss was so special that it actually brought tears to my eyes because it was so beautiful.
I heard sirens in the distance, but all I could think of was the fact that everything was over and that we could be together. His kiss took away the pain in my lower abdomen.
“Agent Taylor, I need to take her,” I heard someone say.
I squeezed my arms tighter around his neck. “No, I want to stay with you, please?” I begged, burying my face into his neck.
“It’s okay, Baby Girl, I’ll come with you. I won’t ever leave you again, I promise. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He kissed my forehead and loosened my death grip that I had on his neck; he probably didn’t even realise I was using all of my strength.
“Has she been shot?” I heard the same guy ask.
“No, stabbed. There’s just so much blood and she says she’s tired,” Ashton answered, sounding incredibly worried.
I was moved onto a bed and the guy was looking at me, shining something into my eyes. “I’m fine,” I assured him. “Help him, please, he was shot, please help him,” I begged, trying to push his arms off me so he would help Ashton. The silly boy was worried more about me when he was the one that was shot; it was ridiculous.
The medic nodded. “We’ll help him, ma’am, but right now I need to look at you.”
I was vaguely aware of moving. I had a feeling I was in an ambulance. I could hear someone talking to Ashton, so I focussed on what he was saying. Was he finally getting treatment?
“I need to assess your injuries.”
“I’m fine, honestly, I’ll get checked out at the hospital,” Ashton answered dismissively. I groaned and tried to sit up to tell him to just get looked at, but the medic pushed me back down again.
Another voice joined the conversation now too. “Agent Taylor, what happened?”
“There’re twelve dead inside. Seven on the lower floors and five in a room on the top floor, on the east side I think, I lost my bearings a little. Carter Thomas is dead,” Ashton growled, his voice sounded extremely exasperated, like he didn’t want to be having this conversation right now.
Twelve dead? He’d killed twelve guys? Wow, my man is seriously good at his job!
“You went in without backup?” the guy asked, sounding shocked.
I turned my head, looking towards the back of the ambulance, trying to see Ashton. I just wanted to keep my eyes on him; I didn’t want him too far away from me yet. I winced as an IV was inserted into my skin.
Ashton was frowning at a guy in a secret service suit, his eyes angry and annoyed. “Yes. Look, I need to go with her to the hospital with her. I’ll answer anything you want there,” Ashton snapped in reply. I heard him groan as he climbed into the ambulance behind me. I smiled weakly and closed my eyes. I could sleep now the ambulance was here, just for a couple of minutes. “No, Anna!” Ashton cried, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly.
I turned my head to look at him and smiled. He was just so perfect. “You know, even looking like you do now, you’re still the hottest damn guy in the world,” I mumbled.
He laughed quietly. “Thanks, Baby Girl, and you’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, but you need to stay awake for me. Talk to me, help me keep my mind off my pain,” he replied. I saw him look up at the medic; I flicked my eyes to him just in time to see him shake his head. Ashton’s face fell and he dropped to his knees by the side of my head. “Please, Baby Girl, don’t leave me. Don’t you dare fall asleep, I need you,” he croaked. Tears were falling down his face, washing some of the blood away.
“Don’t cry, Pretty Boy, you’re supposed to be a tough guy,” I teased.
“Right, a tough guy, I forgot.” He smiled, but it showed no happiness, only pain and worry. “Anna, please, I love you, I need you. Please be okay,” he begged, kissing my forehead and smoothing my hair away from my face. I could feel tingles everywhere he touched, and my heart started to speed.
“I’ll be alright, Ashton. Don’t keep worrying about me. Ask him to look at you, you’re hurt more than I am, tell him you got shot,” I mumbled. Why isn’t the silly boy getting any treatment?
He just smiled his heart-stopping smile at me. “Will you marry me, Anna?” he asked, looking into my eyes.
I looked up at him, shocked. Happiness made my heart start to race in my chest, which was pretty embarrassing with the monitor that I was attached to. I looked into his pleading eyes and smiled. I could see my whole future there, everything I wanted. Me and him – together forever. Maybe we’d have the little girl from that dream that I’d once had. Carter was dead so I was free now, I could marry Ashton. I wanted to be his wife more than anything in the world.
“I guess you’re not too pretty for me now, huh?” I joked, raising my hand and wiping his blood and tears from his face, leaving a clean patch on his cheek.
He laughed and grinned. “I guess I’m not,” he whispered, kissing my forehead lovingly.
I smiled happily. “Then I guess I can marry you,” I agreed, gripping my hand into his hair and pulling him down for a kiss. I closed my eyes and kissed him with everything that I had, but when I tried to open my eyes again, I couldn’t – they were just too heavy. I heard him shouting for me, screaming my name, panicked. I tried my hardest to answer, but I just needed to sleep now. I’d talk to him later. I felt my body relax as I finally gave into the blackness that I just couldn’t fight anymore.