Chapter Twenty

Blythe sat in the room by herself. Killian was ordered not to come in and she’d been left alone quickly after. She wrung her hands nervously in her lap and tapped her foot. What was taking so long? She wanted to get this over with before she chickened out.

All of a sudden loud voices sounded outside the door and then the man known as Finley entered the room. Blythe caught a glance at Killian as two guards were restraining him on the other side of the door. His eyes reflected his tiger and Blythe grew frightened. What was happening? The door slammed shut behind Finley with an echoing bang, shutting Killian out.

"Hello," Finley smiled at her. It was a cold smile, one that promised he'd do anything possible to make her take the blame.

"Um..." she cleared her throat, "Hi."

"So you're the girl that murdered one of my guards and pushed a pregnant woman off the side of a building," he spoke.

Blythe's eyes widened and then anger set in. "How dare you!"

"No," he interrupted. "How dare you? You've brought attention to my floor and they're talking about suspension, or worse... firing me!" Finley's hands gripped her chair arms as he leaned in. She jerked back as far as she could and her hands tightened into fists in her lap. She gulped, her nose filling with the smell of sweat and body odor. She wrinkled her nose at him.

"Get away from me," she whispered.

"What was that?" He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. She tried to jerk free but he only tightened his grip painfully.

"Let me go!" her voice shook, but she portrayed confidence she didn't feel. She was afraid of this man. He was always watching her and smiling. He creeped her out.

"Why should I? Why should I not find you guilty of it all and kill you right here?" he smirked. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at her head. He laughed at her expression.

"Killian," Blythe called. Finley's eyes darkened and then he pulled his gun back as if to hit her. "Killian!"

The door flew off its hinges and almost collided with Blythe. She screamed and then saw Killian dart between her and Finley. Killian growled and Blythe watched as claws came out of his hands. She gripped his shirt, scared of what would happen next.

Instead of Finley being scared, he smiled. "Come to play?" he laughed and walked behind the desk. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a short leather whip.

"What the hell is going on in here? What happened to the door?" Blythe looked back at the entrance to the room and saw Carter. She could have cried in relief. Surely he would help them.

"What are you doing here?" Finley growled, moving back around the desk, fingering the whip lovingly.

"Finley? What the hell? You were escorted off the premises! How the hell did you get back in?" Carter looked furious. "Guards!"

"That wasn't smart," Finley shook his head. He dropped the whip and pulled out his gun. He aimed it at Killian's chest. Blythe screamed and covered her eyes. She pulled her legs up into her chair and started moaning. It was happening again. She was going to lose someone she cared about and it was all her fault.

"Finley, drop the gun," Carter commanded, pulling out his own gun and aiming it at Finley's head.

"You won't shoot me," Finley laughed cruelly. The sound of his laughter made Blythe moan louder. Together they made an awful sound that echoed around the room. “You’re too nice to shoot me and you know that if you shoot me, I’ll shoot this shifter. What’s it gonna be, Carter?”

Finley turned his gun on Carter, waiting for this reply. Killian was afraid to go for the gun. If he did, Finley might shoot Blythe or Carter. He kept his eyes peeled for the perfect opportunity. Carter didn’t lower his gun or change his stance.

“I’m warning you, Finley. This is your last chance!”

Before Killian could move and before Carter could react, Finley pulled the trigger. Carter’s eyes widened before he sunk to the floor. Blood poured out of the bullet wound in his shoulder and his eyes closed. Blythe screamed and Killian roared. He darted forward and pulled the gun out of Finley’s hands. Finley just stood there with his hands up and a smirk on his face.

“Guards!” Killian called. No one came. “Guards!”

“He’s going to bleed out! Killian, do something,” Blythe begged. She was too shocked to move. She was frozen in the chair and felt like she was in one hell of a nightmare.

Pulling his arm back, Killian hit Finley over the head with the gun, sending the man crumpling to the ground. He darted forward and put pressure on Carter’s wound. Running footsteps could be heard coming toward them.

“What the hell is going on here?” Blythe looked to see Derek run into the room, the same guy from the roof.

“Finley shot Carter. He’s over there,” Killian explained. He scooped Carter up into his arms and started walking out of the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Derek questioned.

“He’s still alive. I’m taking him to our doctor. Maybe we can save his life,” Killian growled. Derek blocked his path for a moment more and then moved to the side.

“We’ve had enough deaths lately. Take him to the infirmary. Make sure no one gets in that’s not supposed to be. You there! Call for a helicopter so we can get Carter out of here,” Derek commanded one of the other officers.

“Blythe, let’s go,” Killian called. He wasn’t leaving without his mate.

“Has she been questioned?” Derek asked.

“No, Finley went crazy and Carter showed up. Apparently Finley wasn’t even supposed to be here,” Killian snarled. “She’s leaving with me.”

“She needs to be questioned. I’m the one that takes charge when Carter or Finley aren’t here. I will give her a fair hearing. Nick will take Finley and hand him over to the authorities. He’s going to prison for the rest of his life,” Derek told him.

Blythe was still rocking back and forth in the seat, a moan escaping every now and again. She looked from Killian to Derek and took a deep breath. She lowered her feet to the ground and then sat up straight.

“I have to do this,” Blythe looked Killian in the eye. He stared a moment and then nodded.

“I’ll be back,” he told her. He sprinted with Carter in his arms. The guard assigned to him followed close behind. Nick came in and grabbed Finley by the arms. He dragged him out into the hallway where another guard helped get Finley on his shoulder in a fireman's carry. They both disappeared, leaving Derek and Blythe alone.

Derek closed the door and then walked around the pool of blood and sat behind the desk. He looked disgustedly at the whip and then took a deep breath before a smile covered his face. “Hi Blythe,” he started. “I know this must all be scary, but I need you to recall everything that happened up on the roof. I need to know everything.”

“Okay,” Blythe gulped. “You don’t think I did it, do you?” The question blurted past her lips and she covered her mouth, her eyes wide.

“I want to know the facts. Right now, I’m keeping an open mind.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to hook wires to me? Make sure that I’m not lying?” she said darkly. This man already assumed she was guilty. All traces of fear were gone. She was now pissed off at the whole situation.

“I don’t think we need to go that far. I think I can tell if you’re lying to me,” Derek smiled at her. She glared at him and crossed her arms.

“I want to talk to Carter. When he wakes up, I’ll tell him everything that happened. You’ve already decided that I’m guilty. You think I’m a monster that killed her best friend and a guard to escape. You’re insane.”

Getting to her feet, Blythe turned toward the door. She was there and had her hand on the knob when Derek’s voice stopped her. “Ben was my friend. I didn’t know he’d gotten this bad,” he admitted.

“What?” Blythe turned around, keeping her hand on the doorknob.

“He talked about you all the time. He would even bring his phone and take pictures of you when you weren’t looking. I tried to talk to him, to get him help. He wouldn’t do it. Then he started hiding it from me. I thought he was getting better because he stopped talking to me about you. I didn’t think he’d go this far.”

“You could have warned me,” Blythe said after a moment of silence. He looked guilty.

“I don’t blame you for what happened. All the evidence left on the roof points to Ben. I know that he killed your friend and that he was making you strip for him. I’m sorry I didn’t stop him. I’m sorry I didn’t tell anyone. It’s my fault too,” Derek lowered his head into his hands. Blythe turned fully from the door and crossed toward the desk.

“It’s not your fault. No one could have known that he would do this. It’s my fault for taking Carrie up to the roof. If it had just been me, this may have never happened. I had to shoot someone because he was going to shoot me. I also had to watch my best friend, a soon-to-be mom, fall to her death because she was trying to protect me. There are a lot of people at fault here. We can’t start blaming ourselves,” Blythe told him. As she said it, she realized that it was true. She’d been wallowing in self-pity and blaming herself when it wasn’t her fault. It was Ben’s. She had to stop claiming blame and see the truth in the situation.

“Thank you,” Derek told her.

“For what?” she asked.

“For making me see the truth. It was Ben’s fault. No one else.”

“Can I leave now?” Blythe asked him. She wanted to check on Carter and get back to her mate.

“Yes. I’ll file the report and you’ll be free from all this drama. I’ll let you know when it’s all over,” Derek nodded at her. She smiled at him and walked out of the room. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. She turned down the hall and started running. She passed several guards that shouted at her, but she ignored them. She made it to the infirmary without anyone stopping her. She pushed the doors open and looked around.

Before she could take a step toward Killian and Seth, someone grabbed her arm. “You can’t be in here,” a guard told her. She turned to see Nick.

“Let her go,” Killian snarled, stalking toward the guard. Nick looked at Blythe and then at Killian and released her. Killian took Blythe’s hand in his and led her away from the guard and toward Seth. Carter was lying on the same bed that Killian had been in a while back. He looked pale as death and she wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

“I don’t have the right equipment for this. He needs a real doctor,” Seth was mumbling to himself. He turned to look at the guard. “How much longer until the helicopter arrives?”

“It’s going to be at least forty minutes,” Nick replied. Seth growled and grabbed his hair.

“He may not have that long. I need more supplies. I have to get the bullet out of him. It didn’t go all the way through,” Seth snapped. He looked down at Carter and then ripped his shirt off. He grabbed some towels and started wiping at the blood. He picked up some alcohol and poured it on the wound. Carter groaned and flinched, but that was the only sign he gave that he was still alive.

“Do you want me to go get some help?” Killian asked. “We can’t let him die. He’s one of the only decent guards in this fucking place.”

“I’m trying, damn it! Don’t you see that I’m doing everything I can to save him?” Seth snarled. His eyes flashed, but he didn’t go furry or shift. Blythe watched the two shifters growling at each other and grabbed a pair of tongs.

“Here, Seth. Get the bullet out,” Blythe commanded. She held the tongs out toward him. He looked at them and then at Killian before nodding. He took a deep breath and then started digging for the bullet.

“I’ve almost got it.”

“Good job,” Blythe encouraged him. “You’ve got this.”

“Killian, go get some pain pills from the birds. They keep more of them than we do. Fighting doesn't happen a lot up there.”

“I’ll be back.” Killian kissed Blythe on the forehead and then tore off out the door. The guard let him go without saying anything.

“Blythe, hand me some gauze and some tape. I’ve got the bullet out. Now I need to stop the bleeding.”

Blythe looked around and saw a cabinet open. She ran over and looked for what Seth had told her to get. She didn’t see any. She opened the cabinet below it and then the ones beside it. There was no tape and no gauze.

“There isn’t any,” she called over her shoulder.

“Shit!”

“I’ll go get some!” Blythe took off. She wanted to help and now was her chance. She heard Seth holler at her, but ignored him. He’d probably want her to come back and wait on Killian. There was no way she could wait that long. Carter might bleed out by then.

Nick let her pass without a glance. Apparently a person leaving was okay. He’d only stop the ones trying to get in. She noticed that his hand stayed close to his gun. She pushed through the doors and ran down the hallway. The stairs were at the other end of the hallway and there were a lot of people in the way. She pushed through several male shifters who growled at her and several guards that told her to slow down.

Making it to the stairs with no trouble, she took a minute to catch her breath. She was breathing hard. She started down the stairs just as she heard someone above her open a door. She ran down the stairs, skipping a few when she could. She opened the door to Tristan’s floor just as someone else opened the door above her. She looked up, but saw no one. She shrugged and stepped into the bear’s hallway.

The hallway was just as crowded as hers had been and she had to push her way through. She had almost made it to Tristan’s door when someone grabbed her arm. She was jerked backward and spun around. She cried out and tried to wrench her arm free.

“Let me go! I don’t have time for this,” she snapped.

“What the fuck are you doing down here?” she looked up and saw a stranger.

“I’m here to get some medical supplies. We have someone dying and we need some gauze and tape. Please let me go,” Blythe said, trying to be nicer. The guy started dragging her back the way she’d come.

“We don’t help other floors. Get your own fucking supplies. We need ours,” he snarled.

“What’s going on here?” a guard asked, eyeing Blythe’s arm in the man’s grip.

“Mind your own fucking business,” the shifter growled. The guard made to argue, but another voice rang out.

“Let her go,” Tristan’s voice filled Blythe with relief. She was saved and now Carter would live.

“Tristan! I need your help,” Blythe told him. The shifter had reluctantly released her and was looking between Tristan and Blythe. Blythe noticed there was no warmth in Tristan’s eyes and he seemed like he was a completely different person.

“What are you doing down here? How dare you show your face after what you’ve done? After all that we did for you!”

“What are you talking about?” Blythe’s eyes widened. Then she realized how stupid she’d been. She was coming to ask Tristan for help when he and his brother, Walker, believed that she killed Carrie. She took a hesitant step backward only to run into the other shifter who shoved her forward. Tristan grabbed her shoulders and glared down at her.

“Walker wants to see you. This way.”

“But someone is dying! We need some gauze and some tape,” Blythe cried. “Please, Tristan.”

He ignored her. She turned to see the other shifter smirking after her and the guard at a loss of words. Blythe dragged her feet, but it was no use. She wasn’t as strong as Tristan. When he got tired of pulling her along, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She pushed off his back, looking down the hall. She wanted to kick and scream, but knew it wouldn’t do any good.

Her heart raced in her chest. Blythe was scared. What would Walker say? Better yet, what would he do? Would he kill her instantly? Or let her explain? She shivered at the thought of him shifting and mauling her with his huge bear claws.

“Is he going to kill me?” Blythe whispered, knowing Tristan could hear her. He didn’t respond. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears and she feared that she was going to pass out. “Please send someone with supplies to Seth. At least save someone’s life, even if I’m going to lose mine.”

Tristan stopped walking and Blythe wondered if he was going to do as she asked. He set her down on her feet and then knocked on a door. It swung open, not having been shut all the way. The room was dark. Tristan pushed her inside and then slammed the door shut behind them. She couldn’t see anything, but she could hear someone breathing. A light flickered on and then Blythe was shoved into a chair. She looked around at the room and almost didn’t recognize it.

It was Walker and Carrie’s room, but all the furniture had been smashed and ripped to pieces. Strips of cloth and sheets were strewn all over the ground and some even had blood on them. Right in the middle of the floor was a man. He was hunched over, his hands resting on his bent knees. He was staring straight ahead. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in days and Blythe could even smell him. She wrinkled her nose and then her eyes widened as she realized she was looking at…

“Walker?”

She realized that she’d spoken aloud when the man’s head jerked toward her. He stared at her like she wasn’t even there. Blythe knew the instant that familiarity and recognition filled him. He stood with a roar and she noticed that he was naked and blood covered his chest. She could see claw marks all over his body and wondered if he’d done it to himself.

“You!” he roared, rushing at her. Tristan grabbed him at the last moment.

“Let her talk. We need to know what happened,” he yelled. Walker was mad. There was no way Tristan was going to hold him back for long. Walker fought his brother, trying to get at Blythe. Slowly Walker stopped fighting. Tristan waited a moment and then moved back a step. Blythe knew immediately that this was what Walker wanted. With a look of triumph and pure fury, he jerked forward. He lifted her off her feet by her neck. She struggled to breathe as he slammed her against the wall. He did it again and again until Blythe’s eyes rolled up in her head and Tristan’s roar rang through the air.