Finn
Wes’s phone rings for the fourth time while we’re still talking to the fans. Grateful for the excuse, I grab it off the table and head to the back of the room.
“Mr. Bowman, I think we may have a problem.”
“It’s me, Finn. What’s wrong?”
“Well sir, you’re not back, at least Mr. Bowman isn’t back in the suite yet, and according to Miss O’Neil, he should have been here twenty minutes ago.”
“What? We’re still at the venue. Put Autumn on the phone.”
“I…I can’t sir, she went downstairs to meet you.”
I curse under my breath. “Send someone down to find her immediately. If anything has happened to her–”
“Already done, sir.”
“Is Sophie still there?”
“Yes, she’s in bed sleeping.”
“Good. I’m on my way. Alert the hotel security. I want her found, now! Call me on this number as soon as you’ve found her. My phone seems to have gone missing.”
“Of course.”
I end the call and look up. The room has been cleared of all the fans. I guess my call had gotten a bit loud for people not to notice something is wrong.
Wes grabs my shoulder. “What is it? Is Soph okay?”
“She’s fine. It’s Autumn, she’s disappeared. Supposedly to meet me downstairs in the hotel.”
Wes lets loose with a string of expletives I don’t think I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth before. “Let’s go.”
I take off running. I can hear Wes, Ryan and Zane coming behind me. I’m beyond relieved to see the van waiting for us on the street. The fans are out as well, but they move out of the way as the four of us come charging through at breakneck speed. We all pile into the van and Zane pulls the door shut.
“The hotel now!” I yell at Stan, who doesn’t ask questions, just floors it.
“We’ll find her,” Ryan says grimly.
“We’d better.” I bury my hands into my hair, pulling hard. How did this happen? She must have gotten my phone and used it to lure Autumn out of her room. Some crazy bitch has Autumn and who knows what she’ll do to her if she knows about us. I’m beginning to think she must. Somehow she knows and it’s all my fault.
The van pulls up in front of the hotel with a screech of rubber and I jerk the door open and jump out. Bolting into the foyer, I’m suddenly surrounded by people. Hotel security and police officers stand in my way.
“Get out of my way, if you don’t want to get hurt.” I push past several people before someone grabs me from behind.
“You need to calm down, Mr. Holloway,” a man with impeccable silver hair and a dark suit says calmly. “We have the situation well in hand, and we’re searching the rooms now.”
I pull my arm free from the officer who grabbed me and unleash my fury. “If you expect me to just stand here and wait, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“That’s exactly what we expect you to do.”
“I’m sorry, but screw that.” I take off running again and bypassing the elevators, I hit the stairwell. I hear footsteps behind me and I increase my pace. I keep running up flights of stairs until the sound of pursuit fades away. Stopping for a moment, my breath comes out in harsh gasps. I push open the nearest door, seeing a number ten on it. Immediately I see a police officer knocking on a door down the hall and push back into the stairwell. I run up the next flight and crack open the door to floor eleven. There’s an officer here too. I pound up the next set of stairs and push through the door. It’s all quiet here, there’s no sound of anything at all.
Heading to the first door, I put my ear against the wood and listen. It’s then that I see it, her shoe. It’s right in front of the next door up. I don’t hesitate, I run.
Autumn
Jason looms over me and rips open the button on my jeans. I struggle as he starts to drag the fitted denim down my legs. But my mind is only partly there in the room. Poor Finn, no wonder he feels like he’s not good enough. A tear runs down my cheek as I picture Finn as a young boy finding his mother like that. How could a child be expected to understand, to know what he was seeing? Of course he wasn’t responsible. I want to yell at his family for making him feel like it was his fault.
My mind is forced back to the present as he pulls my jeans over the remnants of the tape binding my ankles.
“Ah, that’s better. I thought you might black out on me and it’s just not as fun when that happens.”
“You know he’ll kill you for this.” I spit out.
“Then at least he’ll rot in prison where he belongs.”
“I still don’t understand why you hate him so much.”
Jason's mouth twists into an ugly grimace. “He ruined my family, he took my mother from me.”
“Drugs killed your Mom, not Finn.”
“Stupid little bitch, what would you know about it? He took her away from me from the moment he was born. Stupid kid used to scream all night. That’s where it started you know, where she became different. Lost. You wouldn’t get it, with your perfect little life, in perfect suburbia.”
“My life has been far from perfect.”
“Enough, I’ve heard enough from your lying little mouth.”
He tears a strip of tape from the roll and comes towards me.
“No! Finn! Help me!” I scream as the tape covers my mouth and my screams turn to muffled moans.
This time he uses his fist as he punches me across my jaw.
Finn
I hear her scream as I’m almost at the next door. I don’t hesitate, I throw myself against the door. The lock gives way and the door flies open. I stumble through but manage to regain my footing. My mind struggles to take in what I’m seeing.
Autumn lies limply on the bed, her eyes barely open, there’s blood on her face. Jason kneels on the bed between her bare legs. He turns his face towards me and the hate in his eyes is a palpable force. My vision turns red as I run towards him. Taking a flying leap, I grab him and my momentum carries us both off the bed and onto the floor. Immediately I begin pounding him, my fists flying.
It only takes a few seconds for him to recover and begin to fight back. His fist lands against my ear and I’m momentarily stunned. He rolls us over so he’s sitting on top of me. The thought of what he was going to do to her, gives me inhuman strength and my fingers close around his throat. His face turns red and the veins in his forehead begin to bulge. His eyes take on a glassy appearance. I press harder and ignore his hands as they claw at me. Slowly the fight starts to leave him, but I don’t let go.
“Finn stop! Finn, you’re killing him!”
Her voice pierces the fog that’s taken over my mind. “So what? He deserves to die.”
“Maybe, but that’s not your decision to make. Please Finn, I don’t want to lose you.”
My grip lessens and I throw him disgustedly to the floor. He begins coughing and gasping for air, so I know I haven't killed him. I slowly get to my feet. Autumn is right there beside me. A piece of duct tape hangs from her face, her mouth and chin are covered in blood. It’s dripped down onto her shirt. Her blonde hair hangs in disarray, but she’s never been more beautiful.
I pull her against me, ignoring the pain that shoots through my ribs as she crashes against my body.
“Are you alright, my love?”
“I can’t believe you came. Oh, Finn, it was so horrible.” A sob escapes her throat and I gently rub her back.
“He didn’t touch you, did he?”
“No, you got here just in time.”
I gently ease her back, her hands are still bound behind her and I find an edge and gently tear the tape off her wrists. In a few moments she’s free. I pull the last bit of tape off her face and she smiles at me before grimacing in pain.
“We need to get you to a hospital, my love.”
She wipes some of the blood off her face with her sleeve. “I’m alright. How are you? Did he hurt you?”
She gently touches my ear and for the first time, I’m aware of the pain there. “I’m fine, it’s you I’m worried about.”
Her gaze abruptly moves to the door and I’m suddenly aware that the room has filled with people. Police officers and security staff make the spacious room seem cramped. An officer moves past us and begins to read Jason his rights as he slaps a pair of cuffs around his wrists.
The silver-haired man from earlier approaches. “You should never have disobeyed my instructions, Mr. Holloway,” but he smiles slightly as he adds, “But I’m glad you did. Are you alright Miss O’Neil?”
Autumn smiles softly. “I am, thanks to Finn.
“I'll need a statement from both of you, but that can wait until you’ve both been checked out at the hospital.”
I turn to the officer. “Thank you sir, I appreciate it.”
An paramedic appears and wraps a soft white blanket around Autumn’s shoulders. I put my arm around her as we follow the medic from the room.
I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve used my celebrity status to ensure Autumn and I get to share the same hospital room. The police and doctors have all come and gone. Not to mention Wes, Sophie, Trent and the rest of the band. But they’ve all gone now and left us to get some rest. I’m beyond relieved that the doctors have told Autumn she’s fine, except for a small laceration at the side of her mouth and some bruising. If he had touched her…I would not have been responsible for my actions.
I didn’t fare quite so well. Apparently I have two cracked ribs and a perforated ear drum. I should be fine in a few weeks. The pain I can live with. The pain of not arriving in time would have been far greater.
We had to cancel the rest of the shows we had booked, which is just as well. My mind’s not on the music now. It’s made a few things crystal clear to me; Autumn is my soulmate, my other half, whatever you want to call it. She’s it for me. I can’t let her go, I’ll do whatever I can to make her mine forever.
I watch as she gets out of her hospital bed and comes to sit in the chair beside me. My bed is in a semi-upright position so I can easily watch her without having to move. She doesn’t talk, just smiles and gently runs her hand through my hair and down the side of my face.
“Mmm, that feels incredible.” I let my eyes close for a moment.
“Are you in a lot of pain?” Concern for me causes her forehead to crinkle adorably.
“I’m fine my beautiful Autumn Lily.” I smile. “Well, almost fine. A kiss would make me feel much better I’m sure.”
She grins and then winces when it pulls at her stitches. Before I can berate myself she presses her lips gently against my own. The kiss is soft, we’re both bruised and tender but it makes the pain fade away. As she slowly pulls away I get lost in the depths of her hazel eyes, I need to do this now. I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed.
“Finn, what are you doing? You need to stay in bed and rest.”
“I will, I promise, but first I need to ask you something.” I get down on one knee, the floor is cold against my bare leg. We’re both in our hospital gowns but it doesn’t matter. Autumn’s hand flies to her mouth as she realizes I’m down on one knee in front of her. I gently take her other hand in both of mine.
“Autumn, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. The first time we talked, I knew there was just something about you. Something changed in me that day, and it’s continued to change ever since. The love I feel for you is something I never expected to find – I thought I didn’t deserve someone like you…but I think we make each other better…stronger. I can’t imagine not having you by my side through this life and beyond. Autumn, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
“Oh Finn, you are the strongest and bravest and most wonderful man. I can think of nothing I want more than to marry you and stay by your side through whatever life throws our way.” She chuckles. “After all, I don’t think anything can be worse than what we’ve already been through together.”
Impatient, I stand up. “Is that a yes, my love?”
“A thousand times yes,” she breathes out softly.
And then her lips are on mine and it’s no longer soft or careful, but full of love and desire.