Chapter Nineteen

Blythe was so distracted that at first she didn’t notice anything was wrong. She closed her eyes and let the breeze blow her hair around. She soaked up the early morning rays and shivered at the slight chill.

“Carrie, can you believe it?” Blythe called.

“Um… Blythe?” Carrie sounded worried.

Blythe opened her eyes and gasped. “Where’s Killian?” she snapped.

“Sorry girls, but this is a private party,” Ben smiled maliciously at them. “I think we’ll have some fun while we’re up here. I owe you, Blythe, for the broken arm. Maybe you can make it up to me.”

“Like hell,” Blythe spat, stomping over to the door. She heard a click and realized that someone had just cocked a gun. She turned to find Ben pointing one at her, the sun glaring off of it. Carrie moved and he tutted before swinging the gun toward her.

“Neither of you move.”

“What are you doing? Do you have a death wish?” Blythe asked him. “As soon as you open that door, my mate is going to kill you.”

“Not if Carrie opens the door and I have a gun to your head. I think that’ll make him reconsider,” Ben said calmly. “Today’s my last day. I put in my two weeks’ notice. No one knows we’re up here. I got the keys off of Finley when he fell asleep in the office yesterday. So don’t think anyone will believe your mate if he goes off to get help. Plus, Carter is gone and he’s the only other person with keys.”

“You’re a monster,” Carrie cried, clutching her stomach protectively.

“It’s not you I want. You’re just going to be how I get what I want.”

“What do you want?” Blythe snapped.

“You, come here,” Ben commanded of Carrie. Carrie shook her head and Ben turned the gun back on Blythe. “Do it or I shoot her.”

Carrie gasped and moved forward slowly. Ben grabbed her arm when she was within reaching distance and jerked her toward the short railing around the top of the building. Blythe’s mouth opened in horror.

“Wait! What are you doing?” Blythe cried, moving forward. Ben stopped and pointed the gun at her again.

“Don’t move.”

“Blythe,” Carrie cried.

“Ben, wait! You can’t do this! She’s pregnant,” Blythe shouted.

“What is wrong with you? I’m only handcuffing her to the roof.”

Blythe sighed in relief. She thought he was planning on throwing Carrie off the roof. Ben pulled handcuffs off his belt and put one on Carrie’s wrist and the other to the railing. He straightened and turned toward Blythe.

“Now, where were we?” Ben asked. He then seemed to notice that Blythe had been slowly moving toward the door while he’d been distracted by Carrie. He glared at her and pointed the gun at her once more. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing,” Blythe shrugged. She froze and wondered what he was planning on doing. Behind Ben, she could see Carrie struggling silently with the handcuffs. All of a sudden, Carrie’s eyes lit up and she started digging around in her pockets. Blythe quickly looked away so not to alert Ben that something was happening.

“Now, here’s what I want you to do,” Ben smiled.

“What?” Blythe snapped, crossing her arms.

“Who’s got the power here? I do. Now stop being sassy and take your shirt off,” Ben commanded. Blythe looked at him incredulously.

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“Do it,” he demanded.

Not liking the way he was waving the gun around, Blythe started pulling her shirt over her head.

“Slower!”

“Are you kidding me?” Blythe muttered under her breath. She pulled her shirt slower, showing off her firm stomach and then her covered breasts. Her bra was plain and was almost too small, but at least she was covered.

Tossing the shirt to the side, Blythe covered her chest with her arms. She felt naked under his stare even though she still had plenty of clothes on. She stood there, moving from foot to foot as she waited for him to tell her what to do next. She glanced back at Carrie to find her busy with the handcuffs. What was taking so long? Did Carrie have a way of escaping or was she giving Blythe false hope?

Blythe couldn’t help but think this was her fault. She’d wanted to come up here so badly. Carrie had wanted to as well, but she was more worried about Walker. Now she might just end up getting both of them killed. She shivered as another cool breeze hit her bare skin.

“Now the pants,” Ben smirked.

Blythe rolled her eyes, but started wiggling out of the pants. Just then she saw Carrie hold up her wrist with triumph and look over at Blythe. She held a finger to her lips and then stood up. Blythe needed to keep Ben distracted.

Shooting him a sultry smile, Blythe slowly started teasing him. She pulled her pants down slightly and then bent over, wiggling her butt. Ben licked his lips and stared at her ass. She pulled them down even further and then let them slide down her legs. She was now in only her underwear as she kicked the pants away. She placed her hands on her hips and then slid her thumbs under the sides of her underwear.

“Yes, yes. Take them off,” Ben encouraged her. He was staring at her thumbs, willing them to pull her underwear down.

Suddenly Blythe darted forward just as Carrie jumped on Ben from the back. Ben’s arm was jerked up into the air and a shot fired off. Blythe tackled Ben and managed to grab the gun from him. She had no idea how to use it, but she aimed it at him anyway. Ben was lying on top of Carrie and obviously crushing her.

“Roll over and get to your feet,” Blythe commanded.

“Do you even know how to work that?” Ben asked, slowly getting to his feet. Carrie scooted back and then got to her feet also. “How did you escape those handcuffs, my dear?” Ben glanced over his shoulder at her.

“Old trick,” Carrie muttered. She dusted off her clothes and then started toward Blythe. Ben intercepted her, grabbing her around the neck and jerking her into him. He wrapped another hand around her waist, trapping her arms to her sides.

“Let her go!” Blythe demanded.

Ben laughed and started moving backward toward the edge of the roof. Blythe followed him and moved toward him. Ben stopped just short of the edge of the roof and glanced over it before turning his eyes on Blythe.

“Let me go or I’ll toss her over the side of the roof,” Ben said bluntly.

“Let her go or I’ll shoot you!”

“Do you even know how to turn the safety off?” Ben asked.

“Safety?” Blythe looked down at the gun and that was when Ben took his chance. He threw Carrie to the side and tackled Blythe to the ground. What happened next was almost in slow motion. The gun was knocked out of her hand as Ben landed on top of her. Blythe’s breath was knocked out of her lungs as she hit the roof hard. Carrie’s eyes widened in fright as she flailed her arms. Ben had thrown her at a precarious angle. Carrie’s calves hit the railing at the side of the roof and then she disappeared with a scream.

Blythe screamed and screamed until she was hoarse. She couldn’t move. It was a dream. This had to be a dream. There was no way that Carrie had fallen. She was still alive. Blythe had to wake up.

Then she remembered Ben. He seemed to be just as shocked as Blythe that Carrie had fallen over the side. He got up and walked to the edge. He peered over and then jerked back. He looked like he wanted to puke. Blythe’s emotions seemed to have all disappeared. She grabbed the gun off the ground and climbed to her feet. Turning to face Ben, she aimed it right at his back and then pulled the trigger.

Not even stopping to see what happened, Blythe turned with the echo of the gun ringing in her ears. She walked over to the door and opened it. Killian came bursting through and took in the scene. He saw Ben lying on the ground, moaning and a puddle of blood forming beneath him. He took in Blythe’s unseeing eyes and pale face and pulled her into his arms.

“Where’s Carrie?” he asked, searching the roof for her.

“She fell,” Blythe murmured.

“She fell?” Killian repeated and then it hit him. “Oh no.”

“She’s gone. She’s gone…” Blythe kept repeating the phrase over and over again.

“Blythe look at me.”

“She’s gone.”

Killian forced Blythe to look at him.

“You have to tell me exactly what happened.” He seemed to notice for the first time that she was only in her underwear. “Where are your clothes?”

Blythe could only point to where her clothes were scattered on the roof. Killian snarled and got to his feet. But before he could move, Blythe was clinging to him. She wouldn’t let him go and he couldn’t move.

“Don’t leave me!” Blythe screamed, shaking. She was going into shock. He needed to get her down to Seth.

Footsteps and raised voices had Killian placing himself between Blythe and the door. He dropped into a crouch, ready to attack. Three men burst through the door, taking in the scene. Their faces registered shock for a moment, and then they all grew serious.

“What happened here?” one of them asked. He took in Killian crouching in front of Blythe who was only in her underwear. He then looked over to Ben on the floor and then at the gun in Blythe’s hand. “What the hell?”

“She fell,” Blythe muttered.

“What did she say?” another guard asked. His nametag read ‘Derek’.

“She said, ‘she fell’. She was up here with a friend. Apparently, she fell over the side,” Killian stood up.

Derek walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down. “Holy hell.”

“What is it?” the first guard called.

“Chuck, this ain’t good. There’s a body down there.”

“Shit,” Chuck muttered. “Somebody better explain to me what happened.”

“She’s in shock. She needs to be seen by a doctor,” Killian stated. “She can talk after she’s rested.”

“I need answers now,” Chuck commanded.

“No!” Killian’s hands sprouted claws and fangs exploded in his mouth. “My mate and I are leaving. You can find us in the fourth-floor infirmary. Get outta my way.”

***

Two days. It had been two days and Blythe hadn’t spoken a word. She’d been in bed and had hardly taken two bites of food. She was literally fading away. She felt the bed dip as Killian sat beside her.

“Please eat,” Killian begged.

“You’re making yourself sick,” Seth’s voice followed shortly after.

Blythe didn’t move and she didn’t acknowledge them. She kept her eyes closed and pretended to sleep. She wanted them to leave her alone. She only wanted to be alone. Then no one she cared about could get hurt.

“What are we going to do?” Killian ran his fingers through his hair. It was getting too long and needed to be trimmed. He was also starting to grow a beard and needed to shave. But only his mate had been on his mind lately. He didn’t know what to do and felt worthless. Blythe wouldn’t even tell anyone what happened.

“The guards are demanding to know what happened. Ben died. Carrie’s dead. We can’t let her continue to shut us out. They’re going to take her away and question her and I feel like that will only make it worse. We need to get her to talk to us,” Seth snapped. He paced back and forth in the room. “It’s been two fucking days.”

“She needs time! Carrie was her best friend. She probably feels like it’s all her fault. She wanted to go to the roof and brought Carrie along. She blames herself.” Killian jumped to his feet. “If you’re only going to shout and not help, then get the hell out of this room.”

“Walker isn’t going to be patient either. Right now, he’s blaming Blythe. If she doesn’t explain what happened, he may very well launch a retaliatory attack on her.”

Blythe immediately started listening. What was this?

“He wouldn’t,” Killian denied.

“His mate is dead. She was pregnant with his son. He’s not in his right mind right now. He could very well be on his way right now. He’s going to go after you or Blythe. He wants to make someone else feel the pain he’s feeling,” Seth explained. “You and Blythe need to get out of this room. He knows where you sleep. You can stay in my room for a while.”

Blythe seemed to come awake for the first time in days. There was no way that she was going to let Walker come after Killian. She was not about to lose another person she cared about. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to get up. She’d been in mourning long enough. She needed the people responsible to pay for what happened and to help Walker get closure. He wasn’t the only one that lost someone they cared about, but he didn’t know how it all happened.

“I’m ready to talk,” Blythe croaked out. Killian and Seth stopped talking and turned to face her with expressions of shock. Then Killian moved forward and swept her into his arms.

“I’ve missed your voice,” he cried.

“I’m ready to talk about what happened,” Blythe continued. “Who do I need to talk to?”

“The guards first and then I’ll take you to Walker,” Killian spoke. He was eyeing her nervously. “Are you hungry?”

Blythe’s belly growled and her face flushed. “Yes.”

“I’ll run and get you some food. Everyone’s been missing your cooking. They’ve all wondered when you’d come back,” Seth told her. He left with a smile.

“Are you okay?” Killian asked her, cupping her face.

“Honestly, no.”

“Do you want to talk about it before you have to talk to the guards?” Killian asked.

“I’d rather do it all at once. I don’t want to keep reliving it. But I will tell the guards and then Walker. He deserves to know.”

“I’m so glad that you’re back. It’s been really hard-”

“Hard? Hard for you? I watched my best friend fall off the roof. She fell to her death,” Blythe snapped, jerking away from him. “All this time you both have talked about how hard it is and that you can’t stand the silence and that I’m wilting away. It’s not about you. This is about me losing my friend. It’s all my fault she’s dead.”

“That’s selfish of you,” Killian growled.

Blythe’s mouth fell open.

“Selfish? Selfish for wanting more time? To try to forget it happened?”

“Yes. You left Walker not knowing what happened to his mate. He has no idea if she was pushed or if she jumped off the roof herself. No one knows what happened because Ben died before they could get anything from him. You’ve been worried about yourself, but you weren’t the only person that cared for Carrie,” Killian told her.

Blythe had no words once again. Had she been selfish? The more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. She’d kept Walker from finding closure and for everyone to know what a bad person Ben truly was. They didn’t know how she’d been fooled by him or how she didn’t know.

“The guards are going crazy trying to find out how Ben gained access to the roof and who gave him the keys. They think that you murdered him and pushed Carrie over the edge,” Killian continued. “It’s time to get everything out in the open.”

“I’m sorry,” Blythe muttered after some time. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“I understand,” Killian smiled softly at her. She realized that he did. He’d lost his mom and father. He knew what it felt like to lose someone he cared about. She couldn’t help but wonder if Killian blamed himself too.

“What exactly is going to happen? Am I going to court?” Blythe asked nervously.

“Court?” Killian asked.

“Am I going before a judge?”

“You are going to meet with the guard in charge of this floor. If he finds anything wrong with your story, or something that doesn’t match, he will file your case and send it to someone further up for review. If he finds you innocent and that everything went exactly how you say it did, then he’ll dismiss this and it will go no further,” Killian told her.

Blythe sighed. “Okay. Who’s the guard in charge?”

Killian’s face darkened and he let out a growl. Blythe’s eyes widened and he shook himself. “Sorry. The guard left here is Finley. Carter isn’t back, at least as far as I know. He was supposed to be on leave until Monday. He’s been gone all week.”

“That’s not good, is it?” Blythe sighed.

“No. Finley doesn’t like shifters. Not at all. He’ll probably make stuff up to make you look bad. He’ll try intimidating you and make you question what happened. Don’t let him get to you,” Killian encouraged her. “You can do this.”

“Here’s some food,” Seth’s voice reached them before he even had the door opened all the way. He came in carrying plates filled with different foods. Blythe’s eyes widened.

“I can’t eat all that!”

“Killian and I will eat whatever you don’t want. We’re starving too. It’s dinner time.”

“Is it really evening?” her eyebrows drew together.

“Yes, you’ve been in bed for two days and most of today,” Seth told her.

“Wow, I heard you guys talking, but I never realized…” she trailed off. Shrugging, she started eating. She was really nervous to talk to Finley and wondered how it would go. She was also scared out of her mind to talk to Walker. He was going to hate her. She’d talked Carrie into going up to the roof with her. Tears pricked her eyes, but she pushed them back. There would be time for tears later. Right now, she had to defend herself and the memory of her friend. Carrie would want her to be brave.

Before long, her belly was full and she knew she couldn’t eat anymore. Blythe wanted to take a shower and change before meeting Finley, and Killian agreed. She showered quickly, shivering when she got out.

“Man, they really need to get some hot water,” she tried to joke. She wanted to make some sort of light of this serious situation. It made her feel better.

“I’ll talk to someone,” Killian smiled at her.

“We have warm water in the bathroom in the infirmary. It’s to disinfect my hands,” Seth put in.

“Now he tells us,” Blythe complained. Seth looked sheepish and she smiled at him. “I’m kidding.”

“Ready?” Killian asked.

No. “Yes.”

“Let’s go,” he smiled encouragingly at her. As he reached out his hand to her, Blythe took it, wondering if things would ever go back to normal.