RYDER (Slater Brothers 4) (29 page)

“Oh, shite,” I heard a male voice hiss. “It wasn’t a prank call. Radio it in and get an ambulance here ASAP. Possible suspect is down, and the victim looks to be in bad shape.”

“Copy that.” Another male voice replied then moved away as he spoke using weird code words.

I flinched when I felt a hand on my forehead.

“You’re goin’ to be okay,” the first man said. “An ambulance is on the way, ma’am.”

I lifted one of my eyelids open, and for a moment everything was blurry, then my vision focused, and a handsome man was leaning over me. The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes—they were bright blue. The second thing was the uniform he had on.

“Garda?” I whispered.

The man nodded. “Yeah, I’m a Garda, sweetheart. You’re safe, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

I didn’t think I had enough energy to even feel relief, but I did and it slammed into me at that moment.

“He stabbed me, and tried to kill me,” I whispered, my eyes becoming blurry once more as tears filled them. They spilled over the brims, and slid down my temples and into my hair. “I stabbed him in the chest… I had no choice… he was goin’ to kill me. He said so.”

I felt a hand press against my shoulder, and I cried out in pain.

“I’m so sorry,” the Garda said, “I need to slow the bleedin’ until the paramedics get here.”

That fucking hot poker didn’t do its job.

“Am I goin’ to die?” I asked.

“No,” came the man’s instant response. “You aren’t goin’ to die. Look at me, you
aren’t
goin’ to die.”

I didn’t know whether to believe him or not, because I felt like I was dying.

“I killed ‘im,” I whispered. “I
really
killed ‘im.”

“You had no choice, darlin’. It was your life or his, and I’m glad it was his.”

I nodded. “Who is he?”

“No idea yet, did say why he abducted you?”

I forced more tears out. “He said he wanted to… to rape me, and keep me, but I fought back and he hurt me.”

“Son of bitch,” the Garda hissed.

He was lapping my story up like a starved dog.

“Don’t let ‘im get me,” I mumbled and closed my eyes when they suddenly became too heavy. I wanted to continue with my act, but I couldn’t, everything became too draining to keep up.

“Ms Murphy?” the man’s voice shouted as I felt my body being shaken. “Branna? Fuck! Mikey, where is that ambulance?”

“On the way!”

I felt myself being pulled away from everything, and damn if it didn’t feel good
not
to feel anything.

“Stay with me, Branna. Be strong.”

Be strong.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

That’s what woke me up. Not a loud piercing sound, just a steady beeping that would more than likely grate on my nerves if I had to endure listening to it for a long period of time.

What the hell was beeping?

It wasn’t my phone alarm, I knew that much. I mentally groaned when I realised I was going to have to get up and go find the source of the unholy noise so I could put a stop to it. I quickly found that idea was out the window when I adjusted my body slightly, and tenderness caused me to whimper.

“Branna?” a familiar voice said at the same time a hand clasped mine. “It’s Damien. I’m here, and you’re okay.”

Why is Damien in my bedroom?

I squeezed his hand, but the action was weakly executed. When I opened my eyes, it took a couple of blinks for anything to come into focus, but when I could see clearly, my little brother’s face was leaning over me.

“Hey,” he breathed, and if I didn’t know any better, I would think he had tears in his eyes.

Why does he have tears in his eyes?
I wondered.
Did I forget to make him breakfast again?

“Dame—” I cut myself off when a pain in my throat caused my voice to sound raspy, and feel like sandpaper.

“Open up,” Damien urged. “I have water.”

I opened my mouth and gulped down the water offered to me. It felt like liquid heaven sliding down my throat. It hurt a little swallowing, but the ache wasn’t as bad as before.

“Thanks,” I said and cleared my throat.

I focused on Damien once more, and when I flicked my eyes beyond him, I took in my surroundings that were most definitely
not
my bedroom.

“What the hell?” I breathed. “Where am I?”

“The hospital,” Damien said as he made himself my prime view. “You were brought here a few hours ago. We’re all here; everyone is just down the hallway with the doctor. They all wanted to hear what he had to say, but I wanted to stay here with you in case you woke up, and you did. I’m so fucking happy you did, Mama Bear.”

Damien did cry then.

“Dame,” I said, panicked. “Don’t cry, honey. I’m okay.”

I had no idea what happened, but I was awake and I was talking so that must have meant I was okay. Or would be okay.

“Before they cleaned you up you had so much blood on you, we didn’t know if—”

“Damien,” I cut him off. “What happened to me?”

I felt a bit of pain, but mostly my body felt like it was floating on a cloud.

“Don’t you remember?” he asked, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. I shook my head and he continued, “Big Phil took you to lure Kane to his apartment.”

As soon as he said the name Big Phil, I remembered everything. Everything I felt, every word I spoke and heard, and everything I saw.

Kane.

“Kane,” I said then quickly lowered my voice. “Is he okay?”

Damien nodded. “He’s perfect, not a hair out of place.”

The relief that hit me caused my eyes to well up.

“It’s okay,” Damien crooned. “It’s all over. He’s gone and is never coming back.”

The image of the blade used to hurt me sticking out of Big Phil’s chest was once I’d never forget.

“I’m glad it’s over,” I whispered..

“Me too.”

I inhaled a deep breath. “I’m so tired, me eyes hurt to keep open.”

“Get your rest, the doctor mentioned to Ryder before they left the room that you’d need plenty of it.”

Ryder.

I lazily blinked as my eyelids became heavier.

“Where is he?”

“With the doctor,” Damien answered. “Everyone else is too.”

I nodded.

“He wanted to go and get you himself,” he quickly added. “But if he did that then he wouldn’t be able to finally be done with the Feds.”

The who?

I furrowed my brows. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“You know the thing Ryder and my brothers kept from us?” he asked, lifting his arm so he could scratch his neck.

I managed a nod.

“Yeah, well, let’s just say it’s a fucking
shit
storm.”

I felt my eyelids droop.

“Can’t be any worse than what’s happenin’ here,” I mumbled.

“It’s just as bad,” Damien grunted.

That wasn’t good.

“Tell me about it when I wake up.”

My eyes closed just as my sister’s voice could be heard, my friends, too.

“Oh, my God!” Bronagh cried. “Is she dead? She looks worse!”

“No,” Damien replied instantly. “She was
just
talking to me. She’s really weak from blood loss, and the nurse came in after you left to talk with the doctor and upped her morphine to manage her pain. With that combination it’s no wonder she’s out. I’m surprised she woke up so soon in the first place.”

“What did she say?” Alannah’s voice asked, nervousness sounding in her tone.

“She wanted water, so I gave her some. She wasn’t really with it, but she knew who I was which is good. It means her memory isn’t affected.”

“Thank God,” a few voices murmured.

“What did the doctors say to you about her?” Damien quizzed.

“He said it could have been a lot worse,” Alec explained. “She has flesh wounds, but nothing serious now that the bleeding is stopped. A few of her ribs are bruised, her face, too, but that’s it. No long term damage.”

“It’s not the physical damage I’m worried about,” Keela said, her voice tight with what I think was emotion. “It’s the mental. What that bastard did to her will haunt her.”

“You all were exposed to evil like Branna was, and you have overcome it.” Alec quickly stated. “She will, too. She’s strong.”

Be strong.

“Please,” my sister whispered close to my ear. “Don’t leave me. I love you so much, Branna.”

I love you, too.

I wanted to verbally say it, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t speak or move. My senses were beginning to shut down.

“You got this, Bran,” Aideen said, and I wanted to force myself to open my eyes when I could hear in her voice that she was about to cry. “You’re too strong not be okay.”

Be strong.

I heard quick paced footsteps, then a loud intake of breath.

“Oh, Christ, she looks even paler than before!”

Ryder.

“She’s okay,” everyone whisper-shouted in unison.

I heard more movement, and then I felt a hand on my chest, and a hand on the crown of my head then lips on my forehead.

“I’m so sorry,” Ryder whispered. “I’m
so
sorry, baby.”

“Ry,” my sister sniffled. “She’s goin’ to be okay. She won’t leave us, I know she won’t.”

I felt a droplet of liquid fall onto my cheek, then another one quickly landing on my nose. I didn’t know what it was, until I heard sniffling right next to me.

Oh, please, no.

“I love you so much,” Ryder said, his voice breaking. “Please, don’t go anywhere.”

He was crying. I heard his sobs perfectly as he pressed his face against mine, and I knew that everyone in the room heard him, too, because he wasn’t trying to hide the fact that he was crying, he was wailing as if nobody was watching.

It was then that I fully shut down and silently drifted into darkness, even though inside, I was screaming.

Three weeks later…

“I’m goin’ for a walk,” I said to my sister. “I’m goin’ batshit crazy being cooped up in here.”

It had been three weeks since the attack and death of Big Phil, and my life had become a shit-storm. An even
bigger
one than before.

Health wise—I was on the mend and each day my pain became less and less. I got more movement out of my shoulder and leg without nagging discomfort as well which I was most thankful for because being bed ridden wasn’t for me at all, I was used to being on my feet and suddenly being off them
sucked
.

Work wise—I was on paid leave. The Health Board was made aware of what happened to me, and they booked me with a therapist to talk about everything—when I was ready—before I could return to work. Ash was the only person in the hospital who knew what happened to me. He didn’t know
everything
, just that I was attacked and taken to a dangerous man’s apartment that ended in his death. He had been incredible, and even though I was sure it was very difficult for him to have heard my actual kidnapping over the phone. He was the one who called my family and told them what he heard; it’s why they were all together as they awaited Big Phil’s call. When he was told not to call the Gardaí, he listened and trusted Ryder and his brothers. He made sure to visit and call me as often as he usually would when I got home. The normality of it made me feel a little more like myself.

Law wise—Everything had gone perfectly. After I gave my detailed statement in the hospital of what happened with Big Phil—the lying version Kane coached me on—the Gardaí only came to see me a few more times to follow up on a few minor things. To them, it was obvious that what ‘I’ did was out of self-defence so there was no need for any trails of any kind. The suspect who harmed me was dead, and I was okay. Case closed.

Privacy wise—I had none. You would think being attacked, kidnapped and almost killed would be punishment enough, but according to the media, my story was everyone’s business. My attack made front-page news in the papers, and even onto the evening news. It was a choppy story they were presenting because I refused permission for interviews, and the right for anyone to use my name and photo, and since the Gardaí couldn’t find any trace of Big Phil’s existence anywhere, they had no information on him either, just that he kidnapped a girl then was killed in self-defence. It was a mystery to the world, and that was the way we wanted it to remain.

Family wise—I was at my wits’ end. My sister, the girls and Ryder’s brothers all became mother hens, and while I greatly appreciated their help, it was driving me bloody insane. Someone was always with me, they never let me do anything for myself and if I winced or made any sound that showed my pain, they were right there trying to shove pain pills down my throat.

Relationship wise—mine was non-existent. I thought that when I saw Ryder for the first time after I woke up in the hospital that I would want nothing more than for him to hold me like I did when I heard his voice back in Big Phil’s apartment. I didn’t though. I demanded for him to be removed from the hospital and banned him from visiting me. When I saw him, his betrayal slapped me across the face with a force that shook my bones.

I only had to spend a few days in the hospital, and when I was let out, I chose to go to Dominic and Bronagh’s house. I didn’t want to see Ryder, speak to him, or to think of him at all. Bronagh went over and packed up some of my clothes for me so I wouldn’t even have to step foot in the house.