Access Granted (23 page)

Chapter Forty-Five

“Good morning gorgeous.” A warm masculine breath tickled the back of her neck. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“I have never felt so alive,” Sabrina admitted, spinning around in Zander’s arms. She smiled up at him loving the new connection she shared with her mate. Her entire body seemed different like she was experiencing every sight and sound around her.

“You shouldn’t do too much today because your body is still going through the change. Why don’t you stay home and I’ll come by later?” he suggested nibbling at the side of her neck. “I can cook for you and then we can just snuggle up on the couch?”

“Oh, I wish I could but I need to go shopping and take care of a few more personal things before I have to be back at work on Monday.”

“Sabrina, can any of that wait until I come back from seeing Jax? He wants to have a quick meeting of the minds with me and Thorsten. It shouldn’t take more than an hour and then I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”

“Sweetheart, I truly feel wonderful. Honestly, I haven’t felt this energized since I was in high school. Go and see your brother. I promise I won’t stay out too long. I’ll be waiting right here for you when you get back.”

Zander stared at her running his hands up and down her back. “I’m still not sure if you should be out all alone. Let me cancel my plans with Jax and go with you instead. I need to be with you the day after I turned you. I don’t feel you’re strong enough to be wandering around all alone.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, trying to keep her excitement hidden. Sabrina would love to spend the morning with Zander, but she didn’t want to make him miss something important with his brother.

“Baby, you are the most important person in my life now. You are officially my mate and you will always come first. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be with you.”

“I’ll need to grab my shopping list out of the bedroom, so do what you have to. I love you.”

“Not more than I love you, sweetheart,” Zander gave her a quick kiss and slap on the ass before she turned and walked out of the living room.

****

Jax, I won’t be there today.
Zander touched his brother’s mind as soon as Sabrina left the room.

Why not? What’s more important than this
?  he asked.

I’m going to spend the day with my mate. Sabrina let me turn her last night and I don’t want her going
out alone this morning. You know I need to be around her for the first couple of days.

It’s about damn time. Tell Sabrina I said welcome to the family.

I will and thanks for understanding.

Not a problem. I guess since you and Thorsten both cancelled on me,. I’ll finish up a few things here and then head home. Sahara is still upset about her stalker, so I’m going to surprise her with a trip to the zoo. She loves the tigers. Hopefully, they’ll get her mind off some of her problems for a little while.

Good luck with that, but you know once she gets her mind set on something—,
Zander pointed out.

I know but I can hope. Have fun with your mate. I’m really glad she finally came around.

Thanks, so am I. I never thought this day would come.

Zander ended his connection with his brother when he heard Sabrina coming back into the living room with her purse and a piece of paper. The sight of his beautiful mate walking towards him stole his breath away. Time and time again Jax told him how amazing it would feel when Sabrina was absolutely his, but he never believed his brother until this very second.

****

“Are you out of your damn mind? You can’t be serious!?” Jax shouted at Thorsten as he fell down into a chair by his desk stretching out his legs. He’d been on his way out of the office when his cousin decided to come in after canceling on their meeting less than an hour ago.

“I’m telling you the truth. Sahara’s friend is my mate. I felt the pull towards her the other day when she was here at Alpha Male Incorporated. I mean I almost chased after her and claimed her right then and there, but I couldn’t back out on my date.”

Jax ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He wanted his baby cousin to final his
Unique
woman and settle down, but it couldn’t be Raya. She wasn’t the woman for Thorsten. They were like oil and water. The two of them would never mix.

“Listen, Raya can’t be a
Unique
woman. In all of the times I’ve been around her I never got a sense of that from her. You’re wrong. How about you just leave it alone? I suggest you move on to another one of your groupies?”

“Raya...” Thorsten whispered, looking at him. “God, just the sound of her name makes me horny. I swear to you she is my mate. Why aren’t you happy for me? I mean haven’t you been pushing at me for years now to find her and settle down like you and Zander?”

“Yes, but not with Sahara’s best friend,” Jax yelled then calmed down. “You aren’t right for her. Shit, you proved it by still going out on that stupid date. I would have never done that to Sahara.”

Sighing, Thorsten tossed his head back resting it on the back of the chair. “I know it was wrong, but she never has to find out about it. I mean...Why would she even care what I did before we got together? All of those women are in my past now and I’m going to give it all up to be with her. So, Raya should be thrilled to land me as a mate and husband.”

Jax couldn’t believe this was happening. Out of all of the females in the world his playboy cousin had to land Raya August. She wasn’t up to dealing with anything Thorsten might toss her way to win her over. She was a nice girl. Way too good for his family member sitting next to him.

“I can’t deal with this anymore today. I need to get home to Sahara. Don’t you dare mention any of this to her. She has enough on her plate without dealing with this new piece of information.”

Thorsten jumped out of his chair. “Hey, I’m going to come with you. I want to ask Sahara more about Raya.”

“Didn’t you hear a word I said?” Jax asked, glaring as he stood up.

“Sure I did, but when do I ever take advice from you?” Thorsten asked, sauntering towards the door.

Not knowing what else to say, Jax followed behind Thorsten hoping he was wrong about Raya being his mate because if he wasn’t, his cousin was in for a very rude awakening when it came to Sahara’s petite girlfriend. She was a tougher than her tiny frame showed.

Chapter Forty-Six

“I have a suggestion,” Sabrina whispered in Zander’s ear placing her hand on the inside of his thigh. She slid across the seat of the car until her breasts were brushing the side of his arm.

Zander was trying his best to pay attention to the traffic, but she was making it hard on him to focus. All he wanted to do was take her back to his house and spend the rest of the day making love to his mate, but he would listen to any proposition she might have for them.

“Okay, tell me your idea,” he said.

“How about we make a quick stop at your brother’s house before we head back to yours? I want to thank Sahara for opening up my eyes to what I was about to lose.”

Turning his head, Zander looked at Sabrina. “Are you sure? I mean we could do it another time. I know how much you wanted us to spend the day together.”

“Yes, I’m positive.”

His love for his mate grew even more at how she wanted to include his... no their... family in their special day. The world couldn’t have given him a better woman if he had wished for her. Sabrina fit everything he wanted and more.

“Alright, I think we should do it.”  Zander sent Jax’s a telepathic message.

Zander, are you there?

Yes, what is it?  Jax answered.

Sabrina and I had a change of plans. We are coming to your house. My mate wants to talk to your wife.

Alright, I’m headed home and Thorsten is with me. So we’ll meet the two of you there.

See you there, Zander replied and then ended the connection.

At the next corner, Zander made a U-turn and drove back in the direction of his brother’s house instead. He already knew that Sahara would spend most of their visit demanding to know when they were going to set a wedding date, but he already considered Sabrina his wife and that was all that really mattered to him. A piece of paper or a room full of people wasn’t going to intensify the love he already had burning inside of him.

****

“I’m so glad that you decided to take my advice and come on over here,” Sahara said, handing a cupcake pan to Raya. “Tomas just left about twenty minutes ago. I swear he thinks I was a professional back up dancer in my past life or something. He is working me hard for this upcoming concert.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Raya asked, placing the paper cupcake sleeves in the pan. “I mean how does Jax feel about all of this?”

“Hmmm...he doesn’t really know I’m thinking about doing one,” she admitted. “I haven’t told him about it yet. I can’t let this jerk keep me inside the house for the rest of my life. I love my career and he isn’t going to take it away from me.”

“Girl, you are in so much trouble. Jax is going to hit the roof when he finds out about this. “

“I can─” Sahara got cut off by the sound of the doorbell. “Can you get that for me? I need to get these cupcakes in the oven, so they can be cool in time for me put icing on them before Jax gets home from work.”

“Sure, I’ll be glad to.” Raya placed the cups down on the table and rushed out of the kitchen.

Tossing the rest of the ingredients into the bowl in front of her, Sahara mixed them together as she thought about how Jax would react to her giving another concert. Raya could be right.  He wouldn’t be thrilled with her being on stage again with her stalker still out there, but she was tired of being scared and looking over her shoulder every time she had to go out.

Just as Sahara was about to pour the chocolate cupcake batter into the first cup, Raya’s bloodcurdling screams came from the living room. She jumped and dropped everything rushing to see what was wrong.

Running into the room, Sahara stopped in her tracks when she spotted Raya standing in the entrance way with a strange man holding a gun pressed against her side.

“Who in the hell are you? What’s going on?”

“Come on Sahara,” the man taunted. “Do you really not know who I am? I thought you would open the front door, but this bitch did instead. She ruined my plans.  I had to kill two guards to get here to you. I swear your husband needs to hire better men. I got in the same way I did before by climbing that fence in the very back of the yard.”

“You’re my stalker,” she whispered.

“God, you aren’t as dumb as you come off on television,” he snickered, wrapping his arm around Raya’s neck. “Now, what are you going to do to save this bitch?”

“Let her go,” Sahara screamed, watching as her stalker tightened his arm around Raya’s neck cutting off more breath to her lungs. “I’m the one you want not her. Just leave her alone and I’ll come with you.”

Raya’s eyes grew wide and she shook her head. “Don’t go with him,” her best friend choked out.

“Shut up the both of you,” he shouted, pressing the gun against Raya’s side. “I didn’t come here for this bitch.  Sahara, you’re the one I want. The one I have been tracking for the past eleven years of my life. If it wasn’t for you and your Uncle Frank my son would be alive.”

“What are you talking about?  My uncle had nothing do with your son’s death. Why would he? Neither one of us knows who in the hell you are? Why are you doing this to me?”

Sahara thought about rushing the man, but she couldn’t afford to put Raya in anymore danger than she already was. Why didn’t she answer the front door instead of sending her best friend to do it? If something happened to Raya, she would never forgive herself. This was all of her fault for placing her in the line of danger. She would do everything in her power to save her best friend’s life even if it meant trading it for her own.

“You are such a bitch. Of course, you don’t remember me or my son because you got to move on with your life when mine got ruined the day my son got killed in jail. He was only eighteen years old but that didn’t matter to your family, did it?”

“How is your son getting killed in jail our fault?” she screamed. “You aren’t making any sense. Why do you keep talking like I’m supposed to know who in the hell you are?”

“Let me tell you how it is your family’s fault since you seemed to have forgotten over the years. My son wasn’t a murderer, but your Uncle Frank couldn’t let it go. He just keep pushing and pushing until there was a trial. He actually thought Tyler meant to run that stop sign that day and crash into the other car. My son was only trying to have a little fun with his new sports car, but your bastard of an uncle couldn’t see past his grief. Why did he have to come to court everyday?

The hairs on the back of Sahara’s neck started to stand up. She stared at the man in front of her as memories started racing back. “Tyler Edwards is your son, the guy who killed my parents,” she said. Shocked, she tried to keep herself from going off into a blind rage and attacking him with her bare hands.

“Tyler was my son,” Mr. Edward corrected, shoving the gun further into Raya’s side. “Your lies along with your uncle’s got him sent to prison for five years. Do you know that my son got killed in his cell? He didn’t even make it two weeks in that hell hole.”

Brushing tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand, Sahara glared at her stalker. “I only took the stand one day at the trial. My testimony didn’t get your son sent away his guilt did. Damn it. He left the scene of a crime. Did he ever think about trying to help my parents out of the car?”

“Are you getting an attitude with me, bitch?” Mr. Edwards snapped at her. “Do you want me to kill your friend here? I have nothing to lose. My life ended the day they called and told me my son was dead. I don’t care at all what happens to this girl. She means nothing to me. I could shoot her right now and not blink an eye.”

Sahara watched as Raya’s eyes grew wide with fear. She knew she had to ease the situation and get Tyler’s father out of her house even if that mean doing anything he asked her to do.

“I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I shouldn’t have said anything but you want to waste a bullet on Raya? What about me? I’m standing way over here not even within touching distance of you.  Is she really the one you’ve been fantasizing about killing when you wrote all of those stupid letters or was it me?”

“It was you,” he admitted, relaxing his hold on Raya’s throat a little. “I loved crossing out your pretty little face. It gave me such pleasure.”

Sahara nodded her head watching as her stalker’s eyes glazed over with his demented need to punish her for something that was truly his son’s own fault. All she had to do was make him let go of Raya and she might get her chance to hurt him. All she needed was a clear opening and she would take it.

“Are you feeling that same pleasure with my best friend? Isn’t she a poor substitute for the real thing? Didn’t you say I’m the one who got your precious son sent to prison to get killed?

Mr. Edwards’ e yes grew darker with hatred as he glared at her from across the room. “How dare you taunt me about my only child?” he yelled. “Tyler was my perfect son. I loved him with everything in me. You’re right. I don’t want this whore. She means nothing to me.”

Bringing the gun away from Raya’s waist, he brought it up and hit her best friend across the back of her head. Sahara watched in horror as she crumbled to the ground at Mr. Edwards’ feet.

“No,” she screamed, rushing towards a lifeless Raya.

“Stop or I’ll shoot her,” he warned, pointing the gun down at her. “Now, slowly walk towards me. We have some place to be. I want my son to see I kept my promise to him on his birthday.”

Sahara knew the only way to make sure he didn’t go through with his threat was to go with him. He was at the borderline of killing someone and she couldn’t let it happen.

“Okay, I’ll come with you as long as you don’t hurt her,” she said, inching towards him. She realized this might be her only chance to contact Jax telepathically because Mr. Edwards might knock her out once he got her away from the house.

Jax, please help me.

What’s wrong
?

She instantly heard the worry in his voice
.  My stalker is here at the house. He knocked out Raya and is threatening to kill her unless I go with him. I have to go with him. I can’t let him hurt her.

Don’t you dare leave with him, Jax pleaded with her. Hold him off until I get there. Do anything not to let him take you away. Do you understand me
?

I thought about fighting Mr. Edwards, but Raya was my concern. He could kill her. I can’t chance her life to save mine.

Baby, how do you know his name?
Jax asked. 
Did he tell you
?

No, my stalker is Tyler Edwards’ father. He’s the boy who killed my parents and his father blames me and Uncle Frank for his death
.”

Sahara, please find a way to stall him. I’m only about ten minutes from the house and Thorsten is with me plus Zander is on his way...for once in your life don’t fight me on something. Listen to me
!”

“Hey! Why aren’t you moving anymore?” Mr. Edwards shouted, pointing the gun at her. “Are you trying to pull a trick on me? I swear if you are, you will regret it,” he warned.

“No, I’m not doing anything. I swear I’m just concerned about my friend. She hasn’t moved since you hit her. I won’t leave with you until I’m sure she’s okay. Don’t you remember that was our deal?”

His eyes darted down to Raya then back up to her quickly. “I don’t have time for this shit. Your buddy is fine; I can see her breathing now get your ass over here so we can leave. I’m growing very tired of your games. They might work on your big, dumb husband but they won’t get anywhere with me.”

Sahara, are you alright
? Jax’s panic stricken voice shouted in her head making her wince.

Yes, I’m fine. Stop screaming. He
hasn’t done anything to me yet, but I’m worried about Raya. She isn’t moving. What if she’s dead
?

Honey, calm down and focus. Look at her. Can you see her breathing
?

Glancing down at her best friend, Sahara stared at her until she noticed the slow movement of Raya’s back moving up and down. Thank God! Her best friend wasn’t dead; it was a huge relief. Now she could focus on making Tyler’s father pay for tormenting her for so long.

Jax, she’s breathing. So, it just me and him now. I’m going to show him who is boss. I’m tired of him keeping me in fear
.

Sahara! Don’t do it
!

Those were the last words Sahara heard before she let her fangs fully descended and she rushed towards Mr. Edwards as the sounds of his terrified screams filled the air.

Sahara slammed Mr. Edwards’ larger body against the wall using all of her strength as her eyes changed to black haunting pools. Anger raced through her entire body. She wanted to kill him with her bare hands, but she couldn’t do it. She had to protect Jax and his family’s secret; however, she could scare the hell out of this sick asshole. He would always remember this day with fear as he rotted away in a prison cell.

“Do you want to threaten me now?” she hissed, pressing her long, sharp nails into his arms as he struggled in her hold. “I’m right here in front of you. Haven’t you been dreaming about this day for years. Well, it’s here now. What are you going to do?”

“You aren’t human,” he whimpered as he continued to struggle to get away from her iron clad grip on his body. “Let go of me. You...you freak. I’m going to tell the world about you.”

She smelled the fear pumping through his blood. It called to her to continue until he was begging for mercy. Leaning closer to him, Sahara breathed in his face displaying more of her sharp fangs. “I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” she hissed. “Who would believe you anyway? Any doctor in his right mind would toss you into a padded cell and toss away the key, but I think that is too good for you. I think I should do something to you, so you can live each day knowing how I felt living in fear of the unknown.”

Mr. Edwards’ eyes grew wider until they almost took over his face. His skin grew a shade paler right before her eyes. “Let me alone you bitch. People will believe me. I’ll make sure of it. You’re nothing but a worthless singer.”