Beyond the Horizon (The Sons of Templar MC Book 4) (33 page)

“She’s going to make it through, brother. She’s strong,” Cade told him firmly.

“Yeah, she’s strong,” Asher agreed. Strength didn’t guarantee survival. Today was a grim reminder of that. “Lucky?” he asked with resignation. His brother had taken two to the chest, inhaled major amounts of smoke. The paramedics were performing CPR the moment they had arrived on the scene. Like they did with Lily.

“Still in surgery,” Cade replied tersely.

At this, Asher looked to his president’s tight face. “He’s alive?” he asked with disbelief.

Cade nodded. “For now.”

Some part of Asher that had been coiled tight relaxed a smidgeon. Enough that the vice around his chest made him feel like he could breathe, barely.

“Got the women at the club on lockdown, till we figure out who the fuck this is,” he continued, his voice hard.

Asher nodded, unable to usher up the required fury for those responsible. It would come. He’d rip the fingernails off every single person connected to this. For now, his energy was focused on his wife. On hope. That his beautiful woman would make it out of this.

“Whoever it is, they’ve got big balls,” Cade bit out. “I’m going to fuckin’ relish cutting them off.”

“You got word on Bex?” Asher asked. Things weren’t looking good for her, considering no one could get a lock on her, and it was her phone that lured Lily to the strip club in the first place.

“We’ve got Wire on it,” Cade answered after a moment.

Both of their heads snapped up as a tired looking doctor entered the room.

“Which one of you is Mrs. Breslin’s husband?” he asked, glancing at a chart.

Asher pushed out of his chair with such force it rattled to the ground.

He advanced on the doctor. “I am,” he clipped. He couldn’t say anything else.

“Your wife is breathing on her own now, Mr. Breslin,” the doctor told him.

Asher’s entire body sagged. “I need to see her,” he demanded immediately, cutting off whatever else the doctor had to say. That could wait. He needed to see with his own eyes. Needed to touch her. Or else those thoughts of her still chest would rip him apart.

“She’s sedated and suffering from significant burns to her hand,” the doctor tried to explain again.

Fury had its space to grow with the knowledge that Lily was okay, fury that he’d tamped down for the time being.

“I need to see her, now,” he repeated. He wasn’t taking no for an answer.

The man must have seen this on his face because he didn’t say anything else, merely nodded.

“Follow me.”

Asher sank into a chair beside the bed holding Lily’s small form. His hand immediately darted out to cover her small chest and breathed easy for the first time in hours at the movement of his hand.

He grasped her small hand, it disappeared in his large one. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it lightly.

“I’m here, baby,” he whispered. “I’m here. You’re not alone.”

Three Weeks Later

One week. That’s how long I was in the hospital for. My lungs had sustained significant damage from smoke inhalation, and my hand was severely burned, the pain was like nothing I’d ever experienced. The skin was light pink now it was healing. It would scar, not that Asher would let me live with the physical reminder. We’d be seeing a plastic surgeon as soon as it was properly healed. I didn’t care about the pain on the outside. It was the stuff on the inside that couldn’t be repaired by a plastic surgeon. Not even my husband’s gentle touch or his strong arms that encircled me every moment he wasn’t out hunting for them. The people that did this. That shot Lucky. That almost killed me. That still had Bex.

I braced myself on the kitchen counter. Pressure built on my chest once more. I had an overwhelming urge to sink to the ground, to hug my knees to my chest and surrender to the weight that was pushing me down.

The moment I thought my strength would waver, that I would collapse, strong arms encircled me and the weight lightened a fraction.

“Flower?” Asher murmured in my ear.

I sank back into his body, closing my eyes a second. Asher’s hand moved over to my chest, as it did often in the past three weeks. He left it there and we stood in silence for a moment.

“Lucky’s out today?” I said finally, turning into Asher’s arms.

His worried gaze roved my face. He nodded. “Yeah, he’s discharging himself. Against doctor’s orders,” he responded with a frown.

I touched the stubble on his chin. Moved to the heavy bags under his chocolate eyes. He wasn’t sleeping well, I knew. The entire club was on alert after the events three weeks ago. Everyone was thirsty for vengeance, Asher more so than most. It killed men like Asher when they were unable to exert that vengeance. When they felt vulnerable. When Asher couldn’t be around me, I had an escort wherever I went. Not that I was going many places these days, apart from college and home. It was a struggle even to drag myself out of bed every day Bex wasn’t found. But I did.

“He’s looking for her,” I said finally.

Lucky had had to be sedated when they told him about Bex. He’d started to rip out all of the cords in his arms and get out of bed. Despite the fact he was recovering from two gunshot wounds that technically killed him. Stopped his heart and had him in a coma for days.

“Yeah,” was all Asher said. His hand brushed the hair from my face. “You okay, flower?” His voice was tight with worry. As it always was when he looked at me. He was waiting, I knew. Waiting for me to fall apart.

“No,” I replied honestly, and his frame tightened. “But I will be. Somehow. We’ll find her,” I said firmly. “For now, we’ll keep going. For now, I’ve got you.”

His hands fastened at my neck. “Forever you’ve got me, flower,” he promised.

“Forever,” I agreed.

His eyes stayed locked on mine for a moment, then his mouth went to mine. He kissed me slowly, building a steady crescendo of need in my belly.

My hands fastened around his neck as the kiss deepened and he lifted me to set me on the counter. I moaned into his mouth when I felt his hard length pressing into my panties. His hand moved to caress my nipple.

“Asher,” I breathed against his mouth.

“My Lily,” he murmured, moving his hands downward.

I slipped my own hand underneath his tee, running it over the skin that had my name inked on his body.

He hissed as I raked my nails slowly across it and over to his muscled back.

My panties were pushed aside, and he positioned himself at my entrance. His hand framed my face and he paused, gazing at me in amazement.

“Perfect,” he proclaimed quietly.

Then he pushed into me, causing the air to escape from my lungs.

Everything else melted away in that moment. The pain, the pressure, the sorrow. It all disappeared, and it was only me and Asher.

After, Asher cleaned me up he carried me out to the conservatory, which looked out onto the waves. Mom and I had spent hours out here when I was growing up. She said the entire reason she bought the house was this spot right here. Where you could feel like you were witnessing nature’s beauty and ferocity from a safe cocoon. It was hard to be out here at first, but now I felt the memories of Mom wrapping me in that same safe cocoon.

Asher sat us on the old ottoman facing the ocean, gathering me tightly in his arms. We didn’t speak. We didn’t need to. Words would chase in the reality of what lay out there. For now, we needed silence. Just each other. Just the moment where everything made sense.

The ringing of Asher’s phone chased away that fleeting moment.

We both tightened as he jostled me slightly to retrieve it from his jeans.

“Yeah,” he clipped tightly.

As with every phone call, I braced. For inevitable news. For the gut wrenching pain that would be at the end of it. For the less likely relief that it might hold.

Asher’s frame tightened as he stayed silent. His hard gaze met mine.

My heart beat in my throat at his expression.

“We’ll be right there,” he replied tersely.

He paused a moment after he put the phone down. “We’ve got her,” he declared huskily.

Every taut muscle I’d been holding for three weeks slackened and I collapsed against him. I jerked my head up.

“She’s alive? Okay?” I managed to choke out.

Asher stroked my head. “Yeah, flower. She’s alive.”

I closed my eyes a moment, sending out a thanks to the universe. She was alive. I let that piece of news wash over me. I felt the weight at my chest lift. She was alive. Everything else would be okay. Everything else Asher and I would face, together.

I want to extend a huge thanks to every single one of my amazing readers. I have the best job in the world and the best readers in the world. Beyond the Horizon was deeply personal and emotional for me to write, I know a lot of people struggle with issues touched on in this book. I’m sending my love and thoughts to every one of you. I know that you can find your own HEA just like Lily and Asher.

I couldn’t do this without my phenomenal betas. Amy, Sarah, Andrea, Jennifer and Ginny, I seriously love you, ladies. This book would not be what it is without them.

I want to give a special mention to Judy. I can’t thank you enough for beta reading this for me even though it touched on some sensitive issues. You’re amazing, my thoughts are with you.

Thank you Kay, for not only editing this book, but for making it look so beautiful.

Writing has done so much for me and brought me so much happiness. I have made some wonderful friends along the way, and the amazing Amo Jones deserves a special mention. I'm so grateful to have met you and to have you as a friend, as my person.

If you liked this book, I would love it if you could take the time to leave a review. As an indie author, I rely on reviews to get the word out about my books and share the Sons of Templar with the world.

Until next time...

Anne

xxxx