Chapter 69 Chapter 69
Kai
“What, no goodbye kiss for your husband?” I asked.
“Try it and I’ll kick you. There’s extra food in the fridge,” she said before walking out the door. My parents left shortly after, taking two of the chicken pot pies that she made. My apartment was empty and quiet like it always was, but for some reason I missed having her in my space. I needed to get back to my normal routine.
Tessa
I was on his jet heading back to Texas. Jax was with me; he said he was only making sure I was back home safely. I was staring at the ring. This one was bigger than the last one, and there was a wedding band too. I sighed and rested my head back and just accepted my fate. When the jet landed, I got off and headed to my Jeep. I had parked it in the hangar. I blew my horn at Jax and drove straight home.
The minute I put the key in the lock and turned it, something felt different; it just felt wrong. I released it slowly and backed away. I walked back and stood on the sidewalk. I called Jax, and he answered immediately.
“Ms. Jansen?” he asked.
“Something is wrong about my house. I haven't gone in yet; I just turned the key halfway. I need someone to check it,” I said without wasting time.
“Stay where you are. The jet is refueling. “I’ll be there in ten,” he said, ending the call. I stood on the sidewalk under the tree and waited; my eyes were still on my house.
Ten minutes later the SUV pulled up behind my Jeep. Jax got out along with three other men I had never seen before. He came over to me.
“Have you gone in?” he asked.
“No, I just turned the key slightly, and something felt off; I left the key in the door.”
“Okay, stay here,” he said, turning to the men.
“One at the back door, I’ll use one of the ground windows, and one at the garage and the door. Careful, and don't touch anything. He said before walking off.
I was just standing there. The next, I saw the flash before the bang, and the entire house just expanded; it got brighter, then searing and hot, and in an instant. Before I could even register the light, the sound hit me. It wasn't just loud; it was physical, a concrete wall of noise that cracked my eardrums and sent me pitching backward straight into the middle of the street. Everything went silent, and all I heard was a high-pitched whine inside my head.
I felt the impact immediately. A shower of debris, tiny needles of glass, chunks of plaster, and gritty dust peppered my face, arms, and legs. Something sharp and heavy, maybe a piece of wood, scraped across my shoulder, sending a spike of blinding pain through the ringing silence. I tasted dust and blood, but I didn't fall.
Through the haze of smoke and my own disorientation, I saw Jax where he’d cleared the window. He was moving, thank god.
The sight of him, still trying to stand amidst the ruin, cut through the shock. The ringing in my ears was loud, but one impulse was louder: him. Stumbling over fractured concrete and still-smoking rubble, I forced my legs to move, ignoring the dull ache of my injuries and running toward Jax.
I barely registered my phone as I half ran, half stumbled towards him and the others. Shit. I dialed the number with shaky hands as I climbed over rubble. My neighbors were now out, and some of them were on their phones; I heard sirens in the distance. There was still a blaze in what used to be my kitchen. I pressed the call icon and hit speaker.
KAI: Yes Beauty?
TESSA: My house exploded, and Jax and the others are hurt.
I waited to hear something, but all I heard was the beep when he ended the call. I stuffed the phone in my pocket, climbed over the last piece of concrete, and got to Jax. He was bloody but still conscious.
“Jax, shit, don’t move,” I said, kneeling beside him.
“You’re hurt,” he said weakly. He has a piece of metal stuck in his leg, and a heavy block of concrete was on his foot. Blood was coming from his head. The sound of sirens got closer.
“The others,” I said, scrambling up. That's when the pain hit me. A piece of glass was stuck in my shoulder. I ignored it and climbed over more broken concrete to the back. I found one of the guys; I rushed over to him. He was bleeding too much.
I kneeled over and checked for a pulse but couldn't find any. I saw one of the other guys stumbling around the other corner from where the garage was, well, where it used to be, the guy who opened the door. As I scrambled through the wrecked house, there was still a small fire. I made it through to the front; he was lying on the lawn, my front door half splintered, covering him. The ambulance and fire service skidded to a halt; I saw an officer.
“Ma’am, we got you,” he said, trying to lead me away.
“No, my friends, two in the back, one that way; the one at the back, he isn’t breathing,” I said, almost out of breath. “Four of them,” I said.
“We got them,” he said as a paramedic helped me. They tried taking me to the hospital, but I refused. I wasn't leaving until I was sure Jax and the other two were safe. After what felt like hours, I saw them drinking Jax and two others around the house. I waited, but they forced me into the ambulance because I was losing blood.
I laid back as the paramedics administered pain medication. I could hear them talking; they had no idea how large the glass was and how deep it was. I could only lie there and let them do their job.
I guessed I passed out; when my eyes fluttered open, I could hear people talking, but it was muffled, and there were moving lights above me. I tried to speak but couldn’t get the words past my throat. My head started hurting again, and I closed my eyes for a minute.
When I opened my eyes again, I was hit with the smell of something like disinfectant, or it was antiseptic or something. I turned my head; I was in a hospital room. I tried to sit up, but my right shoulder hurt too much. I used my left hand and slowly put myself in a sitting position. As I was getting comfortable, the door opened and he walked in; his face was a thundercloud. He looked pissed beyond reasoning, and I saw the tick in his jaw. He walked straight over to me and fixed the pillows behind me.
“Jax and the others?” I asked. But he didn't answer.
“Answer me, Zaiel. Is Jax alive?” I asked again.