Chapter 34 – Cover Story

“She needs help!” I shouted as soon as I walked into the emergency room.

Within seconds, I was surrounded by doctors and nurses. They shouted at one another, then instructed me to set Chloe on a stretcher. I did as they told me, my hands shaking. My gaze didn’t venture too far from her chest, the shallow rise and fall the only indication I had that she was still alive.

“What happened to her?” a doctor asked.

“I don’t know…” I rubbed the back of my neck. I should’ve come up with a cover story, but I’d been too focused on getting Chloe here. “Her name’s Chloe Madison. She went missing yesterday. I was helping search for her and I just found her…”

Chloe’s pained groan cut me off, and I reached for her hand. I wanted her to know I was here with her, that I was never going to leave her side again.

“Let’s get her into a room. Now,” the doctor shouted. “We need a full blood work up, X-rays, a CT scan…” His voice disappeared with him as he wheeled Chloe out of my sight.

My shoulders slumped, and I blinked back hot tears. I stood in the middle of the ER lobby, unsure what to do now. I had to call her aunt and uncle. I fumbled to get my phone from my pocket and called Beth’s number first. Both her and Dean had given me their numbers so we could stay in touch should any of us learn anything about Chloe.

“Hello?” Beth sniffled.

“I found her,” I said on a rush of breath. “Chloe’s at the hospital right now.”

Beth wept for a solid five minutes before she was able to speak. “We’ll be right there.”

I slumped into one of the waiting room chairs. My mind raced with everything that had happened. Hannah had been alive all these years. Where had she been, though? Hiding out with Isach? Biding her time until she could show up and wreak havoc on our lives? I knew she blamed me and Jax for what happened to her, but to stoop to working with the Zoya?

Elbows propped on my knees, I leaned forward and buried my face in my hands. I couldn’t bear to think what would’ve happened to Chloe if we hadn’t shown up when we did, yet my mind wouldn’t not let me think about it. Hannah would’ve killed Chloe to punish me. And Isach would’ve helped her without a second thought.

Yet, Isach led us straight to Chloe. Why? Why take her, let Hannah torture her, and then, at the last possible minute, let us swoop in to save her? Had that been Isach’s plan all along? Was this his way of proving he could get to anyone at any time? That we, and those we loved, were at his mercy?

Isach needed to be stopped.

“Trent?”

I straightened at the sound of Jax’s voice. He strode toward me, his expression sullen. “How’s Chloe?” He sat next to me.

“Alive, but other than that…” I shrugged. “They’re examining her now and running a bunch of tests. I called her aunt and uncle.”

Jax leaned back and nodded. “What did you tell them?”

“Nothing. Just that I found her and brought her to the hospital.” I leaned back, too, and stretched my legs out in front of me. “We’re going to have to tell them something, though.”

“Yeah, I was thinking about that on my way here.” Jax kept his voice low so no one would overhear us. “Beth said Chloe had gone outside for some air, right?”

I nodded.

“She was attacked by a bear. Dragged into the woods. That’ll explain the bite marks all over her.”

My stomach twisted. I loathed the thought of forcing Chloe to lie to her family about her ordeal, but if she didn’t, me, Jax, and Sean would be outed for what we truly were, and I couldn’t let that happen. I doubted Chloe wanted that to happen, either. Of course, she might change her mind about me now that she’d been kidnapped and snacked on by a sadistic vampire.

“You’ll have to convince her to go along with it,” Jax said, an edge to his tone.

“I will,” I mumbled. Though I had no idea how I was going to do that. I glanced at my brother. “Hannah?”

“Gone.” Jax stood. “Same as me.”

“What?” I stood, blocking his exit.

“I need some time, Trent. A few days to get my head on straight.” He firmly shoved me out of the way. “I’ll be back.” And then he left.

I wanted to stop him, to argue that he should be here with his family, that me and Dad would help him through this, but I knew my brother. Taking off like this was his go-to coping mechanism when his emotions became too much for him to handle. So, I let him go and hoped he’d come home soon.

As soon as Jax left, Beth, Dean, and Abby barreled into the ER. Beth rushed up to me and flung her arms around me in a hug I wasn’t expecting. Her tears soaked the shoulder of my T-shirt.

“Thank you for finding her.” Beth pulled back and cupped my face in her hands. “I don’t know how we’ll ever thank you enough.”

I forced a smile. “No thanks needed. I wanted to find her as much as anyone else.” More, but I didn’t say that.

“We called Officers Ramirez and King on the way here. They’ll be arriving shortly to talk to you,” Dean said. His stare was a mixture of gratitude and suspicion.

“I’ll tell them everything I know,” I said and shoved my hands into my pockets.

Beth smiled, patted my cheek, then approached the desk to inquire about Chloe. I stood back, not wanting to interfere in their family business. Ten minutes later, Beth, Dean, and Abby were given information about Chloe’s condition and which room she was in. They all followed a nurse through the double doors, leaving me alone in the waiting room.

“Trent,” Abby called from the doorway. “Come on.”

“Are you sure?”

Abby nodded. “I know Chloe’s going to want to see you.”

Relief flooded me, and I was quick to follow the Benson family through the hospital and up to the third floor. Chloe was in room 328. She was lying in bed, an IV protruding from her right arm. Her face wasn’t nearly as pal as before, and her cuts had been cleaned and bandaged. Her heart monitor beeped steadily.

“Oh, God.” Beth gasped, then once again devolved into sobs. “My poor girl.” She gently brushed Chloe’s hair back from her forehead. “What happened to you?” she whispered mostly to herself.

I claimed the chair in the corner, out of the way, and watched and listened to Chloe’s family as they surrounded her with love and concern. Not only was I responsible for the torture Chloe had endured, but I was also responsible for the pain of every single person in this room. All because I was too selfish to let Chloe go. Maybe now was the time to do just that, to give her the freedom to have a life free from harm and supernatural wars where she was nothing more than a pawn used to hurt me.

“Mr. and Mrs. Benson?” A nurse walked into the room with a clipboard. “I know this isn’t the best timing, but we need you to fill out some paperwork. The doctor is going to keep Chloe for a few nights for observation, and we need your consent, along with the insurance information.”

Beth nodded and wiped her tears.

“It’s okay, Mom. Trent and I will stay with Chloe, and we’ll let you know if she wakes up,” Abby said.

Beth and Dean left the room. Abby sat on the edge of Chloe’s bed, but rather than face her cousin, she turned to me. Hands in her lap, she kept her head down.

“Do you think she’s going to be okay?” Abby whispered.

“Yes,” I said firmly and without hesitation because I refused to believe the alternative. Chloe had to be okay. I wouldn’t survive if she wasn’t.

“Sorry to intrude, but I need a moment with my patient.” A nurse dressed in rainbow-colored scrubs bustled into the room.

Abby got off the bed. “I’m going to call Ellie and let her know Chloe’s back.” She walked out of the room, still refusing to look at me.

What was up with her? Did she know something she shouldn’t? If she did, why not speak up when Chloe was missing? I shook the thoughts away and stepped into the hallway to wait. No sooner than I closed the door and Officer Ramirez and King sauntered toward me.

I suppressed a groan. I had to tell them something, and I still hadn’t had time to come up with a decent cover story. Maybe I should stick with Jax’s idea. Right now, that was the best I had.

“Officers.” I nodded.

The two men stopped in front of me. “How is she?” Officer Ramirez asked.

“She’s out of it right now, but she’s alive, and that’s what matters.” I leaned against the wall, careful to keep my posture relaxed and as friendly as possible. The last thing I needed was for these two goons to think I was somehow involved with what happened to Chloe.

“Mrs. Benson informed us that you were the one who found Miss Madison?” Officer King pulled a small notebook and pen from his pocket and looked at me expectantly.

“Yes, sir. My brother and I were helping with the searches, and I heard a faint moaning sound, so I followed it. I found Chloe curled up beneath a pile of leaves and sticks. She was shivering and barely conscious.” I cleared my throat and shifted my weight.

Officer King jotted down notes before glancing up again. “Would you be able to take us to where you found her?”

“Yes.”

“Was there anyone else around when you found her?” Officer Ramirez raised a brow.

“No. My brother and I had veered off from the rest of the search party, and my brother wasn’t in my line of sight when I found Chloe. As soon as I realized it was her, I brought her straight to the hospital and called her aunt and uncle.”

I studied the officers’ faces for any indication that they weren’t buying my story, but their expressions were frustratingly stoic. If I couldn’t convince them that everything I was saying was true, I’d have no choice but to wipe myself—and Chloe’s disappearance—from their minds. Maybe I should just do that anyway, save myself a lot of hassle.

“She had scratches and bite marks all over her arms and legs. I think she might have been attacked by a wild animal,” I said, hoping I could sway them toward my line of thinking. “The doctors have run a rabies test and are treating her just in case.”

“Certainly wouldn’t be the first time a local was attacked by the wildlife.” Officer King flipped the notebook closed and shoved it back into his pocket. “Thank you for your time. We’ll be in touch again should we have any further questions.”

“I’ll be around,” I said with a smile.

When they walked away, I let out a heavy breath. Jax was a much better liar than I was, and I wished he’d been the one to tell that ridiculous story to the authorities. At least I hadn’t had to lie about the rabies thing. If nothing else, that would corroborate my story.

Chloe screamed, and my heart lodged in my throat. She was awake!