Cruel Intoxication (Underground Kings 4)

There’s a light shining in my eyes that has me sitting up on a huge gasp of air.

“Well, his pupils are dilated,” Doctor Gladstone says.

I rub my eyes and press my hand against my head when my temple starts to throb. There is a flurry of commotion. Cops are everywhere, including Officer Howard. He’s squatting, waiting for me to get my bearings.

Jaxon is up and to his feet, standing next to a gurney and holding Quinn’s hand.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s in premature labor. Whatever happened, it’s caused her to go into labor a month and a half early!” Jaxon roars.

“It’s okay,” Quinn says, reaching a hand out to him, and he takes it in a hurry. “The babies will be okay.”

“No, none of this is okay. It isn’t okay,” he mutters. “But they said they might be able to stop it. They might stop it.” He sounds lost, a bit manic, nothing like Jaxon at all.

I glance around to find Jolie, but all I see are my friends, nurses, doctors, and cops. “Where is Jolie?” I ask, swaying as I try to get to my feet. “What happened?”

“They are saying it was a gas leak, but no one knows for sure.” Doctor Gladstone checks my pulse next by placing his fingers against my wrist.

“Jolie?” I ask again. “She went to the restroom.”

“I haven’t seen her,” Officer Howard states, and that’s when something heavy and solid lands in my stomach. I push him out of the way and run toward the restroom, tripping and running into people since I can’t get a grip of my limbs yet. “Jolie!” I yell down the hall, hoping her beautiful face pops out of the bathroom, but all I get are strange looks from others. I can’t hear anything. Everyone is talking, and the loud roar of the hundred different conversations makes my head spin.

I kick open the bathroom door and see one of the stalls kicked in. “No, no, no!” I roar as I step through the stall. Water is everywhere from the door slamming against the toilet, and there’s no sign of Jolie.

“Jolie! Jolie!” I scream, gripping the sides of my head as I let the fear and panic take over. “Jolie,” I fall to my knees, and water splashes around me.

He was here.

This was him.

I’m going to kill that bastard. I knew it. I knew I should’ve double shot him in the head, but the bullet to the chest should’ve killed anyone.

Anyone!

But that isn’t my luck, is it? This man doesn’t seem to be like anyone else.

“What is it? Owen! What’s wrong?” Officer Howard enters the ladies’ room and sees the mess. “What happened?”

“She only went to the bathroom, Howard. The bathroom. She wanted to go by herself. He was here. He was fucking here!” I slam my fist against the ground, and a sob catches my throat. Images of our night together bombard my mind. Her moans, her body writhing against mine, the way she says my name when she’s running out of breath, the way she feels… I haven’t had enough of her.

I’ll never be able to get enough of her. She can’t be gone. She’s my second chance at life, at love, at a family.

“We will find her. You said she was stumbling through the woods, right?” Howard reminds me, bringing me back to the present.

Right. The woods.

That bastard probably took her back to his house. If she’s gone, I’ll find her. I’ll make sure she is safe again.

“Yeah, the woods,” I say in agreement and get to my feet. “This … all of this was to get her back. He really wants to ruin me for something I had no control over, but I have control over this, Howard, and I’m going to tell you right now.” I step forward and get into his face. “I’m going to kill him. You hear me? I’m going to rip his head from his fucking body. If you want to arrest me for that, you can, but Jolie is my priority, not my innocence.”

“Between you and me,” he mumbles, looking directly into my eyes. “I’ll turn my head and look the other way. She’s been through too much. If you want to rip his head off, I’ll hold his body down.”

“You surprise me, Howard.”

“Well, I’m not as straight and narrow as you like to think I am,” he says, following me out of the bathroom.

I rub each eye against my shoulder to clear them from the tears and make my way toward Jaxon, who is still by Quinn’s side. “Where is everyone else?”