Leslie
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I pace back and forth in my living room waiting for the call. It's been 48 hours since Kara was kidnapped and I'm going out of my mind.
All Liam said when he called was to go pick up Melody from school and stay at my apartment until he calls.
There are guards standing outside the door keeping watch. Right now I'm more worried about Kara's safe return than I am about my safety.
Melody has been sitting quietly by the couch. I head over and join her. When she notices me, she smiles and takes my hand.
“Don't worry, my brother will find her. He'll never let anyone do anything to hurt her. I'm sure of it.”
I force a smile. There's no doubt Liam would turn this world upside down to get her back. But what if he's too late. My phone starts ringing. I pick it up before it can even ring the second time.
“Liam, what happened?” I ask anxiously.
“We found her. We're at the hospital right now. She's fine but I think she suffered a concussion. Jake was shot so we had to bring him to the hospital with us too.”
The phone slides out of my hold and I stay frozen. The words keep echoing in my head “Jake was shot”. From a far I hear someone calling my name.
I feel a sharp pain on my face and I snap out of it. Melody has my phone in her ear telling Liam we'll be right there.
“Com'n, he sent the address to the guards.” she pulls my hand towards the door.
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By the time we reach the hospital, I'm going out of my mind. What happened? Is he okay? Is he still alive? I blink away the unshed tears and focus on what I know.
The guards lead us to a closed room at the end of the hall. Melody pushes the door open and we find Liam and Kara inside.
Kara is laying on the hospital bed with her eyes closed while Liam watches her with a worried expression on his face.
Melody runs to her brother and hugs him. “How is she?” she asks.
“She's okay, both her and the baby are fine. Just dehydrated.”
I feel some relief. I'm about to ask about Jake when Liam turns to me. “He's in the next room.” he says. I nod before racing to him.
He lifts his head up when I enter the room. I find him seated sideways on the bed with a sling on his arm. I stand there staring at him. A broken sob comes out of no where. Maybe it's the relief of seeing that he's fine.
“Baby, don't cry. Come here.” He gestures for me to go to him. I run into his arms. He hugs me as I start crying, burying my face on his chest. He winces and I pull back.
“I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you.” I whisper as I run my hand on his face.
“It's okay, just a flesh wound.” He gives me his signature cocky grin.
Then his face turns fierce. He traces his fingers on my cheek. The place Melody slapped me.
“Who did this?” he growls.
I wave my hand. “It's nothing, Melody had to snap me out of my head, that's all.”
I pull his hand from my face and join it with mine, interlocking our fingers. “You scared the shit out of me. Don't ever do that again.”
He grins at me. “Careful red, or I might think you actually care.” he's smiling but I can see the vulnerability in his eyes.
I kiss him on the cheek and hug him, burying my face on his nape. “Of course I care you idiot.” I whisper.
Someone clears his throat. Startled, I let go of him and turn around. That's when I notice there is someone else in the room with us.
“You must be the famous Leslie. Nice to meet you. I'm Nikolai.” He introduces himself, his voice hoarse and distinctive.
The man is the spitting image of Jake. But the more I look at him, I start to notice slight differences. Like the scar on his face, the coldness in his empty eyes that send a shiver down my spine.
I stare at the hand stretched out towards me and I contemplate not shaking it. His cold eyes lock with mine and it makes my entire body tense from fear.
“Don't be scared, I don't bite.” His words in no way match his facial expression. His features are hard and threatening. Right away I can tell this man is trouble.
“Nik, stop messing with her.” Jake chastises.
He lets out a dark-sounding chuckle. The smile on his face makes him look scarier. His eyes sweep over me.
“I'm going to head out. It was nice meeting you Leslie.” He then turns away from me and I exhale the breath I didn't know I was holding.
Before he leaves I call out to him without thinking. “Thank you,” I murmur.
He cocks his head side ways as he studies me. “For what?” he asks.
I swallow the uneasiness of being under his scrutiny. “I have a feeling you're the reason I have my best friend back. And for making sure Liam and Jake also came back alive. So thank you.”
He continues to study me. His brows drawn together as if he's trying to understand my words but failing. A few seconds pass before he says, “You're welcome.”
He turns to Jake. “Don't forget what I told you, watch your back.” then he turns and leaves.
“Who was that?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Just someone from my past.”
I want to push for more but the look on his face tells me the subject is closed. I push it aside and hug him again.
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