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“Who won now, Marlena? Who always wins?”
He tossed the lighter to the corner and instantly fire began to flow up the wall. It would be minutes before it reached her on the bed. She was going to die.
She looked at him, knowing that he felt triumphant and as if he truly won.
“You didn’t win anything. I don’t love you. I never did, but I love them. My three men, and that’s what you can always remember about me. My last words before I die. I love Jack, Mike, and Danny forever!” she yelled, voice cracking, everything aching, and the fight leaving her body, forcing her eyes to close.
* * * *
“Run, goddamn it. I see smoke!” Danny yelled as the multiple police cars, ATVs, and regular trucks made it to the log cabin in the woods twenty minutes from their house. The dogs almost lost the scent, but as they searched for close locations that Peter could have taken her to, another group with dogs picked up on a scent down the dirt road that led to the cabin. They found her. But the cabin was already showing signs of fire.
They all ran as fast as they could. Mike, Danny, and Jack barreled through the door along with their friends and fellow community members.
Danny saw Marlena. The fire nearly at the bed she was tied to. She was beaten and battered. Unconscious from either the smoke of the damage done to her body. Him and Jack ran to her to cut the ropes. But Mike roared in anger and headed to the side. Danny and Jack never even saw Peter. Their focus was solely on getting to Marlena and saving her. She didn’t move at all. He heard yelling, a struggle then glanced to the right. Peter rushed at Mike and the two fought. Jack was untying Marlena and Danny felt filled with fear for his brother and for their woman. They could hear the scuffle then the sound of a gun going off had Danny and Jack pressing over Marlena’s body in a protective shield. Danny saw the gun on the floor and then Peter reach for it.
“She’ll die and all of you will too.”
“Freeze! Give it up. It’s over.” The sheriff yelled toward Pete, gun drawn. Taylor and the others had their guns drawn too and then Mike did some serious combat moves, manipulated the gun from Peter’s hands, and reached for it. Danny watched Mike fall backward then shoot at Peter as Peter lunged for Mike’s throat. The gun went off. Peter lay on the floor, a bullet to his head.
“We have to move. The fire is moving too quickly. The fire department is on its way. They won’t make it in time,” the sheriff yelled and helped them along with Taylor to cut the ropes.
“Oh God, look at her. She’s all bruised and cut. What the fuck did he do to her?” Jack asked as Danny slowly went to lift her.
He got her into his arms. She was limp, barely breathing as Jack checked her pulse. As he stepped from the house with his brothers, a sea of law enforcement and friends were there. All carrying weapons. All ready to protect one of their own.
“An ambulance is on its way,” Taylor told him, his expression like everyone else’s. Shock, disgust, perhaps feelings of failure like Danny was feeling.
The sound of sirens blaring filled the air. The lights from the ambulance could be seen coming up the dirt road quickly. As he stopped short, and the paramedics got out, even they were members of Chance.
“Please. You have to save her. Help her,” Danny said to them.
“Jesus. What the hell happened to her?” the paramedic asked as they helped her onto the gurney and began to look over her injuries to see what were more serious.
“We have to get her to the ER. Her pulse is really weak. She could have internal bleeding from the way her ribs and neck are bruising and swelling. We need to move,” the paramedic said, and they strapped her in and began to get her into the ambulance.
“Go with her, Danny. We’ll follow,” Mike said and Danny nodded and then jumped into the back of the ambulance.
The doors closed and he saw his brothers’ eyes and their friends’ expressions. They all might have been too late. All he kept thinking was that he never should have left her upstairs alone. If he hadn’t, maybe he could have fought off Peter and saved Marlena. She was his responsibility. She was their woman and they claimed her, took guardianship over her, yet they failed her and it could cost her her life.
He held her hand and c
overed his mouth with his hand as tears filled his eyes.
He’d finally found the perfect woman to love, to complete the bond between him and his brothers, and he ruined it. They all did. They failed terribly.
* * * *
“It’s not your fault. None of us expected that he was already in the house hiding. We looked everywhere. It was out of your control, so stop beating yourselves up over it. She’s going to pull through,” Sheriff Max Gordon told Mike, Danny, and Jack. But they didn’t want to hear it. For several days, Marlena lay unconscious. The doctors worked on running tests and finding out what drug Peter had given her. Whatever it was, she suffered an adverse effect from it and it sent her into a coma. The doctors didn’t think that was a bad thing, considering the injuries to her ribs, and the severity of the damage to her esophagus. She had a breathing tube, was sedated to help her heal, and an I.V. of fluids and nutrients was constantly going.
Mike ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at Marlena. She was white as a ghost. She looked frail and weak. It brought tears to his eyes every day he came here and sat with her. His brothers weren’t saying much. When they talked, they fought. They argued about leaving her alone, about failing as her guardians and about not having what it took to care for her and love her and protect her the way she deserved. Everything was falling apart.
“Boys.” They all looked up when they heard their mom’s voice. The sheriff left the room and their dads stood outside in the waiting area.
She had been a total mess when she first saw Marlena lying in the hospital bed with all the tubes and monitors going. Even Marlena’s friends, Alicia, Mercedes, and Adele cried. They would be by again shortly. They came by on their lunch breaks every day and at dinnertime after they left work. Marlena had so many visitors. So many people loved her and wanted her to heal and get better. Her room was covered with balloons and flowers, and she couldn’t open her eyes to see any of it.
Their mom walked past Danny and went to the side of the bed. She reached out and caressed Marlena’s hand then leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“Okay, little lady, you’ve got everyone in a state of panic and fear right now. I need you to wake up, and to fight for what you want,” she told her and smiled. She reached out and caressed her cheek.
