AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“James. Lying on the floor bleeding. There was a woman there. I think she was trying to save him.”
“Shh, it’s okay. I can go home if you want me to.” James overs me a smile but his face is still pale from shock.
“But I don’t know if the catalyst is us leaving you or you coming with me.”
“You know what? It doesn’t matter. You’ve changed the outcome of your visions twice now. I trust you can do it again.”
I nod, hoping to God he’s right.
EPILOGUE
Astrid
The healing process is a bitch after someone tries to flay you open. The stitches are gone now, thank God, but I swear the constant itching will haunt me forever.
“Fucking, fuck, fuck. How do you always do that?” Ev curses, tossing the controller on the table.
I look away from the TV and wiggle my fingers at him. “I’ve got mad skills, Ev. That’s all you need to know.”
Slade leans down as he walks past and kisses my cheek. “You kicking his ass again, babe?”
“Of course.” I smile up at him.
Ev grumbles as he stands and heads into the kitchen.
“Must you always humiliate the man?” James asks without lifting his head from the paper he’s reading at the table.
“It’s important to keep these guys humble.”
“True that,” Salem grumbles from the sofa beside me, holding out her fist to bump.
I chuckle and bump it as the croissant she has balanced on her big belly is kicked off.
“I see nugget is feeling feisty this morning.”
“Morning, noon, and night. I swear, this kid never sleeps. It does not bode well for when they arrive.”
“Look at all the uncles you have to help out. You’ll be fine,” Creed tells her, lifting her feet into his lap so he can massage them.
“Oh, dear, sweet baby Jesus. I’m so glad you guys are back. You’re my favorite.”
Hawk and Creed missed everything that happened because they had been working a case, and they were pissed. As a result, they have stuck close ever since, trading off jobs with Crew and Wilder.
“I thought I was your favorite,” Hawk complains as he hands her a glass of juice.
Wisely, Salem doesn’t say anything. The woman has them wrapped around her finger. It’s hilarious to watch.
“Hey, Astrid, there’s a message for you.”
I look over at James, who is frowning at his phone. “Coming.”
Hawk reaches out his hand to help me up, which I take gratefully before I’m pulled to my feet. After I was released from the hospital and arrived at the ranch, I refused to ask for help, and boy, that did not go over well. I was told that I was family, to stop being a stubborn brat, and to let them take care of me. I cried for an hour. I’ve never had that before. Since then, I take all the help they offer.
Another thing that happened was that I confronted Mandy about the stunt she pulled at the hospital with the DNR. I informed her that I would be reporting her for fraud, theft, and attempted murder. She threatened to tell the world the truth about everything if I did. So instead of letting Mandy control my past, I took control of my future, and broke the news myself. I wrote an open letter to the world, telling my truth. Slade and Jagger were beside me every step of the way.
And for once, the world heard me.
I have to say, given my history, I'm shocked at how accepting people have been.Instead of condemnation, there was praise. Where there was once hate, there is now curiosity. People from back when the shooting happened even came forward to talk about how I had tried to help and been persecuted and ridiculed for it.
