I see red. My first instinct is to choke the life out of them. But that doesn't help Bonny.
My men enter the room, guns drawn. The surprise on Torrence's face when he sees me is perfection. But I can't enjoy it, not when my Bonny Bleu is lying in a puddle on the floor.
I rush to her. She has a pulse; I listen for breathing.
"Don't worry. The bitch is still alive," Torrence says.
She's so badly beaten I'm afraid to move her. She's almost indistinguishable, her face a mask of fresh blood. "Someone fetch Jamie. Quickly."
"Your timing was really unfortunate. Had you given us another five minutes, we could have ridded you of her altogether." Torrence's voice is the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
I had so many plans for how I would make my nemesis suffer. Take him to the black site. Torture him. Drag his death out for days. But none of that matters now-only Bleu and our babies matter.
I stroke the top of her hair. "I'm going to take you away from this place. Everything is going to be fine and I'm never going to allow anyone else the opportunity to steal you from me again."
I hold her hand and kiss her forehead. "I love you, Bonny Bleu," I whisper.
Torrence laughs. "This is the reason you never love a woman. It weakens you."
Jamie rushes in and kneels next to Bleu. "She'll need X-rays to confirm she has no fractures to her neck or spine. The safest thing to do is put her in a C-collar so we can get moving before other Order members arrive."
"Hold her neck like this." He places my hands in the correct position. "We're going to log roll her. I'll slip the collar on from behind."
We roll Bleu on to her side and I do as he instructs.
"Where is all that blood coming from?" my father asks.
I glance downward to see what he's talking about. My heart stutters when I see the dark pool collecting beneath Bonny. "Jamie. Why is she bleeding like that? Where is it coming from?"
He fastens the collar. "We need to get her to the hospital immediately."
"Sterling has the car at the front," my father says.
My men lift Bleu and carefully transport her down the hallway to the front door where the car awaits.
I stand and face Torrence and his men. I don't have time to say or do any of the things I'd like. "You'll never hurt my family again."
I shoot them one by one, leaving Torrence for last so he can see what's coming for him. A single shot between the eyes.
Blood and brains spatter the wall but it gives me no satisfaction. A bullet to the head is too merciful for Torrence and the men who beat my Bonny Bleu.
"Leave their bodies for The Order to find. Their property. Their problem."
Jamie says Bleu's neck and spine should remain straight so I crouch on the floor of the back seat so I'm sitting next to her head. He sits with her feet in his lap.
I grasp her hand, kissing it often. I can't stop touching her. These past three days have been brutal.
"I love you and our babies so much," I whisper in her ear, remembering how her voice seeped through the dark walls of consciousness while I was sick.
There was so much blood pooled beneath her. My mind knows it's evidence of a miscarriage but my heart holds out hope. "Do you think she's losing the babies?"
"Babies?"
"Aye. Twins. We found out the day she was taken."
"Obstetrics aren't my specialty, Sin," he says quietly. That's all he says but I can guess what he's thinking. No woman can bleed like that and not lose her pregnancy.
The young woman turns around in the front seat. "Bleu didn't mention she was expecting. But it's best she didn't. Torrence wouldn't have stopped until he was certain he had beaten those babies out of her along with any chance to conceive more in the future."
I look at this petite woman in the front seat of my car. The top of her blond head is barely visible over the seat from where I'm sitting in the floorboard.
"Who are you?" I demand.
"Lainie." She hesitates before saying the rest. "Grieve. Before you ask, yes. I'm Torrence's wife. But not by choice. He's a monster who held me prisoner in that place for the last two months."
Lainie bursts into tears. "Bleu said you would help me and you did. You'll never know how grateful I am. Thank you so much."
I'm not often shocked but Lainie Grieve has just managed to do so. And while I have many questions about what's happening within The Order, it's not my focus right now.
We arrive at the hospital's emergency services entrance. "I have to walk away at this point," Jamie says. "I can't risk being seen with you. Some of the people from my medical program like asking too many questions."
Jamie's right. My face was all over the news after my arrest. Being seen with me will bring up issues he might not be able to explain away. "Of course."
"Sterling. Go inside and fetch help."
Jamie opens the door to get out. "Call as soon as you know anything."
I remain next to my wife while we wait for help to arrive at the car.
I don't know what has happened to Lainie, but I suspect her face isn't the only thing damaged. "You need to be examined."
She nods, tears cascading down her crumpled, bruised face. "My head hurts. So much." Her whole body shakes, though from fear or pain, I don't know.
"They'll have to report your attack to the police. I don't care what kind of statement you give as long as it doesn't include me or The Fellowship."
"I was assaulted by an unknown attacker. I didn't see his face," she says. I suspect this isn't her first time to tell that story. "I'll enter the hospital separately so they don't make the connection."
"That's probably best."
"Thank you for rescuing me from that monster." Those are her last words before getting out and disappearing.
A swarm of medical personnel surround the car. They slide a board beneath Bleu's body and transfer her limp form to a waiting gurney. "Sir, is this your wife?"
"Yes. She's pregnant with twins. Six weeks."
I see the looks exchanged when they note the extensive blood on her clothing. "We're going to take good care of her. And your babies."
* * *
My mum stays with me while Bleu's gone for tests. First, they must ensure she has not sustained damage to her head, neck, or spine. Thankfully, they rule out any neurological problems but I'm still concerned. It's been hours and she remains unconscious.
The doctor and nurses assure me they see no reason she won't wake on her own soon but it's unsettling to see her lying in what appears to be a comatose state.
The ultrasound is last and they won't allow me to be present when it's done. I have no idea if our babies survived. When I ask, the nurse tells me the doctor will be in to discuss the findings. I think they would've told me if everything was all right, so I assume he'll be delivering bad news.
I need my mother's advice. "The first thing Bleu's going to ask when she wakes is if the babies are okay. How the hell am I going to tell her they're not?"
Mum halts the crocheting project on her lap. "Bleeding isn't supposed to occur during pregnancy so when it does, expectant parents panic. The amount of blood seems like much more than it actually is. I know because it happened when I was pregnant with your brother. I was certain I was miscarrying. As you know, I didn't so you must believe that all is well with them until you know otherwise."
My mum returns to crocheting. I think she's doing it as a distraction. She's only half-finished with the piece but I can clearly make out what it's going to be-a baby blanket. Seeing it makes all of this surreal.
I've never lost children before. I only know one way to be ready for it. "I'm preparing myself for the worst."
"There are plenty of situations where that's an appropriate attitude but parenting isn't one of them. You prepare for the best by hoping for it."
Mum holds up her crocheting project. "I'm already done with the first blanket. This one should be finished by tomorrow. All I'll need to do is add the pink or blue ribbons after we find out what they are."
"I went back to the office right after we found out about the twins. I don't even know what Bleu wants. Boys? Girls? A combo?"
"She'll be happy with whatever you get."
I left her at home alone. "This was my fault, Mum. Torrence took her because of me. We could lose our babies because of what I did."
"You can't think like that, son."
"She has every right to blame me if they don't make it."
There's a knock at the door, and then it opens. "Hello, Mr. Breckenridge." Bleu's obstetrician.
I'm numb as the doctor introduces himself. All I can think of is the news he's about to give us. "There are concerns we need to discuss but I know your immediate question for me is the condition of the pregnancy. Let me start by saying that we detected two heartbeats on ultrasound."
Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
My mum releases a sigh of relief. "I knew our babies would be okay. I told you, didn't I?"
"As an OB/GYN, I'll only address your wife's health from an obstetrical and gynecological standpoint. I found significant bruising on her inner thighs. Because Mrs. Breckenridge remains unconscious and can't tell us what happened, I had to follow protocol, which means examining her for sexual assault. I'm happy to report that I found no evidence supporting that."