Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(63)
Tears burned my eyes and I closed them. I was hoping what I’d seen was a mistake, but it wasn’t. I rewound the video and watched it again and again, feeling like I was going to throw up any minute. How could a man who dedicated his life to saving animals do something so vile and disgusting? He’d made me believe he was on my side, helping me.
Heart racing, I jumped up and started to shut down the computer, but then another dog came to mind…Lady. I still remembered having to tell Mrs. Jenkins that Lady was dead shortly after I’d told her the dog was doing well. My hands shook as I clicked on that specific day and watched Lady on the camera. She was active in her cage, he tongue lolling out to the side. There was no indication that she was doing poorly. I came into the video and listened to her heartbeat while she licked my hand. I scratched behind her ears and laughed as she flopped down on her back for me to rub her belly.
It wasn’t long after when I called Mrs. Jenkins. Lunchtime was closing in, and I figured everyone had left…but I was wrong. Jeremiah walked in and stuck Lady with a needle through the cage door. She fell over and all life drained out of her tiny body. He disposed of the needle and walked out of the room as if nothing had happened. Anger boiled in my veins. By tomorrow morning, everyone would know what he’d done.
I shut down Wilford’s laptop and hurried out of his office to the lab. The sharps container was still there; I had to take it before Jeremiah could dispose of it. I needed all the evidence I could get. With the container in hand, I locked the back door and headed to my car—only I never made it there.
It felt like a bee had stung my shoulder, but then I felt a warm, tingly feeling shoot through my veins. My eyes started to close and the container fell out of my arms. “What’s happening?” I mumbled, the words not making any sense as they left my mouth. I thought I was going to fall to the ground, but instead, I was picked up and carried back inside the clinic.
“Don’t worry, you stupid cunt. It’ll all be over soon.”
I wanted to fight, but I couldn’t move. All I knew was that I was in trouble…and there was no one around to help.
Chapter 28
Derek
“Derek!”
Her screams echo in my ear, but I can’t see her. It’s not Brianna this time but Hayden. I can see her car down the street, in the same spot as the accident, only it’s not mangled. My heart races and I run toward it, but the faster I run, the farther away I get.
“Please, Derek! Help me!”
“Dammit, I’m coming. Hang on!” I yell back. I try to get to her, but I can’t seem to get any closer. Her cries tear me apart, and the feeling of losing her overwhelms me. I’ve already lost one love, I can’t lose another. My muscles burn, but I push through it to get to her. I rush down the ravine and Hayden is on the ground, looking up at the night sky. Her face is tear-streaked, and when she turns my way, she blinks once and then closes her eyes. “You’re too late.”
My eyes sprang open and I shot out of bed. My body was covered in sweat and my heart pounded relentlessly in my chest. I looked over to make sure Hayden was safe beside me, but there was no one there.
“Hayden?” I called out. The bathroom light was off, so she wasn’t in there. It was one o’clock in the morning, according to the clock. Where was she? Getting out of bed, I slipped on a pair of boxers and walked out of the room. There were no lights on in the rest of the house, and the dogs were huddled up together in a corner, yawning sleepily at me. “Hayden?” Still no answer.
I searched all the rooms to make sure she wasn’t sleeping in one of the guest beds. Maybe I’d pissed her off? My head was in a fog, but I didn’t remember making her mad before we fell asleep. I hurried to the living room and glanced out the window to see if her car was still outside; it wasn’t. What the f*ck? I ran back to my bedroom and grabbed my phone. There were no text messages from her. I called her number, and it rang continuously until her voicemail greeting came on. Impatiently, I tapped my foot until I heard the beep. “Hayden, where are you? Call me as soon as you get this.”
I threw my phone on the bed. I didn’t like her leaving in the middle of the night without telling me where she was going. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I grabbed my phone and rushed downstairs to the kitchen to grab my keys. Wherever she was, I was going to find her.
However, when I reached for my keys, I saw her note on the counter.
Derek,
I know you’re going to be mad at me if you read this. I’m kind of hoping I get back before you wake up, but if not, just know this was something that had to be done. I have to know what happened at Stonebrooke. Allowing the blame to be put on my shoulders isn’t right, especially since I know I didn’t do anything wrong. Please understand that I have to do this. I’ll be back soon.
Love you,
Hayden
“Dammit, Hayden,” I growled. If she were caught she’d get into a whole hell of a lot more trouble than she already was. I called her again and still no answer. “Fuck.”
I didn’t know if I should go there or wait for her to get back. As much as I wanted to snap at her for doing something so foolish, I had to believe she was making the right decision for her. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, I sat down at the bar and waited. If this was something she really felt she had to do, I could understand that, but sneaking off was the wrong move. And she was going to hear it when she got back. Only I didn’t want to wait.