Shattered (LOST #3)(95)

“Sarah said Mitch was still alive when they jumped,” she added.

Gabe kept his gaze on the fire. “He’s not alive now.” Not Mitch. Not Murphy. They were gone. “No one’s alive in there now.”

Victoria was silent. Then, after a long moment, she asked, “Why did Murphy come down here?”

“Because he knew the man who was after Sarah. He had to stop him.”

“Why? He killed so many people . . . Sarah’s said herself that he’s a psychopath.” There was confusion in Victoria’s voice, and Gabe knew she wasn’t just thinking of Sarah’s father, she was thinking of her own.

Victoria’s father hadn’t killed dozens of people. He hadn’t been a slick serial killer who’d eluded capture for years.

Instead, Victoria’s father had struck out at the people closest to him. He’d killed Victoria’s mother. No one had believed Victoria when she tried to tell the cops . . . not at first.

That’s why Viki always speaks for the dead.

“Did he . . . love her?”

The smoke blended with the darkness of the night.

“I figure he did, as much as he could love anyone.”

Gabe turned away. Victoria kept watching the fire. He’d taken two steps when she said, “Do you hear that?”

Gabe looked back. Victoria was still staring at the fire.

“I could have sworn,” she murmured, “that I heard someone humming.”

JAX OPENED HIS eyes. He wasn’t particularly surprised to find himself in a hospital room. He remembered doctors peering at him. Men and women in green masks. There had been lots of bright lights and pain. Surgery.

He’d kept asking for Sarah. She hadn’t been there then and now—

He turned his head.

Brent stared back at him.

“Aw, fuck,” Jax muttered. Yeah, it still felt as if he’d swallowed glass when he spoke.

Brent’s lips quirked. “Expecting someone else?”

“Sarah.” He needed to see her.

“She’s been at your side for the last twenty-four hours. While the docs were saving your sorry ass in surgery, she got herself stitched up. She hasn’t left since then.”

She wasn’t there now. And he needed to see her. To make sure she was all right. He started to push up from the bed.

“If I weren’t dragging around an IV bag and feeling like shit, I’d shove you back into the bed myself,” Brent told him gruffly. “But since you’ve got a broken leg . . .”

Hell, he did have a broken leg. The cast was stretched up and hanging in the air.

“I figure you can’t go far.” Brent rolled back his shoulders. The guy was wearing a white hospital gown. So was Jax. “Relax. Sarah just stepped out to talk with your docs. She’s literally on the other side of that door.”

The room’s door opened. Sarah was there. Shadows were under her beautiful eyes. Scratches were on her cheeks.

She was perfect.

When she saw him, her lips curled—a fast, brilliant, beautiful smile. She ran across the room. “Are you with me this time?” Her fingers slid carefully over his face. “Truly with me?”

He lifted his hand. His damn fingers were shaking. He touched her. Real. Sarah was in front of him. Real and safe and alive.

“I should go get your doctors,” she said. “They were briefing me and I need to let them know you’re back—”

He caught her hand. “Don’t go.” He needed her close.

Sarah’s face softened as she stared at him.

“Don’t ever go, Sarah.” He knew they had a ton of shit to work through. Her past. His. But the past . . . the past didn’t matter right then. He wanted the present, with her. The future . . . with her. Anything that she could give to him, he wanted. “Stay with me.”

Sarah leaned forward and kissed him. Light and sweet. The best kiss of his entire life. “Always,” Sarah promised him. When she looked up at him, Jax saw the truth in her eyes. Sarah loved him. Him.

He knew he was the luckiest bastard on earth.

Jax pulled Sarah closer—with his left hand because his right arm was in a cast, too. And he just . . . held her.

He’d found what had been missing from his life for all of those long years. The other part of his soul. And, yeah, he knew that probably would sound corny as shit if he ever told anyone but . . .

“I love you,” Sarah whispered.

But it’s the truth.

He kissed her cheek. “Forever, Sarah. Forever.”





EPILOGUE

Victoria hurried out of the morgue. She was practically running, but she didn’t care. She had to get to Gabe. Fast. She rushed up the stairs and then threw open the door to his makeshift office.

Gabe spun around. Wade glanced over at her, frowning.

“Viki?” Gabe stepped toward her. “Is everything all right?”

No, no, things were definitely not all right.

They’d stayed in New Orleans for a few extra days. Everyone had needed time to recover, and since Viki was one of the few who’d actually remained injury free on this particular case, she’d volunteered her services to the PD.

She’d been working in the morgue, going over the remains recovered from the fire at Tibideaux Street. But the news she had . . . it wasn’t good.