Fade to Black (The Black Trilogy Book 1) (27 page)

chapter thirty-seven

“Piper?” I asked the dark.

The smells told me I was in a hospital. I tried to clear my throat and started choking. Someone came from a fold-out bed beside me and placed a straw to my mouth. I drank gratefully. I saw the pale light of a phone and Sheldon’s face lit by the glow. He was texting someone.

“Piper?” I struggled against the drugs to speak. I heard movement around me.

“Hey, Ryan,” Josh said to my right.

I must’ve slept some more, because the sun was bright outside when I looked again. Sheldon lay on his back on the fold-out bed with his mouth open, softly snoring. I looked around my hospital room, clearer now. Josh dozed in a chair to my right.

“Josh,” I said, and he raised his head instantly.

“Ryan. Thank God,” he breathed.             

“Where is she?” I said without preamble.

I cared for nothing but my wife. Josh dropped his head, and to my horror, started crying. I pushed my head back into my pillows and shut my eyes.

“Tell me,” I demanded.

Josh got a hold of himself, but it was Sheldon who responded.

“We don’t know, Ryan.”

I heard Josh suck in a deep breath. I looked from one to other.

“Tell me, damn it!”

Josh put a big hand over his eyes as if to block out an image.

“They took her,” he said. “They took her directly from my hands.”

He looked at me, and I saw blood in his left eye where normally white would be.

“I got her breathing normally again. I sat her up, and she was banged up but otherwise all right. I mean her throat was badly bruised, and all that.” Josh paused, and took a swallow of water from my cup. “After a minute of making sure she was stable, I went to you. Ryan, you had lost a lot of blood, and I tried to pack your wound the best I could. I got your bleeding under control anyway.” Josh shrugged.

Sheldon said, “Probably saved your life,” in a low voice.

Josh glanced at Sheldon and then looked me in the eye. Here it comes. I braced for the impact.

“A boat rammed us in the side, throwing me and Piper overboard. Our boat did not capsize thankfully, but Titan hit his head and was pretty much useless. You were unconscious. I reached Piper in the water, and we began working our way to the boat, which had drifted. It was about fifty yards away, and then I heard the other boat approach again. I had Piper in my hands, when all of a sudden she let go and swam away from me.”

Josh licked his lips and touched his temple like he had a headache. I started to tell him to go on, but he held up a finger for me to hold on.

“I grabbed wildly for Piper, but she got away from me fast. She held an arm in the air for the boat to see her. It was a gesture of surrender, like at a battle, but without the white flag. I begged her to stop. I screamed for her, and finally I got her, and tried to get away. Jean-Paul reached down and took her from me, and all I could do was watch as they drove away.”

Josh hung his head defeated.

“Just before the boat reached us, she told me it was the only way we would ever be left alone. I grabbed at her and tried to hold onto the boat as it took off. They turned, and shook me loose. The propeller clipped me in the shoulder.” Josh looked back at me, tears pouring down his unshaven face. “I’m sorry.”

I looked at my friend and understood that he would gladly die in Piper’s place if given the chance. Josh had saved my daughter and had risked his life for both me and Piper.

“Where’s Roger?”

I felt like he of all people could fix this. Sheldon left to get him. Josh leaned closer to me, and I smelled alcohol on him.

“I’m going to get that bastard.” Josh said with Venom.

I looked him hard in the eyes.

“Not if I get there first.”

BY MC WEBB

~

THE BLACK TRILOGY

FADE TO BLACK

Book one

BLACK AS NIGHT

Book two

THE BLACK REMNANTS

Book three

~

And coming soon

THE CRY OF THE WHIPPOORWILL

A powerful new story featuring

Josh Logue and Ozzy Duchete

Bestselling author MC Webb lives in Tennessee with her husband and two children. Published in high school, the minister’s daughter shied away from the attention her stories brought. It would be more than twenty-five years later the author would make a career of writing.

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