Fulfillment (Book 3 in The Temptation Series) (50 page)

“I’m not
alright, Alexis is in there.” I looked back at the door, ready to
go right back through it.

He grabbed my
arm, forcefully. “I’ll find her, Mate.” Then he pushed past me and
ran inside.

“Sir, you need
to come down to the next level.”

Coughing, I
followed the firefighter down to the next level where I leaned into
the wall, trying to catch my breath.
She has to be alright, they
have to find her. And, Gareth...Fuck!
I couldn’t even think
about what may have happened to my cousin, just the thought of it
made me feel sick.

I lifted my
head to see a few firefighters exit the stairwell and few more take
their place, but still no sign of Alexis, Gareth, or Derek.
I
can’t do this, I can’t just fucking wait here.
Just as I was
about to go back up, a firefighter came out and grabbed his radio.
“Confirmation: DB found.”

It was at that
point that my adrenalin levels plummeted and all hope I held left
me. I stumbled back against the wall and slid down it, putting my
hands in my hair as I sunk to my knees. The unbearable grief that
overwhelmed me tore at my heart, clawing me with its vicious dread.
I knew too well that DB stood for Dead Body.

I was fucking
cursed, doomed, never allowed to love and be loved. This was my
penance, and I was going to absorb it and wear it for the rest of
my life.

Crying and in
pain, I rocked back and forth against the wall, desperately wanting
to hold Alexis in my arms, feel her warmth, breathe in her
intoxicating scent, and taste her mouth. I wanted to press her
against me, lock her to my soul, never being able to let her go. I
could hear her voice calling out for me to help her and it tortured
me even further, but it was a torture I would endure.

I covered my
ears and cried harder but her cries for me only grew louder.

“Can you hear
that?” One of the firefighters said to the other.

I lifted my
head from my hands and stared at the two men with confusion
“What?”

Realising what
they were suggesting, my heart beat became frantic, and everything
turned a deathly silence. I strained to hear what I didn’t want to
let myself believe I’d heard, because if it turned out to be false
I would die another thousand deaths. Then, I heard it again,
Alexis’ cries for help. I stood up, and like magnetism, found
myself taking steps closer to her pleas.

“Bryce!
Anybody! Help!”

It was
unmistakable this time, it was Alexis.

“The
elevator,” the firefighter said. “It’s coming from the
elevator.”

I threw myself
at the doors, desperate to pry them open. “Alexis! Can you hear
me?”

“Bryce! I’m in
here. I’m in the elevator,” she called out.

Fuck me, she’s
alive. Her voice was like fucking music to my ears.

I’d gone from
feeling overbearing grief to soaring relief in the space of a few
seconds and now I was as desperate as ever to get to my fiancé.

“Hold on,
Hunny. We’ll get you out.”

She coughed
and moaned. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I couldn’t
help but let out a laugh. A laugh at her impeccable timing, a laugh
at her endearing sarcasm and a laugh because I was so fucking
relieved.

One of the
firefighters zipped open a bag and pulled out a crow bar. “Step
aside, Sir.”

Fucking
bullshit, I’ll step aside.
He wedged it in between the doors
and began to pry them open. I didn’t hesitate and helped pull them
apart, then reached into the cart. Alexis’ hand touched mine, and
like every single time beforehand, I felt like I’d been struck by a
bolt of lightning.

“Bryce,” she
coughed, as she latched onto my arm.

The elevator
had stopped in between the level we were situated on and the one
below, and the gap between the top of the cart and the floor of our
level was only a few feet wide. I looked down and could see her
innocent, terrified but relieved eyes staring back at me.

“Hunny, hang
on.”

“Please, Sir,
move aside, I’m going in. Ma’am move back against the wall.”

She did what
she was told, then the firefighter lowered himself into the
elevator. He quickly assessed her then boosted her up.

I secured her
underneath her arms, then shuffling back on my knees and slowly
rising to my feet, I lifted her free from the cart. “I’ve got
you.”

She wiggled
out till she was standing on her feet, then wrapping her arms
around my neck, she squeezed me tightly —it was the best feeling in
the world.

“You’re alive.
You’re fucking alive,” I exclaimed as I ran my hands all over her
body just to make sure she was really in my arms.

She started
crying and shaking and I felt her begin to go limp.

“She needs to
see a medic,” the firefighter said.

I had to
agree, but I wasn’t about to let her out of my arms. “I’ll take her
down,” I replied just as Derek walked through the door that led to
the stairwell.

He wrenched
off his helmet and breathing mask and wiped his face with his hand,
looking relieved but confused. “Thank Christ for that,” he said as
he squatted down and fetched a water bottle. “Where?”

I pointed to
the elevator. Derek just shook his head then fell back against the
wall.

After a moment
of silence, I lifted Alexis’ legs into my arms. “You’re okay,
Hunny.”

“Gareth?” she
asked against my neck, her sobs painful, her tears moistening my
skin.

I looked at
Derek who sorrowfully shook his head, confirming my fears and
filling me with a sense of loss. “He didn’t make it,” I said
softly.

She began to
cry harder, which had me perplexed. “He saved me, Bryce” she
sobbed.

I threaded my
hand through her hair, pressing my palm against the back of her
head and holding her tightly, my hand finding a rather large
bump.

“Did you hit
your head?”

“Yes, I’ve
been unconscious.”

“Come on, you
need to see a paramedic.”

CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE

Bryce carried me in
his arms and down one flight of stairs, then I remembered going
back into an elevator until I was at ground level and being fussed
over by two paramedics. Soon after that, I ended up back in
hospital.

I was drowsy
from my concussion, and my eyes still stung from the smoke,
therefore finding it much easier and more comfortable to keep them
closed. I could hear Bryce talking with my doctor, their voices
audible but not quite in my room.

“Physically,
she is fine. She suffered a mild concussion and will be somewhat
drowsy. She also suffered minor smoke inhalation and could
experience shortness of breath and a sore throat for many
days.”

“And our
baby?” Bryce asked the young sounding female doctor with an English
accent.

“Your baby is
fine, Mr. Clark. The ultrasound still shows a strong fetal
heartbeat.”

“Thank you,”
Bryce exhaled, sounding relieved yet fragile.

“I’m more
concerned for your fiancé’s mental state at this stage. Her medical
records indicate she sees Dr. Jessica Laitan.”

“Yes, she
does,” he replied.

“I think it
may be wise to make an appointment for her as soon as possible.
Other than that, she is ready to be discharged. Give me a moment to
complete her paperwork, and then you can take her home.”

Moments later,
I felt Bryce’s warm, comforting hand on top of mine. I clenched it
tightly and slowly opened my eyes, finding him slumped over the bed
his head resting on his folded arms.

He began to
sob. “I’m so sorry.”

“Bryce,” I
said, my voice raspy and my throat sore and dry. “Don’t be sorry.
Please don’t be sorry. None of what happened is your fault.”

“You’re wrong,
it’s all my fault,” he answered angrily. “I knew Scott had returned
and I didn’t protect you.”

I moved my
other hand to touch his head. “Look at me.”

He slowly
lifted his head from his arms.

“I knew Scott
had returned as well, but neither of us could’ve known what he had
planned.”

He dropped his
head again. “I knew what Scott was capable of, Alexis. What if
Charli and Nate had been there, or Lucy and Alexander?”

Just the
thought of it made me feel sick again.

“Did you know
he was capable of that?” I asked sternly.

“No.”

“Then stop
blaming yourself.”

“I nearly lost
you, Alexis. I thought I’d lost you. I thought you were dead.” He
took my hand in his and brought it up to his cheek, while closing
his eyes.

“Open your
eyes, Bryce.”

I said it with
authority, like the many times he’d said it to me. They shot
open.

“You didn’t
lose me, I’m right here. I’ve told you before, I’m not going
anywhere.”

***

I leaned up
against the window, 38 floors above the city of Melbourne, the
window which now housed the view from our make-shift apartment in
City Towers. It had been days since the explosion and fire that
destroyed the interior of majority of the penthouse floor. There
was no major structural damage, but the heat of the fire and extent
of the smoke damage had made it so that the entire apartment would
need to be completely renovated. Until that happened, we were
staying in one of the villas a few levels down.

“Alexis, are
you with me?” Jessica asked softly, but firmly enough to bring my
attention back to her.

I removed my
gaze from the many kayakers streaming along the Yarra River below.
“Yes, sorry.”

“It’s okay to
dwell on what’s happened. You’re allowed to think about the events,
just make sure you talk about them out loud.”

“I wasn’t
really thinking about it. Alright, maybe I was. I’m worried about
Bryce more than anything, he’s blaming himself.”

“I know he is,
Alexis, and I’m working on that. If you feel you need to constantly
reassure him, then do so. But he will need to sort through his
guilt and his insecurities himself.”

I turned back
to look out the window, to the sun which was part way up in the
sky, indicating the time being mid-morning. It was hot outside, and
a beautiful day, but that beauty was soon going to turn glum when
we made our way to the Melbourne Cemetery to say farewell to
Gareth.

I had on a
black sheath dress with a top layer of black lace. It was
conservative but also cool enough for the day ahead. I leaned into
the window again, but closed my eyes to block out the vertical drop
that now greeted me.

“Alexis, I am
here to listen to you, to make you feel comfortable enough to open
up to me and rid yourself of information and feelings you do not
know how to dissect and comprehend. I’m here to help you, and I
want to, but you need to tell me what you’re thinking.”

Still keeping
my eyes closed, I confessed what I had held onto since Scott’s
attempt at my murder. “Scott pushed me down the stairs. He was the
reason I fell and lost our baby. He confessed before he tried to
blow up the apartment, but... I think I kind of already knew that
he’d pushed me, that he was at fault.”

“Hmmm, it
would appear you did. And how does that make you feel?”

“Angry,” I bit
out, while turning to face her, my back now to the window.

“That is a
reasonable reaction, Alexis.”

“I’m not angry
at Gareth, because Scott’s actions were never his fault. I realise
that, I do. I’m angry because Bryce will blame himself.”

She pushed her
glasses back up to the top of her nose. “He feels responsible for
Gareth.”

“Yes, he does,
and he will feel responsible for the death of our daughter because
of that. I will not let him bear that guilt. Ever! Her death was
not his fault. It wasn’t my fault. Fuck, it wasn’t even Gareth’s
fault. It was Scott’s.”

“So, you’ve
chosen not to tell him the truth?”

“Yes.”

“That’s quite
a secret to carry.”

“I know,” I
sighed while closing my eyes again. “But, I will carry it. I will
bear it to save him more heartache, he has suffered enough. I love
him so much I can barely breathe, Jessica, and I can’t handle
seeing him torture himself any further. Carrying this secret is
nothing compared to seeing that.”

“Well, Dear,
that’s why I’m here. You no longer have to carry that secret
alone.”

***

Shortly after
my session with Jessica ended, we headed to the Melbourne Cemetery
in order to pay our respects to Gareth. Bryce had been terribly
quiet during the limousine ride, and Lucy had not said much more
than him.

I threaded my
arm behind Bryce’s back as we walked along the grass to the marquee
set up for Gareth’s memorial service.

“I know this
is a stupid question on a day like this, but are you alright?” I
asked softly as I leaned my head against his shoulder.

“I’m fine,” he
answered flatly.

I stopped us
from walking any further, the marquee only meters away. “Bryce, why
are you angry?”

“I’m not.”

“You are.
You’re angry with Gareth, and you’re angry with yourself.”

He twitched
his eye ever so slightly, and I noticed his free hand fist into a
ball.

I grabbed hold
of it and brought it to my lips, kissing it tenderly. “For
starters, you shouldn’t be angry at yourself. We’ve gone through
this. None of it was your fault. So please, let it go. And
secondly, you shouldn’t be angry with Gareth. Scott yes, Gareth
no.”

He gave me a
slight roll of the eye.

“Bryce, don’t
blame Gareth for Scott. Gareth was a hero. He saved your brother,
pulled him free of a burning car wreck without a second thought. He
saved me, Bryce.” A tear rolled down my cheek. He lifted his hand
and wiped it away like so many times before. “He saved my life. He
fought back, took control. He allowed me to get away. Gareth was a
hero, don’t ever forget that. Don’t let Scott mar your good
memories of your cousin. A cousin you cared deeply for, a cousin
you loved like a brother. Don’t be angry with Gareth, okay?” It was
now my turn to wipe a tear from his eye.