He approached us as Mark and I passed our thoughts back and forth.

Focus. We have to block him out, I thought to Mark.

The connection was unlike anything I had felt before. I could feel Russo inside my head, probing my thoughts. I concentrated as hard as I could to push him out and could tell by his expression that it was working.

“Impressive, both of you. It’s a shame I can’t trust you enough to let you live. You may have indeed been useful.”

He snarled as my smile turned to dread. I guess that answered my previous thought. We were now just a liability.

“Get on the tables please. My time with you is finished,” he said waving a hand toward James as if to get his point across.

Mark made a half movement to step in front of me, but James pressed the gun to my head to stress the point that they still held the upper hand.

Mark looked indecisive.

Should we try to fight? His thoughts flashed in my mind as he ran the scenario through his head. He was strong, but there were just too many of them.

“Don’t even think about it, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in her head,” James said as if he understood what Mark was contemplating.

Mark approached the table and looked back at me. It seemed crazy to give up without a fight, but he could not bear watching James carry out his threat.

I looked at Mark and could see his body tensing as his thoughts filtered through my mind. I knew he was ready to make his move when a grim smile flashed across his face.

If we were wrong we would be shot, but if we didn’t fight, we would die anyway, Mark’s thoughts hit my mind.

I simply nodded my head slightly in agreement as Mark palmed the screwdriver that was hidden in his pocket.

My own body tensed waiting for Mark’s signal.

When I move, run. I can take them on if I don’t have to worry about them harming you. You are more delicate than me. Just run! Mark’s thoughts filtered through my head.

I trained my eyes on Mark, waiting for him to make the first move.

In one swift movement Mark plunged the screwdriver into James’s leg, dropping him to his knees. Mark did not pause. He took his fist and rocked James on the head, sending him falling backwards to the floor.

I watched in horror as the gun in James’ hand went off.

My blood roared in my ear as I watched Mark crumble to the floor. Darkness threatened to engulf me, but I fought it back. Mark needed me. I rushed to his side and laid my hand on his face, willing him with my mind to respond.

I sobbed as I felt hands dragging me away from the only person who made me whole.

I felt the room begin to spin as my insides caved in. I didn’t even see the waves of emotions come on as they no longer held any meaning. The spinning of the room took over and I welcomed the blackness with open arms. My life had lost all meaning.

I was pulled out of my blissful darkness by a loud crash.

I turned my head toward the noise and was surprised to see a vehicle barreling toward me. I tried to move out of the way, but realized I was tied down.

My eyes began to focus as several things happened at once. The vehicle screeched to a stop inches from me as the individuals that surrounded my bed began to scatter. I was surprised that they were wearing surgical garb.

My mind tried to wrap around everything that was going on, it was like I was watching a movie from a distance. I looked around in horror as I discovered that the masked goons were interrupted just as they were going to start hacking into me.

The crack of gun shots echoed in the room as James shot at the van, shattering the windshield into a thousand pieces.

The driver of the van stepped out of the vehicle holding a gun in his hand. He used the open door as a shield for his body. I was surprised to see that it was Bruno.

“I called the police and they’re on their way…” His words were cut off by a new wave of gun fire.

He returned the gun fire, shooting James dead in the chest. He kept firing until his gun was emptied.

Police sirens blared in the distance sending everyone scattering and within seconds the room cleared out.

Russo spotted me in his rush to leave the building; the madness in his eyes was evident. He raised a gun and aimed it at me.

I did nothing to protect myself. I welcomed whatever he wanted to do. I was disappointed when he lowered the gun and fled from the room. I turned and saw that Bruno had a gun pointed where he had stood.

Bruno rushed to my side and didn’t bother undoing the restraints he simply pulled a deadly looking knife out of his boot and cut the straps. He threw me in the van and I landed on the floor of the van in a heap. I had no idea what he was going to do with me nor did I care. I closed my eyes and tried to block out all thoughts of Mark. I could no longer feel my heart. It had broken into a million pieces and was gone.

Suddenly I was startled as something heavy landed on my right leg. I opened my eyes as Bruno threw the van in reverse and tore out of the warehouse. I could hear the sirens in the background getting louder, but as Bruno drove away they became a distant sound.

My eyes finally focused on the heavy weight on my legs. I gasped when I saw that it was Mark. Bruno had grabbed him before we fled from the building.

I cried at the sight of Mark’s body. Why would Bruno do this to me? I could not bear to look at Mark’s lifeless body.

“He’s still alive,” Bruno told me. “I felt a faint pulse before I grabbed him.”

I pulled my legs out from under Mark and kneeled at his side. I put my shaky fingertips to his neck and wept with joy when I felt the faint pulse under my fingers.

My hands became frantic as I searched for Mark’s wound. I pulled up his shirt that was soaked in his blood and found the wound. Darkness threatened to pull me under when I saw the blood flowing out of the wound but, I fought it back.

He needed me and I was not going to let anything get in the way of that.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked around franticly for something to staunch the bleeding. The van held the same equipment that had been in the lab. My scan of the interior told me there was nothing in the van that would help Mark.

I did the only thing I could think of, placing my hand over the wound to try and stop the steady flow. His warm blood ran between my fingers. I cried silent tears as I felt his pulse growing weaker.

“Please hurry,” I pleaded to Bruno in a broken voice. “He’s slipping away,” I said with a broken sob.

“The hospital’s right up the road,” he said.

I felt relief at his words as he began to slow the van down. I looked up thinking we were at the hospital, but to my dismay we were parked on the side of the road.

Bruno jumped out and jogged around the vehicle and opened the door.

“Why are we stopping? We have to hurry he’s dying!” I yelled at him in a hoarse voice.

Bruno stripped off his shirt and pushed it under my hands that were still pressed over Mark’s wound.

“I can’t take you the rest of the way, there will be too many questions. Drive the rest of the way, its right up the road. Tell the doctors that you were walking on the beach when some thugs jumped out and robbed you and shot your boyfriend.”

I looked at him in confusion.

“I don’t know if any of this talk about angels is true, but you didn’t deserve any of this,” he said as he turned to run away.

“Wait!” I yelled. I threw my arms around him and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you.”

I watched him for a brief moment as he jogged away and then adrenaline took over. I raced to the driver’s side and threw myself into the driver’s seat. I slammed the vehicle into gear and flew down the road. I hit the hospital parking lot going ninety and did not stop until I reached the emergency room.

I tore into the E.R. yelling that my boyfriend had been shot and was dying in my car. Several doctors rushed after me as I raced back to Mark.

Within moments they had him on a stretcher and had started C.P.R. I watched as they searched for a pulse. I fought to hold onto his hand and begged them to save him as they raced him into the hospital.

I felt a nurse tugging on my arm trying to pry me away from him, but I fought her off. I was not letting him go. I knew that as long as I continued to touch him, he wouldn’t die.

I felt the sharp pain of a needle being plunged into my throat. I felt my hand slip away from Mark’s and tried to call out, but it was too late. I didn’t get a chance to tell them how important it was for them to save him. That I could not survive without him.

I knew I was dreaming. I was sitting on the soft sand that I had sat on hundreds of times before. I looked around for Mark, but saw him nowhere. I sat and watched the waves approaching and the birds flying throughout the sky. It was actually quite peaceful. There was a slight breeze that carried the scent of the amusement park in the distance. Just when I was about ready to give up, I saw him approaching. I was surprised to see that he was not alone. Four others stood behind him.

I recognized Sam and Shawn and thought one of the other couples looked familiar too, but couldn’t place them.

Mark stopped in front of me and held out his hand to me.

I stood up and faced him. “Are you dead?” I asked him.

“I don’t know. This isn’t my dream, it’s yours.”

I looked at him in horror. What did he mean this wasn’t his dream? We had always shared the same dream.

My screams echoed throughout my body and I felt like all of the air was leaving my lungs.

Chapter 14

I was awakened by my own choking as I gasped for air. I sat up abruptly on the hospital bed I was laying on and looked around frantically for Mark.

I felt a gentle hand pushing me back down on the bed and was surprised to see Sam standing over me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked in a hoarse voice. “How did you know I was here?”

“You told a nurse that I was your next of kin and they called me,” Sam told me.

I faintly remembered in my drug induced sleep being asked who they should call.

“Where is Mark?” I asked in a pleading voice, dreading the answer.

“He’s in recovery,” Sam said, wiping the tears off my cheeks.

I thought I misunderstood her.

“He’s okay?” I asked, not daring to believe.

“Mark’s going to be fine. They say the bullet passed right through him. They went in and fixed the damage it caused, but they said he was lucky that it missed all his vital organs.”

“What about my mom?”

“She’s getting better; she finally regained consciousness last night, but only for a few minutes. You can go up and see them later when you feel better.”

I started to get out of the bed, but Sam laid a restraining hand on my shoulder.

“You have to rest,” she told me.

I ignored her and pushed myself off of the bed. I gripped the rail when a moment of dizziness hit me. Closing my eyes, I fought to regain my equilibrium. The dizziness left and I turned to Sam with determination.

“I need to see him; will you take me to him?” I asked with steel in my voice.

Sam looked at me in surprise. She was used to seeing me struggling with my weaknesses, but those days were over. I was no longer weak, and I would no longer be the victim of my emotions.

Sam grabbed my hand and guided me out of the room. We walked past several rooms and stopped in front of the bay of elevators. Sam pushed the up button and the elevator doors opened. She helped me into the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor... Sam turned and looked at me. I knew that she had many questions, but I could not answer any of them until I saw Mark.

I had to see with my own eyes that he was okay. Only then would I be able to function again, but until I knew for sure, my body was simply moving on auto pilot.

The elevator doors opened on Mark’s floor and we stepped out. Sam led me past a waiting room that had a sign proclaiming it as, Surgery Waiting Room. I did not give a single thought to the three other people in the waiting room nor did I acknowledge them as they watched Sam and I walk down the hall.

Sam stopped in front of the nurse’s station and told the nurse behind the counter that I was her brother’s fiancée and wanted to see him.

I gave her and odd look.

The nurse filled out a pass and handed it to me. I put it on with trembling fingers.

I walked toward his room leaving Sam behind. I paused outside his room with one hand on the doorknob and for the first time since he had been shot, I felt the first stirrings of hope.

I twisted the knob and walked into his room and approached his bed with quiet feet, but stopped when he turned to look at me.

I felt hot tears burn down my cheeks as he gave me a small smile. I muffled a half sob as I rushed to his side.

I reached for his hand and was surprised by his strong grip as he held onto my hand.

“I was so scared you were going to die,” I said in a broken voice.

“I know. I could hear you. I wanted to answer you, but nothing would work,” Mark said in a scratchy voice. “What happened?”

I filled him in on everything that had happened, sugar coating nothing. I told him how I thought he was dead and had wished for death myself. I told him about the gun fight and Bruno saving us. Finally, he knew everything.

He held my hand through it all and his eyes clouded over when I told him about wishing for death. He cringed when he realized how close I had come to being shot and his eyes turned deadly when he heard that his dad tried to shoot me.

“I’m going to stop him,” Mark swore in a voice I had never heard him use.

I did not shy away from the suggestion since I had similar thoughts when he had shot Mark. He tried to destroy us and we would not rest until he was stopped.

With all my words spent, I laid my head on his heart while he stroked my hair. I felt all the emptiness in me disappear and soon I began to feel the familiar warmth from his touch spread through my body.

I turned my head and pressed a light kiss to his jaw and heard his murmur of approval. I was just about to trail more kisses along his neck when the door opened.

Two police officers entered the room. One looked to be in his sixties with more gray than brown hair on his head. He had the typical beer belly you expected to see on a cop from the cliché of being doughnut eaters. The second officer was the exact opposite. He was well over six feet tall and was as thin as an anorexic model. He looked only a few years older than me and had the kindest eyes I had ever seen. I felt instantly at ease in his presence.

I sat up straighter as they approached the bed.

“We don’t mean to intrude, but we have a few questions about the shooting,” the older officer asked.

“Okay,” I said, answering for both of us.