An ambulance had taken Joe and me to the local hospital. We both suffered cuts and bruises. Joe had to get stitches on the side of his head. Other than that, we were lucky it wasn't anything significant.
I have a ton of tiny cuts on my back from the windshield. Other than that, we are lucky to be alive!
LeAnn and Freddie arrived ten minutes after Joe got the stitches on his head and shoulder. Fear and panic on their faces.
Freddie told me Ryder was an hour out. He had hung up on Freddie the moment he told him what happened to us.
"So the cops didn't say what the cause of the explosion was?" Freddie asks, rubbing Joe's arm.
We are both in the same room but in different beds.
"No, not yet," Joe says sadly. "They did take our statements before the ambulance brought us here. I mean, it was a huge explosion! I honestly thought we were going to die."
I shake my head as the memory of us getting launched into the air plays back.
"I would have died if something happened to either one of you," Freddie says as he runs a finger down Joe's cheek.
Joe looks so uncomfortable and then moves his face away. Freddie looks at him, crushed.
"I'm sorry, Fred. It's just that it's been one nightmare after another. Sam could've been killed! And all because I left your home. I'm so stupid, and I'm so sorry! I thought I wasn't going to see you again and..."
Joe swallows, uncomfortably, as he looks around, turning back to Freddie. "I love you, Freddie. I love you so much!"
Freddie's eyes open wide as he looks at me. I guess that is the first time Joe has professed his love to him. I beam at the both of them.
"I love you more than you can imagine," Freddie whispers as he gets up to plant a small kiss on Joe's lips.
A little later, Freddie pulls out his laptop to see if the media has reported any new information about the explosion.
Nothing.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Freddie digs into his leather bag and takes out a water bottle. "You're definitely going to need this now, more than ever!"
It is my green juice!
"Thanks, Freddie!" I say as I begin to drink it. LeAnn squints her face in disgust.
LeAnn gets up from her chair and walks to the window. She crosses her arms as she turns to me, an uneasy look on her face. "It could've been a gas leak. Right? It's not like all these unexplained coincidences keep happening."
We all looked at one another. Joe grabs Freddie's hand and squeezes it. They both share a look of concern.
No, I think to myself! The explosion is just a freak accident. No way is everything else tangled with this new occurrence.
LeAnn continues, "the woman at the cafe, then Fallon, it's just..."
Just then, Ryder rushes in. We all breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of him.
He runs up to me and hugs me. I cry in pain as he touches my backside.
"Are you all right?" He examines me, looking concerned.
"No, it's my back," I say as Ryder slowly pulls me forward and examines my bareback. I am in a hospital gown.
Ryder takes a step back at the sight of my back and rakes his hair, looked enraged. He then turns to Joe. Ryder walks around to him and shakes his hand. "Are you okay?"
Joe nods.
"What happened?" Ryder asks, coming to me and carefully sitting next to me.
"Uh, I went to see Joe as I told you. We were in the parking lot and heading into the building when it exploded." I try so hard not to cry. "God, Ryder! Had I decided to stay and wait for Joe, or if we entered that building seconds sooner..." My voice trails off. I am trying to be strong and fail miserably.
Ryder carefully wipes my tears. He then cradles my head. I grab onto his arm.
"It's okay, baby! You're fine. You're both fine." Ryder hands me a tissue as he gets up from the bed. He then walks to the foot of the bed and stops. His back is towards us as he exhales deeply.
"Ryder, what's wrong?" LeAnn and I both ask simultaneously. We both look at one another.
"Jinx!" Freddie yells happily. LeAnn snaps her neck at him.
If looks could kill.
"Too soon? Sorry!" Freddie looks at Joe, clearly embarrassed.
"I don't think this is a coincidence," Ryder says, turning to us and putting his hands on his hips. "Too many occurrences and always aimed at us. This explosion is what confirms it."
"Your target from Boulder?" Freddie asks him.
"Terminated. However, another player came to the party." He crosses his arms and furrows his brows.
"Another Assassin?" Freddie asks, surprised, slowly letting go of Joe.
"Can't be." LeAnn walks closer to Freddie. "The only people after Blasphick were the police. Langley doesn't know our world. He wouldn't know how to contact an assassin. He only knows Ryder."
"Wait!" Freddie looks like he just thought of something. He gives Joe the laptop and stands, walking towards LeAnn and Ryder. "That means they knew where Ryder was going. They must've gotten all the information from our new, secured network. That system has only been up for three days now."
"What?!" LeAnn yells! "But how?"
"I didn't input any information until two days before you left for Boulder."
"Then," Ryder says, scratched her head, and looks up at Freddie. "Someone hacked into the system...again."
I caught up quickly. Someone is clearly after Ryder.
"Okay, this new player. What does he want?" I ask.
Everyone looks from me to Ryder.
"She wants revenge. I don't know what for, and I know she isn't alone. Someone's helping her."
A woman?
"That's not all. I feel like I've seen her before. I don't know where, but I do. I don't even know if it's the woman you encountered during the storm, Sam. Whoever that was, she is crazy."
Freddie walks back to Joe, grabbing his laptop, and sits down. He begins typing furiously. Ryder joins him.
"Okay," Freddie begins. "The Boulder newspaper is saying a woman killed an officer and another woman inside the hotel suite. They both suffered gunshot wounds. There was also another victim, but he died of an overdose. Does this sound familiar?" Freddie asks Ryder, not looking up from the screen.
"Yeah. I made sure Blasphick OD'ed and that woman killed his girlfriend. I barely had time to escape when an officer showed up. No doubt, she killed him."
They keep talking, but I don't want to hear any more. I slowly bring my knees to my chest. This is happening all over again. I close my eyes and try to think of anything to block their voices. Anything to make it all stop.
I thought we were going to live 'Happily Ever After.'
The days with assassinations, guns, and explosions are supposed to be behind us. That isn't the case.
Max and everything he did still haunts me from time to time. Even though I've seen the proof that he's dead, it doesn't change how petrified I am at all times.
Now we have to deal with a psychotic woman? How and why are these people bred? What could make a person want to harm someone else, let alone kill them?
I happen to look towards the window, lost in my thoughts, and see Ryder sit near me.
I scoff.
I am such a hypocrite! The love of my life kills for a living, without any remorse, at that. Of course, this will be my life. If he doesn't change his ways, someone will always come for our happiness. My happiness.