Tyler (Blue Halo Book 6)

Levi lay still in the hospital bed, recovering from yesterday’s surgery to repair the bullet wound. This morning, Sage planned to extract the chip in his shoulder, and if everything went well, he should wake soon after.

It was nearing nine a.m., so not too early, but Tyler had been sitting here on guard duty since two. He’d wanted the overnight shift because that meant he could spend the rest of the day with Emerson.

Memories of waking with her cheek resting over his heart played through his mind. Of the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The way her hair had splayed over his shoulder.

Last night had been everything. It had been the two of them declaring not only their love but their futures together. Because hell yeah, he saw his future with the woman. He wanted it all. The marriage. The kids. The white picket fence.

His gut heated just thinking about it.

Emerson had become his world. And he knew even if she was angry with Levi now, she still loved him. Which meant Tyler needed to fight like hell for the guy to get some psychiatric care. Yeah, he’d have to pay for his crimes. But there was definitely some PTSD there. Possibly other issues too.

He’d already seen Sage. She’d only gotten here about half an hour ago and was prepping for Levi’s final surgery.

His phone buzzed from his pocket. Callum’s name showed up on the screen. He was leaving his place now, which meant Tyler’s shift was almost over and he could return to Emerson.

He was just pushing his cell back into his pocket when a nurse stepped into the room.

She smiled at him. “Hi, it’s time to wheel Levi to the operating room and prep him for surgery.”

He nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll stay close.”

The nurse unlocked the bed wheels and detached some cords, then pushed Levi’s bed out of the room. Tyler followed her through the halls.

When they reached another door, she smiled at him again. “Hopefully, the surgery won’t take long,” she said, before wheeling Levi through.

There were other quiet voices in the room. The sound of moving equipment. But he didn’t hear Sage’s voice in there yet.

He stepped down the hall a few paces, moving back as another patient was wheeled past him, heading in the direction he’d come with Levi. Loud beeping and footsteps peppered the air from rooms up and down the hall.

His phone rang, and he pulled it out to see it was Liam. He’d gone to question the surviving victim in Steve’s murder case, the one who’d escaped but ended up stepping in front of a moving truck.

“Hey, how’d the questioning go?”

“You thought the case was already as strange as it could get? Wait until you hear this. After being drugged, the woman woke up in an abandoned warehouse, tied to a chair, with electrodes attached to her skull.”

What the fuck?

“A laptop sat on a table in front of her, and questions flashed on the screen.”

“What kind of questions?”

“Her memory was a bit blurry on exact words, but she remembered them being ‘who would you save’ questions. A few including her sister. But wait until you hear how it ended.”

Shit. Did he even want to know?

Yes. “Tell me.”

“She was given a choice—go to a burning house where her older sister was trapped and attempt to save her. Or run.”

Nothing about that made sense. Why? Why do any of it? Was it all just a game some sick bastard was playing?

“Do you think they were all given that choice and everyone else chose their loved one?”

“Yes.” Liam’s response was instant. “And I think it’s clear that whoever’s responsible, they intentionally keep from the victim the fact that their loved one is already dead, in a bid to lure them to the house.”

Yeah, definitely a sick bastard. He opened his mouth to ask more questions, then spotted Sage walking down the hall. She frowned when she saw him, her steps faltering for a moment before she continued forward and stopped in front of him.

“I’ve got to go, Liam. Thanks for the update.”

“You got it.”

“Hey,” Sage said, “I was just heading to Levi’s room. What are you doing down here?”

Now Tyler frowned. “Why were you going to his room? The nurse just wheeled him in here for surgery.” He nodded toward the door at the end of the hall.

The increased confusion on Sage’s face made unease coil in his gut. Without hesitation, he quickly moved back to the door, shoved it open—and his lungs seized.

The room was empty. There was a small recording device on the counter, playing sounds to make it seem like there were people working in the room.

His gaze stopped at the door on the opposite wall.

Fuck!

He raced across and pushed through. An empty hall.

And at the end of the hall, he could see the bright exit sign.

Emerson opened her eyes slowly. Tyler’s woodsy, crisp scent filled her lungs, even though she knew he wasn’t there.

Still, she felt the other side of the bed just in case. Cold. He was doing an early shift at the hospital this morning. Or, as she more accurately described it, middle-of-the-night shift, because she hardly considered a two a.m. start proper hours for the living. Not for her, anyway.

She rolled onto her side, and her gaze caught on a piece of paper with a lily lying on top.

Her heart fluttered, her lips stretching into a smile. She loved lilies but was pretty sure she’d never told him. How had he known?

Stretching out her arm, she grabbed and lifted it to her nose. Yep. It smelled amazing.

She read the note.

Hope you had a good sleep, Amber Eyes. I’ll be back around nine-thirty. Love you. Ty x

God. Loving Tyler was the best decision she’d ever made, and the easiest.

Or maybe it wasn’t a decision. Maybe she’d had absolutely no choice in the matter at all. Yeah, that sounded more accurate.

She grabbed her phone, then lay back on the bed, her heart beating a notch faster than it should. Eight-fifteen. All right, time to get her lazy ass out of bed and make herself look presentable before Tyler got home.

With a sigh, she rose. When she stood under the stream of water in the shower, her mind switched over to Levi. Sage had said he might wake this afternoon. What would he be like when he woke up? Would she be able to have a conversation with him now that the LSD should have worn off? Would he tell them why he’d taken the drugs? God, she had so many questions. So many answers she needed.

Ten minutes later, she was pulling her shirt over her head when her phone buzzed.

Her brows twitched at the name. Rowan. He was leaving today, and she didn’t feel sad about it. Not when every time she thought about him, she remembered their last conversation and how he made her feel about her love for Levi. She almost let it go to voice mail, but at the last second, exhaled a breath and answered.

“Everything okay, Rowan?”

Wind blew through the line. “Actually, no. I’m running late for my flight and was just on my way to the airport when I got a flat tire.”

Sucky timing.

“I’d call road service,” he continued. “But I couldn’t find anything local.”

“I wouldn’t even know who they have providing road service here.” She shot a glance at the clock on the nightstand. Still half an hour before Tyler finished. Plenty of time to run out and get back. “I can come help. Send me a pin of your location, and I’ll be there in a few.”

“You’re a lifesaver! Thank you, Emerson. The rental company swapped my car out, so don’t be surprised when you see a different one.”

“Got it.”

She hung up and jogged downstairs to tug on her running shoes. Maybe she’d pick up some food from The Grind on her way home. Surprise Tyler with breakfast for once. Sure, it wasn’t home cooked, but it was the thought that counted, right? Of course, she’d also have to ask Courtney to make her a gigantic cup of iced coffee today. She had a feeling it was the only thing that might settle her nerves before talking to Levi.

She stepped out of the house to see Mrs. Henry next door, watering her lawn. She smiled at the other woman, then headed over to the fence. After Mrs. Henry had helped her give Callum the slip, she’d gone over there with a baked banana bread as a thank-you and sorry-for-getting-you-involved gift. Of course, the kind woman had been as gracious as ever.

“Morning, Mrs. Henry. You treat your grass well.”

She grinned. “My lawn loves its early-morning hydration. Where are you off to?”

“My ex-husband has a flat tire. Unfortunately, he’s not very mechanically inclined.”

Mrs. Henry’s brows rose. “Your ex-husband?”

“Yeah, he’s been in town for a bit, but he’s leaving today.” Then, because she felt she should, she added, “It’s a long, complicated story. Have a great day.”

“You too, dear.”

She slid into the rental car she was still using and put Rowan’s location into her phone. Ten minutes.

She went slightly over the limit and made it in eight.

The long stretch of road was surrounded by trees. No houses or businesses nearby. Not even many other cars going by.

She pulled in behind him, surprised he wasn’t out of the car waiting for her. She climbed out and walked to his vehicle. The driver’s side tires were both fine. She rounded the car…only to find the other two fully inflated, as well.

Not only that, but Rowan wasn’t in the car.

What the hell?

She frowned—and was just turning to head back to her own car when something stung her neck.

Emerson gasped at the prick to her flesh, her hand flying to her neck. Then her car started to move in front of her. Wait, no…it wasn’t moving. It was her vision. The world was blurring and wavering before her eyes. She blinked rapidly, but it didn’t help.

When she opened her mouth to speak, to call out for Rowan, her voice didn’t work. Or maybe it did, and she was just too out of it to use it. She blinked again. One slow, sleepy blink that had her eyes barely opening. Suddenly, her legs could no longer hold her.

The day turned dark as she fell to the ground.