Darkness

29. Autumn-Rose

Twenty-Nine

Autumn-Rose

My heart pounds in my chest, each beat louder than the last. My hands are trembling as I look over at Cain. I try to move closer to him but stop, when another bullet comes through the window, which makes me scream.

“Stay.there.” Cain tries to shout, but the words are just about coming out in a whisper. I give him a nod, but I can’t see clearly through the tears. “Lin.Lincoln.”

With a deep breath, I try hard to steady myself, but the fear running through me has its grip tightly around me. I look around for my cell, it was in my hand, but then Cain pushed me and I don’t know where I dropped it.

I see a light in the corner of my eye, my cell. I have to call Lincoln, but I'm too scared to talk in case someone hears me. How do I explain what’s happened? Just the thought is making me sick.

Finding the courage I finally hit Lincoln's name on the screen. The ringing echoes in my ear, but it’s still not as loud as the banging on my heart. I don’t know if I should move or not.

“Cain.” I call his name but nothing. “Cain!” I shout, still nothing.

“Autumn?” Lincoln's voice hits me hard, has he been calling me for a while.

“Lincoln,” I finally manage to talk, even though it’s in a whisper. I wipe the tears away. “Cain’s been shot-”

“What?” Lincoln's shouts and I hear something behind him hit the floor.

“He’s bleeding-”

“Are you hurt?” Is the first thing he asks me.

“N…no.” I stutter. “Cain he’s not moving should I check on him? I moved then another bullet-”

“No! Stay where you are, I’m on my way. Do not move.” The cell line goes dead, and I hold it close to my chest, my heart is beating like crazy, and I can’t even move close to Cain to see if he’s alive.

My heart is pounding, every second which passes feels like eternity, I try to focus on Cain's chest, to see if it moves, nothing. Come on Cain, fight this. I see Lincoln and Hayden running into the apartment, they look around cautiously, ensuring its safe. Hayden looks at me, I wipe the tears away, and I give him a nod letting him know I’m okay.

“Miles, Mason.” Hayden shouts, and they walk over to Cain.Hayden is by the window with Lincoln.

Miles comes over to me and helps me stand up, pulling me behind him. Mason gets Cain and pulls him out of view of the window.

“How are you? You okay?” Miles asks me as he gets me to the bedroom, the room furthest away from the window. I can still see what they are doing. “Autumn!” Miles shouts, and pulls me into his arms as my body shakes. “We’re here, you’re safe,” Miles tells me, and all I can do is cry into his chest. He wraps his arms tighter around me, trying to soothe me.

“Is he-”

“He’s alive,” Mason shouts.

Once the room is clear, and knowing no more bullets are coming through, Lincoln heads straight to Cain and looks him over. My voice trembles as I ask, "Is he okay?" The words catch in my throat, and I can't stop shaking while watching Lincoln work frantically on Cain. My mind races with questions, trying to understand what is happening.

Lincoln finally breaks the tense silence. "We need to get Doc here, now," he says with an urgency that sends a chill down my spine. Hayden nods as he’s already reaching for his cell to call him.

I can’t shake the feeling of dread as I watch Mason and Lincoln staring at each other, as if they don’t want to say anything in front of me. Clearly, they’ve been here before, but worry in their eyes. This is Cain, their brother.

Lincoln and Mason lift Cain and carry him to the bedroom, I notice the faint traces of foam at the corners of his mouth. My mind races. "Poison?" my voice barely whispers.

Lincoln glances at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and worry. “What?”

“Cain was trying to talk, and I think it was poison he was saying, but-”

“Tell Doc he has less than twenty minutes, right fucking now!” Lincoln shouts and my body is shaking again. I’m scared.

“Lincoln?”

"I don't know yet, but we need to keep him stable until Doc arrives." Lincoln answers my unasked question.

I watch them lay Cain on the bed, and Lincoln rips off his clothes, while Hayden walks around the bedroom. I feel someone pull me, making me take a step back, and I hear David.

“Let them help him.” He puts his arm over my shoulder and takes me out to the kitchen.

I look over at Miles and Declan cleaning up the broken window, and clearing blood off the floor. I wipe the new tears away. Cain knew they would attack, but I don't think he thought they would come to his home.

Miles pauses for a moment, glancing over at me with worry etched on his face. "Are you okay?" he asks gently, his voice barely above a whisper. When you see the boys, you think one thing about them, they might be crazy, but when it comes to family, no matter what, they will all be here for each other.

I nod, though the lump in my throat makes it hard to speak. "I will be," I say, forcing a small smile which I know none of them believe. “I just want them to tell me what’s happening.”

They both get back to cleaning, and I wait for some news.

I pace the room, waiting for someone to tell me something—anything. The silence is unbearable, and the minutes feel like hours, fucking long hours. Miles and Declan are talking to me, trying to calm me down, but it's not working. Declan even made me some tea, hoping it would help me.

"Why don't you sit for a bit?" Miles suggests, his voice steady and reassuring.

I shake my head, ignoring the chair he pulls out for me. "I can't just sit here. I need to know what's going on." Doc came, and hasn’t left the bedroom since, no one has. Lincoln and Hayden haven’t once come out with even a small bit of information as to what is happening.

Declan hands me the warm cup of tea, a fresh cup, and I have to smile because Cain must have told everyone I love drinking tea. "It'll be alright," he whispers. "We'll hear something soon."

I take the tea reluctantly; the warmth spreading through my fingers. The tension in the room is palpable, and despite their efforts, I feel my anxiety growing with each passing second.

Aunt Jane's voice breaks the silence. "She has a right to know, David. We can't keep her in the dark."

David sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I know, but you know how his relationship is with her.”

I agree with Jane, we need to tell his mom, but I’m not getting involved in this conversation. Cain might not have the best relationship with her, but she’s still his mom.

"Windows almost done," Miles tells us, his eyes flicking between us nervously. "Shouldn't be much longer." He looks at me, they have all been worried about me, but I keep telling them fine, I just need some news.

Lincoln finally walks out, worry on his face. "He's been poisoned," Lincoln's voice is a whisper, a tremor in his tone "We've given him something, but now we have to wait. We need to see how strong he is, how much he will fight it." The uncertainty in his eyes speaks for everything he is feeling right now. I also think he’s hiding something.

The room falls silent, and I look into my teacup, because I don’t want anyone to see that I’m about to cry again.

Lincoln sits next to me and turns my barstool to face him. “You’re scared, I don’t blame you. But Cain is a stubborn asshole, and he’s been through a lot worse than this. Trust me. He’s going to wake up.” All I can do is give him a nod, because I know if I talk I’ll cry.

All I can do is sit here, helpless. The room feels colder with Lincoln’s words, the air around us is filled with uncertainty and dread. Cain is strong, but I have no idea if this is a fight he can win. All I can do is wait, and pray he wakes up.

Two days have passed, and he still hasn't woken up, Lincoln hasn't left his side, and whenever he does, Hayden or one of the boys takes his place. Everyone jokes that it's the first time they’ve been in Cain’s apartment and it’s to make sure he doesn’t die. They try to lighten the mood, with jokes and things, but right now nothing works for me. I haven’t been able to sleep because every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Cain getting shot.

Lincoln checks up on the club, then pops in and out through the night to check up on Cain. Doc has been here around the clock, I’m not sure if it’s fear because Lincoln told him if Cain dies, his ass is back in The Pit. And I’m not even sure if Lincoln is joking about it or not.

I haven't been able to go into work, and I will need to give Katy a pay rise for the work she’s been doing these last two days. Aunt Jane went into the shop to help her for me. I'm not sure if it's something she will offer again because she laughed about how busy it was, and she definitely didn't wear the correct shoes. She mentioned her feet were aching by the end of the day, and she had to take frequent breaks to sit down. And it was the first time I had smiled since this fucked up situation happened. Despite the chaos and discomfort, she handled everything with her usual grace. I really appreciate her stepping in for me, and it made me realize this family will help each other no matter what. I mean I’m only Cain's girlfriend, and they have all been here for me.

I watch Cain laying in bed, with wires in his arm, Doc said it was to drain his blood clean and put it back hoping it will clean the poison which is harming him. He spoke as if I knew what the hell he was talking about.

The room is quiet except for the beeping of the machines. I couldn't help but feel a knot forming in my stomach as I look at Cain's pale face, his eyes are closed as if he’s just asleep. But the tubes and the monitors tell me a different story, a scary fucking story.

"Is he going to be okay?" I finally managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper. Doc glances at me, his expression unreadable behind his thick glasses. He doesn’t talk to me, I’ve asked a few questions, but it’s Lincoln or David he talks to. I think Lincoln must have told him not to give me any bad news.

"We're doing everything we can," he replies. Cain is fighting for his life and I feel helpless standing here, unable to do anything but watch.

I take a deep breath and try to steady myself. Cain needs me to be strong, I reach out and gently squeeze his hand, hoping he can feel my presence, hoping it will somehow make a difference.

"Katy says the shop is busy, and Cain needs to wake up so I can get back to work," I say, hoping my voice will reach him wherever he is. "Lincoln stopped by again," I continue, trying to keep my tone light. "He keeps assuring me that everything is under control, but I can't shake the feeling that he's hiding something. I just wish he'd be honest with us. But I bet you would prefer he didn’t.” A tear slips down my cheek as I reach out to hold Cain's hand again. It feels so cold. "I miss you," I whisper. "We all do. Cain, wake up. We need you."

I stop talking when my cell rings, and see Katy calling. I hope it’s another wedding order, having the shop busy keeping me happy.

"Hey," I answer Katy's call.

"Do you have the camera footage?" she asks, and I stand up, looking over at Doc as I exit the room. Why is she asking me this? There can only be one reason she’s asking for the footage. Walking out to the kitchen, I see Lincoln with everyone, and they stop talking when they see me. I know there is something happening they don’t want me to know about.

"Cain does, I don't. Why?"

"You might want to look at it. Someone is here, and they want to talk to you." Katy's voice is a whisper, and my heart pounds in my chest.

I knew he would find me. Yang was going to help him. He knew Rowan would be the only one to bring fear to me, and all Yang wants is Cain to suffer.

"Autumn?" Lincoln asks, concern etched on his face. I nod, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. "It's him, isn't it?" Lincoln's expression hardens as he asks the question.

“Katy said we need to look at the camera in the shop, but Cain-”

“I have it on my cell.” Of course he does. “Cain wanted double eyes on the shop after Yang gave you the snow globe.” Lincoln tells me as he opens his cell and puts up the footage from the shop, and my body freezes.

There he is, the man who made my life hell. Walking around the shop, I try to talk when I hear Katy ask if I’m looking at the footage.

“Tell Katy to give him the cell, talk to him-”

“What?” I look at Lincoln, there is no way I can talk to him. Having him in my shop is bad enough.

“Autumn he won’t touch you, he won’t even get close to you. But he might tell you what the plan is.” Lincoln hands his cell to Mason and lowers himself so he is at my eye level. “He has to get through me, before he touches you. But he will keep coming back until he talks to you.” Lincoln wipes the tears away as I give him a nod.

Lincoln takes my cell off me and puts it on speaker. “Katy, gi…give him the cell.” Fuck my voice is breaking on me, I won’t be able to hide it from him either, he will know how much him being in my shop is affecting me.

I pull the sleeve to my cardigan down so that my hands are doing something, anything to keep myself calm.

“Hello, beautiful.” My whole body tenses up, the two words bring back memories, flashbacks I’ve locked in a box so deep down, but in one second he opens it. Out of habit I look behind me, thinking of him always following me. “I’ve missed you.” The sickening twist in my gut hits me hard. “I see you’ve taken being on a break-”

“We were never together for me to be on a break from you. You asshole. Your obsession-”

“Obsession? No, my dear. It’s fate. We’re meant to be together. Your mother has been a pain not telling me where you are, but just so you know I’ve found you, and-”

“And nothing.”

“No!” His tone makes me jump, and Lincoln continues to listen and look at his cell to make sure Katy is okay. “You’re mine, we had a beautiful night-”

“No, you broke into my apartment and raped me,” I shout at him. Anger takes over my body, surging through my veins like crazy. My heart pounds, each beat echoing the intensity of my emotions.

“Oh, you loved-”

“What do you want?” I snap at him, he’s a fucking asshole. Hayden takes my hand in his, reminding me I’m not alone.

“You.”

“Well, you’re not getting me, ever.”

“How is your boyfriend? I can be your shoulder to cry on when he dies.” My heart sinks hearing him talking like this about Cain. “It won’t be much longer.” My eyes go straight to Lincoln, and he shakes his head. “I will see you in a few days, beautiful.” The line goes dead, and Lincoln looks at his cell, and I move closer to him, and watch Rowan walking out of the shop.

“Lincoln-”

“Autumn I can’t answer any questions you have, because I don’t know the answers.” He shakes his head, and I give them all a small nod, walking back to the bedroom, where I lay down next to Cain.

“Please wake up,” I whisper, bringing my arm over his chest gently.

I don’t know what’s about to happen in the next few days, but the only thing I care about right now is Cain waking up. I’m not leaving the apartment so Rowan can’t get close to me. I’m safe here, I’m safe in Cain’s arms.