Harry and I were forced to stay in the waiting room. The doctors were waiting on lab results for what drug was injected into Roxanne. While they waited on that, Harry called Mercedes and Anne to tell them about Roxanne being in the hospital. I wasn't in the mood to see them, but knew it was going to happen eventually.
"Who's Little Horan?" Harry asked as we continued to wait.
I rubbed my head and tried to remain calm. "Harry, I just watched Roxanne go through a crazy episode from a mystery drug, get put in a strait jacket, and taken away. This really isn't a good time."
"And you think you have some entitlement? Niall, I'm worried about my sister too. She has been put in the hospital because of you too."
"Because of me? Last I checked she was playing in that ball game too. She had involvement with those two assholes too. So, don't pin it all on me."
"All this could've been avoided if you didn't come back."
"She could've been dead or missing if I didn't come back!" I snapped at him. "Let's get something straight here, I love your sister. I never stopped. I never want anyone to hurt her."
"And yet, you chose a job where she's put in danger," Harry scoffed.
"She would've been in danger even if I wasn't a cop. Look, Blackbourne was under her skin before I came into town. He was pulling strings long before I really got involved. So, don't act like I'm the cause."
"Excuse me," the doctor said from behind us. "Are you the party waiting on Ms. Styles?"
"Horan," I corrected him. "But yes, we are. I'm her husband and this is her brother."
"I'm Dr. Trevor. I've been assigned to your wife's case. We managed to identify what was in that syringe. It was a mixture of a very strong lysergic acid diethylamide and had traces of methamphetamine in it."
I ran my fingers through my hair. "She got pumped with LSD?"
"It's the strongest kind too and it wasn't clean. That could be a possible reason to why she was hallucinating so severely. We're hoping that the LSD doesn't cause her to have any serious brain damage once she comes out of it. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on her again."
"Can I see her?" I asked before he left.
"Not right now," Dr. Trevor answered. "There are still some tests that we need to run before you go in. I'll send a nurse for you when it's alright."
"Thanks," I said as Dr. Trevor walked away. As soon as the doctor left, Mercedes and Anne came into view. Harry hugged Mercedes and Anne.
"Where is she?" Mercedes asked.
"The doctors are still running tests on her," Harry answered.
"Is she going to be okay? Can we see her?" Anne asked.
"The doctor said that he'll send someone over to us when we can see her."
Mercedes glared at me, "Was this your fault, Niall?"
I scoffed, "Alright, why is everyone blaming me? I wasn't the one who did this to Roxanne, you understand me?"
Anne placed a hand on Mercedes' shoulder. "This isn't going to help Roxanne get better. You need to calm down too. This isn't good for the baby." Anne looked at me. "Niall, can I talk to you please?"
Anne and I went to a private hallway so we could speak. I leaned against the wall and waited for her to tell me that it was my fault for Roxanne getting put in the hospital.
"Harry told me that she was injected with LSD and something else was in the drug. He told me she was hallucinating, saying things like 'Little Horan' and 'mommy'."
I grimaced, but nodded. "Yeah, she was saying things like that."
"So, she saw her baby."
I frowned at her. "You know about the miscarriage?"
"Roxanne told me about it the day you betrayed her," Anne informed. "At the gender reveal party, I saw how she was acting the whole time. The pain in her eyes was a pain that made my heart ache, a pain of loss. She confided in me and told me about how she can't get pregnant and if she did the baby might not reach full term. It's horrible. After all that girl has been through, something comes up to tear her down."
"She's been through a lot," I agreed.
"And now, she's going through something else again," Anne sighed. "Niall, I know you love her and she loves you, but..."
"You don't want us together," I finished. "You think that all we do is bring toxic and danger in our relationship. We're magnets of trouble and pain if we're together. Is that what you're going to say to me, Anne?"
"I think you're a good man, Niall. However, I can't help but wonder if you two are really good for each other. What you two go through, it's not normal."
"Maybe we're supposed to overcome all odds for us to be truly happy."
"Do you really believe that? I hate to say it, Niall, but the last time I spoke to her, she hates you. I have seen that girl get hurt, heard stories about Will beating her, but the pain in her voice. From how broken she sounded, it didn't seem like she wanted you anymore. Do you really believe that you should be with her?"
"More than you know," I responded. "Anne, Roxanne is everything to me. She's my world. You can't expect me to give her up. I tried that once and somehow, she came back in my life. We found each other again. I got a second chance."
"That you destroyed," Anne reminded me. "I don't know what Roxanne is thinking. I don't know if she still loves you or if she has plans on choosing you once again, but this life you have, isn't right."
"What are you talking about?"
"She deserves to be with someone who will keep her out of danger, not bring it back. With the occupation you have, being a cop, isn't the best decision to make for her or you. She will be back in danger because of this lifestyle you have. After what happened with Will, I hoped that it would be the last time I saw her injured in the hospital. Yet, here I am again. Before you choose to pursue her, think about it. Are you going to give up being a cop or are you going to continue and risk her life once again? Think it through, Niall, because I don't want to see her in a hospital bed anymore. I don't want to go to the hospital and see Roxanne with a sheet over her body. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand, Anne."
She squeezed my arm, "I'm going to talk to the doctor."
I went back to the waiting room. I could tell that Mercedes and Harry were talking about me because when I entered, they stayed quiet and looked at me. I sat down at the seat farthest away from them. They could gossip and talk shit about me all they want, but I knew that Roxanne would forgive me. I knew that everything would work out.
After another hour of waiting, a nurse came inside the waiting room. "Mr. Horan?"
I quickly stood up and walked towards the nurse. "That's me." Harry, Mercedes, and Anne weren't far behind me.
"The doctor managed to stabilize her and calm her down. There are still some traces of the LSD that they're trying to drain out. She's been giving some benzodiazepine to help keep her calm."
"Are we able to see her?" Mercedes asked. "Is she awake?"
"She is awake and the doctor said you can come see her. We are going to advise you not to bring up what happened. We don't want to risk her stress levels going up again. If they go up, it can risk hallucinations coming back again."
"What should we do?" Anne asked.
"Stay calm, don't raise your voice, talk softly. Don't say or do anything that can trigger a bad event for her. I'll lead you to her room."
We walked quietly to Roxanne's room. She wasn't facing us when she was inside. She was staring at the window. The nurse closed the door behind us. Anne was the first to approach Roxanne. She gently touched Roxanne's hand. Roxanne didn't stop looking at the window.
"Hi, Roxanne," Anne said soothingly. "We're all here, honey. Harry, Mercedes, and Niall are all here for you."
Hesitantly, I moved to Roxanne's side. I stayed close to the foot of the bed. From the look in her eyes, it was as if she was in a daze. Slowly, I knelt down by her side. "Rox," I uttered. "Princess, I'm here. Can you hear me?"
I noticed her hand stiffened once my hand touched hers. Slowly, I let go of her hand and she relaxed. My jaw tightened as I realized that her reaction was because of me. At that moment, my phone vibrated.
I grabbed my phone to answer the call. "Blackbourne?"
Roxanne's head turned towards my direction. Her eyes were filled with panic. Quickly, got out of the room so that I didn't scare her anymore, but that didn't stop her from thrashing on the bed. I heard Anne and Harry try to calm her down as I closed the door.
"I heard that David paid a visit to your wife."
I tried to contain my anger in his voice. "Yeah, he shot her up with LSD. Apparently, it wasn't pure. It was mixed with another drug. Tell me something, is David disposable to you?"
"After his little slip up, yes he is. Why do you ask?"
"I might have to teach him a lesson or two," I replied.
"And I thought you were over your wife."
"She might still be useful," I reminded him. "I need to make sure I don't need her before I get rid of her."
"I suppose you have a point," Blackbourne sighed. "Where are you now?"
"I'm at the hospital with her."
"Well, Niall, I hope that you're not going to forget about meeting with someone at a certain time night."
I grimaced, "I didn't forget."
"Good. Get out of there and get your job done."
He hung up the phone, causing me to sigh in frustration. I called Smith and told him what happened. Smith suggested that we do the bust another day but I insisted that we do it tonight as planned. I wanted this to be over. I needed this to be over.
I walked back into the room. Anne stood up and walked towards me. "I have to go. I have something I need to take care of. Call me if there's any changes."
"Are you going after the one who did this to her?"
"No, someone else that's more powerful."
Anne nodded, "Be careful, Niall."
"I will, Anne," I promised before I walked away. I looked back at Roxanne. She was staring out the window again. I cleared my throat to stop my emotions from coming out. I needed to be strong for her.
I drove to meet with Luther first. He gave me two suitcases and reminded me where the location was going to be. After that, I drove the sight and waited. It was under a bridge, not far from the docks. As I waited, I thought about Roxanne. I thought about what Harry and Anne said to me. Were we magnets of trouble when we were together? I thought. Roxanne had faced so much together. We did have a lot of bad things that happened to us when we were together, but there were more good moments compared to the bad.
Lights flashed in my vision, making me straighten. A black van stopped in front of me. Immediately, two men stepped out of the car. I folded my hands across my chest, ready for them in case they tried to do anything.
"You're here for the presents?" one asked. He had a black shirt on, his brown hair was combed back and held with what looked like a lot of hair gel. The other wore a blue baseball hat and a dark gray jacket.
"A special birthday present," I responded. "For a bachelor party."
We were told to say that to each other to identify that we were the correct ones to make the exchange. Baseball Hat nodded at the other. "Blackbourne set you alone?"
I shrugged, "Is there going to be a problem with that? I'm not afraid to put a bullet between your eyes and drop your bodies down the water if you try anything with me. I'm having a really bad night, so that'll give me a good reason to smile."
Hair Gel looked at Baseball Hat. Baseball Hat walked over to the van and I followed with Hair Gel not far behind me. The back of the van was opened by the time I reached the back of the van. Inside, were five girls tied up with bags over their heads.
"These are the ones?" I asked them.
"Yeah, they are. All of them are tourists. Three of them are college girls from the States. The other two is an Asian girl and Russian one."
"Where are the files?"
Hair Gel gave me a suitcase. I opened it and began to look through the documents. All of the girls were at least twenty-one. I nodded at the documents and closed the suitcase. Baseball Hat closed the trunk as we walked back to the front of the van.
All I had to do left was hand them the suitcases and the team would bust them, along with the rest of Blackbourne establishments. I grabbed the two suitcases and showed them the money. Baseball Hat grabbed the suitcases and looked through the money. With one nod at Hair Gel and closing the suitcases, the transaction was done. He closed the suitcases and held his hand out to me.
"Tell Blackbourne, we look further to any future purchases he'll like to make."
I pulled out my gun. "Put your hands up!" I ordered, pointing the gun at them.
Instantly, the team came out from hiding, pointing their guns the two. They quickly put their hands up and followed the directions of the police. I walked to the trunk and showed the police what was inside the trunk. I helped untie the girls and helped them off the van.
Smith came over to me, shaking my hands. "We have more than enough to take Blackbourne down. All you're going to have to do is read a few boring reports and sign it." Smith's phone began to ring. He excused himself and walked away.
I leaned against the van, taking a deep breath. It was done. It was all done, but I didn't feel relieved. I was still just as stressed as I was the moment I signed up for this assignment. Even though this was an accomplishment, I was still lost something at the end of it all.
Smith walked towards me. "We got a problem."
"What?"
"Blackbourne got away with Luther and a few others. We have squad cars looking for him as we speak."
My stomach tightened. "Send a squad car to watch out for Roxanne at the hospital."
"I already sent one to the hospital."
A police officer came over to us. "Sir, there's reports of gunshots at the Mercy Hospital."
"Gunshots? That's where Roxanne is!" Suddenly, my phone rang. It was my personal phone. I looked down at the caller ID to see that it was Roxanne calling me. I prayed silently that they were safe. "Hello?" I said, answering it.
"You're in trouble," David said, through the other line.
My jaw tightened. "Where is she?" I said calmly.
"I was just going to pay her a visit after what I did to her. You were so stupid enough to talk to her brother about what you really do. So, I went to Blackbourne right after. He was so disappointed. His star little pupil, ending up being a fucking rat."
"Where the fuck is she?!" I bellowed, causing Smith to walk over to me. "Damn it, David, if you lay a finger on her-"
"I wouldn't be worried about me doing something to her. You should be worried about what Blackbourne will do to her. He's pissed."
"Let me talk to him," I said.
"That's not how it's going to work. He will call you. If I were you, I better answer on the first ring. I'm sure you're going to be looking forward to his call."
It clicked at the other end. I looked at Smith. "They have her. David called off Roxanne's phone! They have her! I need to get to the hospital now."
I opened the door and got into the car. Smith allowed for a squad car to escort me to the hospital so that it was faster. A part of me hoped that Blackbourne and David were just messing with me. Then again, when have I ever been that lucky?
I ran to her room to see that police were already in front of Roxanne's room. "What happened?" I demanded.
"This room is now a crime scene," one officer said. "Someone was shot and a hospital patient was taken."
I jaw tightened. "Who was taken?"
"You, son of a bitch!" some shouted from behind me. I turned around to a fist colliding to my jaw. I fell back, clutching to my jaw. When I glanced up, I saw Harry being held by three police officers. "Stay the fuck away from my family!"
"Harry, stop!" Mercedes said, crying not far away from him.
An officer helped me up. "Let him go," I ordered.
The police let Harry go, but stayed close in case he were to jump on me again. "This is all your fault," he said, pointing at me.
"What happened?"
"My mom got shot! That's what happened!"
Mercedes wiped her tears away. "I was with Anne and Roxanne. David came in, shot a nurse. Anne stepped in front of Roxanne. He told Anne to get out of the way, but she refused. He shot her and he threatened to shoot me if I tried to interfere."
"Is Anne going to be okay?" I asked calmly.
"Go fuck yourself, Niall," Harry spat.
I took a deep breath. "I'm going to get her back. You know that."
"You better," Harry said. "And when she's back, you're staying far away from her. You're going to lose contact of her and me."
I gritted my teeth. "I'm getting her back," I said before I walked away.
As I walked away, my phone vibrated. It was an unknown caller. Taking a deep breath, I opened the message to see that there was a video. I played the video to see it was Roxanne tied to the chair. I noticed that they changed her into a black dress. Suddenly, a hand slapped her across the face, causing her to cry out. And then a large group of men started towards her before the video ended.
I wanted to slam my phone against the wall. I wanted to kill whoever slapped her. Taking a deep breath, I made my way to the police station. I showed Smith the video once I was in his office.
"Has he messaged you anything else?"
"Nothing," I replied. "They have Roxanne's phone. We can track it."
"I'll have the men look into it. I'll also need your phone to see if we can track down that phone number, they used to send the video." Smith handed my phone to an officer to work on it. "Alright, I had that video uploaded to this laptop. Niall, I need you to look through the video carefully. Tell me if there is anything that looks familiar with that location."
I nodded. I tried to pay attention to the background, but every time I heard her cry out, my heart ached. My mind reflected to the times where I saw Will beat her in front of me and I couldn't do anything to help her. The idea that she was getting beaten or possibly even violated or drugged up made me sick. It made me sick that I was the main reason why she was going through this once again.
I should've stayed away.
"Is there anything?" Smith asked me after playing it back for the fifth time.
"Nothing," I answered him. "The room is too dark."
"Alright, take a break for now."
An officer went into the officer. "Sir, they sent another video."
"Give me it," I stood up, holding my hand out.
The officer hesitantly handed me the phone so I can play it. Roxanne was on the floor this time and someone was kicking her in the stomach. The laughs and cheers in the background made my blood boil. Then a syringe came into view of the camera filled with a clear substance.
"Let's give her a little extra kick to her step," a voice said.
"David," I growled through my teeth, fists clenched. The video stopped as the syringe got closer to Roxanne. "Please, tell me, you found their location."
"Roxanne's phone was tracked down to an abandoned building. We're having a squad car check it out."
"I'm going too," I said.
"Niall," Smith began.
"Sir, she is my wife. I brought her into this mess. I'm going."
Smith sighed, but nodded. I went into the passenger side of the squad car and we drove off. Smith was in the other car not far from us. I had so much rage inside of me. I wanted to find her. I was over Blackbourne sending videos to mess around me with me. I needed to find her.
As soon as we exited the car, a group of officers went in to check if the building was clear. Once it was confirmed, Smith, a few officers, and me went into the building to look around. In the center of the floor was Roxanne's phone.
I walked over to grab it, but stopped when I stepped on something. I moved my foot to see that it was Roxanne's hospital bracelet.
"Sir, we found a hospital gown," a police officer announced.
"It's Roxanne's," I sighed. "They brought her here."
"Check buildings close by the area to see if there are any cameras that might have caught the suspects leaving," Smith ordered.
My phone began to ring, making me grab it, only to realize it wasn't my personal phone. I grabbed the other phone and answered it.
"Well, that wasn't the first ring."
"Let her go, Blackbourne," I said calmly. "She doesn't have to get involved."
"You betrayed me, Niall. I had such high hopes for you. It's a pity that you let me down. I would think you'd know better than to betray me. Now, I got to show you a little lesson."
"Blackbourne, I got to tell you something. The last guy that hurt my girl is dead. No one hurts Roxanne and gets away with it. You have a choice. You either learn it the hard way where you're going to end up being dead or you let her go and get away while you still can."
Blackbourne laughed, "Cute, Niall. However, I don't give two shits about what you have to say. Here is what's going to happen. You're going to give me five million dollars cash or I'm going to make your little wife here disappear. She may be a little beaten up, but wounds will heal. And when they do heal, I'm going to use this little bitch for profit, if you know what I mean. Maybe before I do that, I might have a few rounds with her."
"If you so much as lay a hand on her-"
"You have three hours to come up with the money and you will meet me at the warehouse. You will come alone or else you'll never see Roxanne again."
The phone clicked.
"He wants her for five million dollars," I informed Smith. "In three hours."
"Niall, that's not possible."
"Well, make it possible!" I bellowed.
"We will do everything that we can, Niall, to find her before the drop."
I scoffed, walking away. The police weren't going to be that much help. I was going to have to do this alone.
Don't worry, Rox. I'm coming.