Chapter 1
JANE'S POV
I stretch my arms followed by a yawn. All of my body hurts and this chair just isn't comfortable.
"Jane, don't tell me you haven't left this building since I left!" Mick says walking into the office. "I grabbed an hours sleep" I retort looking at my boss with a fake smile. I know where this is going and so does he. But I'm going to fight it out as long as possible. "Go and get some rest, here take my keys and go to mine if need be. Kallie will be there and keeps telling me to drag you home anyway.. we're worried about you" Mick says.
"I can't risk you all getting any backlash. You have kids and I'd never forgive myself" I say grabbing my coffee.
"You haven't left this place in three days!" Mick says. "Well, babies don't give me hell like the mob awaiting me out there. Plus the police said I need to find somewhere else to stay. My home is no longer a safe haven... I mean I'm wearing make-up to cover the lasting effect of the black eye I received last week. Please don't send me home" I say pleading with my hands held together as if I'm in prayer.
"I wish I could grant you your wish, but you have to go get some decent downtime before you get me fired. I mean it goes to mine! You be safe there" Mick says.
"I'll be fine.. it's one more week then Layla will be back from her honeymoon. I know she won't turn me away" I say.
"Well, I thought you had your own room in that big-ass mansion. Plus don't they live with Luke's brother?" Mick says.
"Yes, but we have gone through this. Liam likes me and so does his family but what if they turn on me like everyone else? And even if they don't I don't want to stay with Liam alone. I've been turning him down for three years. I don't do dating you know that" I say.
"Yeah, why is that again?" Mick says taking a seat opposite me as he looks at the admissions we had during the day.
"I don't want to talk about it," I say standing up knowing full well I'm not winning, I'm being sent home. But I'm not going home. I'll check into a hotel again I'd feel safer there.
"Okay, well back to you going home make sure you get some sleep and for the love of god if you need anything ring me" Mick says.
"I know, I'll be safe," I say. "I know you will be but I'm still worried. It's rife out there I swear if your brother wasn't already locked up I'd have my own words with the fucker seeing you paying for his sins" Mick says.
"Murdering a school girl isn't a sin, it's damn right inhuman. But I get what you mean I feel the same. I swear I tried to keep him on a good path in life after my parents died but here we are. The public are just taking it out on me because they can't reach him. As much as I hate it I get their frustrations I even share that frustration I just wish they would leave me alone already. I counted six new threats in messages since we last saw each other" I say.
"Pay them no attention. You're one hell of a woman and don't deserve this one bit. Make sure security walks you to your car" Mick says.
"Okay, I'll be back tomorrow" I say "I hope not but I know you will" Mick says and with that, I head out. As I pass the security I see their busy dealing with something so I don't disturb them instead I exit the hospital and head for the car park. I make sure to keep my phone near and the panic alarm the police gave me to hand and hate every second of it. I shouldn't have to live in fear. But here I am doing just that. As I enter the car park I see a couple of men all wearing black with just their eyes showing. I instantly have a bad feeling. I turn around only to see two more behind me wearing the same ones holding a metal pole. I activate the panic alarm as I look around again then clocking a knife in one of the men in front of me as they slowly get closer. I get my phone out trying to figure out my escape route.
"Payback b***h" one says followed by laughter then I'm whacked across the head by either the pole or bat. I'm unsure as I fall to the ground everything spins and I'm stuck again. That's when darkness takes over.
LIAM'S POV
I get woken up to my phone ringing. I see it's my dad and wonder why he is ringing me at this time for.
"Hello," I say answering the phone half asleep.
"Son, you need to get hold of Luke. I know you two wouldn't be able to survive a month without contact so whatever your plan was tell him they need to come right now" My dad says. This gets my attention that I sit up and I'm ready to get ready for whatever comes next as I say "What's happened?"
"It's Jane, she put Layla and your mum as an emergency next of kin. The police came knocking waking us up after they couldn't get through to her on the phone. She is critical condition in the hospital and they don't know if she will make it. We're getting ready to go down" My dad says.
"I'm coming to, what happened to Jane?" I say jumping out of bed and heading straight for my walk-in wardrobe. "Someone tried to kill her. Your mum rang the police chief commissioner he said he will find out what's going on and get back to her" My dad says. "Whoever tried to kill her won't see daylight again. I'll kill them with my own bare f*****g hands" I say raging mad that someone dares touch the women I fell for even if she refuses to date me. She is mine to protect and care for. I was hoping Layla would be able to convince her to move up here as well.
"Trust me I feel the same but right now we need to focus on Jane and pray she pulls through" My dad says. "How bad is it?" I say pulling on my trousers. "All we know is she is in surgery and it doesn't look good" My dad says and I curse under my breath as I do the zipper on my trousers.
"I know. Do you want to car share or make your own way down?" My dad asks.
"I'll make my own way and also sort some men to follow us down," I say. "Okay, make sure you get hold of Luke," My dad says "I will. Keep me updated" I say "I will, drive safe. I know what Jane means to you but we don't need anyone else in the hospital" My dad says. "Okay. I'll speak to you soon" I say and with that, we hang up. Whilst I finished getting dressed I rang Chase and had him get some men together to come with us.
Then I started ringing Luke on the burner phone he took with him on the honeymoon that we swapped messages on so Layla wasn't any wiser since she put a no phones rule into their honeymoon. I couldn't blame her, with us being head of the largest Mafia family in the UK it was demanding and that's without the businesses we owned legally mainly as cover buildings for various things.
"What's wrong?" Luke asks answering the phone as I get into the car. "What the f**k Luke" I hear Layla shout in the background.
"Put me on speaker, Layla needs to hear this as well," I say. "Okay, but I don't like the sound of that what's happened. Your on speaker now" Luke says.
"Layla, can you hear me?" I ask.
"Yeah, you're in trouble too though so this better be good" Layla shouts.
"Fine kill me later but right now you need to come back it's Jane. Mum got a call she is in a bad way someone tried to kill her. They don't know if she will survive she is currently being operated on" I say.
"What the f**k do you mean someone tried to kill her?" Layla shouts but more in panic than at me. I start the car up as I say "I don't know why, none of us have heard from Jane since your wedding. Mum's in the process of finding out what's happened but you need to come home your her next of kin alongside Mum" I say
"I'm packing now. Make sure whoever did this is caught I'll kill them for hurting my sissy" Luke says and just like I fell in love with Jane Luke also did but he loves her like a little sister and they act like siblings. He even had her own brother pinned to a wall after discovering he had been using Jane like a punchbag before. Even our parents love the women like a daughter. My mum even helps me try to win Jane round to a date.
"It doesn't make any sense, there has to be a reason," Layla says "I know and I plan to find out the reason," I say as I see my mum ringing me. "I gotta go mums ringing me. I'll ring you back" I say "Okay" Luke says and with that, I end the call and pick up my mum's call.
"What's the update?" I ask forgoing the hello how's you we usually start with.
"I just found out that Jane went home after the wedding to discover her prick of a brother murdered a school girl. Since then she has been targeted badly from online trolls to attacks against the house and herself. She is under police guard now which pisses me off because they should have done more to safeguard Jane before this point. I'm so angry. If you reach her before us tell them I'm on my way and make sure no one else does anything" My mum says which just makes me step on the gas a little more. "Don't worry, no one else will do s**t. Do you have an update on how Jane is?" I ask
"No, she is still in surgery. I'll keep you posted though" My mum says
"Any idea who did it?" I ask
"An eye witness said it was four people they would suspect men. They were just leaving the car park and took them on with their car which scared them off. From what I know they used bats, metal poles and knives. I dread to think about the state Jane is in. I just pray she survives then I'm bringing her home" My mum says
"Good, they better pray she survives otherwise the whole town will regret the day they messed with my woman" I say
"Did you get hold of Luke?" My mum asks.
"Yes, they're packing as we speak. I need to ring them back as I kicked them off the phone to answer your call" I say
"Okay, find out when their flight will be" My mum says.
"Will do" I say
JANE'S POV
Everywhere is white. Nothing seems to hurt anymore and I feel free. "Jane" I hear my dad say and I look up to see my dad and mum smiling at me. I run towards them with tears of happiness running down my face. The second I reach them I hug them tightly as they hug me back "So this is what Heaven feels like" I say "It's not your time yet, you need to learn to trust people more my girl" My mum says. "We are always with you though. We love you kiddo" My dad says then I saw a flashing light and there fading away. I'm being pulled back from what I don't know. The flashing light happens again and my parents just smile at me as we get further apart I reach out my hands trying to get them but there getting further away from me. "Don't leave me" I cry "We love you" I hear my mum say just before there out of my sight and a flashing light happens again. Then darkness.