The Final Chase (Final Love Book 2) Read online

  If I had an evil laugh, I would be doing it right now.

  “I got this, Mary. Just get her a cooling eye pillow. I’m taking over after that.” I smiled mischievously. You did not fuck with Cammy Jennings. And Marlene was about to figure that out.

  “Poor girl,” Mary muttered, but did as she was told. I knew what I had in mind was naughty, but honestly, she couldn’t do shit. Especially after today, I was the community’s sweetheart. Plus, I wasn’t afraid of her. I watched as Mary got Marlene a cooling eye pillow on her face and got her wrapped up for a treatment. The pillow would help with those bags under her eyes. Man, I was a bitch.

  Moving quietly over to their station, I prepared my tools; while I listened to her ask questions about me. I motioned for Mary to scoot out of there and I took over, changing my voice to sound similar to Mary’s.

  “So you do like your job then?” Marlene prodded. I dipped the brush into the liquid in the cup and started coating her hair.

  “Well, between you and me, Cammy can be quite the slave driver sometimes.” I was so going to enjoy this.

  For the next twenty minutes, I continued to talk shit about myself to Marlene, who I was pretty positive was trying to find dirt on me to blackmail me in some way so I would leave Jake. As if. I had her sit under the heat for another ten minutes and finally washed all the caked-on crud out of her hair. After rinsing, drying, and doing a really beautiful style on her. It was time for the reveal.

  “Your hair is so gorgeous. The shine is so perfect.” I took a step back and took her eye pillow off for the big reveal.

  Her ear-piercing scream made my insides all giddy. Payback was a bitch.

  “Oh my God, what have you done?” she shrieked and finally looked at me. I smirked at her.

  “I think you look great. I think it brings out the jealous snake that is on the inside. Green is definitely your color.” Oh yeah, I totally went there.

  “You are dead,” she seethed. I just rolled my eyes.

  “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, just stop that little thought right there. This is over. You are done, leave. You know you can’t touch me, and you know you don’t want to fuck with Jake, either. Stop acting like a spoiled bitch whose favorite toy belongs to someone else. Move on. Oh, and because I am not a complete bitch and I do think you have nice hair, the green will wash out in a week. But now you know not to fuck with me.”

  A few of my girls yelled out, “That’s right, girl,” and “uh huh!”

  Marlene looked around and I saw that she knew what I said was true. She was a brat, and there wasn’t anything she could do. She screamed in frustration before grabbing her sunglasses and stomping out the door. Good riddance. A couple of the people who were in earshot of us started clapping at her departure.

  “Back to the party, people!” I hooted and cleaned up the mess at Mary’s station.

  Everyone loved the fundraiser and when Jake showed up for a few minutes, I couldn’t help but run into his arms and kiss the shit out of him. This was a magical day, and I was having a blast. Someone snapped a picture while we were lip-locked, but I didn’t care. Hell, they could put us in the newspaper. I gave no fucks about it.

  The party went on until 5p.m. and when it was all said and done, we had raised almost forty-five thousand dollars. We had a few large donations, and the auction was a hit. I was blown away by everyone’s generosity and willingness to help. It really said something about how everyone really can come together to do good in the world.

  Once everything was cleaned up, and the salon was shut down, Jake and I went out for pizza.

  “I am starving!” I groaned, while taking a bite. I hadn’t really eaten all day. It had been crazy, and I just didn’t think about it.

  “It’s been a while since I ate pizza,” Jake commented.

  “Well if I ever move in, you’ll just have to get used to it because pizza is a staple in my life.” True story, bro. He didn’t say anything to that comment. He wanted me to move in, but he knew I knew his opinion on the matter and he knew mine. No sense in battling it out now, especially not after the great day we had.

  “Casey hasn’t been feeling well today.” I stopped eating and looked at him. She wasn’t feeling well?

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Looks to be just a cold. We are keeping a close eye on her though. With her compromised immune system, things could escalate quickly, but Doc thinks she’ll get over it soon.” I heard what he said, but I was still worried. From the moment I laid eyes on that baby tiger, she had captured my heart. I’d hate to see her sick. Poor girl.

  “Okay, I think I’m going to stay on the rescue to help out until she gets better. Anything I can do.” I wanted to be there. I hated it when I was sick, so I bet she wasn’t too happy either.

  “Sounds good.” We went back to eating our food, then drove to the rescue. I already had clothes and my cosmetics in his house, so I didn’t need to grab anything. Once we were parked, I headed straight to Casey’s habitat. She was running around, but I heard a sneeze here and there. She looked fine, so it eased my nerves. Jake joined me shortly, carrying some chairs with him, so we could sit near her and chat. It was nice. I told both her and Jake about the fundraiser, and how amazing it was. I told him about Marlene, which he got mad about at first, until I told him about dyeing her hair green. It wasn’t permanent, so I didn’t care. She totally deserved it. Hannah came and checked Casey out and said she was okay, and told us to go get some rest. I wanted to watch her and make sure she did all right throughout the night, but I knew she would be fine. No one died of colds. Except aliens who weren’t used to our bacteria, but she was no alien.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Together we took a shower, surprisingly with no heated touches, and then climbed into bed. As I laid there curled up in Jakes arms, my mind started turning dirty. He was just too much man to let a night go by without a romp in the sheets.

  I kissed the warm skin that I was lying on and kept on moving. His hands started caressing my curves and the fire between us was lit.

  We clashed, and together we burned in a beautiful fire. I was in control this time. Well, he let me be in control until I rode him into orgasmic oblivion, then he took over until he caught his own release.

  The air smelled of sex and sweat, and my life had never seemed better.

  Until Jake woke me up at 3 a.m.

  “Sweetheart. You need to wake up.” His voice was serious, but I still didn’t move.

  “Casey’s not doing so good.” My eyes flew open. I sat up and looked him over. His hair was a mess from him running his hands through it. Things were not good. Without a word, I threw on some clothes and we hopped on the ATV, heading toward Doc’s house.

  When I saw the sweet tiger lying in a crate, with IVs attached to her little legs, I started crying.

  “I thought she was fine. She looked fine,” I cried out to them as quietly as I could. I walked over to her crate and sat down on the ground next to her. Poor baby.

  “She has pneumonia. There is fluid building in her lungs. We are giving her antibiotics, and a light sedative to keep her calm. There is hope that she will pull through.” Hannah gave me a weak smile, one that said they hoped she would be okay, but that there was also a chance that she wouldn’t. Only time would tell. I sat next to the sweet cub and started softly singing songs about being strong and fighting. She would be fine. Jake was silent as he watched me sing to her. He knew how much she had come to mean to me.

  As the hours passed, and light started peeking through the windows, my hope started to build that she was going to be okay. I had barely moved throughout the night— once to go to the bathroom, and once more to get fresh air for a moment. Jake stayed by my side, and Hannah and Dr. Nick kept checking her vitals and IV. She was stable, for now.

  “You two need to get some fresh air. She will be fine for now.” Hannah was trying to get us to move. I didn’t want to. I wanted to be there, but I knew I wasn’t doing her any good. I
was just taking up space right now. I needed to make myself useful somehow.

  “Please keep us updated,” I told her, and stood. My legs were sore from sitting on the tiled floor for so long, but it was a welcomed ache. Jake joined me and together we left the house.

  “If you just want to rest at the lodge you can.” He commented and I stopped him from speaking further.

  “No, I need to do something. Keep my mind busy.” He looked me over and wrapped me in his arms.

  “I know this is tough. Many animals we rescue have been through so much that it’s hard to see them go through anymore. You’re strong, sweetheart. It’ll be all right.” He kissed my lips softly, and then hugged me tightly. I understood what he said, but I didn’t truly take it to heart. Wild Rescue was a safe haven for these animals, and if there was a higher power why would he punish those who had already suffered? It wasn’t fair.

  “Put me to work, Jake,” I demanded. He pulled back and looked into my eyes. I was determined to be of use, and keep my mind busy. He nodded and we got back on the ATV. One by one, we helped the workers clean habitats and make the food buckets. My arms were aching, and my back was sore. I had worked harder than I ever had before. Jake disappeared to take care of something while I helped Derek with the small animal habitats. Not even the damn wallaby could get to me now.

  “Cammy,” Jake uttered my name behind me. I looked at him in confusion. He called me Cammy. Not sweetheart.

  “Come here.” He held out his hand for me and I could tell something was wrong.

  “Jake,” I warned, not wanting to hear what he had to say.

  “Come here,” he demanded, and I went to him, my eyes pleading with him to just spit it out.

  “Casey’s not doing any better. She’s suffering. We have to help her out of her misery.” When his words finally registered, I took a step back, like I’d been burned by the touch of his hand.

  “What?” my voice was so soft. Barely above a whisper.

  “She isn’t going to make it. The pneumonia is too much for her already weak immune system. We need to end her suffering.” He pleaded with me to understand, but I just shook my head. No. No,no,no,no. I did the only thing I could think of— I ran to the house. Breathless, I opened the door to see Casey up on the surgery table, lying on a pink blanket. One IV was still in her leg.

  I ignored the looks of Hannah and Nick as I walked over to the cub. I stroked her soft fur, and the tears flooded over my cheeks.

  “You can’t give up. You have to fight,” I whispered to the cub. She was a fighter.

  “Cammy, she’s suffering. We have to help her,” Hannah spoke, her voice laced with sadness but resolve.

  “She can do this,” I told her. She had to. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. But I was already going under.

  “No, Cammy, she can’t. The fluid buildup in her lungs is too much and too rapid. She’s practically drowning. We need to end her pain now. We’ll let you say goodbye, then we have to end it. It’s the humane thing to do.” Her voice was strong; it wasn’t easy to do what she had to do. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it was the right thing to do. The tears kept coming as I heard steps go into the other room.

  “I’m so sorry for everything, Casey. So sorry for those evil people that took you from your mother. That set this fate into motion. They forced you to be a prop for their own greed and selfish needs. They made it so you never really had a chance. You escaped one death only to be taken by another.” I was crying my heart out to the sweet girl.

  “I’m glad I got to see you enjoy your life for those few weeks. I hope there is a tiger heaven with lots of land, and things for you to chase. You’d like that.” I sniffed.

  “I’m so sorry, Casey,” I apologized, weeping. Hoping somewhere in there, it would register what I was saying. I wished things were different. I touched her fur one last time. My eyes closed, and I whispered the words that I never wanted to say.

  “Goodbye, sweet cub.”

  I stood there and watched as the doctors came back into the room and put a syringe into the IV tubing and pressed the medicine through the line. I watched as her chest wheezed and, finally, she took her last breath.

  I crumpled to the floor. My heart was broken. The only animal I had ever loved had been taken. It was like someone had ripped a hole in my chest. I sobbed and Jake scooped me into his arms, taking me away from the lifeless little striped body on the table. My wails of a painful heart could be heard throughout the rescue as he took me back to the lodge. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t breathe. Why did this happen? She had suffered enough in her little life. She was supposed to grow big and strong.

  I cried in Jake’s arms on the couch for what seemed like hours. I was devastated.

  He didn’t say anything to me. He simply held me. I’m sure he’d been through this many times, but I hadn’t. I didn’t want to feel like this ever again. My mind turned dark as I started drowning in the sadness of losing something so close to my heart. I sat up from Jake and started to stand. I had to get out of here. I had to leave this rescue. No one could escape death, not even those who had already suffered. I wasn’t made to deal with this much emotion. My throat felt like it was closing and I was struggling to breath. I couldn’t live my life dealing with constant suffering and pain. It just wasn’t in me. I was safer in my old life, before the rescue. Before Jake.

  “Cammy. What are you doing?” Jake was looking at me like he was scared to make a move. Scared to spook me. But he was too late. I was already spooked.

  “I can’t do this.” The words flew from my lips on a whisper. The tears were coming back in full force when he realized what I had said. I was leaving. For good.

  “You can. You’re strong. We can make it through together, Cammy. Just give it time.” He slowly got up and I took a step back, shaking my head. I wasn’t strong enough for this heartbreak.

  “I can’t, Jake.” He looked pained when I whispered the words again. I hated that I was hurting him. But I needed it all to end. The pain, the future heartbreak. I couldn’t handle it. I’d rather be alone.

  “I can’t leave them, Cammy.” He knew my mind was made, and we both knew this was the end. They needed him. This rescue needed him. He did so many wonderful things for them. But there was always a chance for things to go wrong. A chance I couldn’t take anymore.

  “I know.” This was it. I couldn’t look at his face…the devastation was clear. Taking a deep breath, I wiped the tears under my eyes and turned to gather my things. I heard the door slam as I started packing. I hated what I was doing to him. But I would hate myself even more if we moved in together, got married, had children, and then I broke. This life was not my life. I dragged my stuff out and packed Bambi. I didn’t see Jake as I sat in my car and started the engine. I didn’t blame him. I had shattered his heart and there was nothing he could do. This wasn’t a life you could force someone to accept. I closed the door and saw him pull up on the ATV. Watching me.

  I lifted a hand in a halfhearted farewell, and he gave me a head bow. Our final goodbye. I drove out of that rescue, leaving my broken heart on the porch surrounded by the sounds of the wild.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Once everything was back in my apartment, I grabbed the old bottle of Vodka in the back of my cabinet and started drinking. I wanted the pain to go away, even if just for a moment. I had just lost something that was precious to me. A future I hadn’t even imagined I would have wanted. Now that future was shattered. I lay on my couch and let the sorrow take me into the darkness.

  I woke up at my normal time, feeling like shit. My feet shuffled me into the bathroom to clean up, at least on the outside. I had a business to run, and even though I wanted to sit and sulk in my apartment, I couldn’t.

  I kept busy doing little things here and there, and at the end of the day I went back home. I ate until my body couldn’t move and then watched TV. I was depressed, plain and simple. I would go through the cycle of emoti
ons—feeling horrible, then crying, then hating myself, then missing Jake. It had only been a day and I missed him so much I could barely breath. His smile, his witty banter with me, the way he cuddled me at night. Which made me go through another round of sobs, because I chose a life without him. Turned out I was right from the beginning. We didn’t work.

  A week went by in a blur of going through the motions, pigging out in front of the television, and crying buckets of tears. I guess my eyes were making up for all those years of never crying. You would have thought my ducts would have dried up or rusted by now. While I was finishing the episode of my new favorite TV show, Lucifer, someone knocked on my door.

  Hope sprang inside me that it would be Jake on the other side, but I knew it wouldn’t be. He couldn’t choose me over his rescue, and I wouldn’t want him to.

  “Open up, Cammy.” Rayne’s voice filtered through the door. I looked around my apartment and sighed. It looked like shit. My luggage from staying at Jake’s house was still by the door. Clothes littered the floor and there were food wrappers everywhere. I had never been this person, and I never wanted to be. But now that I was, I didn’t care to change it. Wearing sweatpants and one of Jake’s Henley shirts that I stole, I got up and opened the door.

  “Oh dear God, what is that smell?” Rayne gagged. I took a shower this morning, so I knew it wasn’t me, but maybe I had become nose blind to my apartment.

  “Get out.” She pulled me out of the apartment and closed the door behind her.

  “What the hell, Rayne?” I complained. She took a couple breaths and sniffed the air in the complex hallway. Seeming satisfied with the smell, she looked at me and her eyes were wide as she took in my appearance.

  “What’s your middle name?” she blurted out frantically. She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked right into my eyes.

  “Renee.” I rolled my eyes.

  “What is our favorite thing to eat together?” She kept up the inquisition.