Page 27 of When We Collide

Viktor steps into the corridor, less than three feet away from me, his steel-like eyes locking onto mine. Time seems to slow as I lunge forward to fire my gun, but I still, my blood runs ice cold in my veins when I see the face of the person he has in a chokehold. There’s a sharp pain in my chest while I stare into the beautiful eyes of my wife; eyes that are now filled with terror and brimming with unshed tears.

“No,” I breathe, the hand holding the gun aimed at Viktor’s head trembles almost violently.

“Dean...” Jeyla whimpers, tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

Viktor stands still, his expression unreadable as he speaks, but the words are lost in the roar of blood in my ears. I just about make out his chilling words as he presses his lips to Jeyla’s temple and speaks quietly.

“Say hello to my brother for me,” he utters, and I hear Jeyla draw in a sharp breath, the harrowing sound echoes in the rusty walls of the warehouse, her green eyes grow wide in alarm before I see a stream of crimson blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

“NO!” Viktor lets go of Jeyla and she crumples like a ragdoll. I rush to her side and catch her before she hits the floor, I seethe glint of a knife buried deep in her back, piercing straight through her heart.

“JEYLA!”

I jolt awake, gasping for breath, my heart racing like it’s about to tear straight through my chest. My hand instinctively reaches under my pillow for my gun. It takes a moment for my brain to acknowledge that I’m home and safe. The room is dark, the shadows on the walls dancing eerily. I look over to my left and see Jeyla is asleep beside me, her chest rising and falling steadily, and my shoulders relax. Thank fucking Christ, it was just a dream. I’ve been having the same harrowing nightmare since receiving the threat on her life. In every dream Viktor kills her in a different way.

Sitting up, I run a trembling hand through my sweat-soaked hair. The nightmare clings to me, the images too vivid to shake off.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed, planting my feet on the cool floor and look back at Jeyla fast asleep.She’s safe. My body aches, and I can’t shift the icy chill that has settled deep into my bones and the sickening feeling of dread. With a resigned sigh, I bury my face in my hands, trying to steady myself, to push the nightmare back into the recesses of my mind.

But even in the safety of my home, all the horrific things I’ve seen during my time at that warehouse lingers. The look of Luca’s eyes as the light went out when I shot him between the eyes is a haunting reminder of the trauma I can never fully escape.

Quietly, with my gun in one hand, I walk over to the window and look outside. Scanning the area for anything suspicious butfind nothing out of the ordinary. The unmarked black BMW with the two-security detail watching the house is parked across the street.

My eyes—heavy and bloodshot—sting with a burning exhaustion. I can easily count on my fingers how many hours I've managed to sleep in the past three months, and even those were not peaceful. Despite my fatigue, I struggle to get more than two hours of rest each night. Whether I am tossing and turning or finally managing to drift off, I inevitably wake up in a panic, drenched in a cold sweat from nightmares.

Silently, I slip out of the room and tiptoe across the floor, careful not to make a sound that might wake Jeyla. She's always been a light sleeper, her senses sharp even in sleep. As I reach the door, I turn back to look at her peaceful form before closing it gently behind me.

A quick check on DJ, sleeping soundly in his bed, and then I make my way downstairs. Lex's head pops up from his bed in the living room, his ears twitching as he hears me approaching. His curious eyes follow my every move. Unable to shake off this sense of unease, I know I won't be able to truly rest until I make sure the house is secure. So, I diligently inspect each door and window on the ground floor, checking that they are all securely locked. Not that the rickety locks on these doors and windows would be difficult to bust through to anyone with any intention of getting into the house.

We just need to get through tonight, and tomorrow the people I love will all be in a safe location, and I can stop fretting about their safety and concentrate on getting myself out of this mess in one piece.

Facing Jeyla after everything was fucking tough, but I’m honestly dreading seeing my mother and Ash tomorrow. My mother’s reaction more than Ash’s. When Oz and Jeyla told me about how much my mother suffered, I don’t know how I will find the strength to look her in the eyes and not be riddled with guilt for what I have put them all through.

Not that I was given many choices in the matter. My only options were to either fake my death or actually die. Obviously, I chose the former… fat fucking good that did though, I squandered a year of my life and hurt the people I love only to be back in the same sinking boat I was in to begin with.

Sitting on the love chair in the living room, I stare at the photo of Jeyla and me on our wedding day. One minute I’m reminiscing about that day and how happy we were and the next it’s six in the morning and I’m jumping awake when I hear Jeyla’s fretful voice shouting my name.

“Dean!”

My heart lurches into overdrive as I jump up from the chair, adrenaline coursing through my veins at the thought of something happening to her or DJ. I don’t think, only react as I sprint towards the stairs. I find her there, halfway down the staircase, her eyes wide and brimming with tears.

“JJ? What is it, baby, what’s wrong?” I ask urgently, scanning her body for any signs of injury.

A wave of relief washes over her face when she sees me, and she rushes down the remaining steps, practically leaping into my arms. I catch her effortlessly, my arms encasing her protectively as she clings to me like a lifeline.

“Oh, thank God.” Tears stream down her cheeks as she nuzzles her face into my neck. “I woke up and you weren't there,” she sobs, her heart pounding against my chest. “I thought I had been dreaming, but you're here. You're really here.”

Closing my eyes, I hold onto her even tighter, feeling immense relief flood through me as well. “I'm here, JJ. It's not a dream,” I reassure her, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair. “Christ, you scared me half to death.”

“You scared me too,” she chokes out between sobs. “I woke up and you were gone. Why would you sneak out on me like that?”

Gently brushing away her tears, I cup her face in my hands and gaze into her eyes. “I'm sorry, baby girl. I was feeling restless and couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wake you so I came down here and must have fallen asleep on the chair.”

“You should have woken me.” Jeyla sighs, closing her eyes when I brush away the stream of tears with my thumbs. Over her head I notice movement at the top of the stairs and look up to find my brother standing there in a pair of shorts, watching us. I can see the look of concern shadowing his features and I give him a nod, silently assuring him that she’s okay, to which he responds with his own nod and walks back to his bedroom leaving us alone.

“When have I ever woken you while you’re asleep, JJ?” I respond with a smile, and she pins me with a po-faced look.

“Would you like me to start listing off the times, because I recallmanyinstances, Lieutenant.” The suggestive look in her eyes stirs something inside me when I too recall the many instances I have woken her up from her sleep… with my tongue.

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