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  Published by The Hartwood Publishing Group, LLC,

  Hartwood Publishing, Phoenix, Arizona

  www.hartwoodpublishing.com

  The Call

  Copyright © 2015 by B. A. Cubbage

  Digital Release: October 2015

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-62916-085-6

  Print ISBN: 978-1-62916-264-5

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The Call by B. A. Cubbage

  After a terrible car accident, Reagan’s and Abraham’s lives hang in the balance. Chris, Reagan’s ex, and two new players in the game are discovered, but one stays behind the scenes. Will the two lovers find their way back to each other in time? If they do, will Chris and his new disciples get another chance to destroy their love again?

  Acknowledgements

  Special thanks go out to my very own version of Kate. I could not have done this without her encouragement. Thank you “wife.” You were my rock through all of this—my cheerleader/drill sergeant. And to my loving husband for putting up with the crazy that writing all three books put me through.

  Prologue

  Reagan

  Have you ever experienced those horrific moments in life that, just to elongate the agony you’re going through, happen in slow motion? Those ones that change you forever, and not in a good way? This was one of those moments.

  The love of my life is driving us to the home that, as of yesterday, we both live in, in my Jeep. He is smiling brightly at me until the vision from my nightmare comes to life.

  My voice cuts off mid-song when I see it. I can't form the words I need to keep this from happening. That’s when everything sets in slow motion. He turns his head to see why I’ve stopped singing. I can only imagine the horror on my face. We don’t have a chance.

  The Dodge Dually that slams into us from Abraham’s side of the vehicle is aiming for us. It accelerates just to make sure it hits us.

  The Jeep starts to flip through the air and glass shatters from all directions. I can hear a bloodcurdling scream. It's coming from me, but I don’t remember making it. Hurling through the intersection, we flip over and over without touching the ground.

  When we finally do hit pavement, we’re upside down and skid across it for what seems like forever before the Jeep comes to a rest by ramming into one of the street lights.

  I can hear muffled noises. When I open my eyes, all I see is blood. It's all over the place. It's splattered on the roof of my battered car and covering the glass and fries that are strung all over the place.

  That’s when I hear him, straight from my nightmare, I hear Abraham moaning in pain. I look over to his limp body and begin to cry. I try my seatbelt but it won’t let me go. Frustrated, I kick the dash and my hunting knife falls from my glove box.

  When I’ve sliced through the belt I hit the ground, or rather the roof. Glass stabs into my knees and palms, but my body is numb all over so I don’t try to be careful. “Abraham? Abraham! Baby, please answer me. Can you hear me?”

  I can smell gasoline. My arm reaches out of its own accord and takes the keys out of the ignition. I remember my Aunt Kathy telling my brothers and me to do that if we ever got into an accident like our parents did. “Abraham?” I know I shouldn’t, but I can't stop my body from reacting. It's on autopilot.

  I cut him down, protecting his head and guiding it into my lap. He has blood all over his face, clothes, and arms. I can feel a pulse but it’s fading. “You promised! Abraham, you promised! Abraham! Stay with me.” Tears I don’t know I’m making fall onto his forehead, turning red and sliding into his light brown hair. Every part of him is splotched with blood. I can barely make out the tattoos that cover his arms and disappear under the sleeves of his mangled T-shirt.

  “I need you. Please. Please don’t leave me, Abraham. I can't do this by myself.” A hand roughly grabs at my shoulder and I scream out in agony.

  It lets go immediately. When I turn to see who it is, I see Devon, my eldest brother. Tears are pooling in his eyes and his lips are moving, but I can't hear what he’s saying. I just sit there, turning my attention back to Abraham. I'm on my knees, with the love of my existence’s head resting, unmoving, in my lap. I'm crying but not hearing or seeing anything but him. His tall and muscular body now looks feeble and broken.

  A man in a paramedic uniform appears by what used to be the driver’s side window. I recognize him but my brain’s too shut down to tell me from where. He’s saying something to me. It looks important. But do you know what I hear instead? I hear that sad fucking song that comes on when they want you to donate money and save the abused animals. The one that has you diving for the remote to change the channel.

  The one that’s from the movie with the angels. How fucked is that? He slides a back board across the ceiling of my overturned Jeep until I feel the pressure of it hit my hand. I don’t get how my muscles are moving when I’m not telling them to. But I guess that’s a good sign, right? I help him turn Abraham onto his side as best as my weakened muscles will allow, which takes both hands and all of me to shove him into position. I help slide the board to his back, then hold his head while the paramedic lays him back down onto it.

  As he begins to pull the back board with Abraham strapped down to it, someone behind me puts their hands under my arms and pulls me out. It hurts. God, it hurts. When I’m out from inside the pile of rubble that was once a Jeep, I race toward the stretcher that is now carrying my love to an ambulance. I still can't feel anything on my body and I know that being numb probably isn’t as good as I would like it to be, but it is letting me be able to go to Abraham.

  I reach my arms toward the ambulance as they load his still and lifeless body into it. I begin to be able to hear. Too much, it's too much noise. Too loud. I try to move faster but someone restrains me. Ignoring the pain that I am finally starting to feel, I scream out.

  “Abraham! No! Don’t you dare leave me here alone! You promised! Abrah—” My words choke off in my throat and my world begins to go dark. A piercing ringing starts in my head and my body crumples into whoever has me, my injuries finally overtaking my will to get to my love.

  I’m brought to the pavement slowly. When my head falls back enough, I see Devon. He’s covered in blood, crying, and rocking me back and forth. I have to concentrate to pick his voice out amongst all the other noises, but when I do, I hear him saying, “It's okay. It's okay. Everything’s going to be okay, Reagan. Please. Please stay here. Please. Don’t go to Mom and Dad. Please. Damon and I need you. It's okay. It's going to be okay.”

  His voice fades as darkness starts to cloud my vision. I can feel him jerk. It hurts but I can't scream. I can't move. I can barely breathe.

  Abraham?

  Chapter One

  Reagan

  I can hear muffled voices. I can't open my eyes. No matter how hard I try, they just won’t do what I tell them to. My head is pounding. Who’s talking? Where am I?
<
br />   Abraham?

  »»•««

  I’m lying on my stomach next to the pool when Abraham pulls me in. I come up sputtering. “You ass!”

  “Yeah, but I’m your ass. And it’s a cute one if I do say so myself.” His lips touch mine and my body tingles. “I love you, Reagan Nichole. Have I told you that yet today?”

  “Not nearly enough. You should show me.” I stare into his big green eyes with a smirk on my lips.

  “I can't.”

  My face gets confused and the smile leaves it. “Why not?”

  “Because, can you feel this?” He squeezes my hand but I don’t feel it. When I look back up to him questioningly, he says, “I won’t have you if you can't feel it.”

  “I’m so confused. Abraham, what’s going on?”

  He smiles softly at me. “Wake up, sweet girl. You’re not supposed to be here. You’ve got to wake up. You’re still needed.”

  I pull back from him when I see blood start to appear on his forehead. “Abraham, what’s wrong?”

  “Wake up angel. Go put on the white dress.” He points to a black sundress, not white, hanging just inside the glass doors.

  “I don’t understand, Abraham. What’s going on?” He fades away and my head starts to hurt the way my heart does.

  »»•««

  Devon

  I can't do this. Oh God. Not again. “Reagan, Reagan wake up.” The paramedic tries to pull me away from her limp body. When he’s not successful, he waves two firefighters over. They have to add a third to pull me away from my sister and hold me away long enough for the paramedic to put her on a stretcher and load her into the ambulance.

  “Let me go! I’ve got to follow her!” Once the ambulance takes off, they release me and I run for my truck.

  I had been headed to my house after dropping Damon, my little brother, and his girlfriend, Sam, who is also Abraham’s little sister off at Abraham’s where their cars were still parked. I was about twenty yards away when I spotted them. The second I saw the Jeep, a huge black truck rammed it. I watched in horror as my little sister and my best friend were hurled through the air by the sheer force of the truck slammed into their vehicle.

  The driver of the truck fought with the deployed airbags and then sped off, but not before I catch a glimpse of a dead man sitting behind the steering wheel. Chris, Reagan’s psycho ex-boyfriend, was behind the wheel of that monster. Slamming on my breaks, I jump out and take off toward them. Memories of my parents’ mangled car flash through my mind.

  As I run, I see Abraham drop from the ceiling. “Oh thank fuck.” He’ll get her out of the car. I head straight to her side of the car. I’m not sure if she’s aware she’s screaming and sobbing. Her body is covered in blood and cuts are everywhere. There’s a huge gash on the side of her head following her hairline, coloring her once-dark-brown hair red. When the smell of iron hits my nose, the tears start to invade my vision.

  “Reagan! Reagan, come here! Get out of the car, Reagan!” When she doesn’t move, I reach out and grasp her shoulder. Her cry of pain has me abruptly releasing her. She could be bleeding internally.

  She turns to me and, I think, registers who I am. “Reagan, you have to get out of the Jeep. Please. I’ll get Abraham out, I promise. Just get out of there.” She turns back to Abraham and the paramedics finally pull up. Behind the two ambulances are a handful of cop cars and a couple of fire trucks.

  Reagan tries to follow Abraham’s body as the paramedics get him out, but I hook my arms under hers and pull her out the other way. The glass in my hands and knees sting when anything brushes them. She calls out in pain as I drag her, but I have to get her out of there. I can't see her in the bloody, mangled mess that used to be her Jeep. Once she is free of the wreckage and standing on her own, I let her go.

  She runs fast, faster than she should with the state her body is in, to the ambulance Abraham is being loaded into. I don’t know how she is even moving right now. Before she can get there, I catch up and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her away. He might not make it. I don’t want her in there with him. She needs to be in an ambulance that’s taking care of her. It takes everything I have to keep her locked to my chest. The strength that she is showing makes me think of a mother lifting a vehicle off of her child. She’s running on pure adrenaline—otherwise I'm sure that she would be in the same state as Abraham.

  When she realizes I won’t let her go, she yells to him about a promise. Midway through her distraught rant, her voice cuts off. She starts to stumble and then her body gives out. “Oh God! Help me! Someone!”

  That’s when the paramedic shows up and tells me to let her go and to go get my truck out of the way of traffic before there is another accident.

  Once I’m behind the wheel of my truck, I make a quick U-turn over the median and head to the hospital. Pushing the button on my steering wheel, I tell the Bluetooth to call Damon, Reagan’s twin brother.

  “Miss me already, bro?”

  “Get to the hospital!” I don’t realize I am still crying until I speak.

  “What? Devon, what’s going on?”

  “It's Reagan.” My voice shakes. “She and Abraham were in an accident, Damon. It was bad. I don’t know if they’re gonna make it, brother.”

  “What?” I can practically hear the tears in his voice. “Devon, how do you know?”

  “I saw it. It happened right in front of me.” I take a few deep breaths and blink tears from my blurred vision. “Call Mickey okay? I’m following the ambulance. Make sure you guys call Kathy and Peter. And Damon? Hurry.”

  The line goes dead, but not before I hear something crash in the background. God wouldn’t do this to us twice. I hold onto the thought as I race to the hospital.

  »»•««

  Reagan

  I walk down the stairs in one of Abraham’s dress shirts and a pair of my panties that are his favorite on me, to find him making pancakes in his boxers. “Good morning, stud.” He looks over and smiles. I walk up behind him and put my arms around his waist.

  “Good morning to you, sweet girl. How did you sleep?”

  “Good, I had you by my side.”

  Thor and Dozer, our Great Dane and our Labrador mix, come barreling through the dog door into the kitchen. Abraham spins me so his body takes the brunt of Thor’s body weight. “Hey, don’t damage the goods. That’s my baby in there.”

  “Baby?”

  He smiles and puts a hand gently on my belly. I look down and see that I’m huge. What the hell? “Yeah, my baby. Little Miss Adriana Lynn. One more month, baby.” I’m stunned, still staring at my pregnant belly.

  “What, when? I… Abraham?”

  His lips touch my nose, and then he looks me in the eye. “Soon, sweet girl. Soon. You need to wake up. You’ll be with me when you’re ready. You’re still needed there. Go back.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Back where? Abraham, I’m scared.”

  His hands cup my cheeks. “It will be okay, Reagan. You’ll be okay. Keep breathing. For me, keep your heart beating. I love you, Twenty-Seven.”

  He fades away and the warmth in my stomach is replaced with a cold ache.

  »»•««

  Damon

  “And Damon? Hurry.” The phone falls from my palm as I reach for the lamp next to me and throw it. It shatters against the wall. I can't do this again. Not with my twin sister.

  “Sam! Sam, we gotta go! Now!”

  “Go? Damon, we just got back. I need to shower.” She comes around the corner and looks at my face. Her hands fall to her sides. “What is it? What’s happened?”

  Grabbing my keys and her hand, we race out the door as our soon to be ex-roommate, Max, starts up the path. I don’t hear what he says as we run past. Once we’re in the truck and buckled, Sam turns to me. “What happened, Damon?”

  “Reagan and Abraham were in an accident. They’re on their way to the hospital. Call your uncle Peter. Now, Sam.” With tears in her eyes, she finds her phone.
Pushing the Bluetooth on the steering wheel, I dial Mickey.

  “S’up, dude?”

  “Mickey, grab Kate and get to the hospital. Abraham and Reagan got into a really bad wreck. Devon’s headed there now. Hurry, man.”

  “What? Kate, get back in the truck. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Is there anything that I can do?”

  “Yeah, call Aunt Kathy. I can't hear her tears, dude. I’m barely hanging on over here.”

  “All right. I’ll see you soon. And Damon? I’m sorry, bro.”

  “Don’t.”

  I disconnect at the same time that Sam ends her call with her uncle Peter. “Go faster, Damon.”

  I step on it. Images of my parents’ funeral float through my mind. I try to push them away but all I can see is my mother’s and father’s closed caskets through my childhood eyes.

  My vision blurs and I have to wipe the tears that roll down my cheeks away. I won’t do this again. God wouldn’t make us go through this a second time… Right?

  »»•««

  Reagan

  “Baby, it's your turn.” Abraham rolls over and nudges me. “Babe.”

  “Hmm? What?” I open my sleepy eyes and look at him. He hands me the spit-up rag, and I automatically get out of bed and go to the frilly pink bassinette that sits along the wall.

  “Come on baby girl. Let’s get some milk in that belly. And a dry diaper on that precious little butt.” Setting Adriana on the changing table and grabbing a fresh diaper from the shelf next to it, I change her. Once I’ve got her jammies sorted, we move to the rocker in the corner of the room with the Boppy hanging off the side.

  She latches on like a trooper. Rocking back and forth, I hum to her. Abraham sits up in the bed. “You two are the most precious things I ever could have had. I want to still have the chance to make this a reality for you.”

  “What are you talking about? We’re right here.” He shakes his head and walks over to us.

  His hand brushes her long brown baby ringlets and he kisses my forehead. “I love you, sweet girls. Please try, for me Reagan. Try to live on. I miss you dearly. Wake up. Wake up, baby. You’re still needed.”