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• Luna •

Rising from her bed, Luna smiled as she caught a glimpse of the sunlight hitting the top part of the shade. She felt calmer knowing Amir was nearby. He was in the building somewhere, and she silently grinned to herself, loving how close he was to her.

It was July 4th — America's birthday. She had plans for today that she made weeks ago to watch fireworks with Sarah. But Chase ruined that. However, instead of being sad and depressed, she'll just focus on getting through this day and the time she has left here. Her days were numbered. Amir wanted to see her out of this facility, and she knew he will follow through.

Hearing the doorknob turn, Luna stared at the door as her nerves shook. There was no telling if it was Dr. Kim or a nurse who was coming to pump her up with more medicine or send her to another wing of the hospital.

The door inside her room opened gradually, and she stiffened in her spot. 

Sergeant Decker and Nurse Smith strolled in, accompanied by another guard and Amir. He wore dark blue trousers, a white shirt, and a red blazer, looking very patriotic and devilishly handsome in her eyes. And his hair . . . She wanted to run her fingers through those beautifully styled strains. She even noticed a little Pakistan flag pendant on his collar, which caused her to feel elated at how honorable he was. Truly, one of a kind.

"Good morning, Ms. Carlyle," Nurse Smith said with a jolly grin. "How did you sleep?" 

Luna sighed. "I had a great dream. I was out of here and in the arms of someone who truly loves me." 

She wanted to subtly let Amir know he was on her mind, but she could sense he already knew that.

The nurse clapped her hands together and grinned, then placed them in front of her heart. "I am sure you and Mr. Marquette were happy in your dreams." 

Luna coughed and barked out a laugh, shaking her head. Then she glanced at Amir. Even he snickered a little. "Um, no. Chase and I are over. He is nothing to me." 

"Now, Luna, you shouldn't be this upset with him. He's only looking after you." 

The grip on her sheets tightened as her eyes shifted to Amir. He had his fist balled and looked like he was ready to hit something. 

"This isn't looking out for me. It's part of Chase's control, nurse. He only wanted to keep me under his thumb, and this facility blew that up. I was done with him the moment we were heading to my home on Memorial Day. He took advantage of me. He assaulted me!"

Luna took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before she had a mental breakdown about what happened. She didn't need to remind herself of what he'd done.

"I'm sorry for all that you have gone through. We need to get moving," the nurse told her.

"Where are we going?" Luna asked, tying her hair into a tight ponytail. "I'm sorry for not greeting you," she murmured to Amir. "Good morning, Mr. Khan." 

He shifted his leg and nodded in her direction, bringing his arms to his side. "Ms. Carlyle," he replied, calmly.

She hated she couldn't speak to him, but there were others around and they weren't trustworthy people.

"Now that's over with, let's move on, shall we?" 

Luna's muscles locked up, an action caused by anything that came from Nurse Smith's mouth. 

"What will we be doing?" she asked, quietly.

"We need to take you down to the laboratory for tests," the nurse said while holding her tablet in her hand. 

"Tests?" 

"It's nothing too intensive or painful. Just a check-up." Nurse Smith stepped up to the door, and Sergeant Decker opened it for them to walk through. "The sooner we get it done, the better. You'll have some privileges back soon." 

Luna recognized how Amir stayed in his spot and casually gazed around, trying not to let on that he wanted to chat with her privately.

"Will I be able to see Cami?" 

The nurse eyed her calmly. "Would you like for me to make that arrangement for you?" 

Luna glanced at the floor and back at her. "Please?" 

"I'll see what I can do. Today is the fourth. It's time to celebrate independence and freedom." 

"But we aren't free. Everyone here is held prisoner."

"That's just one person's perspective, Ms. Carlyle."

Nurse Smith stopped where she was walking and took a deep breath. Luna scooted around her and then stood still. A second later, Amir was right behind her back, their fingers slightly touching. The electricity she felt for him from their skin connecting yesterday flowed back through her and sizzled inside her entire body. She sniffed and held herself from crying a little. Just knowing how close her partner was to her was very emotional. 

When they reached the elevator, everyone stepped inside it and Amir stood right beside Luna, his pinky wrapped around hers. Nobody was aware, and she kept my gaze on the doors, trying her hardest not to look up at him. She pondered how many elevators they'll take. One? Two? What floor were they going to? 

She pushed those thoughts to the side because this transfer was different.

Amir was with her.

After coming to the third floor, Luna was led to a medical room and saw Dr. Kim standing inside as he was waiting for her. He loosened his stethoscope around his neck and gestured for her to take a seat. 

"I trust that you slept well, Luna. The medicine I instructed last night should have done the trick." 

She groaned. "Another guinea pig experiment. Something I'm used to, sadly."

"Only you would feel that way. It was merrily something I wanted to try out for you. No other patient." 

Luna shot him a smirk. 

Color heightened his cheeks. "It's not like I don't have a crop of patients who I couldn't give it to. I chose you." 

"I'm sorry. I'm a little confused here. You think I should feel honored or something because I never agreed to any of the medication you shove down my throat or any treatment I'm given. Sorry if you were expecting me to jump up and down with joy."  

He quietly chuckled. Then the nurse led her to the bed. 

"Will you answer one question for me, Luna?" 

She sucked in a deep breath and folded her arms in front of her, eying the staff standing around the walls and Amir standing close to the doctor. "Okay." 

"How do you feel right now? More relaxed, perhaps?" 

"I feel okay." 

Luna leaned back and let him take her vitals. Amir continued to stand back, keeping his gaze on her. He will tell her what she was given later. She had eyes and ears in this place now.

"Well, your blood pressure is the same as before. It's one-twenty over eighty." 

The nurse typed that in on her handheld tablet, and Luna shifted a little and brought her focus back on Amir. His eyes, however, were eyeballing Dr. Kim like he was ready to pound his face in. He knew something and couldn't say it. And using telepathy at this moment probably would work.

"Ms. Carlyle is doing well. It is better than we hoped for with the stress test," Dr. Kim said, skimming the room.

Amir glanced at Luna, but then he looked away. She could see his pupils were red.

"Dr. Kim?" she murmured as he had his head down while he typed something into his MAC. "What kind of test was that exactly?" 

Amir slightly opened his mouth, but he couldn't speak up. Luna knew he was dying to inform her of something he knows but now wasn't the right time. She glared at the doctor, and his expression stayed guarded. All she could think of was what was that man hiding, and how she couldn't wait until Amir was alone in her presence so he could give her the gritty details. 

"The medicine you were given was supposed to help you relax, feel peaceful internally, and slow your anxiety down," Dr. Kim explained. "I expected that you'd come in and have higher vitals. It seems the medicine worked for you." 

Yeah, it worked perfectly for her. She was knocked out and couldn't even remember anything she dreamed about. All she remembered was falling asleep after the nurse monitored her and made sure she ate the rest of her food before swallowing more pills. They were horse-like pills, too. Two minutes after curling on in blankets, her mind drifted away, like she fell into a sandpit in a playground and sunk herself beneath the dirt, not able to pull herself out. 

"Yeah, I suppose so." 

A beep came in from Dr. Kim's phone just as she noticed Amir was about to say something.

The doctor glanced down at his phone and stood up to walk across the room. He pressed a button and spoke into the receiver.

"Hello, Mr. Marquette."

Oh, God. What the hell does he want? 

Amir's features changed and his hands began shaking. Luna could feel his rage flowing rapidly through his veins. Chase had pissed him off. His nerves were on fire and his soul felt like it was burning up. 

Their connection became weary after Chase phoned in. 

Dr. Kim mumbled something into the receiver, and Luna brought her attention back to him. 

"It's taken care of. Everything is fine," Dr. Kim told Chase.

"What does he want?" Luna pondered through gritted teeth.

Dr. Kim didn't answer, which was enough for her. Amir stayed still, but his gaze was sharp with his mouth pressed into a thin line. He then stepped closer to Luna's side, his eyes traveling over her.

"Sure. Talk to you shortly." Dr. Kim hung up his phone and turned back to Luna. "Well, Mr. Marquette has requested something."

"I don't care what it is. He can not come near me."

"He won't have to. Nurse Smith, please walk Luna back to her room and get a breakfast plate prepared for her. She doesn't have to take her medication until later today. Her food needs to settle in her stomach first."

Now they care about when I take my medicine? When I eat first?

"Yes, sir." The nurse stepped close to the door, then gestured with her hand for Luna to walk through. 

As she got up from the examining bed, Luna stared at Dr. Kim and seethed through her teeth. "What did Chase want?"

He stayed silent for a few minutes and then turned toward her way. "It's nothing for you to worry about." 

"Why can't you answer a simple question?"

"Luna, he and I have business to discuss. What we speak about is not your concern. You should go back to your room and forget about it." 

"How do you expect me to forget about that? Chase called you for a reason, and I want to know why."

"I'm sure you do. The nurse and Mr. Khan will take you back to your room, and then you'll be given your meals and medication."

Luna grumbled, giving Dr. Kim an evil stare. She was then taken back to her room and minutes turned into hours. She didn't know how many hours had passed until the door slowly opened, revealing Amir. 

"Moon?" he said, waltzing toward her bed. 

"A, what time is it?" she asked as she brought her legs over the side of her bed.

"We only have a few minutes. It's eight in the evening," he said, reaching for her hand. "First, I wanted to tell you how beautiful you looked today, and I can't wait to wake up every morning with you by my side."

"Me too, Amir."

"And second, it's about Chase. I don't want to go into details now. But he and I met last night at the motel Faisal and I are staying in." 

Her eyes shot up, scattering in her sockets as he continued.

"Nothing happened. I will tell you some other time what went down. For now, I have something important to tell you." Amir took a breath while she swallowed a large lump in her throat. "Chase has a hold over this building. He is donating thousands of dollars here. He's even paid for you to use a sleeping chamber on this floor. It's meant to help people who stay on their feet for several hours at a time and have sleep difficulties. The staff uses them when they work long periods. Your name was on a machine and they gave you a pill that makes the body feel nothing. It can also slow your heartbeat down." 

Luna panicked. What?  

"You could have come close to death last night with that new medication. But you didn't," Amir told her. "I have a plan to get you out. Just get through this day and the conversation you have to have with Chase. Pretend. Act. Smile at him, if you must." 

"What conversation?" Luna growled.

"She didn't tell you. Nurse Smith said she would let you know Chase had requested to speak with you tonight." 

"Hell no. That lunatic will not go anywhere near me." 

"Luna, I hate to inform you of this, but he is still seeing the same woman you caught him in bed with. Nia. He is also keeping you in here. He can do whatever he wants. The staff has you scheduled for a treatment that can make someone paralyzed. He told them to give it to you. It's not FDA approved." 

"Why?" she asked, sobbing quietly. "What did I do wrong?"

"It's because Chase wants you to suffer. It's even written in Dr. Kim's private notes about how he orders treatment plans for you. He's able to control anything he wants because he supplies the funds in here." 

"They can't get away with this."

"I know. I can't make a move yet. I want to, but you need to be freed from here first. Your safety is more important right now." Amir held her hand and kissed her palm softly. "I love you, and you will get free from here. I promise you." 

"Chase started this fight, and I am ready to win this war," she said in a grave voice. 

"I know. But for now . . . I have a surprise for you, baby." 

"A surprise?"

"Yeah. Come on. We have a date." 

Luna giggled as she and Amir strolled to the elevator. Only two people were in the hallway, and neither of them paid attention to what they were doing. 

"What if we get caught?"

"Don't worry about that. The staff has other things on their mind. We have a little time for ourselves." 

"Seriously?" 

Amir wiggled his eyebrows at her. 

As they rode the elevator to the rooftop, the doors slid open, and Luna was welcomed into the arms of Cami. She hugged her like there was no tomorrow. Then she glanced behind her shoulder and noticed Faisal standing near them, using his telepathy. 

Amir took Luna's hand and led her to a spot he set up for them. She looked around, frightened by all the guards and security roaming around downstairs. If they caught the three of them up here, it'll be doomsday.

"What about the cameras?" she asked, glancing at Amir.

"None of them face the exit we just crossed, so the security wouldn't see that we rode the elevator up here. I made it looked like I was escorting you to a medical room."

"So clever," she uttered, smiling."

Minutes after settling on a large blanket, Amir cradled Luna in his arms, her head buried in his chest. A heartbeat passed. And then they heard big bangs coming from the distance. They could see fireworks shooting off and heard cheers coming from a group downstairs.

"The staff had planned to do fireworks out here for some of the patients so they could tell their family how happy they are," Amir explained. "It's mostly a façade to fool the masses. But we know the truth."

"Sadly," commented Cami. "But it feels good out here. Not too humid."

"No, it isn't. The weather is just right," Amir said. "Chase did plan to have Luna to himself tonight, but I created a diversion. He's dealing with a flat tire right now."

All four of them snorted, laughing quietly.

"How did you pull that off?" asked Faisal.

"Easy," Amir replied. "I acted like I was tying my shoe laces and subtly let the air out in one of his tires. About two hours later, Chase walked to his car and noticed his tire was flat."

"That was epic," Faisal said, tapping his cousin on the shoulder. 

"Thank you for arranging this," Luna told Amir, running her cheek against his face. 

"It's no problem. Everyone is on the first floor or at the windows watching the fireworks," he said, meeting her gaze. "I met Cami and smuggled her out, then tossed her narcotic down the toilet."

"Thank you so much for that," Cami replied, gazing at them. "I wouldn't have been able to see Faisal if I had swallowed that pill."

"Yeah, brother," Faisal said, Cami's arm looped through his. "I'm glad I got to see my girl."

"Well, both of you have me here looking after things. I'll get Luna back to her room since it's closer and then I'll come back for Cami. We can stay out here for a bit and watch the fireworks."

"Wow. They're so beautiful," Luna said, watching the sparkly display above them. 

"So are you, Moon."

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