Summer Heat

by Sanders, Jill

  He laughed. “Remind me to never try and keep a secret from you again.”

  She met his eyes. “Liam, you know I would tell you what your dad told me, really. But . . . I promised him I wouldn’t . . . yet.”

  He held up his hands, stopping her. “I get it. I mean, in the past, when Dad wanted us to know where he was, what he was doing, he would contact us, but this time . . . it’s different. Elle, we need to know something. Please.”

  She frowned, and since she wanted time to think about things, she got up and put her dish in the sink and tried to shove the ice cream into the small freezer.

  “We really do need a bigger one of these,” she said after she managed to make it all fit. She knew what she’d promised Leo, but even though she had loyalties to him, she also had new ones to Liam. Finally, deciding that she could give him and his brothers a small clue, she closed her eyes and prayed that what she gave him wouldn’t put Liam into the danger Leo feared. “He’s in Europe,” she said without turning to him.

  Liam rushed over to her and spun her around. His hands on her shoulders.

  “I promised I wouldn’t tell the three of you anything that was going on,” she added quickly, “but I never promised not to say where he was. Besides, Europe is big.”

  “I’m going to call Owen.” He pulled out his phone, and she could see the anger behind his eyes.

  “Liam.” She stopped him. “He just needs some time. You’ll understand soon.” She felt even more tired than before the sugar.

  Without another word, he left out the front door. To call Owen, she suspected.

  Elle peeled off her clothes and stood under a warm shower. Her skin ached as the water pelted her, and she wished it was a hot bath instead. She stood under the water until she felt a little more stable. The long day had hit her hard, or maybe it was the traveling. Was she coming down with the flu? She couldn’t afford the time off.

  Liam hadn’t returned by the time she crawled into bed, and she drifted off immediately.

  The next morning, her alarm woke her early. She realized Liam hadn’t returned to her bed at all, and she felt even worse than she had the evening before.

  Suddenly, a sinking sensation filled her. She’d believed they’d made it past all the troubles, all the lies, but now she had to keep something important from him. Something she’d promised his father she wouldn’t share with him or his brothers. It wasn’t as if it had been her choice.

  Was he that upset at her now? Why? He’d been the one who had lied first: about his name, about why he was there at the camp. She’d just kept something from him. Something she’d promised to keep to herself.

  Just remembering the fear that had laced Leo’s voice had her shivering and holding on to herself. She didn’t know all the details—Leo hadn’t wanted to tell her everything—but the talk of corporate espionage and the hint that someone was setting him up for embezzling from their business had Elle very concerned for their safety.

  Anyone who was willing to go as far as Leo had described—well, she knew that he wouldn’t have left if he’d believed his boys were in any danger, but what if he was wrong and Liam was in danger?

  She told herself to make time to track him down that day and explain everything better to him. Make him understand.

  Her entire body ached as she rushed down the path to her first class of the day. By the time she entered the gym, a light sheen of sweat covered her, and she tried to get her focus on her body and to become centered once more.

  Normally, by the time the first person showed up for the class, she was back to her normal self; however, this time, a headache had started to form behind her eyes, and she was sweating far more than she was used to.

  By the time class was over, the small ache in her head had turned into a full-blown migraine. She downed a couple of ibuprofen before breakfast, which seemed to have worked, until she got the call from Bob Collins.

  She figured it would be best to have the rest of the Wildflowers in the office during his call and rescheduled it for half an hour later.

  By the time her phone rang, all five of them were circled around her desk. Each with her own list of questions for their lawyer.

  “I’ve gone over the information you sent to me yesterday,” Bob said. “Now, I have to ask this again. Are you sure you want me to handle this case? I’m retired.”

  “Bob, you’re all we have.” Zoey poked Elle, but she waved her away. She added, “What do you think?”

  “Well, like I said on the phone yesterday. It looks like you have a pretty solid case.” She relaxed slightly. “But cases like these are hard to work. I mean, most of them demand the employer to prove they did no harm, not the other way around. Even if you have a dozen people who will swear under oath that this employee . . .”

  “Ryan Kinsley,” Elle supplied.

  “That Ms. Kinsley did go off the deep end. It will be up to you to prove it wasn’t due to her work environment. That is, if it goes in front of a jury. But I doubt it will go that far; still . . .”

  She felt the tension rising again and actually felt her body start to shake.

  “Bob, Zoey here. Dylan suggested we use his family lawyers.”

  “Now, that might be a better idea. I haven’t stayed up to date on anything since I retired. Joe’s will was one thing, but a full-blown legal action—I’m just not sure I’m ready for something this big.”

  “Do you know anything about Baker, Baker, and Nelson?” Zoey asked. “That’s the law firm in Destin that the Costas recommended.”

  “Yeah, I’ve known Chris and Dawn Baker and their son-in-law for a few years. Good people.” Bob sighed. “I’m not officially turning you girls away—you know I’d never do that—but . . .”

  Elle broke in. “Thanks. If there’s anything you can think of that would help us, let me know. I think . . .” She glanced around the room, and everyone nodded. “I think we’ll give the other guys a call now.”

  “You do that. If there’s anything else I can think of, I’ll let you ladies know.”

  After hanging up with Bob, Elle pulled out the card for Baker, Baker, and Nelson that Liam had given her yesterday morning and punched in the number.

  For the next half hour, she filled Jonas Nelson in on everything she could. Owen and Dylan had both contacted him directly as well.

  She emailed the man her witness accounts for each instance as well as a copy of the police report for the gun incident.

  “You should be hearing from my office in the next week. Ms. Saunders, if you happen to get another call from Jeff Springs or anyone at his law firm, please feel free to have him contact me directly next time.”

  She bit her lip and glanced around the room. She didn’t know that Liam had told his brothers about Jeff’s call, but obviously now the cat was out of the bag.

  “I will,” she said and hung up.

  “What?” Zoey turned on her. “When were you going to tell us that Jeff works at Schumer and Cobbs in Pensacola?”

  “I did . . .” she started, then bit her lip. “I thought I did. He’s the one that called me and told me about the lawsuit.” She rubbed her forehead, feeling the pain spread.

  Hannah glared. “You said you got a call from him, but not that he was the lawyer suing us.”

  “Jeff works for Schumer and Cobbs.”

  “Is Jeff still in Colorado?” Zoey asked.

  “He said that he moved to Pensacola a few months ago,” she said.

  “This sucks,” Aubrey said as she started pacing the floor.

  “He’s the one working for Ryan?” Scar asked. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, I call BS on that. I mean, what are the odds?” Hannah asked.

  Zoey stood up and started pacing now. “You know, I bet it wouldn’t take someone long to hunt through our pasts on the internet and find enough skeletons and ghosts to make the rest of our lives miserable.”

  “You think . . .” Scar started. “You think this is just the start of her attacking us?”


  “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Zoey answered. “I mean, crazy is crazy. Just because crazy gets arrested doesn’t stop it from being so.”

  Elle closed her eyes and laid her forehead on her desk, feeling heated. “God, I need . . .”

  “A drink?” Zoey finished.

  “No.” She rolled her shoulders. “Too much sugar. I’ve got a headache.”

  “You need a nap,” Aubrey finished. “You probably didn’t get much sleep last night after all that sugar. We all know how you feel the morning after a binge.”

  Elle would have rolled her eyes at her, but she was pretty sure that if she did, they would fall out of her eye sockets and roll across the floor.

  She allowed herself to be tugged up the stairs and pushed onto the sofa. She closed her eyes as a blanket was tossed over her.

  “If we need you for anything . . .” Zoey kissed her cheek. “You’re burning up.” She frowned down at her.

  “I feel fine,” she lied. “I just need a nap. Really.”

  “Okay, but I’m going to check on you in an hour.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Elle yawned and rolled over.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  By the time Liam walked into the lunchroom, the place was cleared out of most employees. He found Aubrey sitting in a corner booth, reading a book while she sipped a cup of tea.

  “Hey, have you seen Elle?” he asked, setting his plate down.

  “Yes, she’s upstairs taking a nap. Zoey said she had a fever.”

  “What?” He grabbed his plate and stood up. “Is she okay?”

  “It was just a headache—we had a call with the lawyers.” Aubrey watched him closely. “Go up if you want. The code to the door is five six oh seven.” She smiled. “The day we all met at camp.”

  He nodded, then took his plate with him on the way out. He decided to get Elle something to eat; maybe they would have some time to talk things through. He was still upset that she couldn’t tell him everything. After all, it was his father. His life.

  Since he hadn’t returned to her bed last night, he hadn’t had time to finish their conversation. He knew it was petty of him to stay away, but since she was keeping something from him, he figured . . . yeah, it was childish.

  He grabbed a bowl of soup and a sandwich for her and let himself into the apartment, which felt a little strange, since it wasn’t just her space. He’d been up there a few times, but there had always been someone there besides Elle.

  He found her sleeping on the sofa and set the food on the coffee table. He noticed it wobbled when he put the tray down and wanted to fix the old legs.

  He reached down and felt her forehead and instantly knew she was running a fever.

  He walked to the kitchen and found some tea. He made the tea in the coffee maker, carried it over to her, and set it on the table next to the soup.

  “Elle.” He lightly shook her awake. “Princess, you need to wake up and take something for that fever.”

  Her eyes rolled around and finally opened.

  “Liam?” she asked, and he could see her eyes were unfocused.

  He helped her sit up. “I made you some tea and brought you some soup. Take this first.” He handed her the pill. “It’s an aspirin.”

  “I . . .” She shook her head. “Don’t want another one. I . . . had a headache.”

  “Yeah, so Aubrey said. You’ve got a fever going too.” He thought about calling downstairs and having Dr. Val come up to check on her. “Does anything else hurt?”

  She shook her head. “No, just tired.” She sipped the tea.

  “Do you think you can try some soup?” he asked.

  When she shook her head, he asked, “What did you eat for breakfast?”

  She closed her eyes. “I can’t remember.” She sighed and rested back. The cup of tea would have fallen had he not taken it and set it back down.

  “Elle?” He shook her awake again. “You’re scaring me.”

  “Liam?” She cried out in pain as her body began a spasm and shook uncontrollably as he tried to hold her still.

  When she quieted, she lay in his arms, unconscious. There were dark circles under her eyes, her perfect skin translucent and discolored in places.

  His eyes threatened to water, blocking the vision of her from him, so he held her tighter.

  He’d pulled out his cell phone to call for help when the door to the apartment swung open, and he jerked his head to see Zoey standing in the doorway, a look of sheer horror in her eyes when she saw Elle’s pale face as she finished convulsing in his arms.

  “Call 911,” he yelled out to her. “She’s just had a seizure.” He turned back to Elle and said her name over again, wishing her to open her eyes.

  Zoey rushed to his side, her phone in her hands as she dialed. Then she surprised him by running to the door and yelling down. “Get Dr. Val up here. Now!”

  After answering some of the dispatcher’s questions, she asked, “How high is the fever?”

  He didn’t know.

  “She just came back from the Keys,” she said into the phone. “No, just a headache.”

  He held on to Elle as her body started to shake again. He felt tears sting his eyes as her body jerked uncontrollably in his arms. “Come back to me.”

  He held her even as Dr. Val tried to push him aside. She took Elle’s blood pressure and checked her breathing.

  When the ambulance came, he set her gently on the gurney, then followed them down the stairs. Elle’s friends and coworkers stood around, helplessly watching as they wheeled her out.

  When he was denied access to the back of the ambulance, Zoey took his arm.

  “We’re all driving to the hospital together,” she said, pulling him along.

  He sat in the front seat as Dylan drove them to the local hospital in silence. Aubrey sat between them, while Hannah and Scar hugged each other in the back.

  Zoey sat beside them and cried into her hands. “She just had a headache.”

  He’d be damned if he’d let Elle go. When he walked into the hospital, he was angry. At whom, he didn’t know, but someone better tell him something quick.

  “We’re admitting her now, and then we’ll need to run tests,” the nurse told the group. “Until Ms. Saunders is stabilized, and the doctor gives me the okay, you’ll all have to wait.”

  His brother pushed him into a chair, and for the next two hours, they waited.

  He felt like punching something or someone, but since the waiting room had filled up with people who knew and loved Elle, he kept his temper under control.

  When the doctor finally came out, he looked around the room and asked for Elle’s family.

  Zoey, Hannah, Scarlett, and Aubrey all stood up. “We’re her sisters.”

  “Very well.” He motioned for them to follow him into a smaller room.

  “I’m with them,” he said when the nurse tried to stop him.

  “He’s with us,” Zoey added quickly, taking his hand and pulling him into the room.

  “Ms. Saunders has a rare form of meningitis,” the doctor spit out instantly.

  Zoey spoke up. “What?”

  Hannah frowned. “That’s not . . . possible. I didn’t think there were any cases of meningitis in the States.”

  “There’ve been a lot more than you’d think. A few outbreaks, mostly in Washington State, but a few other isolated ones spread out. Her chart says that she just came back from the Keys . . .”

  He jumped in. “Yes, Key West. Did she catch it there?”

  “We’ll check to see if any more cases have been reported there. Where else did you go?” The doctor made a note in the file.

  Liam shook his head, then thought about it. “Just . . .” He felt all the blood drain from his brain. He fumbled for his phone and punched Carl’s number.

  “Carl?” he almost yelled into the phone. “Are you and Candace okay?”

  “Liam?” It was Candace’s voice. “Thank god. I didn’t think . . . it’s Carl. He’s fallen
ill. We had to turn the boat around and come back to the States. We just made it to the hospital. He’s . . .”

  “Meningitis?”

  “How did . . .” He heard Candace gasp. “Elle?”

  “Yes, we’re at the hospital now. Where are you?” he asked, motioning to the doctor for a pen. He wrote down the hospital name and contact information, then handed it to the doctor.

  “Liam, a few of our crew members fell ill. Ricky was the first. We think he was . . .” Candace paused.

  “Was?” Liam asked.

  “He passed away yesterday.” Candace sobbed. “If Carl—”

  “Don’t think that.” He shook his head and closed his eyes on the thought. “They’re going to make it through this.” He said it more to himself than for her benefit. “Keep me posted. You have my number.”

  “Yes.” She sighed. “Keep me posted as well with Elle.”

  “I will. Gotta go,” he said and hung up.

  The doctor had left the room once Liam had given him the hospital information where Carl had been checked in.

  Now he returned. “That information was very helpful. We’re in touch with the other hospital.” He sat back down. “We’re treating her now. As I was saying, it appears we lucked out, in that it seems to be a viral meningitis. Not the actual bacterial version going around up north. She’ll need to stay with us for a few days, and I’ll want you checked out as well.”

  “Fine,” Liam said. “When can I see her?”

  “Not until we move her out of isolation.”

  “What about all of us?” Hannah asked. “Have we been exposed?”

  “Most likely if you weren’t exposed earlier, then it will pass you, but we can run tests on all of you before you leave.”

  “Elle runs a major resort. What about the guests?” Hannah asked.

  Liam hadn’t thought about that, and his heart sank for the bad publicity this could cause the camp.

  “No, the viral version usually sticks with direct close contact.” The doctor wrote something else down in the chart. “To be safe, you might want to warn your guests, but I think if we can confirm that it’s just Ms. Saunders who has it, then everyone else will be in the clear.” He turned to Liam. “I assume you’re the boyfriend.”