Murder & Mayhem

by T Wells Brown

  Checking my rearview mirror, I noticed an SUV coming up fast behind me.

  I really--truly was not ready for it, when the SUV came right up to my tail and rammed me from behind as hard as it could.

  Chapter 9

  Don’t Shoot!

  The SUV rammed into me so hard my head snapped back and flopped forward violently, but thankfully my seat belt kept me in place. The contents of the car flew forward hitting me, the windshield and dashboard.

  I was stunned for a few seconds and panicked when I saw the SUV in my rear view coming in quick for another hit. I stomped on the gas pedal, squeezed the steering wheel and held on for dear life. I said a little prayer, and hoped that because I was in a small sporty car, I’d be able to out run the SUV. I wasn’t fast enough - but was able to brace before the next hit came. This one felt harder and my back end spun out from behind me. I wasn’t able to think at this point, but could see the SUV was backing off again so it could come at me from the side and this time would be able to T-Bone me.

  I hit the OnStar button and got a disembodied voice, “OnStar.”

  “Nine one one!! It’s an emergency! I am on highway-twelve east bound and I’m being rammed by an SUV! ”

  I could hear a distant ‘fingers hitting-keyboard’ sound.

  “I’ve got you pinged and emergency has been notified. Rescue is on its way. Can you describe the car that hit you? License plate number?” the disembodied voice asked.

  “Oh God! They are coming at me! They are……” I screamed as the SUV T-Boned me. My aunts poor beautiful little Mercedes spun around and around and ended up resting in the drainage ditch off the side of the road. I was so stunned by this that I wasn’t really thinking when I heard heavy footsteps running up to the car passenger side and someone yelled, “She’s still alive!” I swear I heard another voice further away yell, “Shoot her!”

  Shoot me?

  No.

  Don’t shoot me!

  Why?

  Why shoot me?

  What’d I do?

  I cried out as I unhooked my seat-belt and lay down sideways as far as I could over the middle console, just as the window exploded next to where my head had been seconds before.

  My God! They were shooting at me.

  They were really shooting at me!

  I heard and felt several more, bullets hit the car and then heard faint sirens. Thankfully they were getting closer.

  I wondered in that moment if this was the kind of terror Raquel and Antonio felt – or did they even know they were gonna die? Were they just driving along and suddenly they were over the mountain? Or was my beautiful aunt just as terrified as I was in that moment?

  My dark thoughts were interrupted, “Raquel, this is OnStar I’ve stayed on the line and can hear the sirens.”

  Of course, they thought I was my aunt.

  “DDDDid you hear them shshshsshooting at me?” I cried out into the car.

  “Yes Raquel, we heard and recorded everything.” That was the last thing I heard; I think I passed out. I awoke when I was being lifted straight out the top of my aunt’s car. Rescue had cut the top clean off the little car in order to lift me up and out. They must not have been able to get the doors open. I became aware again as two very nice firefighters lifted me. I recognized one of them from the fire at the estate.

  I smiled. “Hey I knnnnow yyyou.” I slurred.

  “You do?” he asked, carrying me to the street.

  “Yesss.” Why was I slurring my words? “You werrre atttt my uncle vineyard fire.”

  His head swung my way and I felt his eyes on my face. I wondered what I looked like that he would need to examine me so long before recognizing me.

  Finally, he must have recognized me.

  “Oh, shit! This is Cabe Brown’s lady.” The firefighter said to the other firefighter who was helping carry me.

  “Captain!” he yelled, making my head hurt even more.

  I tried to tell them I wasn’t Cabe’s, or anyone’s lady, but I wasn’t able to form any words, my headache was getting worse and I started to feel really tired again. I shut my eyes and that was the last I saw until I awoke in the hospital.

  ******

  Cabe’s phone rang while he was working on testing the final run for the security cameras and surveillance in the last vineyard. He’d told Antonio more times than he could count that he needed to upgrade his security, but there was always something else that needed attention first. So, while they were able to see the fire had been started purposefully, he wasn’t able to determine much about the arsonist, due to poor camera angles.

  Now that the security was finished and Cabe would be able to monitor it remotely, he felt ok about leaving the estate and Isabella without too much worry. He had his own business he had left his men to operate, and was surprised to note; had been run well. However, he liked his line of work, and really wanted to get back to it, at least the day to day operations. Cabe planned to leave during the day and come back to sleep at night and still be compliant to Antonio’s ridiculous requirement from the will.

  That old meddlesome man .

  God, Cabe missed his friend. He wanted nothing more than to give him a piece of his mind right about then.

  Cabe smiled to himself, Antonio would have enjoyed watching the turmoil Isabella was putting him through.

  Ignoring his ringing phone, he continued the testing of the surveillance system. He grew even more annoyed when the phone started ringing again.

  Ever since the world found out he had inherited a portion of the estate, he had been barraged with calls from everyone looking to sell farming equipment, people looking to buy the estate, or women wanting to hook up.

  Between that and his nonstop preoccupation with all things Isabella, he was on edge all the damn time. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. And even though he had been feeding himself for the last thirty years, he was still drawn to her like some junkie needing his fix, food.

  Her food.

  Yes, the food was great, the best he’d ever tasted, but he knew in his gut he would still be finding reasons to see her with any excuse he could, even if she was the worst cook in the world.

  As soon as he was in her presence, he acted like a Neanderthal. His feelings got all jumbled up and he felt out of control. He hated emotions. Especially these kinds. These kinds of emotions Cabe hadn’t a clue how to process, and that made him mean. He knew his behavior wasn’t helping his relationship with Isabella .

  He went over and over it and still when he was in her presence, he fucked it up. Every. Damn. Time. He felt like he was on an emotional roller coaster ride, and the real pisser was; he wasn’t sure he wanted off.

  He was sick of it and was looking forward to diving back into his own company Security Deployment International. The first thing he was going to do was participate on a remote assignment…just as soon as he felt safe to leave Isabella.

  His phone started ringing again, annoyed he pulled it out of his pocket to turn the ringer off. He glanced at the screen and saw many numbers, some he recognized and some he didn’t, but the one that stood out was the Fire Captain ’s and he had missed five calls in a row.

  Something was wrong.

  “Yeah?” He answered.

  “Cabe, Isabella has been in an accident. She’s being transported to Harmony Grove Hospital as we speak.” Captain Hernandez didn’t beat around the bush, which told Cabe how serious it was.

  “Serious?” Cabe’s heart was beating out of his chest.

  “Last check she was non-responsive.”

  “Mother Fuuu….” was all Captain Hernandez heard before the line went silent.

  Cabe hung up, and cursed the entire time he ran to his car and sped to the hospital. When he looked back on this day, he wouldn’t have one memory of the drive to the hospital .

  The only memory he would be able to recall were the deals he made with the Man Upstairs to please let his Isabella live and still be in one piece.

  His Isab
ella, because she sure wasn’t anyone else’s.

  ******

  I must have been dreaming; I thought as I came awake in the hospital. I heard a loud roar close to me, and I tried to curl away from the angry animal, but was in too much pain and must have passed out again.

  The next time I woke up for a few minutes, there was some kind of activity happening in my room. I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on but it sounded like men fighting. I must have been dreaming, but it seemed so real. My head hurt so much I just wanted to go back to sleep, so I did.

  When I opened my eyes and saw the sun shining in my room, I knew I was in the hospital and I remembered what had happened and why I was there.

  I remembered it all.

  I looked towards the door and saw a heavily whiskered Cabe asleep with his ankles crossed and head leaning back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

  He was so masculine and always so full of action, but in that moment, he appeared so peaceful. I couldn’t help but watch him and thought there weren’t very many people who would have an opportunity to see Cabe this way.

  What was he doing here anyway? I tried to sit up but my body was in so much pain and my head was hurting, the movement forced out a little whimper from me, that awoke Cabe.

  His eyes popped open and he stared at me.

  “Hey” I said in a scratchy voice that didn’t sound at all like me.

  He looked disheveled and I’d never seen him at this level of disarray: black whiskers, crumpled clothes and his hair looked like he had been running his hands through it all night. It gave his handsome face a menacing look, especially with his light gray eyes looking so hard and cold.

  He didn’t look pleased. It appeared I might be in some kind of trouble with him based on the looks he was giving me.

  I continued to watch him as he sat up and let his clasped arms fall between his spread legs and hung his head low, like he was trying to compose himself.

  “I hurt. Everywhere.” I said in my scratchy voice.

  Cabe looked up at me so quickly and intensely I felt dizzy. He abruptly rose from his chair and came to my bedside. He rested his hands on either side of my head caging me in, and forcing me to relax back onto my pillow.

  “You really fucked up Isabella.” He said in a low deep growly voice .

  Jumpin’ Jezebels!

  I fucked up? Had he not heard what happened? I was lucky to be alive.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong!” I tried to shout but it came out as a scratchy whisper.

  “You did when you got your ass shot at!” He shouted back at me.

  “I didn’t do that on purpose!” I whispered back.

  “Doesn’t matter. Let me spell it out for you, little girl: I have been to war, been in battle, watched good men – no - GREAT men - fall dead next to me, while I had to fight on. I’ve had to play bodyguard to beautiful rich fucking women who would let me fuck them any time, anyway, anywhere I wanted.” He said, in that intense deep growl he used.

  “What the…” I started, appalled at not only what he was saying, but also the way he was speaking to me.

  “But I have never- ever- felt the rage or possessiveness or sheer terror that came over me when I realized YOU, pain-in-my-ass-beautiful-fucking-Isabella were run off the road and SHOT AT!” He finished on a deep loud roar. “You fucked up, because now I fucking care about that ass of yours and no one is fucking shooting at you AGAIN.”

  He leaned in really close so all I could see was his face. “You are MINE to protect and take care of. You hear me? Antonio left you to me to keep safe - he must have known you were goin’ to find yourself in a shit load of fucking trouble. And here we fucking are, YOU, smack in the middle of a shit load of fucking trouble.”

  I was starting to feel like Cabe was blaming me for all of this, but seriously, I was an innocent bystander. I didn’t shoot at myself, nor did I ram my aunt’s car!

  Did I ram my aunt’s car off the road?

  No.

  No, I did not.

  “This is bullshit.” I whispered. I could not believe he was talking to me like this after all I had just been through. He was seriously pissing me off.

  “And then it gets worse. I get here and you’ve got a fucking line of men all arguing over who was going to take care of you. What the fuck Isabella? How long have you been here that you’ve already assembled a mass of interested fucking males sniffing around after you?”

  He was being so mean and I promised myself I wasn’t going to let anyone speak so horribly to me again. I’d dealt with this all my life. It was total bullshit he was doing this to me only a few minutes after waking up from being SHOT AT.

  Jumpin’ Jezebels! He was such a dick!

  I reached over and pushed the call button on my hospital bed armrest.

  “Leave.” I whispered.

  “What?” He straightened away from my face surprised .

  “Leave. I don’t want to see you, not one more minute. I don’t want you at the house and I don’t want you here at my hospital room. You are mean and I’ve put up with mean and hateful my whole life. I am NOT putting up with being treated this way ever again, especially only minutes from waking up in the hospital after being run off the road and shot at.” My voice was hoarse and it hurt to deliver all that, but it needed to be said. I was drawing the line now.

  His face softened and he said, “Isabella.”

  It was too late. I couldn’t move forward with keeping my promise to be strong and make my aunt proud if I allowed this kind of toxicity aimed at me. I would have to deal with this as long as my mother was alive in varying degrees, but I was not letting anyone else treat me this way.

  “You’re awake!” a nurse said, as she entered the room and came straight over to my bed. Cabe stepped back away from my hospital bed so she could get close to me.

  “Can you please make him leave?” I asked. Her eyebrows rose when I said this and glanced back at Cabe as he left the room. “Honey, that fine man has been at your bedside for three days. He didn’t leave once.”

  Three days! I’d been here for three days! My God, what was happening at the estate?

  “I’ve got to make some calls. Do you know where my phone is?”

  “Let me get a doctor in to see you now that you’re awake. If everything checks out, you should be able to go home pretty quickly,” she replied after she finished her routine of looking at the machines and fluid levels coming in and out of me.

  True to her word, the nurse had a doctor in to see me within the hour; after a whole smattering of tests, the doctor determined I was going to be fine and would just need some time to rest and heal. I argued with him I needed to go home. He argued back that he wanted me to stay a bit longer, but if I continued to improve, he said I might be able to go home the next day.

  If he needed to see me improved, I’d show him improved. I got my rear up and showered on my own, (after three days that shower was glorious!) and took my meals at the tiny table and chair in my room instead of the bed. I made sure all the hospital staff saw me walking around (pushing my IV stand with one hand, and holding the back of my gown closed with the other).

  Cabe must have alerted all of the ladies, because the following morning Jenna and Becca came to the hospital with clothes and what they could find of my purse. My phone was toast, but my wallet and its contents were fairly well preserved – enough that I could use it anyway.

  Cabe didn’t leave like I asked him to, but stayed far enough away from me that I could pretend like he wasn’t there, which is exactly what I did. I ignored him completely. He was like a quiet, broody centennial standing guard over me and the ladies who visited .

  Once I was finally released, Jenna, Becca and Terra were dropped at the hospital so they could escort me back to the estate, Cabe actually drove us all but I was still ignoring him.

  The gals had fixed up one of the downstairs guest rooms just off the kitchen with a private balcony for me, because I couldn’t make the stai
rs. It was going to be some time before I would to be able to get up and down them. I was pretty banged up and bruised. Nothing was broken – thank God – and none of the bullets made it to me – again thank God. But I had suffered a pretty bad concussion and so I wasn’t to be left alone or allowed to sleep for extended periods of time.

  Jenna refused to leave. She was so upset that the attack happened as I was leaving her house; she felt responsible. Of course, that was ridiculous, but I liked her there with me, so I didn’t fight her when she asked to stay. We spent most of the time looking at her YouTube channel and watching her do impromptu Facebook lives.

  Jenna stayed with me until Sydney showed back up at

  the estate and got me on the payroll and health care that was set up for the employees. If something happened again, I wouldn’t have to worry.

  One by one all the ladies cleared out, including Sydney.

  I was sitting up in bed wondering what I was going to watch on TV, when Cabe came into my room and sat down on the edge of my bed .

  Great.

  Chapter 10

  Not A Nice Man

  Cabe stared at me quietly as I sat propped up in the bed staring back at him. Finally, he let out a big deep sigh and said, “I’m sorry Isabella.”

  Well shoot.

  Those words were rarely ever spoken to me, not with any sincerity anyway. But Cabe? He was dripping with sincerity…. oozing with it actually. It almost felt painful for him, and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying sorry.

  Sorry to him for having to say sorry to me.

  Jumping Jezebels, my head was messed up!

  “I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did. You deserve a fuck-of-a-lot better, and I need to learn to take care with you and your feelings. To be honest, Isabella, this is where I would normally bow out, but here we are, just getting started, so I am fumbling around like some fucking kid and it’s making me frustrated and you’re catching the butt of it. You’ve been through enough without me making it worse for you,” he said quietly .

  “Okay,” I really didn’t know how to respond to him. “Thank you.” I wasn’t sure what he meant about us just getting started, or what he meant about ‘taking care’ with me, or even what he’d meant about usually bowing out. I was just gonna be happy he was gonna take care, even if I wasn’t sure what, exactly, he meant.