“I’ve dealt with irate customers, angry workers, and mishaps beyond belief my entire life, but that city councilman’s wife finding him in bed with a prostitute might have taken the cake.”
“I just knew the reporters would show up at any minute while you were picking this up.” I relaxed into the heated seat of the Audi e-tron, a family car, as Dylan had put it. It was a hybrid car, and he really loved it so far. So did I.
I looked at all the bells and whistles as he drove toward Elmo’s, a night of fun and relaxation planned after a most tumultuous week. “What’s this one do?”
I poked at one of the buttons, and the sound came on. “I think that’s the radio, but I’m not sure.”
“At least we’ve managed to escape for a while. I’ve told them not to call us for anything. We need some time away from that place,” Dylan said and reached over to pat my hand. “You deserve some time off.”
“I think I’ll be taking plenty of time off soon enough, but you’re right. A night away from the resort sounds heavenly.”
We arrived at Elmo’s soon enough, and Dylan led me into the place with his arm at the small of my back. I had on that lovely dress he’d bought me to make up for his less than stellar reaction to my announcement, paired up with a pair of flat sandals. I didn’t care what duchesses across the ocean did while they were pregnant, I wasn’t wearing another pair of heels until this baby was born.
I was far too clumsy to let society dictate to me what I would and wouldn’t wear while I carried a life inside of me. I also didn’t mind that I was so much shorter than Dylan. It made me feel like he was my protector when I subtracted the inches that heels gave me. Of course, he always felt like that to me, which was one of the reasons I loved the man so much.
I thought about his reaction when I sat at a table in the bar area. Roxie was on stage, and her performance was mesmerizing as always, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Dylan. He’d been so floored by my news that I didn’t think it actually sank in until a few hours later.
I’d been aware that he might react strangely and hadn’t been too upset when he’d carried on with his day. A little excitement might have been nice, but when he came home with all those gifts, and the image of the puppy, I couldn’t have asked for more, really. Corky was now happy behind the front reception desk with two very happy young women to lavish attention on him, happy as a king from the looks of him when we’d left.
That had taken some getting used to, having a new life to take care of, and he’d given every bit of care back with a hundred times the love. He liked the women who ran the front desk at night, so he was happy to stay there, but he’d be happy when we picked him up later.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Dylan said softly as he sat with two glasses. One had a small amount of scotch in it, and the other my now ever-present ginger ale. It was all I wanted to drink.
“I was just thinking about Corky.”
“He’s something, isn’t he? A little handful of love.” Dylan relaxed into his chair and put his legs under the table. “I’m glad we got him.”
“I’m glad you got him too.” He’d already broken the rules by jumping into bed with me. He’d curl up against my stomach until I fell asleep, then he’d wiggle down to curl up behind my legs. It made me smile, even if it wasn’t the best thing to do.
“At least he’s house trained,” I added.
Dylan looked up, and his face changed; a look of confusion changed to curiosity. “Is that Trent walking out?”
He pointed to somewhere behind me, and I turned to look but couldn’t see anyone. “I missed him. I don’t know why he’d be here, though. Jessi wants to come, but she promised she’d come with me first.”
“I guess it wasn’t him.” Dylan didn’t look exactly convinced, and his demeanor had changed. “I’m still not sure if I trust him, but I try for you.”
“That’s all you can do, really, darling. He did a lot to try to damage you here, and the stuff with me … well, it’s best we put it away, but I understand why you can’t get over it.”
“You’re right. It’s time to let it go. Besides, I have a very beautiful woman here with me, an equally beautiful woman dancing on stage, and a peaceful night ahead of me. If you choose to keep it peaceful.”
I liked the way he teased me and grinned at him. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
I had slowed down a little in the sex department, but not by much. Something about being pregnant kept me constantly in the mood, though, even if I was always too tired to be as adventurous as I normally was. I stroked his hand and watched Roxie perform.
When she finished, she joined us at our table in the dimly lit room that was only a small part of the larger facility that was Elmo’s.
“How are you guys? It’s great to see you!” She sat across from me after a peck on the cheek and looked at us. “What’s up?”
“We have news,” I answered and waited for her to respond.
“Oh, and what’s that, Queen of Mystery?” She gave me that smug look she sometimes had on, and I had a feeling I wasn’t about to surprise her at all.
“I’m going to have a baby,” I announced without fanfare and waited.
“I thought so. Congratulations!” She leaned over, happy and excited, despite her intuition. “That’s just perfect. Really, I’m so happy for you.”
She squeezed my hand then gave Dylan a kiss on his cheek too. “Good for you, sticking around and being a man. Not a lot of men do that anymore, it would seem.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
I gasped at his response, and I knew that somehow this baby would finish the healing that Dylan needed to get on with his life. He would give it all the love he was denied, and to me, that was perfect.
“Good. Now, there’s a new girl coming on that you might want to watch. I found her in a club not far from here. She’s very beautiful, and almost has my skills.” She had on a smirk that made me giggle.
“We’ll watch her then. Oh, can I talk to you for a minute?” I said as she made to stand up.
“Sure, you can come back with me while I change. What’s up?” She blew Dylan a kiss goodbye, and I followed her to her dressing room.
“Nothing, I just wanted to find out if you were still on for that trip to the mountains. Jessi has it scheduled for the middle of August. We thought you might need to ask for time off.”
“I do, and that’s the perfect time. I won’t miss the money I’ll lose being gone for a week, because, um, Nathan’s moving in with me.” She had an expectant look on her face, and I squealed with happiness for her.
“Oh my goodness, Roxie! Are you serious? I’m so happy for you.”
“You’re pregnant, that’s so much better!” She did her own bout of girlish laughter as we hugged and bounced gently together.
“It’s great, but you have love! I’m, fuck, I’m so excited for you!” I hugged her tight around her neck, and we were both talking over each other when I felt something. A rumble beneath our feet, followed quickly by a boom and the smell of smoke. “What the hell was that?”
I froze in fear, and Roxie did the same thing. “I don’t know what the fuck that was, but it can’t be good. Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
“Put some clothes on first! We have to leave the building, and you can’t go outside in that; you’ll be arrested!” She only wore a robe covering her stage costume. She kicked off her heels, put on a pair of jeans over the thong, and threw on a t-shirt over the glitzy bra she had on. I started to cough as smoke filled her room, and she reached for me. The power went off in the building just as she slid her feet into a pair of flip flops, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the room.
“Put this over your mouth and try to breathe through it.” She handed me a tablecloth she’d grabbed from one of the tables, and she did the same thing. I could barely stop coughing, even with the cloth over my face, but I reached up to tie it in place. I needed my hands to stay upright.
We
pushed forward, out of the stage area, and into the bar until we were close to the right wall leading out to the entryway. I’d heard the sounds of mayhem outside her door, but I’d tried to ignore it as she quickly got dressed. Now, the screams and sounds of running feet were hard to ignore. Screams filled the air, and some loud, shrill, beeping noise added to the den inside the small bar. That must be the fire alarm, I thought stupidly as my feet stumbled, and I fell into a woman in front of me.
People rushed around us, screaming words that we couldn’t hear, but I didn’t hear Dylan’s voice. I tried to look for him in the small bar area, but it had filled with young adults from the dance club portion of the place. They were everywhere and blocked most of my view as we slowly moved forward, one body length at a time. I felt parts of people I never wanted to feel on strangers as I fought to stay standing up. Roxie was behind me, and she pushed at anybody who got close to me, if she could. Her hands were planted on my waist, and I was thankful to have that support. Chaos erupted further when another explosion rocked the back end of the building. I tensed and tried not to add to the screams that reached a new peak of intensity.
I’d fought the urge to scream for Dylan in the smoke-filled air. I knew he wouldn’t be able to find me, and I hoped he was already outside. I hadn’t seen him in the bar area, but then, the place was full of smoke. When the explosion rocked the building, I tried to scream for Roxie but couldn’t because my lungs were on fire and gasping for fresh air. I screamed her name harshly through a throat that felt as if it was on fire, as the crowd behind me surged forward.
I was knocked to the ground, torn away from Roxie’s supporting hands, and I hit my head on something hard and solid. At first, the noise disappeared, and everything was quiet. I instinctively wrapped my arms around my stomach protectively and curled into a ball. I felt as if time had slowed down around me, and my brain screamed at me to protect the baby. I tried to avoid the feet that tripped over me and the hands that caught at my body as those that fell stood back up. I tried to flatten myself against the wall, but that didn’t help as bodies streamed by, and I wondered, stupidly, how many others had fallen.
It was utter madness, and all I could do was wait there for my chance to get up and get out of the place. The air was cleaner down here, though it still stank of smoke, and I inhaled it with greed. I shut my eyes and tried to remain calm, but I could feel the wetness of tears on my face, and I started to feel dizzy.
The world began to swirl around, and I fought to stay conscious. Another foot, not as big and with less force, banged my head against the wall again like a racket ball, and a buzzing started in my ears. I whimpered out a sound of pain, of fear, and tried to call out for Roxie again. For a moment, I thought I heard Roxie screaming my name, but it was carried away as the crowd rushed like rampaging bulls to get out of the burning building. I tried to sit up, but the pain in my head increased, and nausea made me stop.
I brought my hand up as the crowd started to thin and felt something wet dripping down my hair. I felt pain in a hundred places, and my head throbbed, as if I was still being kicked. I tried to right myself again, and I pushed up from the floor, but the world tilted on its axis, and I fell over, unable to fight off the swarm in my head.
I couldn’t get up, and I didn’t know how much longer I could stay awake. I had to get out of the building. I couldn’t stay here. It was on fire. Even down here on the floor, the space was starting to fill with smoke. I tried to crawl, I tried to call out for help again, but my parched throat wouldn’t make a sound beyond an awful noise that wasn’t words at all. Every move I made ended up with my head swimming, and soon, the need to stop to breathe became my only thought as smoke bloomed over and over again.
I’d wait for Dylan, I told myself. Dylan would find me. He wouldn’t leave me in here to die, I knew he won’t. I cradled my hands around my stomach and spoke to the baby there.
“Your daddy will save us, sweetheart. If he can find us, he’ll save us.”
19
Emily
Emily
The night was supposed to be peaceful, relaxed, and maybe sensual. I’d brought her here to celebrate the fact that we’d made it through our first week as resort operators, as puppy parents, and as a couple with a baby on the way. The flashing lights of firetrucks and police cars, the screams and mayhem, the smoke, and the fire hadn’t been what I expected to be stuck in.
Yet there I was, without Emily. I’d tried to push my way back in when a stampede of people pushed me out of the bar, but a group of people held me back. When the firetrucks showed up, I slipped back inside. Most of the people were out by then, and the air had started to clear.
I knew the first firemen inside had pulled out several people, but none of them had been Emily. I’d checked every single one to make sure. I hunkered down to the floor, the air was much better down there. Now that the firemen had put some of the fire out, the air had started to clear. I still found it hard to see, and sound was strange in the midst of the noise that still prevailed.
“Emily? Roxie? Are you in here?” I called out, hoping I’d hear at least one of them call back to me. Neither one responded, though, and I kept moving.
I slid along the wall, knocked over a few potted plants that had once lined both sides of the walls, and turned when I thought I was near the bar. I’d slid along the right side of the wall going into the bar, but then I wondered if she’d have been on the right. I looked behind me, but the area was hazy again. I turned around and hoped against hope that she was still in Roxie’s dressing room.
I pushed away from the wall and made my way to the room. The power was off, so I used my phone’s flashlight app to look around. “Emily? Roxie? Anybody? Is there anybody in here?”
I looked around as I left the room and tried to figure out where she might have gone. I tried to retrace her steps and figured out that if she’d been swarmed by that horde of people that had flooded out of the rooms and the dance club, then she’d have probably ended up by the bar, then against that wall there. What had been on my left was now my right, and I fumbled along that area.
I even went back to look behind the bar, but she wasn’t there either.
“Hey, you need to go outside, partner. Can’t have people running around in here. The exit’s this way.” A woman in a protective suit came up to me, and I thanked the firefighter, but I told her I was looking for someone.
“That might be, but everyone who was in this area has been cleared out. We’ve almost got the fire under control in the back there, and I’d really appreciate it if you let me get on with my job and leave, sir.” Her face was hot and damp behind her facemask, and I could see she wasn’t about to budge, even if she barely came up to my chin.
“Fine. Everyone from this section was taken out you said?” I turned to follow her out, and she nodded that giant helmet that must have weighed a ton.
“Yep, if they were incapacitated, we took them to the ambulances over behind the firetrucks. You can ask about them over there.”
“Thanks.” I walked away, the world suddenly very dark, and not just because the moon had hidden behind some clouds. What if something had happened to her, and I hadn’t protected her.
“Dylan, is that you?” A man’s voice stopped me, and I turned to find Trent behind me. “Where the fuck is Emily if you’re here?”
“You fucking bastard, you caused this, didn’t you?” I rushed up to deck him, but he deflected the punch.
“What the fuck, Dylan? Where’s Emily?”
“As if you didn’t know. You did this, didn’t you? You caused the fire to break Emily and I up, didn’t you?” It sounded insane, even to me, but I couldn’t stop the words that streamed out of my mouth. It made sense in the moment, and I didn’t care who heard it.
“Look, Dylan, I mean this as politely as I can, but you’re fucking insane. Why would you say that out loud while people are busy investigating what just happened? Emily told Jessi about the place and talked me into bringing
her here tonight. I didn’t even know you two would be here. Which leaves me with one final question, you utter dolt. Where the fuck is Emily?” Trent had stepped closer to me with each step, and his voice had dropped lower; the threat was definite. I could see it in his eyes but didn’t back down.
“I apologize, but you can back the fuck off, Trent. I’m not threatened by you.”
“If we don’t find my sister alive, then you might want to rethink that,” he growled but stepped away.
“If you two morons are done checking your dick size, I might be able to help you.” I turned and gaped at Trent’s wife, Jessi.
“What? Do you know where she is?” Trent turned around, his countenance completely different when he spotted his wife. It was like watching a dog’s heckles suddenly flatten out.
I had been on the verge of telling Trent that if Emily wasn’t found, or something had happened to her, he wouldn’t have to do a damn thing to me. I’d have taken care of that all on my own.
Jessi made a motion to us, and we followed her. I didn’t notice the blood red dress she had on, or how stunning she looked, all I could do was look for Emily in the faces of the crowd, until I spotted her at last. She was on a gurney, waiting on an empty ambulance to come back and take her to the hospital.
“Emily!” I ran to her, knocked Trent out of my way, which I’d admit later was childish, but I didn’t care at that moment. I saw her face, covered in an oxygen mask with blood all over her.
“What’s wrong with her?” I gasped out as a paramedic looked her over.
“Laceration to the scalp, multiple contusions, injuries spread along her body, smoke inhalation, and I suspect she might have more injuries that we can’t see.” The woman, dressed in combat pants and a button up shirt, with her last name, “Moore”, stitched across the left breast, said to me, “Are you the next of kin? We’re going to need them, more than likely.”
Dark Truth Page 13