Lasting Shadows: Shadows Landing #3

by Kathleen Brooks

  “I know, baby, I miss you too.” She must be hurt more than she thought because Savannah knew she was hallucinating. “Don’t sass me. I’ll give you something to do with that mouth as soon as I get to the hotel.” There was a chuckle. “I’ll do everything your husband won’t and then more.”

  Savannah’s eyes popped open because this nightmare wasn’t going away. The beeping on the monitor sped up as she took in her ex-husband standing at the end of the bed, talking dirty to someone’s wife. His back was to her, but concussed or not, Savannah knew it was him.

  “This won’t take long. I just have to tell them to pull the plug,” Penn chuckled as if he said something clever. “Be in my room and be naked by the time I get back or I’ll have to punish you.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes and groaned. Her head was throbbing. She slammed her eyes closed to stop the pain. No eye rolls. Got it. It might be hard with Penn in the room though.

  “Savannah? Are you awake, pet?”

  Savannah groaned again. That asshole knew she hated that name. She heard a sliding door open and then the hushed voice of a female.

  “You are so good at your job. I know you have a real big . . . heart,” Penn said all slimy.

  “Mr. Benson, your wife,” she giggled.

  “Oh, we’re not married. Savannah doesn’t know how to handle a man. But I bet you do. What’s your name, pet?”

  Savannah groaned again as she rolled her eyes behind her eyelids.

  “Mrs. Benson?” the woman asked as Savannah felt a hand touching her forehead and prying open her eyes. “I’m a physician’s assistant. My name is Randi.”

  “Of course it is,” Savannah said as a bright light was flashed in one eye and then the other. “And don’t ever call me Mrs. Benson again.”

  “Mrs. Benson,” Randi said sternly as Savannah squinted up at the curvy PA who had to be around Savannah’s own age.

  “Get out. Both of you,” Savannah groaned.

  “Mrs. Benson,” Randi said seriously. “You have been in an accident.”

  “I know I was, Randi. And if you can’t follow the simple instruction to never call me Mrs. Benson, then I need someone else to look at me. I will not allow that man in this room. Now leave. Both of you.”

  “Mrs.—”

  “Hand of God, Randi. If you finish that next word, I will lose it. Get out!” Savannah screamed even though it caused her head to pound.

  “Now, pet . . .” Penn said severely.

  “Out!”

  The door burst open and three men raced in looking ready to fight. One was massive and of indiscernible age. He was wearing denim overalls and was shirtless underneath. On his head, covering part of his face, was a South Carolina Gamecocks ball cap pulled low that read “COCKS” in giant letters. Another one was skinny as a rail with a dirty T-shirt that was at least four sizes too large and torn jeans. The third had a ball cap on backwards and a T-shirt with a turtle on it. The sleeves of the shirt had been cut out so that the sides of his ribs were exposed.

  “You all right, missy?” Oversized Shirt asked.

  The big man in overalls crossed some rather large arms across his chest. “And just who are you?” asked the man who ordered all the others around in her dreams. He was real.

  “The better question is, who the hell are you?” Penn asked, assuming his I’m superior pose. The three men didn’t seem to care.

  In fact, Turtle Shirt chuckled. “If you want to measure peckers, you should know mine’s so strong I’ve had a snapping turtle hang from it.”

  Penn blinked. Randi blinked. Savannah giggled. Turtle Shirt winked at her.

  “You want him to leave, ma’am?” COCKS Hat asked her.

  “Yes, please,” Savannah smiled sweetly at the men. “Would you be dears and remove this man from my room?”

  Penn scoffed at her. “They have no authority to do that.”

  “Sure thing, missy.” Oversized Shirt lifted his droopy hem for the first time and exposed a massive hunting knife strapped to his waist.

  “It would be our pleasure, ma’am,” COCKS Hat said with a smirk as he flexed his muscles.

  “Don’t you dare touch me!” Penn raised his voice. “Security!”

  Randi was pulling out her phone and calling someone.

  A security officer ran into the room as the three men started to walk toward Penn, who had darted around her bed to gain distance from them.

  “Thank goodness,” Randi said breathlessly. “These men were about to assault Mr. Benson.”

  “These men are a menace and should be arrested. They are a danger to myself and my wife,” Penn said, full of bravado since a security guard was in the room.

  “I am not your wife!” Savannah yelled even though it caused her head to explode. But at least it stopped everyone from talking.

  7

  Ridge and Granger took off at a run when they heard Savannah scream. Granger flashed his badge at the nurse and practically leapt over an orderly. Ridge’s heart raced, but at least he knew Savannah was awake. And by the stream of curse words being yelled, she was feeling strong enough to fight.

  “I’ll hold him!” Savannah was yelling to Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter as she had a vise grip on some guy’s wrist—a guy Ridge instantly recognized as her ex-husband, Penn Benson. “You grab him,” Savannah ordered as Skeeter distracted the security guard, Turtle winked at the PA, and Gator grabbed Penn.

  “Sheriff’s department,” Granger said calmly as he took in the room.

  “Thank goodness!” everyone in the room exclaimed and began talking at once.

  Ridge ignored them and went straight to Savannah. She held out her hand and he took it instantly. “Are you hurt?”

  “I don’t know yet. I woke up to Penn in my room, and he won’t leave.”

  “Is that right, sir? You won’t leave after Miss Ambrose asked you to?” Granger asked, zeroing in on Penn with narrowed eyes.

  “Those men are the ones who need to leave. I’m her husband.”

  Ridge could feel the anger pulsating from Savannah’s hand. Her mouth opened, but Ridge spoke up first. “Ex-husband for over a year now, isn’t it?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m her emergency contact.”

  “Well, now she’s awake. Miss Ambrose, is it your desire for Mr. Benson to leave?”

  “Yes, thank you, Sheriff Fox.” Ridge felt Savannah relax.

  Penn was about to argue when a doctor came into the room. His head was down as he walked and read her chart at the same time. “Mrs.—“

  “Miss,” Savannah corrected through clenched teeth.

  The doctor looked up for the first time and noticed the room was packed. He shrugged and looked back down at the file. “You have a concussion and some bruising on your knees, but luckily nothing is broken. There’s a burn mark on your neck and bruising on your chest consistent with injuries from your seatbelt. Good thing you were wearing it. You might be able to go home tonight after we get a CT scan to make sure there’s no bleeding around your brain. You just need someone to stay with you for the next twenty-four hours.”

  “I’ll do it,” Ridge said at the same time Penn did. Ridge looked over to Penn who was staring daggers at him.

  “I’ll give these instructions to the discharge nurse and let you sort this all out. A tech will be here shortly to take you to get the CT.”

  “Thank you, William.”

  Ridge turned and saw Gavin standing calmly by the door. “I’ll be monitoring Miss Ambrose from here on out,” Gavin nodded to Ridge who nodded back.

  “Gavin, wonderful. Miss Ambrose, you’ll be in excellent hands with Dr. Faulkner.” The two men stepped out to the hall and looked over the file together as an orderly came to wheel Savannah to get her CT.

  “Thank you all,” Savannah said with a little wave to Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter. “I don’t even know your names.”

  “I’m Gator,” COCKS Hat said with a smile.

  “And I’m Turtle,” Turtle Shirt said with a wink.
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  “I’m Skeeter, missy,” Oversized Shirt said before shooting a glare that promised he wasn’t done with Penn yet.

  “They’re the ones who pulled you out of the car and brought you here,” Granger told her.

  “You all saved my life. I don’t know how to repay you,” Savannah said, choking up a little.

  “A round or two at Shadows Bar when you’re all better sounds good to me,” Skeeter told her as they all nodded.

  “That can be arranged. And I make a mean dessert I know you’ll love. When my kitchen is done, you can count on that too.” Ridge squeezed her hand before letting go as Savannah was wheeled out. “Sheriff Fox?” she called out.

  “Yes?” Granger asked.

  “Can you make sure he’s gone by the time I get back?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Everyone was quiet for a moment as the doctors and the PA all walked off together. Penn was seething. The boys were closing in on him. Apparently they disliked him as much as Ridge did.

  “Gentlemen,” Granger said calmly. “Thank you for your help. You saved Savannah’s life.”

  “It was a right pleasure. She’s good people,” Gator said to Granger before narrowing his eyes at Penn. “Unlike others.”

  “I’ll take it from here.” Granger shook their hands and stared them down until they left with distinctly unhappy grunts.

  Ridge thanked them and promised them all a gift as well. He figured he could buy a keg and have Harper put it on tap for just them at the bar. They’d get a kick out of it.

  “Not so fast, Mr. Benson. I’d like to have a word with you,” Granger said calmly.

  Ridge watched as Penn puffed himself up again.

  “Why didn’t you arrest those rednecks? One of them had a knife, and they threatened me. I’d like to file charges.”

  “From what I saw, you were asked to leave and refused. I’d like to know why.” Granger eyed him cautiously.

  “Why what?”

  “Why you refused to leave when your ex-wife, whom you cheated on and then denied most of the joint assets in a nasty divorce, asked you to.” Granger was so casual in his stance it seemed clear Penn thought he could huff and puff his way out of this.

  “That’s none of your concern,” Penn snapped. He tried to walk by Granger, and Ridge stepped up to block the door.

  “It is my concern,” Granger said. Standing up tall, he suddenly didn’t look so casual anymore. “See, I think someone is trying to hurt Miss Ambrose, and I think that someone might be you.”

  “Hurt her? She was in a car accident! She’s always been a horrible driver. How could I have anything to do what that?” Penn practically rolled his eyes at Granger.

  “Where were you at six tonight?” Granger asked.

  “I was in the middle of an awards dinner at a table of the top financial men in America. There were a thousand people there who can tell you I was there until I got a phone call from the hospital.”

  “Where are you staying while in Charleston,” Granger asked, “in case I have more questions for you?”

  “I’m staying at the hotel where the conference is. It’s one of the best. I should know since Savannah and I were regularly in Charleston. In fact, she’s even been to this hospital once when she got a cut from a shell on the bottom of her foot and needed stitches. If you need me, Savannah knows how to get in touch with me. Is there anything else?”

  “Nope. We’re all good.”

  Ridge watched Penn strut out of the room, wink at the PA lurking in the hallway, and disappear down the hall.

  “He didn’t seem very concerned that someone was trying to hurt his wife,” Ridge said as they watched him leave the ER.

  “He has a solid alibi, and I think he didn’t believe me. I think he thought it was an accident,” Granger said with a little frustration.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means he might not be our guy.”

  Ridge tightened his jaw. He didn’t like Penn, but Granger had a point. “Or that these two accidents were just that. Accidents.”

  8

  As Ridge drove past Savannah’s house and onto the larger, newly built homes on Palmetto Drive, Savannah couldn’t help but feel cold as she saw her house. She could only see it for a second between the azalea hedges. She saw a police car parked outside next to a dumpster that was filled with charred debris. The harsh realities of the past twenty-four hours hit her like a punch to the gut. The fire. The accident. Penn. It was all too much.

  “Where is your house?” she asked.

  “I built a house in the subdivision near Bell Plantation.”

  Savannah watched as the small cottages turned into larger houses on the riverside. On the opposite side, the small lots turned into larger ones with houses far from the road and lots filled with old trees.

  Ridge turned left into a small neighborhood with extra-large lots and two-story homes. There were beach houses, traditional houses, and then a beautiful contemporary that seemed to blend into the heavily treed lot. And it was at this house that Ridge pulled into the driveway.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, looking up at the large windows.

  “Thank you. I finished it last year. It was a design I had been working on since I was a teenager. It just morphed, grew, and matured as I did. Then this five-acre lot came up a couple years ago and I grabbed it. I built the house in my spare time.”

  “It looks as if it should be in a magazine.”

  “It has been,” Ridge said, pulling into the garage and closing the door. He helped her from the car and escorted her into a mudroom before leading her down a small hall and into the kitchen. “My cousin Trent built most of my furniture.”

  Savannah was blown away by the custom pieces, but then they walked into the living room. There was a large fireplace with the most beautiful piece of art she’d ever seen hanging over it. “The art work you have is stunning.”

  “My sister, Tinsley, is a painter. These are some of her works.”

  Savannah knew that name. Her mind was moving just a little slowly. “You told me about her. She has the gallery downtown. I actually remember I know of her work. She donated a piece to one of the charities I was involved with when I was in Atlanta.”

  Ridge suddenly swept her off her feet and into his arms.

  “Ridge!”

  “You don’t need to be walking so much after being banged up. Let me take you up to your room.” Ridge began to carry her up the floating staircase that looked as if she were walking up freshly cut trees. The stairs were raw-cut wood with a layer of shine to preserve them. The handrail was thin and metal so that nothing blocked her view of the gardens surrounding the back and sides of the house.

  “Oh, Ridge, I can’t wait to see your gardens in the light of day.”

  “We’ll take a walk after Gavin clears you. He’ll be here in the morning to check on you.” Ridge walked into a room and set her down. The room was ivory and chocolate. It was masculine yet inviting at the same time. More importantly, the bed looked like a cloud and suddenly she felt very tired. “You’ll have a nice view of the garden from here when the sun comes up. I thought you could get comfortable and I’ll bring you some dinner.”

  “You’ll cook for me?” Savannah blurted out of surprise. Penn wouldn’t even call for delivery.

  Ridge looked at her as if she were slightly crazy. “Of course. I don’t want you running all around the house after your injuries. Get settled and I’ll see what I can whip up.”

  “Thank you, Ridge. You didn’t have to do this. I know you don’t even know me . . .”

  “I want to know you, Savannah. I want to know you a lot better.” Ridge paused after the admission and then gave her a warm smile. The kind where his eyes shone a little brighter, and she was pretty sure she was going to melt on the spot. “I’ll be back with some food in no time.”

  Savannah sighed as she sat down on the bed. She could hear Ridge walking down the stairs as she thought about what he’d said. R
ight now there wasn’t anything she’d like more than to get to know him better too.

  Savannah forced herself up from the heavenly bed and looked around the room. She found the closet and then the bathroom. Inside was a shower with a rain feature and six body sprays. Pure bliss. This was enough to make a woman moan in pleasure just by looking at it.

  Savannah was growing stiff as the stronger pain meds were wearing off. She undressed and stepped into the orgasmic shower. Sure enough, she moaned again as the warm water sprayed her body. She wanted to spend the whole night in the shower, but she also didn’t want Ridge coming up and finding her there.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, sexy,” Savannah told the shower as she wrapped a towel around her.

  “Savannah?”

  Busted. “Um, yeah?” Savannah called out from behind the mostly closed door.

  “I brought you some of my sweats and a T-shirt. I thought you might want some clean clothes. I put them on the bed. I’m going to run down and get your dinner now.”

  “Thanks, Ridge.” Her face flamed red with embarrassment. She knew Ridge had heard her talking to the shower. But the lure of clean clothes and food had her changing quickly.

  There was a light knock on the door and then Ridge opened it, carrying in a tray. “Hop in bed and I’ll put the tray over your lap.”

  “It smells good. What is it?”

  “I whipped up some shrimp and put them over angel hair pasta with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. Is that okay? I can make something else if you’d like.”

  Something else? Was he kidding? “No, it’s perfect. Thank you so much.” Her stomach rumbled, but Ridge was nice enough to ignore it.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked as she climbed into the bed.

  “Tired. And sore. And a little worried,” she finally admitted. “Does Granger think Penn did this to me?”

  Ridge set the tray over her lap and then surprised her by climbing into the bed next to her. “We don’t know. Penn has an alibi, a very public one, for tonight and also for the fire at your house. The trouble comes with two accidents so close together . . . it seems too coincidental.”