The rock under her right boot slipped. Again. She pushed her weight into it to propel herself forward. She’d landed hard when tripping before, but this time her ankle cranked sideways, igniting a whole new fire. This one burned inside her skin, just as intense. Her shin and calf lit up, as well.
Marissa crumpled to the ground, happy to sink into the cool dirt and take the weight off her throbbing leg. She dropped onto her side, clutched the knee to her chest, and pinched her eyes shut in hopes of blocking out the pain. It stabbed relentlessly.
She sucked in shallow breaths with a Lamaze like effort at controlling the ache. It only intensified. She rolled back and forth then slapped a palm against the prickly grass in order to feel anything other than the wrenching of her ankle.
Now what? Had God rescued her from burning inside the house only to let her get stuck in a grass fire?
No. She’d crawl if she had to. Roll even. The river wasn’t too far away. She could roll down the embankment if needed. The cool waves might even bring relief to the blaze inside her foot.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself onto hands and knees. Pain shot through her entire side. Even her stomach roiled in protest. Dare she try to put any weight on the injured leg?
“I got ya.” Strong arms reached around her, and before she knew it, she was lifted off the ground.
She hooked her hands onto broad shoulders covered in a slick yellow coat and peered through a clear face shield at her senior high prom date.
Troy’s green eyes underneath his thick eyebrows peered back. “Marissa? Aren’t you supposed to be in a safehouse?” He scanned the area, his gaze stopping at the house fire. Obviously not safe anymore. He made eye contact again, and one of his thick eyebrows lowered. “Are you alone? Why are you wearing a wedding dress?”
Marissa didn’t have the energy to answer. She adjusted her bad ankle over her good one so it didn’t strain other muscles with the way it hung. It still hurt, but she didn’t have the pit of dread churning inside anymore at the thought of how she might further injure it in order to get herself to safety.
He looked around. “I hope no pictures of this make it into the newspaper.”
A tear rolled down Marissa’s cheek, leaving behind a wet trail for the wind to cool. She couldn’t be sure if she was crying from pain or relief. Probably a mixture of both, but it had nothing to do with newspapers.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that,” he said when she didn’t respond. “I’m glad you’re okay. We’re going to get you to the hospital.”
She looked past him toward the fire engines. No ambulance had arrived yet. She’d rather go with Tandy anyway. Tandy wouldn’t ask as many questions.
She pointed the opposite direction. Toward the river bend. “Can you help me over there instead? I have Tandy picking me up. She can take me to the hospital.”
Troy glanced the direction she pointed. A black Bug sat on the gravel road by a tree. He sighed and started walking. Behind him, his crew held a hose, shooting a large arc of water into the flames. The air hissed and sizzled. Smoke poured into the sky like an upside-down espresso.
“You ladies are sure keeping me busy today. You know Tandy tried to start a fire today too, right?”
“I know.” Marissa focused back on the Bug. The door swung open and Tandy rushed toward them. “But I didn’t start this fire.”
Maybe it was still her fault, since she’d ridden the four-wheeler into town and been seen by Opal’s grandson.
Connor stormed into Marissa’s emergency room, stony eyes daring anyone to stop him. Tandy doubted that Chad Chadwick would even try. The male receptionist would probably be more likely to follow him back in hope of overhearing gossip.
Connor brushed past her to wrap Marissa in his arms. And Tandy had thought being with them during their lover’s spat at the cake shop had been awkward.
She side-stepped towards the door. Might as well go see Randon and Susan since she hadn’t made it on her earlier visit. At least she knew Marissa was going to be okay despite the walking boot she’d have to wear for a month in order to let her sprained ankle heal. And at least the bride-to-be had changed out of the antique wedding dress she’d worn on her escape from the fire. Leave it to Marissa to make a dramatic situation even more dramatic.
Tandy checked on her friend once more to make sure she wouldn’t be missed.
Marissa pulled away from the hug. “You think Trenton did this?”
Connor nodded grimly.
Tandy paused. It was good to know he now suspected someone other than her new employee, Zam.
Marissa gave Connor her puppy dog eyes. Her go-to for getting out of trouble with both Connor and Tandy. “If so, I feel horrible for coming out of hiding. Because then it would be my fault he found the safehouse. My fault he burned up all those beautiful old clothes.”
Connor tilted his head. “Who cares about clothes in a fire? You’re wearing an ugly old hospital gown, and you’ve never been more beautiful.”
Ah. That was sweet. Tandy resumed her side-stepping.
Connor let go of Marissa and spun around to face her. “Where’s Griffin? He needs to track down Trenton.”
Tandy pointed towards the wall. “He’s in the next room.”
Connor strode toward the door. “Checking on Randon and Susan?”
“No, puking his guts out.”
Connor stopped. Held his arms wide, his eyes even wider. “He’s sick?”
Tandy shrugged. It was practically a crime scene reunion right there at the hospital. “Yep.”
“Of all the times to get sick.”
“Hey,” Marissa admonished. “You had your own stomachache last time I saw you. And that wasn’t the best timing either.”
Connor pressed his lips together as if knowing that to defend himself would be to start another argument. “True.”
Tandy tilted her head with compassion filling her heart—for both Connor and Griffin. Nobody wanted to get sick. “The BBQ potato salad sat out too long in the sun. It had eggs and mayo in it.”
Marissa scrunched her nose. “Gross. Poor little Lukey Griffin.”
Connor breezed past. “Well, I’m still going to talk to him.”
“I think he’s connected to an IV and can’t go anywhere,” Tandy called after him.
Connor didn’t slow.
Oh well. Tandy bugged her eyes at Marissa. She could follow or keep Marissa company. With someone trying to kill her friend, she should probably stay and play bodyguard. Though where would Marissa go when discharged from the hospital?
“Now what?” Tandy asked.
“I don’t know.” Marissa wrinkled her nose. “The safehouse is destroyed. Griffin can’t protect me. And it’s not like I could run away from any more danger.” She pointed at her huge boot. “Though you wanna hear something crazy? I’m not scared.”
Tandy blinked. She wasn’t the one whose life was in danger, yet she was terrified. “Why not? You think Trenton set the fire, Griffin will send the deputy to arrest him, and all this will be over?”
Marissa’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “I don’t know. But I know God is keeping me safe.”
Tandy studied the woman who really should be dead. “That is pretty amazing about the secret passageway.”
Marissa nodded. “When God gave me the wedding dress…” She pointed to the bathroom door where they’d hung the gown out of Connor’s sight for superstitious reasons. “He reminded me of the verse where it says He dresses the flowers of the field more beautiful than King Solomon and they never had to worry about where their clothes would come from.”
An interesting verse coming from a clotheshorse like Marissa. Though maybe that’s what gave it so much meaning.
Marissa held up a finger. “If you really read that passage, it’s about fear. It starts out talking about how we aren’t to fear man who can only kill the body but to fear God who has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell.”
That was exactly what Z
am had been saying.
“But that’s where it goes into the verse about how we shouldn’t fear God because God loves us.”
“Hmm.” Tandy would have to think about that a little longer. Because Zam hadn’t mentioned that part.
“Don’t you see?” Marissa beamed. “We have nothing to fear besides God, but He loves us so much that there’s no need to fear Him.”
Tandy stilled. She’d never heard her friend talk this way before. Yeah, pastors said stuff like this, but only from their nice safe pulpits. Marissa had barely survived what was most likely attempted murder. She was living the idea of God’s perfect love casting out fear. It was crazy to see. Like the apostle Stephen forgiving the very people who were stoning him as he died.
“You still need to be careful,” Tandy warned. Marissa’s fearlessness actually made her a little more fearful. And how did the fear of the Lord play into all this not-being-afraid stuff?
Marissa sank deeper into her pillow and smiled at the ceiling. “Remember when the Israelites accused God of rescuing them out of Egypt only for them to die in the desert?”
Tandy arched her eyebrows. She probably would have been one of those Israelites. “Yeah.”
“Well, He didn’t. And He won’t.”
A nice sentiment. But Tandy still wasn’t going to leave her post.
Connor charged back in, followed by the sheriff dressed in a pale blue hospital gown and rolling a metal stand for his IV.
The sheriff’s skin glistened with sweat even while he shivered. “Connor, you need to wait for Deputy Romero to investigate.” What would normally sound like an order, came out like a plea.
“Right.” Connor roamed the room as if looking for something. “Like we waited for Romero to investigate the attempt on Randon’s life?”
Griffin sank into the chair Tandy had vacated. “We are following up on some leads. There’s a process.”
“Great. Keep following your leads. Meanwhile, I’m going to talk to Joseph Cross about his P.I.” Connor clapped his hands together and looked at Marissa. “Where are your clothes, hon?”
Marissa turned wide eyes Tandy’s way. Tandy rolled her eyes. How did she end up in the middle again?
“She can’t wear that outfit anymore,” Tandy offered.
Connor sniffed. “Yeah, I guess the trench coat and hat were a little much. Though they didn’t keep Trenton from recognizing you when you snuck into town.”
Griffin rocked forward in his seat. He gripped his forehead. “Please tell me I’m hallucinating and did not hear you correctly. Marissa, you did not sneak into town today, did you?”
“Uh…” Marissa scrunched her nose. “Kinda.”
“Why?” Griffin flailed his hands, one knocking into the IV stand. The long metal pole crashed sideways onto the linoleum floor, tugging on the tubing taped to his arm.
Susan stood in the doorway looking down at it. Her rose pink hair slid away from her face when she lifted her chin. Concern flashed in her dark eyes. She had enough to be concerned about without having to worry about the sheriff’s food poisoning or Marissa’s fearless escapades. “What’s going on?” she asked.
The room grew quiet as they all stared at the dark circles under Susan’s eyes, her ashen pallor, and the puffy redness around her nose ring as if she’d been blowing her nose a lot. Even her wrinkled clothes hung loosely on her shriveled frame despite the pizza slice held in her hand as evidence of her appetite. Tandy’s heart constricted. She hadn’t gotten off to the right start with Susan earlier that year when she’d suspected the younger woman of killing her uncle, and it made her feel worse now.
“Susan, I’ve been meaning to come see how you’re doing,” she offered.
Susan met Tandy’s eyes, hers as fearful as Marissa’s had been confident. “I’m doing okay. Randon had movement in his right thumb this morning. I think he knows I’m here for him.”
But did Susan know God was there for her? Hopefully Pastor Dave had shared as much. Or maybe Marissa would in her newfound boldness.
Tandy nodded and helped Griffin right his IV stand.
Susan’s gaze landed on Marissa in bed. “Did you trip?”
Marissa twisted her lips at the phrase. “Yes,” she answered, both honestly and ironically.
“She got attacked,” Connor corrected.
Susan rocked backward. Like Rocky Balboa with one too many blows. “Is Cash Hudson out of prison?”
“No,” they all said, almost in unison.
Tandy checked with Griffin to confirm. She’d know if Cash got out, right? Greg would know. And he’d tell her.
Susan gripped the door. “You scared me.” If that scared her, Tandy sincerely hoped she wouldn’t ask any more questions and find out what was really going on. She must not have known about the threatening note or Marissa’s stint in a safehouse or anything other than the fact that Randon moved his thumb that morning, and she’d be better off if they kept it that way.
“There was a fire, and Connor thinks it was arson,” Tandy gave the simplified explanation.
“Oh…” The young woman’s gaze dropped to Griffin. “Were you attacked too?”
The corner of Connor’s mouth lifted as they all waited for the sheriff to respond.
“Worse.” Griffin grunted. “Salmonella in the potato salad.”
Susan studied him as if unsure whether to believe him or not. “Are you still looking for an accomplice?”
The Sheriff leaned forward, arms resting on legs, head hanging as if too heavy. “The deputy will be running the investigation until I’m back at a hundred percent.”
Tandy glanced at Marissa to see how she would take that news as she’d been creeped out by him earlier. She didn’t so much as flinch, so either she’d turned all suspicions onto Trenton, or she really had some kind of newfound peace.
Connor, on the other hand, stood up. “I’ll also be investigating. As soon as we get a new outfit for Marissa to wear, we’re heading to Cross Enterprises to find out more about this detective he hired.”
Susan studied Marissa again. “Are you up for that?”
Marissa’s head rolled to one side. She smiled softly. “Sure.”
Connor rubbed his chin. “She’s on some pretty strong painkiller right now, but I’ll get her home before they wear off.”
Tandy lifted her chin in understanding. Marissa wasn’t truly fearless. She was doped up. That made more sense. “I can take her home,” she offered. “It’s not like I can open for business until tomorrow anyway.”
“Oh no.” Connor crossed his arms. “She’s not leaving my sight. I’m going to talk to Joseph Cross, so she’s going with me.”
Tandy smirked at the idea of Connor having to deal with Marissa when her drugs wore off. She’d be a good friend and help him out. Plus, she wanted to hear what Joseph had to say. “I’m coming too.”
Chapter Eighteen
A dull throb drew Marissa’s gaze down to her ankle. Though it felt like the flesh was being mangled, her foot looked perfectly safe inside a huge black boot currently propped up in the backseat of Connor’s pickup. And she’d thought wearing cowboy boots had been a stretch, though she still had a cowboy boot on her good foot. It sat on the floorboards next to a pair of crutches she was going to have to use for the next few weeks. She’d rather pick them up and swing them at things like a baseball bat.
She grimaced as her gaze followed her bare legs up to denim shorts cut off so high that the pockets stuck out below the jagged hem. Then there was a giant skull printed on the front of a black tank top she knew for certain she hadn’t picked out.
“Tandy, did you dress me?” she asked her best friend who rode shotgun next to Connor.
Tandy grinned over her shoulder. “I did, but those are Susan’s clothes.”
What was the verse Marissa had been quoting about how God dressed the flowers? Today she felt like a weed. “You didn’t dye my hair pink and pierce my nose while you were at it, did you?”
“Of course no
t.”
Connor caught her eye in the rearview mirror. “You look adorable, hon.”
Marissa blinked slowly. If he liked this look, he should have proposed to Bunny. “I’m an urban pirate.”
“Hey.” Tandy chuckled. “That’s a compliment. Except my biker boots would really go better with your walking cast than those cowboy boots do. I could let you borrow them.”
Tandy thought she was being funny, but Marissa did not have the patience for humor. “I would rather die.”
“Whoa. Okay. Though I hope you don’t.” Tandy shot Connor a look before facing forward.
Marissa turned sideways to watch out the passenger side window as the green cornfields flew by. Connor’s parents would turn them into a maze for Halloween. She’d run through a field like that earlier, and it was a miracle she’d only sprained her ankle. While Randon had to stay behind at the hospital, she got to leave within hours of arriving. She should be grateful. But the pounding in her ankle reverberated through her whole body, and she had to let that tension out somehow.
Maybe she should have stayed in the hospital. She’d felt better when lying in their bed.
Connor’s grey eyes flicked toward the rearview mirror again, searching for eye contact. “Are you comfortable back there?”
“I want to punch things.”
Tandy covered her mouth, but Marissa knew she was grinning underneath.
“I really am becoming you, aren’t I, Tandy? Did you sprain your ankle once and never return to normal?”
“Hey,” Connor chided.
Tandy waved him down. “She can have more pain killer in an hour. I’ll handle her until then.”
Handle her? They should be feeling sorry for her. Trying to comfort her. Not “handle” her.
Marissa was the one who handled everyone else. She was the sweet and pretty one. At least she used to be. Now she didn’t even know what she looked like. She had to be a mess after escaping a burning building and visiting the hospital. Were there twigs and ash in her hair? Scratches on her face?
A Latte Difficulty Page 16