by Jaime Lewis
They had just stopped at the house to grab their swimsuits before they all headed over to Ace and Alex’s for a casual barbeque dinner and swimming. Potter and Tenley were coming over as well.
Cody went to his room, and Alejandra followed him. Autumn used those minutes to look through the day’s mail. Frost was sitting at the breakfast bar, reading through his texts. Autumn had been looking over Cody’s report card she had finally gotten in the mail when she heard Alejandra scream and Cody call out frantically for her.
Both her and Frost heard the terror in his voice and took off to his room.
Frost entered the room first, and Autumn followed closely behind. He saw Cody on the floor, holding his ankle. Alejandra was sitting behind him. They were both crying, but the fear Frost saw in the kid’s eyes told him something was really bad. That was when the sound he heard registered in his brain. It was the sound of a rattle shaking. He looked toward the bed and saw it. Or he should say them. Two fucking rattlesnakes, and they were pissed off.
“Fuck!” Frost shoved Autumn back into the hallway, so she wouldn’t be in danger, then grabbed a blanket that was draped over the back of Cody’s desk chair and threw it over the angry snakes. Quickly, he scooped up both kids, one in each arm, and high tailed it out of the room, kicking the door shut on the way out. Autumn took Alejandra from him, and he gently laid Cody on the couch and started looking over Cody’s ankle. His ankle was already red and swelling. They needed to get to the hospital. Instead of calling 911 and waiting for an ambulance, he decided it would be quicker to drive there.
He looked at Autumn, who was wide-eyed and shaking as she kneeled by Cody’s head, talking to him. He grabbed her hand. “Autumn. We need to move fast. I’m not going to wait for an ambulance. Grab your purse, and I’ll grab Cody. I’ll put him in the back seat of my Tahoe with you, and we’ll call Tenley on the way to the hospital. Potter mentioned she was working today, and she should still be there. If not, I’ll tell her to meet us there.”
Frost hoped to hell the hospital had anti-venom on hand.
“Mommy, it hurts,” Cody cried, then he threw-up all over himself and on the sofa.
“We need to move, Autumn. Let’s go,” Frost barked at her.
They moved as a team and got Cody into the back seat. Autumn jumped in next to Cody, and Frost got Alejandra buckled in and already had his phone out and was talking to someone as he got into the car and started it.
As they flew down the road, Frost met Autumn’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were red and full of tears.
They arrived at the hospital in record time. Tenley was waiting for them at the emergency entrance with a team of medical personnel. They got Cody out of the car and onto a gurney and rushed inside with him. Frost told Autumn to go with Cody, and he would take care of the car and Alejandra. The poor little girl looked so scared. He was scared himself. He knew snakes could get into houses, but what were the odds of two snakes getting in and both confined to one room. And not just any snakes, rattlesnakes. He knew they were around, but it was rare to see one in this area.
“Uncle Frost, is Cody going to be okay?” Alejandra asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
He picked her up and carried her inside the emergency department. “I honestly don’t know, sweetheart. But your mommy and her doctor friends here at the hospital are going to do everything they can to help him.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried. He walked faster, needing to be there with Autumn and Cody. Cody was already a son to him. If anything happened to him, he didn’t think he could survive. He shook that thought from his head. Cody was a strong, healthy boy. He was going to be fine. They got him to the hospital in time. As he entered the hospital, he kept repeating that everything would be fine.
◆◆◆
It was mid-morning the next day. They had been at the hospital all night. Thankfully, the emergency room team had the anti-venom on hand and were administering large doses intravenously into Cody, along with antibiotics, fluids, and a mild pain killer. Currently, he was stable. He was admitted in the early hours of the morning and moved to the pediatric unit on the second floor.
Frost sat in one of the two reclining chairs in Cody’s room. Autumn was sitting next to Cody’s bed. She hadn’t slept a wink, and it was showing. She looked exhausted and was also starting to get a little snippy with people, although he wasn’t going to say anything, yet.
Cody, on the other hand, has pretty much slept since they brought him to the hospital yesterday evening. It took a while to get the kid some pain killers. A snake had never bitten Frost, but he’s known plenty of men who have, and all of them had said it hurt like a bitch. The doctors were pretty optimistic about his recovery. The doctors don’t believe the snake got a “full” bite. Therefore, not a lot of venom was released into Cody’s leg.
Frost got up and stretched his legs. He needed some coffee. He walked over to Cody’s bed, and Autumn looked up at him. He leaned down and kissed her. She grabbed his hand, and he could tell she was hanging on by a thread. He pulled her up and hugged her.
“He’s all I have, Jack. I almost lost him.”
He rubbed her back. “We didn’t, though. Come on, baby, calm down.”
In a surprising move that shocked him, she shoved her hands against his chest and pushed him away.
“Don’t tell me to calm down, dammit. How can you even ask me to do that when my ten-year-old son is lying in a hospital bed being pumped with anti-venom because some sicko out there with a grudge against me decided to put rattlesnakes in my son’s room.” Tears were falling from her eyes. “Terrorizing me is one thing, but going after my son?” She sniffled and walked back over to Frost, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. “Who does something like that, Jack? Who?”
He wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his face in her hair. “I don’t know, sugar, but we’ll find out. I promise you that.”
As he held her, he started thinking about events that had happened to Autumn in the last month or two. Her flat tires, wires that had mysteriously come loose under the hood of her car, the break-in and someone messing with her husband’s dog tags, the cigarette butts out by her car several times a week, not to mention being the car accident and now this. He popped his eyes open. Son of a bitch! Someone has been watching her and targeting her for a while.
Just then, the door to the room opened, and Ace stood there. Frost looked over Autumn’s head and knew right away by the angry and hard expression on Ace’s face; he had some information, and it wasn’t good. Hopefully, the guys were able to catch something on the surveillance cameras.
Ace came over and gave Autumn a hug and kiss on the cheek. He looked over at Cody, who was sleeping soundlessly. Frost could see Ace biting the inside of his cheek. He was pissed along with the rest of the team. They all had a soft heart for women and kids, especially the violent acts towards women and kids they’ve seen in not the best places in the world. He looked back at Autumn. “How are you holding up, sweetheart?”
Autumn sniffled again, and it broke Frost’s heart, seeing her like this. She didn’t deserve this shit. If he could switch places, he would in a heartbeat. He and Autumn haven’t talked about their future like marriage, but he knew it was just a matter of time until they were both officially his.
She explained to Ace what the doctors had told her and how it was a wait and see situation to see if the venom had done any long-term tissue or muscle damage.
Ace then asked Frost if he could talk to him out in the hall. After assuring Autumn, he’d be right back; he started to walk out. On their way out, he passed his mom and dad as they were coming in. His mom went right to him and hugged him. He saw the tears in her eyes. His mom and dad already considered Autumn and Cody a part of their family. “Oh, Jack, how is Cody?”
He hugged her back. “He’s stable right now. We got him here quickly, which was good, but that type of snakebite is bad. He’ll be here for a few days.”
“
Oh, and how is Alejandra? We heard she was in the room when it happened.”
“She’s fine. She’s with Tenley right now. She didn’t want to leave Cody’s side, though. He saved her from getting bitten. She was closest when they both realized what the sound was. Cody managed to push her behind him. I’m damn proud of his actions.”
His dad gave him and Ace a serious look. “I hope to hell you guys find the person responsible for this. There is no way that this was a coincidence.”
“Trust me, Dad, when I get my hands on whoever is responsible, they are going to wish they were dead after I get through with them.” He then started ticking off all of the incidents that had happened to Autumn over the last two months.
Both his dad and Ace were even more concerned and pissed off.
Ace spoke, “Well, you did the right thing by installing the cameras.”
Frost looked surprised. He had hoped they would catch something or someone, but he still had his doubts. “So, Tink’s guys got something.”
Ace shook his head. “The police already have the kid in custody. They picked him up this morning.”
Frost shook his head. “Wait a minute. Did you say a kid?”
“Yep. Seventeen-years-old. Looking for some easy cash. But this kid is only part of the issue. He told the police that a woman paid him to put the two bags in Autumn’s room. How they ended up in Cody’s remains a mystery. When we told the punk what was in the bags, his face turned white as a fucking ghost. He had no clue.”
“Jesus Christ, I hope the police got a description of the woman and any other information that could help.”
“Oh, he’s singing like a canary, especially when they let Potter in on the interrogation. The kid is detailing every job the woman paid him and another guy to do. You were right. All the tampering with her car. All of those flat tires and engine issues? She was behind it. The other guy was also the one who broke into her house.”
“What about her car accident?”
“Potter said the kid was surprised about that, so they don’t believe he was involved.”
“Where do they meet this woman? How does she get in touch with them? Did they give a description?”
Just then, Frost’s phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw it was Nathan? Why was Nathan calling? Unless Autumn called him to tell him about Cody. He swiped the screen and answered.
“Hey, Nathan, I was just about to give you a call.”
“Yeah, but what I have to say is more important. Where’s Autumn and Cody right now?” Frost didn’t like the desperation in the sound of Nathan’s voice. Something was wrong.
He quickly explained what happened with Cody and told him that they were all at the hospital. Autumn hadn’t called him yet, and Nathan seemed a little upset. Frost could understand why he felt that way, but in Autumn’s defense, she probably just overlooked it since she’d been so busy and concerned with Cody and dealing with the doctors and visitors.
“Did you catch who did it with the security cameras?”
“Yeah, it was some low life punk. He said he and another guy were being paid by a woman to terrorize Autumn.”
Nathan swore, and Frost got the feeling that Nathan may have some information relevant to all of this crazy shit happening to Autumn.
“Nathan…what’s going on? Do you have any information connected to this shit storm here?”
“Yeah, I just arrived at Carlie’s house. You know Autumn’s sister-in-law.”
“Okay, what’s that got to do with what’s happening here?”
“I’ve been trying to call her for a couple of weeks to check on her. She never answered, so I decided to catch a flight here. Fuck man. There are pictures of Autumn all over the place. One has a target drawn on her forehead. Some have a knife stuck through them and, that’s not the worst of it. There’s more, but I got the local Sheriff here now, and they are combing through everything.”
“I don’t understand. Why would she go after Autumn?”
“According to the notes we found, she blames Autumn for ruining her life and her relationship with her parents and brother. There’s more, but I’m going to finish up here with the Sheriff and then catch the first flight down there in the morning. If we can track her down, I believe she’ll listen to me.”
“Can you give me a description of Carlie or send me a recent picture of her. I can get it to the detectives and the guys on my team.”
“Yeah, I’ll send it as soon as we hang up. Frost, do not leave Autumn or Cody’s side for nothing.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her, Nathan. She and Cody are everything to me.”
“Alright, I’ll give you a call when I get in tomorrow.”
Frost put his phone away, then ran his hand down his face. His phone beeped with an incoming message. He opened it and looked at the picture that Nathan had sent him, and his gut clenched. Christ, how was he going to tell Autumn that her sister-in-law was the person responsible for everything?
He walked back over to where Ace and his dad were. Irish had joined them. He had been with Tenley and Alejandra and just came by to see Cody and see what he could do to help. All of the guys had been coming and going, including some of the guys from the Bravo team.
“That was Nathan. We got a name to go with the face of the woman in question.” Ace raised a questioning eyebrow at his statement. “And you are not going to believe it.” Frost proceeded to tell them what Nathan shared with him, and he showed them the picture of Carlie.
“We need to get that over to the police right away,” Ace said, already taking his phone out, probably texting Potter since he was at the police station.
“Nathan said the Sheriff in Carlie’s town has already contacted the PD here and have briefed them. But I’ll send the picture to Potter just in case, and he can pass it along.”
“You okay, man?” Ace asked.
“No, I’m not. I need to get out of here for a little bit. I know that I should stay and be with Autumn, but I just need some time to decompress. I’ve got so much shit running through my head right now. And I don’t know how in the hell I’m going to tell Autumn that her fucking sister-in-law is the reason her son is lying in a hospital bed.”
Ace clasped Frost on the shoulder. “I understand, man. Come on. Let’s tell Autumn we’re going to step out for a little while; I’ll call the guys and have them meet us somewhere. We’ll sit outside, get some fresh air, and make a plan of action.”
Knowing it was what he needed, he decided to let the guys take him out for a drink.
Ace had called Derek to fill him on everything, including Nathan’s news. He, in turn, called his buddy Tink, and Rocky, both former teammates of Derek, were keeping watch over Autumn and Cody at the hospital in his absence. His mom was also there keeping Autumn company.
He walked into the room and told Autumn he was going to run out with the guys and grab some food. The exhaustion could even be heard in her voice. She was running on fumes and needed some sleep and food. She hadn’t known he witnessed her breakdown in Cody’s room last night. He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her and console her but knew she needed that time to herself. So instead, he quietly backed out of the room and waited.
Autumn gave him a kiss and hug and told him to take his time, as she was fine. He also explained to her about Tink and Rocky coming by the hospital, and they would wait until he returned. She was a little skeptical about that, but once he told her it was just a precaution, she relented. He knew Autumn could tell he was pissed and needed to blow off some steam, but she never questioned it, and he respected her for it. He loved her so much, and soon he was going to ask her to marry him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Frost, Ace, Stitch, Irish, Potter, and Dino all sat around the table. They were all pissed once Ace and Frost explained who had been behind all the violent acts against Autumn.
“Is Autumn planning on staying in that house once Cody gets released?” Dino asked as he sipped his cold beer. Paul, the
owner of Bayside, heard about what happened to Cody and bought the first round of drinks for them.
“I don’t think so, and honestly, I don’t want her staying there. But where she is going to move to is going to be a challenge.”
“How so?”
“You all know she is very independent. Fuck, if I knew she wouldn’t get pissed off, I’d drive over to her house right now, pack her shit up and find another place for her to stay that was safe.”
Potter set his beer down on the table. Frost noticed that ever since Potter arrived, he’d been quiet. But that was nothing new, as he was known as the silent one on the team. However, Frost could tell something else was bothering him. He wouldn’t question his friend now, though, but when he got him alone, he would.
But then the big broody man spoke. “Frost…Tenley and I were talking last night, and we want Autumn and Cody to move into my old condo. The one on the beach. It’s a secured complex, which is a hell of a lot more than what that sorry excuse of a house she lives in offers. And the condo itself is equipped with a security system.
Frost looked at Potter. “Are you sure, man? I thought you were talking about trying to rent it out.”
Potter shrugged his shoulders and looked Frost in the eye with an intense stare. “We were, but things change.” Frost got what he was conveying.
“How much? I’ll pay whatever you were asking to rent it. I know Autumn can’t afford something like that right now, but I’ll pay you whatever.”
He shook his head. “They can stay until she feels ready to find another place. There’s no time limit on it. It was just sitting there anyway. Plus, I feel like I owe Cody my life. Because of his quick actions, he’s the one lying in a hospital bed instead of my little girl.”
Ahhh…Frost now understood the mood Potter was in, and he knew better than to try and argue. He would accept both his and Tenley’s gratitude with a smile.
“Just for the record, I’m moving in with them. There is no way in hell I’m letting them out of my sight. Not with some lunatic trying to harm either one of them.”