Lethal Affair
Page 37
When she would not relent Drew released her with a swoosh, then stepped back in with the knife poised. Nostrils flaring, eyes like burning coals, he expected her to retreat against Jolene's cowering body. Expect the unexpected Drew! Feeling a surge of personal power and knowing this was their only chance, Kylie stepped into him instead and blocked with her forearm. The arc of his swing went past her, missing Jolene by mere millimeters. With all the force she could muster Kylie slammed upward under his chin using the palm of her hand, cutting his momentum short. He fell backward and hit the hard cement floor with a resounding thump.
The knife was still in his hand. Semi stunned, from his horizontal position he swiped at Kylie's shins. Kylie came at him from the opposite side, dropped down and dug her knee into his throat while Jolene stomped on his knife hand with her stiletto heel. He howled in pain as the knife flew from his grasp, then quick as a flash he grasped Jolene's ankle and down she went, landing hard on her rump, her elbow connecting with his rib cage.
The hose and its nozzle were within grasp. Kylie got hold of it, thumbed open the safety mechanism and tried to shove the nozzle between Drew's lips. He clamped his mouth shut and wrapped both hands around Kylie's wrist in an effort to stop her.
Grunting, sweating, they tussled while Jolene applied her weight to Drew to keep him down.
Gritting her teeth with effort, Kylie wrestled the nozzle past Drew's lips and then out again as he fought against her. His whole body bucked as he tried to extricate himself out from under the two women.
Their eyes met. His feral, Kylie's frantic, pleading for some sign of normalcy.
“Drew!” she spit out between gasps. “Are you in there? Come out for God's sake!”
Then, haltingly, he went still.
The wild chaotic gleam faltered. His eyelids fluttered, his breathing slowed. His eyes so fathomless moments before now stared up at her with fervor, and she saw the Drew she'd known so many months ago slowly emerge.
“Kylie...” he uttered softly.
Tears brimmed as she gazed down at him and saw a vulnerable Drew, a confused and altered Drew. Something inside her crumbled. Slowly she began to move the helium gas nozzle away. She was no killer. He could be taken alive, judged insane and live out his life in psychiatric treatment. She owed Olivia that much.
Now his eyes were pleading. They stared a long moment into each others souls. His filled with a sorrow so intense that Kylie felt it at the center of her being.
He grasped her hands on the nozzle again, this time gently, persuasively, guiding the nozzle to his lips.
She questioned him with her eyes and he answered on a murmur, “You can still save me, Kylie.”
He shoved the nozzle deep down his own throat, squeezing the trigger and releasing the gas. Choking, Drew's eyes rolled backward. His body went limp, the gas filling his lungs, depriving him of oxygen.
Kylie toppled to one side, breathing hard.
“Is he out?” asked Jolene.
Kylie slapped him lightly. There was no response.
The door slammed inward off its hinges. The men charged the room and came to a skidding stop to find the women huddled over Drew Hammond's lax body.
The tank's hose protruded from his mouth. Crane surged forward and plucked it out, then felt for a pulse.
“Is he...?” asked Jolene.
Crane looked up at the four of them now standing in a tight, unified circle.
“He's alive.” He got on his phone to call for an ambulance.
* * * *
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
The all day dual bachelorette party was in full swing.
Kylie and Jolene had been converged upon by female family and friends while Will and Lyle had been whisked away for parts unknown by their counterparts.
The previous week had been a whirlwind of activity starting with an engagement party that had brought all four families together to form what could only be called a clan. The addition of friends both local and far reaching had elevated their status to tribe.
Julia, Tom and Max had arrived and in the company of Max's island play buddy, Bobby, had enjoyed the whale watching tour through the stunning Gulf Islands.
Today's entertainment in Kylie and Jolene's honor took place at the Bear Mountain Resort Spa in preparation for the next day's main event, the wedding itself.
Aglow after a series of pampering treatments, the women now sat in an outdoor mineral pool with wine glasses in hand, overlooking the splendid greenery of Bear Mountain's golf course surrounded by dense forest.
Fully relaxed for the first time in months, Kylie watched as far down the fairway a deer poked her head out of the woods, tentatively sniffing the afternoon breeze. Deeming it safe the doe stepped out, followed by two spindle legged fawns that had been born that summer and were now forming their winter coats. They began to graze on the more lush grasses at the edge of the course.
“I want two I think,” she said absently, then realized she'd spoken out loud.
Will's mother Nina followed Kylie's gaze down the fairway. “Two's a good number. When the time is right. Planned parenthood works best.”
“We already have two kids,” Jolene dead panned. With everyone gaping, “Their names are Dino and Cookie.”
Jolene's mother Shawna yanked on her daughter's curls. “I guess we're in for a big family.”
Rita had been busy making clandestine arrangements. She bounced onto the scene wearing a robe and a huge grin.
“They're ready for you now ladies.” Curious but knowing better than to ask, Kylie and Jolene emerged reluctantly from the pool and were wrapped in heated fuzzy bathrobes. “You're getting the salon treatment now. All the bells and whistles.”
“Oh Mom, this is...”
“...your special time. So don't say another word, just enjoy. We promise not to get drunk while we wait. Still a long evening ahead of us.”
Ensconced in the salon, Kylie and Jolene underwent transformations while the ladies transferred to a twelve person hot tub bubbling with eucalyptus oil scented water.
Inevitably the subject of Drew Hammond came up.
“What was his final diagnosis?” asked Julia, easing down into the water.
“He suffered a form of hypoxia,” explained Lydia, “the result of oxygen deprivation. The helium itself wasn't the culprit but rather the lack of oxygen to his brain. In layman's terms, he's brain damaged. He has retained some of his motor skills but his ability to communicate is compromised.” She let out a long, satisfying sigh. “His neurosurgeon told me he'll never be fully cognizant again.”
“Best place for him then,” came Eileen's opinion as she luxuriated in the bubbly tub. “He's inside his own head and can't come out to play.”
Rita raised her glass. “Well put!”
“Where will they send him?” asked Millie, looking youthful and svelte.
“Some high security mental institution I imagine,” said Lydia. “But why are we talking about something so unworthy of this day?” She raised her glass. “To our girls and their bright futures.”
Everyone toasted, fully aware that they'd come close to losing them, grateful that their ordeal was finally over.
*
Wedding day jitters didn't kick in until Kylie and Jolene stood poised, hand in hand, at the base of the flower strewn aisle.
Kylie squeezed Jolene's hand. “It's happening. We're doing this. Is it real?”
Jolene's eyes glittered with excitement. “It's a real life fairytale. And we get to live it.”
They stood out of sight of the grooms who were waiting to receive them up ahead. Missy Saunders and Olivia Hammond had become fast friends and they'd joined forces to decorate. Quietly elegant in tones of ivory and pale gold, the little country church with its spire and stained glass panes casting sunlit hues upon the ceremony was filled to the brim with well wishers and probably a few wedding crashers too, but no one cared; this was their day.
The soft guitar strains began and Joe Lambert s
tepped forward to deliver his daughter into the hands of her suitor. Behind them, Nathan Sparta took up Jolene's arm and the four began their procession.
Will and Lyle stood in front of the altar fully decked out in tuxedos complete with red cummerbunds.
When Kylie came into view Will's breath caught in his throat. The love of his life seemed to glide onto the carpet of strewn flower petals, and with each advancing step, ever deeper into his soul. He searched his mind for the tiniest niggling doubt and found none. They had a clear road ahead with nothing left to taunt their every waking moment. The sight of her now filled him with a profound joy. She was right for him, an exact fit, a woman who met adversity head on and came out stronger on the other side. He knew he could count on her and she on him, no matter how hard life slapped them down or challenged their love.
Seeing her now as she floated toward him, her face radiant with committed love, if ever he felt like spilling tears it was now, because he'd never expected to experience such fierce loyalty and absolute adoration for another human being.
Beside him, Lyle's intake of air was audible as he took in the vision of Jolene coming up behind Kylie. They wore similar ivory gowns with pearl encrusted bodices and narrow, flowing skirts. No frills, no lace, no fuss; just simple elegance. Each held a nosegay fashioned by Valley Farms, Kylie's a clutch of violets the exact shade of her eyes, Jolene's a bundle of tiny pink rose buds.
A tuxedo clad Max appeared at Will's side as did a well behaved Dino, groomed to the hilt and wearing a specially made collar with a heart shaped charm. At Lyle's side appeared one of his little nieces, Ariana, in a sweet little lavender dress, along with Cookie, who wore a collar and dangling charm that matched Dino's. Catching sight of them, Kylie silently sent out kudos to Vickie Stillwater for training them to respond to each child's hand signals.
All four now faced the preacher. When it came time for the rings, Max and Ariana opened the charms on the dogs' collars, extracted one set of rings each, and presented them flawlessly.
Vows spoken, the ritual complete, the two married couples sealed their fates with a kiss and a promise that marked the beginning of their united, unfettered lives together.
THE END
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A note from Noelle Hart: Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer. Much appreciated!
Lethal Affair starts off the Lethal series. Look for Lethal Link followed by Lethal Reunion at your favorite retailer. Each book stands on its own with a common thread uniting all three stories to form an intriguing trilogy.