“Doctor Amelia Howell. Logan Bradley sent me to tend to Kellan Polizzi.”
Annabelle’s brows raised. She expected the doctor to be a middle-aged man, maybe with silver hair and a slight paunch, not a woman with a sultry, very feminine voice. She whipped open the door and gaped at the statuesque blond in front of her. “You’re a doctor?” She looked like she just stepped off the runway, modeling the latest in high fashion.
The woman held up an ID. Annabelle peered at the name and picture. Logan said he was sending Dr. Howell. She just assumed it was a man.
Dr. Howell looked troubled. “Logan said Kellan’s been shot.”
“Yes. He’s upstairs.” Kellan. She didn’t call him Mr. Polizzi. Did she know him and if so, what was her connection?
She closed the door and then led the beautiful doctor to the second floor. For some reason, she didn’t want this woman examining Kellan. She couldn’t say why. She barely knew him and had absolutely no hold over him. Still, the feelings rushing through her felt suspiciously like jealousy. Sure, they’d kissed. Twice. But those were both good luck pecks. Never mind the fact that after having tasted him, she craved more.
“How’s he doing?”
“He passed out a few minutes ago. He’s lost a lot of blood. We were running for our lives and he didn’t tell me he’d been shot. So, you know Kellan?” She inwardly cringed at her non sequitur and the abrasive tone with which she’d delivered it.
“I do.” No further explanation. Annabelle gritted her teeth and led Dr. Howell into the room.
The doctor brushed by her to his side. She placed a hand on his forehead—probably checking for a fever but it felt too intimate to Annabelle. With a sigh, she pushed her unrealistic jealousy aside. This woman was a trained professional. If she could fix him, that’s all that mattered.
“I see you’ve cleaned the wound.” Dr. Howell turned to her. “You did a good job. I’ve brought some supplies with me, but I need you to go to the master bathroom and find the first aid kit. It should be in a large red duffle with a white cross.” She dug in her small leather bag for a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around his arm.
“Which room is the master?”
“I’ve no idea.”
“Then how do you know there’s a first aid kit in there?”
The doctor turned with a perfectly white smile. Just when Annabelle thought she couldn’t be more beautiful. “Because Logan Bradley owns the house. Trust me, it’ll be there.” Then she slid the diaphragm of the stethoscope beneath the cuff and started inflating.
Annabelle rushed into the hall, checking in the doors as she passed. She really wished she could stop to enjoy the furnishings, but Kellan needed her. One door she opened was straight out of the pages of a little girl’s fairy tale dream. It was magical, with a four-poster bed, pink accents and tons of stuffed animals. It reminded her of her childhood room. She stepped back outside and noticed the double doors at the end of the hall. It had to be the master. It was, and the room was amazing, with two walls that were completely glass and featured an incredible view of the valley below. She found the master bathroom, opened a cabinet and located a large red duffle on a shelf. Dr. Howell had been right. She yanked it down and staggered under the weight. The thing weighed a ton. She hustled back to the room where Dr. Howell was tending to Kellan.
The doctor turned when she entered. “Oh, good. I knew Logan wouldn’t let me down.”
Annabelle dropped the bag on the ground and glanced at Kellan, noting that his boxer briefs were nowhere in sight. Dr. Howell had arranged the sheet to cover his manly parts, but his left side was exposed, showcasing enticing cuts on his hip flexors.
“How bad is it, Dr. Howell?”
“Call me Amelia. The bullet passed through his tensor fasciae latae muscle. His blood pressure is low but steady. I need to get an IV started to replenish the fluids he’s lost.”
“What can I do?”
“You can hold this.”
“Sure.” Annabelle held the bag while Amelia inserted a needle in Kellan’s arm. He didn’t even flinch. Then she removed silver poles from the first aid kit and snapped them in place to create a stand. She took the bag from Annabelle and clipped it to the top of the post.
After thoroughly irrigating the front wound, she stitched it up, applied some kind of cream over the top and then adhered a large square bandage with surgical tape.
“I need to turn him over to clean the entry wound. Can you make sure the IV stays in place?”
“Yes.” Annabelle held onto his arm with one hand and the fluid line with the other as Amelia gently rolled him to his side. Whereas the hole around the exit wound was ragged and torn, the one where the bullet entered his back was smaller and symmetrical. It didn’t take Amelia long to clean the wound and stitch it up. Then they were easing him back down.
She was starting to panic that with all the poking and prodding, Kellan hadn’t regained consciousness. “Shouldn’t he be waking up by now?”
“I added a sedative to the IV so he wouldn’t wake while I’m working on the injuries. He needs to sleep so his body can recoup. Believe me, if he was awake, he’d be bitching about getting out of bed. The rest will do him good.”
Amelia tugged the cover over him and gathered her supplies. “I also added an antibiotic to make sure infection doesn’t set in.”
“Are you going to stop by and check on him?”
“Actually, I’m going to stay here in the Bradley’s house tonight to make sure he’s on the mend before I hop a plane for home tomorrow.”
“You don’t live in Los Angeles?”
She shook her head, her long blond ponytail swaying with the movement. “I’m out here for a medical conference. I live in Indiana.”
It was an amazing coincidence that she was here in the same city where Kellan was shot.
“It was,” Amelia agreed and Annabelle realized she’d voiced the thought.
Amelia snapped her bag closed and stood. “He should sleep for a few hours. Why don’t we go downstairs and find something to eat? I’m starving. I’d just sat down to a delicious-looking meal when Logan called.”
With worry and dread dueling in her stomach, Annabelle didn’t think she’d be able to even look at food, but she’d accompany Amelia downstairs.
Kellan was going to be okay, but the longer she stayed with him, the more chance he could be shot again and possibly killed. Though she’d only known him a few hours, he’d become important to her. She didn’t want to be the reason he died. She’d have to live with the burden that Andy lost his life because of her. She wouldn’t survive if Kellan died, too. As soon as she knew for certain he’d be okay, she’d have to leave him.
After one last look, she turned off the lights and followed Amelia down the stairs. Now that the initial shock had passed, she took in her surroundings. Several pictures hung on the wall. She was drawn to the one in a gold frame of a stunning woman with red-gold hair in the most beautiful wedding dress Annabelle had ever seen. The man at her side was tall and gorgeous, with dark hair and eyes and a sexy, seductive smile. Amelia noticed her staring.
“That’s Logan Bradley and his wife Jade.”
Jade? “She looks a lot like Juliet LaRue, the actress.”
Amelia nodded. “One in the same.”
Annabelle’s head snapped to Amelia. “Really?”
“Yes. Juliet’s her stage name. Her real name is Jade LaRossa Bradley.”
Kellan’s boss was married to an Oscar-winning actress? In the next picture Juliet—Jade—was holding up an Academy Award while Logan looked on with undisguised pride. The next picture was of the stunning couple standing beside an equally stunning couple. “Isn’t that Layla Brooks?”
“Yes. She’s married to Logan’s partner, Luke Colton.”
So both of Kellan’s bosses were married to superstars. Wow. Good to know.
The rest of the pictures featured a beautiful little girl with long black ringlets and she wondered if the room ups
tairs belonged to her. There were also several of an adorable baby boy.
Kellan’s phone rang and she fished it out of her pocket and looked at the display. Speak of the devil…
“Hi, Logan.”
“Annabelle, I’ve got you on speaker with Luke. Did Amelia arrive?”
“She did, about a half hour ago.”
“Good. How’s Kellan?”
“Resting. Amelia stitched him up and said with rest, he’s going to be okay.”
Luke sighed. “That’s a relief.”
“Make yourself at home,” Logan told her. “I’m having dinner sent over, so don’t panic when an older man and woman show up with an overabundance of food. Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez.”
Her stomach revolted. Would she ever be able to eat again? “That was kind of you. Thank you.”
“Kellan’s kept us briefed on your situation, but if you have time, we’d like to hear everything that’s happened from your point of view.”
“Okay. Where do you want me to start?”
“At the beginning,” Logan prompted her.
She made her way to the brown leather couch and eased to the padded cushions. It wouldn’t be easy reliving the last few weeks. “You know that my stepfather left me his fortune when he passed away.”
“We do,” Luke confirmed.
“He’s worth millions. All he bequeathed his biological son was family heirlooms and one million dollars.”
“Not chump change,” Logan noted.
“Not at all, but Robbie—that’s my stepbrother—is in debt for five million, though that number could’ve gone up since he hasn’t paid.” She told them about the conversations she overheard, first at her stepfather’s house and then again at the lawyer’s office.
“Now he’s after you because he wants the inheritance to himself,” Luke surmised.
“Yes. He went ballistic when the will was read and threatened me. My stepfather’s lawyer, Mr. Windham, called security to escort him from the building. Mr. Windham and my stepfather anticipated Robbie’s reaction. The lawyer took care of changing the locks on the house and he had the security company recode the electronic system. He also hired a bodyguard for me.” Tears threatened when she thought of Andy Garvey. “We spent the night in a hotel and the next morning, someone posing as room service shot Andy when he opened the door. Andy managed to wrestle the gun away from the man while dying, and snapped his neck, giving me the chance to escape.”
“A hero,” Luke murmured.
“Yes.” She closed her eyes, recalling the horrible moment when she saw Andy’s body fall. “I was going to call my stepfather’s lawyer, but he called me first. His voice was labored and weak. He told me he trusted the wrong person and for me to not trust anyone, including the police.”
Amelia handed her a glass of red wine and she nodded her thanks, taking a sip. It probably wasn’t wise drinking on an empty stomach, but it didn’t stop her from taking another taste. She placed the glass on a coaster beside the couch.
She told them about driving aimlessly and ending up at the airport, and then the men who arrived and murdered a busload of innocent people. She explained about calling several security companies, but the only one who would take her case without a retainer was Cable Security, and how she waited for hours for the man to arrive, and eventually mistaking Kellan for the man. She recalled how the men found her, but Kellan kept her safe before she took off. Then she told them about calling Kellan to ask for his help but she was kidnapped in the process. After recapping the events once she escaped, she explained, “Kellan wanted me to leave town, but I couldn’t until I stopped by my house and then the bank. I own a safe deposit box with papers and items that are important to me.” Her father’s medals. Both her parents’ wedding rings. Things from her grandparents, whom she’d never met since they passed away before she was born. Pictures. “I know it must sound silly to you both that I insisted, but I just couldn’t leave without the items. I was afraid my stepbrother would somehow access the box and clear it out just to hurt me, or hold them for ransom.”
“It’s not silly,” Logan assured her. “Have you had a chance to retrieve your belongings?”
Dread rolled through her stomach. “Not everything. We stopped by my house first so I could gather a few things, including the safe deposit key, but the code that my stepfather’s lawyer gave me for the security system didn’t work. Kellan called the company and spoke with the person in charge. They said that my stepbrother told them to change the code, so they did.”
“He was the reason for the change in the first place,” Luke argued.
“Yes, and Mr. Windham specifically told them so, but they believed my stepbrother.”
“What’s the name of the company?” Logan asked. “I’ll have a chat with them.” She gave him the name.
“My stepbrother and his wife Vespa arrived. Either someone at the company gave them a heads up or they’d been watching the house. He tried telling us that he had nothing to do with the murders and that he just wanted to talk. Kellan made them leave and then changed the code on the gate. We were inside the house when Bixby, the man my stepbrother owes money to, broke in. Kellan didn’t even tell me the new code, so I’m not sure how Bixby figured it out.”
“Melvin Bixby,” Logan said. “We’ve run a background check on him. He’s a petty criminal, but we haven’t found evidence of current illegal activities yet.”
“I have no idea what he does for a living, but my guess is loan shark.” She took another drink of the wine. It was delicious. “When we entered the house, it’d been ransacked. Furniture was overturned and drawers hanging open. Kellan and I were gathering things in my room when we heard someone enter the house. Then a man called my name and I recognized the voice.” She’d hear that nasally repugnant accent in her nightmares. “He said he knew I was there. My stepfather created a secret room for me when I was young. It’s accessed behind the mirror in my closet. We hid in there while Bixby and his men searched the house. Then smoke alarms starting blaring and the hallway filled with smoke.” She swallowed another lump of emotion.
“He set the house on fire?”
“Yes. We escaped by the roof.” Her stomach pitched again at the thought. “When we were almost clear, one of the men spotted us and shot Kellan. The fire department arrived, so the men weren’t able to follow us. We made our way to a neighbor’s house and ran into the man who took care of my stepfather’s lawn. He gave us his truck to use, and that’s when Kellan called you.”
“First of all, are you okay, Annabelle?” Logan asked.
She picked up the glass of wine and realized her hand was shaking and that the glass was almost empty. “I’m not hurt, but I’m worried for Kellan.”
“He has the best possible care with Amelia,” Luke told her.
“And the house is secure, so no one will be able to get to you there,” Logan added.
“We’ve done some research while talking to you and we’ve got some information for you.”
Her brows raised. Wow. That was fast. Kellan hadn’t been lying. They were good.
“Bixby and his men got away.” She wasn’t surprised. He was as slimy as a snake. “They escaped before the fire department arrived,” Luke said.
“And your house sustained damage in the kitchen where the fire started, and extensive smoke damage on the first level, but the fire department was able to knock it down before it caused widespread destruction.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. It could’ve been much worse.
“Before you can leave, you still need to visit the bank?” Logan asked.
“Yes. I’ll wait until Kellan’s able to go with me.” She prayed God didn’t strike her down for that whopper. She didn’t want to tell Kellan’s bosses that she planned to ditch him and recover the items herself. They’d try to talk her out of it. She’d wait until Kellan was better before she left him. She ignored the stab of sadness that tried to pierce her heart. That organ had no business getting involved in th
is mess.
“We’re going to send another agent out there to assist while Kellan’s recovering.”
“No!” She cringed and lowered her voice. “What I mean is, I would prefer to work with just Kellan. I can wait until he’s better.” She didn’t want to try to escape from two people, one who wasn’t incapacitated from a gunshot wound. She needed to get away sooner rather than later.
“We’ll keep investigating Bixby,” Luke assured her. After promising to keep them updated on Kellan’s condition, she disconnected just as the doorbell buzzed.
Amelia looked pensively at the entryway. “Should we be worried?”
“I hope not.” Annabelle pushed off the couch. “Logan had food sent over. That must be Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez.”
Amelia relaxed. “Good. I was about to dash to my bag and find a syringe full of something particularly nasty to inject into the intruder.”
Annabelle laughed, liking the woman despite her ties to Kellan, which were still unknown. Under different circumstances, she could see them becoming good friends. She eased back the curtain on the window beside the door to see a middle-aged couple standing outside with a serving cart laden with dishes. Just to be safe, she cracked the door. “Can I ask your names?”
“We are Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez. Mr. Logan sent us over with food.”
She opened the door wide and greeted the couple. Though she hadn’t been hungry before, the smells drifting from the various pans made her stomach growl. Mr. Hernandez wheeled the cart inside while Annabelle took the serving dish from Mrs. Hernandez. Amelia helped and soon the ridiculously large island in the middle of the ridiculously large gourmet kitchen was filled with enough dishes to feed an army. Or five. They’d also brought bags of groceries including milk, eggs, fresh vegetables and other perishable items.
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