"The online version always prints that stuff the day before. I'd been scanning all the bridal notices for weeks, so when we finally saw the article, the rest was easy. DeAngelo's Bakery was in a perfect location with the apartment building directly across the street. It would have been too hard for Pat to try something while you were inside your own shop. There was no place for him to hide because there were only single units and duplexes across from your bakery. Too easy for him to be spotted."
"Pat had his picks ready in case he needed to break into the vacant apartment," she continued. "Turns out he didn't even have to use them. That bozo landlord forgot to lock the unit after he showed me the place the day before. It was as if someone was sending us a message of sorts. All Pat had to do was wait around until you and Mike came in." Her face became suffused with anger. "Then that Walston chick walked right into his path and ruined everything."
We were approaching the next exit when the wonderful sound of a police siren hit my ears. I glimpsed a cop car in my side mirror—no—two, three cars. They were gaining on us rapidly. Mitzi glanced into the rearview mirror, and I saw her suck in a sharp breath. Instead of slowing down, she pushed the pedal to the floor, veering the flying car toward the next exit on the Thruway.
"Guess we'll both die today," she said casually.
This woman might have a death wish, but I'd be damned if she was going to take me along with her. What had happened to her fiancé was a horrible, unfortunate accident, but I was not to blame. As she approached the traffic light in front of us that had already turned red, it was obvious she had no intention of stopping. In a sudden fit of anger, I lifted my left arm and knocked the gun from her hand. It discharged, sending a shot through my side window and shattering it.
Mitzi shrieked and let go of the wheel then turned her full-fledged rage on me. There was no time to think, and my first reaction was to punch her in the side of the head as hard as I could. Her body went limp against the back of the seat. I grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and pulled hard on the emergency brake which was within my grasp, having no way to reach the floor brake in time. The car made a loud screeching sound and skidded across the road from the exit ramp, where a small convenience store was located. I let out a piercing scream. The car had slowed some, but there was no way to stop it completely in time, and we sailed toward the glass storefront. People who were walking in front of the building saw us coming and jumped out of the way screaming. The vehicle crashed through the plate glass window, forcing our airbags to inflate with a loud popping sound. The world went still and dark, and the sunlight disappeared from my range of vision.
The impact had bounced me against the doorjamb on the passenger side, and my head was now ringing with the sharp pain. I struggled to free myself from the crush of the airbags. Claustrophobia was starting to set in as I clawed at the bag. As I was fighting my way through, the car door opened, and Brian stared down at me in astonishment.
"What the hell happened?" He knelt beside the car.
I was shaking uncontrollably as my heart hammered against the wall of my chest. Then the floodgates opened, and I started to bawl like a baby. It had all been too much to absorb this week and had finally come to a head for me. Brian looked me over without comment and let out a small ragged sigh, the emotion showing on his usually expressionless cop face as he gently patted my arm.
"You're okay, Sally." Brian spoke softly. "You've got some bruises on your face and a cut lip, but they don't appear serious. We'll have an EMT check you out as soon as they can. Looks like someone else took the brunt of the crash."
Adam was at the other side of the vehicle freeing Mitzi from her seat and the airbag. Her face was a mess of blood and contusions, and she moaned in obvious pain. An EMT appeared from nowhere and started administering first aid to her.
I tried to stand on my own, but my legs were wobbly, and my right knee where I had banged into the doorjamb felt as if it was on fire.
Brian shook his head at me and gently pushed me back into the seat. "No, Sally. Stay here until the EMT examines you. You're dazed from the accident, and you need to stay still."
"H-how did you find us?" I asked weakly and noticed for the first time a crowd of people—perhaps customers—who had gathered near the car. They shouted and pointed at the vehicle. Shards of glass surrounded my car, and from what I could tell of the smashed front end, it appeared that the vehicle was totaled. On the bright side, I was still here to tell the tale and beyond grateful that my life had been spared.
"Your voicemail message," Brian said. "It didn't disconnect when you stopped talking. We were able to trace you from it. Plus, Mitzi was overheard on the phone saying that she was taking you to Niagara Falls. We assumed you'd take the Thruway and put out an APB for your vehicle hoping that was the one you guys were riding in. I phoned Mike on the way too."
I winced inwardly. He must be going out of his mind. "What did he say?"
Brian cocked an eyebrow at me. "It's not what he said, it's how he said it. He started shouting and said he was getting on the Thruway immediately."
Adam had joined us. "I called Mike a minute ago to let him know you were okay and what exit we are at," he said. "My guess is that he'll be here soon."
I looked around again at the people gawking and saw another ambulance with flashing lights arriving at the scene. "W-was anyone…" Suddenly I was having difficulty talking. The adrenaline had left my body and exhaustion was quickly taking over.
An EMT rushed over to me. "Are you having pain anywhere, ma'am?"
I brought a hand to my head. "I think there's a bump where I hit it against the door. My knee is hurting too."
Thankfully I had worn sweats that day, so he was easily able to roll the pant leg up and examine it. The entire kneecap was an angry red and bleeding. "Looks like you're going to have a bad bruise tomorrow, but it doesn't appear to be broken."
I looked at Brian again. "What I meant to say, is everyone—"
"No one else was hurt," Adam said.
The EMT examined the bump on my head. "You should let us take you to the hospital, ma'am, to be on the safe side."
My head was throbbing, and my body ached all over. "No, it's not necessary."
Brian raised an eyebrow at me. "It is necessary."
I pointed to the ambulance that Mitzi was being loaded into. "Is she all right?" Really, I didn't actually care.
"She's conscious, although I'm unsure about the severity of her injuries. Regardless, she'll be treated and then carted off to a pleasant jail cell," Brian said. "She really had that officer in Vermont fooled. He was thinking about asking her out."
I shuddered visibly. "Brian, if there's one thing that I've learned, crazy people often appear saner than normal ones do."
He nodded. "Yeah, you've seen more than your share. That's for sure."
Something made me look up, and I saw Mike pushing his way through the crowd toward us. His eyes met mine, and the expression I read in them was at first terror and then relief. Brian also saw him coming and moved away as he sank down next to me and pulled me into his arms. For an entire minute he said nothing as he continued to hold me. I suspected he was trying to get his emotions in check.
Mike stroked my hair softly. "Thank God," he whispered.
"I'm okay," I managed to say against his chest.
He released me and examined my face and arms with an anxious frown. "You look like you've been through a war."
"She has," Adam said. "But her assailant looks much worse. Hey, Sally, you didn't answer my question. How'd you get the wheel away from Mitzi?"
"I knocked the gun out of Mitzi's hand and punched her in the head." I shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.
Brian and Adam both looked thunderstruck, and then slow grins spread across their faces.
"Wait a second," Brian said. "You punched someone? Sorry, but I can't see it."
Mike rubbed my shoulders. "That's my girl."
"My life was at stake. I had no choice,
" I said. "When fear hurts you, conquer it, and defeat it."
A flicker of amusement crossed Mike's beautiful eyes. "That sounds like it would make a great fortune cookie message."
I smiled but said nothing.
CHAPTER TWENTY
After the EMT had checked me out, they again suggested that I go to the hospital for some routine tests on my head. Mike drove me himself, despite my initial protests. We went back to Colwestern and the local hospital there. Once inside, a doctor examined me in the emergency room. I winced when he touched the knee I'd bumped that was still bleeding some.
"You're a lucky girl," he commented. "Very fortunate. I'll have the nurse grab you a new bandage for that knee."
When the doctor had left the room, Mike winked at me. "Is it my imagination, or did that seem like another play on words with fortune cookie messages?"
I laughed. "Yeah, I put the doctor up to it. Maybe those messages are finally getting to you too."
He shook his head. "Not possible."
At that moment the door opened, and Ally poked her head in. She was dressed in pink scrubs and had a patient's chart in her hands.
"Hi, Sal." The color rose in her cheeks, and she smiled. "I'm glad to hear you're okay."
"Thanks," I said.
Ally waved the bandage in her hands. "I saw Dr. Thorn, and he asked me to bandage your knee. I—uh, well, I was hoping that we could talk." She glanced shyly at Mike.
Mike seemed to understand her request for privacy and released my hand. "I have a call to make, so I'll leave you two ladies alone for a minute. Be right back, princess."
Ally bandaged my knee, and I rolled the leg of my sweatpants back down. She picked up her chart again and then forced her gaze to meet mine. "Sal, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted the other day. I was such a jerk to you."
"No worries, Ally. I understand."
She shook her head in frustration. "But that's not me, honest. Gosh, I came off sounding so desperate. You did nothing wrong. It's obvious how much in love you and Mike are with each other. Plus, Brian told me what you've been through this week." Her lower lip trembled slightly. "The last thing you needed was a former high school friend acting like a jealous lunatic around you."
Yes, it felt like I'd been to hell and back the past few days. My head was pounding, and exhaustion from a sleepless week was starting to have a severe effect on me. But all I could think about was that in twenty-four hours I'd be on a plane with the man I loved, headed for paradise. No vengeful stalkers, bodyguards, or well-meaning parents had been invited to accompany us.
"There's no need for you to apologize," I assured her again. "Like I said, I've been there. In my situation though, I found out a little too late."
She looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
I sighed. "I walked in on my husband in bed with another woman."
Ally gasped, and her eyes widened. "Oh, Sal, I had no idea. I mean, I'd heard that you and Colin were divorced but didn't know the exact details."
She had to be the only person in town who didn't know the whole story. The Colwestern grapevine had been kept busy ever since I came back to town.
Ally extended a hand and helped me down from the examining table. I was sore, and my muscles had started to ache. I assumed this was most likely from tensing up during the actual accident.
"It was awful, and I didn't know if I'd ever get over it," I said honestly. "Colin's dead now, so I can't hold any ill will against him. For the record, I don't believe Brian would ever do anything like that to you. The man has too much integrity. Basically I was fooling myself when I married Colin because I was still in love with Mike."
"Maybe it was some type of weird fate," Ally said. "Maybe you were supposed to find him in a compromising position so that you'd go back to Mike. It's obvious you two were meant to be together." Her face grew pensive. "Brian and I are having dinner tonight to talk things out."
I didn't mention that I already knew about this. Call me crazy, but I didn't think Ally would be happy to learn that Brian had been confiding in me. "I hope everything works out. He's a wonderful man and great at his job. He's helped me out of numerous scrapes."
She shook her head. "Cripes, Sal, it's like you have a death wish on your head or something. No offense."
I couldn't take offense because I was starting to wonder the same thing myself.
Mike poked his head in the door. "Okay to come back in?"
Ally smiled. "Yeah. We're all through here." She glanced from Mike to me and then reached out to give me a hug. "Congratulations. I hope you both will be very happy. Where are you getting married?"
I looked at my fiancé, who was grinning from ear to ear. "Ah, well, that's a very good question. We canceled our original venue, so it looks like city hall is the place."
"Hey, that's okay," Ally said. "The important thing is that you'll be happy."
Mike reached for my hand. "That's one thing I have never doubted."
Ally gave us both a little finger wave and then closed the door quietly behind her.
I sighed and leaned against Mike for support as he opened the door for me. "I'm so tired."
We were met in the waiting room by my grandmother, Gianna, and Johnny. When Gianna spotted me, she threw her arms around my neck and almost knocked me over in the process. "Oh my God! Are you all right?"
I hugged her back then leaned over to give my grandmother a kiss. "Everything's good."
Johnny gave me a playful nudge. "Aw, Sal, you'd do almost anything to get out of that wedding. It's plain to see that you're miserable with this guy."
Mike chuckled while I punched Johnny on the arm. "Hey, I found out today that I have a pretty good right hook. Watch out because your turn could be next."
Johnny backed away in fake horror with his hands outstretched. "Whoa. Guess I spoke too soon."
"I hate to bring this up," Gianna said, "but Mom and Dad are already over at the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, which starts in an hour."
I groaned and was tempted to smack my palm against my forehead, but my head was throbbing enough already.
Grandma Rosa observed me closely. "You do not have to go, cara mia. I know you are concerned about your mama, but she will understand."
"Did you tell Mom and Dad about the accident?" I asked.
My grandmother shook her head. "They have been out all afternoon, going to lunch and shopping. I did try but could not reach them by phone. You know your mama forgets to turn it on half the time."
I suppressed a smile. "We'll tell them at the dinner then."
Mike looked at me in surprise. "You still want to go?"
Gianna and I exchanged a knowing glance. "Mom's really been looking forward to this dinner, especially since we had to cancel the reception at the country club," I said. "Since we're not having a big celebration tomorrow, I think I can manage to put up with it for an hour or two."
Mike didn't know about the big family secret yet, so he was understandably a bit bewildered by my response. "Sweetheart, you were in a car accident today, plus a psycho tried to kill you. I know how much your mother loves to throw a party, but even she wouldn't expect you to go through with this."
"It's okay, really. I'm fine now. I want to do this, Mike."
He reached out a finger and ran it gently over the scratch on my cheek. If he suspected there was something more to my persistence, he didn't ask. I'd find a time later on to explain my motive.
Mike cupped my face between his hands. "All right, princess. Whatever you say."
* * *
The next day, I awoke to the drumming of rain on the roof. Content, I closed my eyes again and pulled the blanket up over my shoulders. The sound of a rain shower first thing in the morning, especially on days when I could sleep in and snuggle against Mike, left me feeling happy and mellow. I sighed and prepared to drift off again. Maybe I'd lie here all day.
I reached out my hand, but Mike wasn't in bed with me. Maybe he was in the shower. Then I jerked a
wake with sudden realization. Holy cow. This wasn't just any Saturday.
It was my wedding day.
I sat up in bed slowly. Stiffness from the accident had set into my bones, and my knee still throbbed. Wincing, I stared down at Spike who was lying across my feet. "Mike?"
There was no answer. I glanced at his side of the bed. He'd left a note on his pillow and a red carnation beside it. I was overwhelmed by the sweet gesture and also grateful he hadn't left a red rose. I'd seen more than enough of those lately. I sniffed at the flower, inhaling its fragrant scent while I read the words Mike had printed in his fine slanted handwriting:
Good morning, beautiful bride of mine,
A client had an issue at his house. I just did his roof last week, and it's only a minor detail, so I shouldn't be gone too long.
I shook my head in disbelief. Up on a roof, in the rain nonetheless, hours before his wedding. This was what made him so good at his job. He was dedicated to a fault and never wanted anyone to be unhappy with his work. I read on.
I'll be home by noon, but I expect to find you gone by then. I'm not supposed to see you until we say I do, remember.
I love you. Thank you for making me the happiest man on earth, today and every day.
A tear rolled down my cheek. After all this time and everything we had been through, I couldn't believe this day had finally arrived. Mike might be the happiest man, but I was definitely the luckiest woman alive.
I sighed and stretched in bed for a moment. Spike crawled up beside me, and I wrapped my arms around him. "Sorry we can't take you with us. But you understand about honeymoons, right?"
He gave me what I thought to be a dubious look, stopped wagging his tail, jumped on the floor, and tottered out of the bedroom without even a backward glance. Okay, someone was not feeling the love today.
I grabbed my cell and limped slowly into the kitchen. Mike had made coffee, so I poured myself a cup then stared down at the screen of my phone. I had a new text message from Becky at the bridal shop, and it was plain to see from the wording that she was not happy with me. You were supposed to pick up your dress yesterday. Are you getting married naked? Come over. Now! I'll be here until two.
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