by Rebecca Deel
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Rio activated his Bluetooth to answer the unexpected call. “What’s up, Nick?”
“Where are you?”
The detective’s clipped tone had Rio straightening. “At the bank with Mason.”
“Get on Highway 18 and head toward Cherry Hill. Darcy’s been in an accident.”
A lightning strike of adrenaline flooded his system. He peeled out of the parking lot and raced out of town. “Injuries?”
“Cut to the forehead, bumps, bruises. She refuses to go to the hospital. She needs to go.”
“Is the ambulance on scene?”
“In route. We’re a few miles from Otter Creek. You should arrive about the same time as the ambulance.”
“Did she lose consciousness?”
“Hold on.” Nick’s voice sounded muffled in the interior of the SUV. “For a few minutes. She’s complaining of a headache, but says otherwise, she’s fine.”
“Don’t let her move around. She might have a concussion and internal injuries.”
“Copy that.”
“Five minutes.” He swerved onto the entrance ramp to the highway and zipped past the posted speed limit, hoping none of Nick’s buddies in blue were lurking nearby because he wouldn’t stop until he reached the accident scene. Just the thought of Darcy being in a wreck made him queasy. He suspected his girl was unconscious longer than she realized. Otherwise, she would have called him.
He frowned. Had she called the police? Is that why Nick was on scene? The idea she called law enforcement without also calling him didn’t sit well. Dial it back, Kincaid. He’d talk to her after she’d been checked out. Yeah, their relationship was new. Still, he must be able to trust her to keep him informed. Otherwise, he’d be distracted on missions, a good way to get himself or his teammates killed.
“You okay, Rio?”
He glanced at his cousin. “I will be as soon as I see Darcy is all right.” His lips curved. “I’m about to make the lady unhappy. She’s going to the hospital, whether she wants to or not. As the hours pass, she’ll feel every bump and bruise. I want a doctor to tell me she’s fine.”
A minute later, he slowed at the sight of the ambulance’s flashing lights. “Look at her car.” A ball of ice formed in his stomach. From the damage to her vehicle, she was lucky to walk away from the accident.
Mason whistled. “That baby is totaled.”
No question his girlfriend needed a new car. Even if the insurance company fixed it, he wouldn’t trust the structural integrity of the car. His hands tightened around his steering wheel. He’d prefer she drive something bigger than a tin can. He wanted Darcy to have more metal around her for protection. Was their relationship too new for him to insist she purchase a safer vehicle?
Rio slowed when one of the OCPD officers motioned for him to stop. Sanchez recognized him and waved him on through. He parked behind Nick’s red Jeep. Darcy was still seated in Nick’s vehicle. An EMT knelt on the ground in front of her, examining her forehead.
“Darcy.”
She glanced up, relief flooding her face. “Rio.”
One of the two EMTs nodded at him in greeting. Tom Gates and his partner, Ryan Holt, had attended a couple of Rio’s field medic classes at PSI. When Rio walked toward her, Gates stood and moved aside.
He crouched in front of her, cupped her beautiful face in his hand. “You okay, baby?”
“I’m fine.”
A cursory examination of the cut told him she needed stitches. “You need to go to the hospital, Darcy.”
She scowled. “Why? I don’t have broken bones.”
“The cut on your forehead needs stitches, sweetheart. They’ll check you for a concussion and internal injuries. This isn’t the time for stubbornness, not with your health at stake.”
“Can’t you do it? Trent said you take care of stitches and more on missions.”
“This isn’t a combat situation.”
“Please don’t make me go.” She leaned close and whispered, “I hate hospitals.”
He chuckled and tapped her nose. “None of us like them until we need them. Go for me and Trent. We need the assurance you’re all right.” He needed irrefutable proof so his heart rate would settle into a regular rhythm instead of the current Nascar pace. “Please, baby.”
Her resistance melted before his eyes as her shoulders slumped. “Dirty pool, Kincaid.” Her eyes narrowed. “If I agree, I’m allowed the same tactic if you’re injured. Deal?”
He couldn’t refuse though he wanted to. “Agreed.” He’d try not to complain too much when he landed in the hospital because of his job. Rio glanced at Gates, the EMT. “Let’s get the lady out of here before she changes her mind.”
Darcy clasped his hand. “You’ll go with me?”
He turned to Mason. “You okay to drive home?”
His cousin paled. Jaw flexing, he gave a short nod.
“Rio.” Nick motioned him to the wreck.
“Be right back, baby,” he said to Darcy. To Gates, “Wait for me.”
The EMT exchanged glances with Holt. “Sir, it’s against company policy for you to ride with her.”
Rio narrowed his eyes. “I’m certified as an EMT in this state, Gates. I’m also friends with the owner of your company. Shall I call George Crenshaw for you to confirm?”
The EMT’s jaw flexed. “No, sir.”
“Wait.”
“Yes, sir.”
He glanced at Mason, inclined his head toward Darcy. Although he doubted Gates and Holt were part of Sutton’s crew, he wouldn’t take chances with her life. His cousin moved to Darcy’s side.
Rio jogged to Nick.
“Look at the back of her car.”
He walked around to the rear of the vehicle. His blood ran cold. “This wasn’t an accident. Another car hit her.” He frowned. “From the damage to the back end, a truck or an SUV.”
“Very good, Rio. Darcy said it was a black SUV.” Nick pointed to the side of Darcy’s car. “Paint transfer.”
Black SUV? He scowled, wondering if it was the same one which tried to run him down during his run. He’d have to tell the detective about the incident, but not until Darcy had been examined by a doctor. Rio motioned to the wrecked car. “What do you think, Nick?”
“The accident reconstruction team will have to confirm, but I’d say the SUV rammed her from behind, caused her to spin out. Her vehicle hit his at one point. So we’ll be looking for a black SUV with damage to the grill and side. Her white paint will have transferred to his vehicle.” He stepped closer to Rio. “The skid marks indicate she tried using her brakes to stop him from shoving her car over the side of the mountain.”
Cold fury flooded his body. “She saw a man?”
“Not close enough to identify him.” Nick squeezed his shoulder. “Go to the hospital with her. I’ll be here a while.”
“How did you arrive so fast?” Rio murmured.
“Pure chance. I was in Cherry Hill on an errand. I arrived at the scene minutes after the accident. I’ll see you at the hospital. Rio, stay with her. Seems Sutton’s crew is in town after all.”
He returned to Darcy. “Ready, sweetheart. Mase, Trent will want to come to the hospital. Tell him to wait until we know more. Darcy may not be admitted. If you can’t convince him to wait, don’t let him drive.”
“We need to go, sir,” Gates said.
Rio helped Darcy stand and walked with her to the ambulance. Once she was situated in the back, he tossed keys to his cousin. A minute later, the ambulance left the scene, leaving Nick and Mason behind.
“Did Nick tell you what happened?” she asked.
He squeezed her hand. “He gave the essentials. We’ll talk later.” When they didn’t have an audience interested in their conversation.
Her gaze flicked to Gates, then returned to Rio. “Can you convince the doctor to let me go home?”
“If it’s safe for you, I will.” He scanned her body, noting scratches and bruises. “How a
re your arms and hands?”
She sighed. “They hurt.”
When he got his hands on the man who did this to Darcy, he’d be the one hurting. Had this clown been trying to kill Darcy or just scare her? Rio clenched his jaw. Didn’t matter. This guy would regret targeting Rio’s girlfriend.
The ambulance stopped outside the emergency room doors. Rio escorted Darcy into the hospital where they were shown into an examination room.
Warren Ross strode into the room. His eyebrows rose at seeing Rio at Darcy’s bedside, holding her hand. “Hi, Rio. Why are you here?”
He inclined his head toward the woman at his side. “This is Darcy St. Claire, my girlfriend. She was in a car accident and unconscious for a time.”
The physician turned his attention to his patient. “I see you need stitches. Any other injuries I should be aware of?”
“Headache, body aches. I don’t think I have any broken bones.”
“Let’s take a look. Rio, wait in the hall, buddy.”
Darcy bit her lip. “Can he come back before you do stitches?” She blushed. “I don’t like needles.”
“Sure. I’ll tell you a secret, Ms. St. Claire.” Ross smiled. “I don’t like needles either. We’ll numb the area well before we stitch your cut.”
Rio squeezed Darcy’s hand before stepping into the hall to wait. Sometime in the last few minutes, the hospital had experienced an influx of new patients. He frowned. Most of them were kids. He stopped one of the nurses. “Sandy, why are so many kids here?”
“School bus accident. No serious injuries, thankfully. A few bruises, couple cuts.”
“What happened?”
Sandy dropped her voice to a murmur. “I overheard the bus driver talking. He was cut off by a banged up black SUV on Highway 18. He slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the vehicle and skidded into a ditch.”
A banged up SUV? Rio wondered if it was the same one which caused Darcy’s accident and maybe tried to take him out. “Thanks for the information.”
“Sure.” Sandy’s bright blue gaze turned speculative. “I’m off this weekend, Rio. You want to catch a movie?”
“Afraid not. My girlfriend wouldn’t appreciate me stepping out on her.”
Shock settled on her face. “Girlfriend? When did this happen?”
“It’s new.”
She smiled. “Must be. I haven’t heard anything on the grapevine. Who’s the lucky lady?”
“Darcy St. Claire. She’s opening a deli on the square next month.”
“Nice. Congratulations. Well, my break is over. See you, Rio.”
Rio pulled out his phone and called Nick. “The driver of the black SUV has been busy. The hospital is buzzing with reports of a school bus accident on Highway 18. Guess who caused it?”
“Why do you think it’s the same vehicle?”
“Bus driver’s description was a banged up black SUV. How many of those do you think we have around here?”
“Not enough to be a coincidence. I’ll check it out and get back to you.”
“You’ll need to add another incident to your notes.” He described the incident on his run, winced at the dressing down from his friend. “Sorry, Nick. My priority is Darcy, not an SUV I couldn’t distinguish from other black SUVs in the area. If you weren’t a cop and Madison was a target, would you have reacted any different?”
A sigh. “Probably not. How’s Darcy?”
“Don’t know yet. Warren kicked me out of the exam room. I’ll go back in when he stitches her forehead.”
“You get to hold her hand, huh? Does it bother you that someone else is doing the stitches?”
Rio thought about it. “Nope. She hates needles. I’d rather let Warren take the blame for causing her pain while I rack up good boyfriend points for comforting and distracting her.”
A chuckle from the detective.
“Nick, the accident isn’t a bad coincidence, is it?”
“Not even close. Your girlfriend is lucky to be alive. After the break-in and writing on the mirror, simple theft was still a slim possibility. That is not the case anymore. If Darcy hadn’t used her head, we would have found her at the bottom of the mountain. I don’t know who these people are, Rio, but they’re not messing around. They tried to kill your girlfriend.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Rio assisted Darcy from his SUV. This was lousy, Darcy thought, feeling cross. Everything hurt. She was stiffer than a thousand-year-old woman. How could she play the piano when she had trouble standing much less sitting on a piano bench with no back support?
“As soon as you reassure Trent you’ll live, I’ll give you something for pain.”
“I already turned down high-powered pain killers from the doctor. And you shouldn’t have made me fill his prescription. I have a mind of my own.” She closed her eyes, sighed. She really needed to shut up. Rio had taken excellent care of her despite the bad-tempered sniping. “Sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”
“I’ve heard worse from my teammates, sweetheart,” he said, amusement in his tone.
“I’m not normally in such a foul mood.”
He stopped, turned her into his arms and settled his hands at her waist. “Baby, don’t worry about it. You’re entitled to a bout of grumpiness after the day you’ve had.”
Tears stung her eyes. Yep, time to change the subject before she descended into a storm of tears sure to alarm her boyfriend and her brother. “We should go inside before Trent comes out here.”
The medic opened the door and walked inside with her.
“Darcy!” Trent struggled to his feet, limped over to embrace her with exaggerated care. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She patted her brother’s back, head resting over his heart. “Stitches in my forehead and soreness.” Good thing Trent hadn’t seen the car or he wouldn’t be so calm.
“What happened? Did you skid?” He scowled. “You don’t drive over the speed limit. Was the pavement wet?”
“I need to sit down, bro. I’ll tell you everything.”
Rio took her coat and purse. “I’ll get you a drink to take the pain meds,” he murmured.
“Thanks.” She lowered herself to the couch beside Trent.
“Talk to me, sis.”
Darcy clasped his hand and launched into an explanation of the afternoon’s events.
Her brother grilled her for details of the black SUV and driver. “Are you sure you’re okay, Darce?”
She squeezed his hand. “Positive. I’ll have a headache and soreness for a few days. Other than that, no residual effects.”
“Do the police have this creep in custody?”
“Not yet, although Nick is following up on a couple of things,” Rio said as he handed Darcy a small soft drink and two smelly brown capsules and two white capsules.
She wrinkled her nose. “What is this?”
“The white pills are an over-the-counter pain reliever. The rank ones are Valerian root, an herb that helps with stiffness and pain. We’ll save the heavy duty meds for bedtime.”
Trent’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Bet the Valerian is from Sophie Winter.”
“Good guess. She keeps the Fortress medics stocked with it.” To Darcy, he said, “Sophie owns a vitamin shop and is married to the Fortress logistics coordinator.”
With a nod, she swallowed the meds and enjoyed the first soft drink she’d had since she met Rio. “I’m surprised you brought me Coke.”
A shrug from the handsome medic. “Dissolves the meds faster. Other than this, we have to stick to your diet. Your main problem right now is inflammation in the soft tissue. Anything processed, like most comfort food, will add to the inflammation.”
She scowled. “Did you have to dash my dream of chicken and dumplings?”
“Sorry, sweetheart.”
Right. He didn’t look the least bit sorry. Her eyes narrowed. In fact, the medic looked a tiny bit smug.
The front door opened and Mason strode in, covered in dirt and cobwebs
. His gaze darted straight to Darcy. “How are you, Darcy?”
“Aside from soreness, fifteen stitches, and a bad headache, I’m fine.”
His lips curved. “Good to hear. Let me clean up, then we’ll talk about your floor.” He slipped off his boots and carried them in the direction of the mudroom.
“I’d like to do the same.” Darcy finished her drink and capped the empty bottle. She couldn’t wait to change out of clothes covered with airbag dust. She hoped changing clothes would alleviate the nagging tickle in her lungs making her cough, an event which wracked her sore body.
Rio lifted Darcy to her feet. “You need to keep the stitches dry, sweetheart. I have a waterproof bandage in my mike bag that should hold you long enough for a shower.”
She forced a smile to her lips as she turned to Trent. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Take your time, Darce.” Despite the return smile, worry darkened his gaze.
Darcy hated that look. Once he was convinced she’d live, the shadows would be gone from his eyes. Rio laced his fingers with hers and led her to his room. He opened his medic bag and pulled out a bandage. He covered the doctor’s bandage with his.
“This should do it unless you let the water run over your forehead for a long time.”
“No chance,” she murmured. “I’m exhausted.”
“Understandable. I’ll walk you upstairs and wait for you.”
“That’s not necessary, Rio.”
“Baby, you’ve had a shock and another adrenaline dump. You might become dizzy and weak. I want to be close in case you run into trouble. I would do the same for my teammates.”
Might become dizzy and weak? She was already there, not that she’d tell Rio that. “I’m not your teammate.”
He cupped her cheek, his touch gentle. “You’re my girl and precious to me.” He turned her toward the hall. “The longer you’re on your feet, the less chance you have of finishing that shower without running into difficulty.”