by Jill Sanders
“Don’t worry about it.” She smiled. “If you need anything, give us a call. We are here for you. When you want to work, just come on in. We will find something for you to do.” She touched his arm.
“Thanks, Miss…. Scarlett.” Eli glanced over at Dylan. “Thanks,”
“Sure thing, bud.” Dylan nodded.
When Eli left, Scarlett turned to Dylan. “Thanks for filling in so quickly.”
“Sure.” He nodded. “That’s rough. No kid should have to go through something like that. Does he have a dad? Any other family?”
She thought about it. “No dad. I think he has a younger sister.”
Dylan nodded. “If it’s okay, I’d like to step up and make sure he’s taken care of financially. Owen can…”
She stopped him by walking over and wrapping her arms around him. “I think it’s wonderful,” she said and kissed his cheek. “I know why my sister loves you so much.” She smiled up at him. “Do what you can. I’ll make sure we do the same.”
Dylan nodded. “Now, want to show me what it is I need to do here? I haven’t worked this job before.”
She laughed and, for the next few minutes, filled him in on his job.
When she was done, she made her way back towards the pool area. Her water volleyball game wasn’t supposed to start for another half an hour. But when she stepped into the bar area, she didn’t see Levi.
“Where’s Levi?” she asked Britt, who was rushing around, trying to stay on top of the orders.
“I don’t know, he didn’t show up.” She shrugged and moved to fill a beer.
“What?” She frowned. “I left him a few feet from here.” She glanced back at the pathway where she’d left him almost half an hour ago. “He was on his way here.”
Britt shrugged. “Guess he got distracted,” she said as she took another order.
Scarlett pulled out her phone and called his but it went to voicemail instantly.
“Problem?” Britt asked.
Pulling out her walkie talkie, she asked if anyone had seen Levi in the last half hour.
“No,” Zoey answered immediately.
Elle, Hannah, and Aubrey all answered shortly after, followed by Aiden, Dylan, and Liam.
“Someone check the kitchen,” she asked as she scanned the crowded pool deck.
“Not here,” Zoey answered. “I’m in the dining hall.”
“Big surprise there,” Elle joked into the walkie talkie.
“Could he still be having lunch with his dad?” Zoey asked.
“No, I met him and left him a few feet from the pool bar. Britt said he never showed up.”
Everyone was silent. “Heading your way,” Zoey said.
“Me too,” Elle added. “Liam, Aub, and I are just around the corner.”
By the time that her friends arrived, she’d worked herself into a full-blown panic attack.
“Sit.” Britt shoved her into a chair.
“What’s going on?” her sister asked.
“I left him…” Scarlett said between deep breaths and drinking a glass of water. “Right there.” She pointed to the pathway. “He was only fifteen feet from here. He was going to come in and help Britt.” She glanced around at the faces. “He had a good lunch with his dad and was upbeat about working.”
“We’ll find him,” her sister said. “I’m sure he just had to… maybe change clothes?”
“No.” She shut her eyes. “He was wearing his camp shirt and slacks.”
“Okay, then maybe…” Zoey glanced around then pulled out her cell phone and called the front desk. “Julie, did you send out a notice for Levi?” Her sister was silent as she listened. “And no one has seen him since?” She waited again. “Okay, keep me posted.” She hung up.
“What?” Scarlett asked.
“Someone saw him walking with a woman, heading towards the boat dock.”
Before her sister was done talking, Scarlett jumped up and rushed down the pathway. She heard footsteps behind her and watched Liam passed her. She pushed herself harder and caught up with him, not willing to let him overtake her and find Levi first.
They stopped in front of the boat house at the same time.
“You check inside, I’ll check around on the pathways,” he said and disappeared. Scarlett could hear the rest of the group on the pathway and rushed into the boathouse, knowing instantly that the place was empty.
“He’s not here,” she called out and moved to step out the door. She stopped when she noticed something on the ground.
Bending over, she picked up the small card and frowned down at Levi’s dad’s business card.
“What’s that?” Zoey asked, a little breathless as she stopped next to her.
“Levi must have gotten this at lunch.” She scanned the boat house. “He was here.” She tucked the card in her pocket and rushed around the space. “He’s not here now.” She turned to her sister.
“Maybe he took a boat out?” Zoey motioned to the spot where one of the smaller motorboats usually sat.
Without thinking, Scarlett jumped in the boat in the next slip and started it.
“I’m coming with,” Zoey said, but before she could jump in, Aubrey was there.
“No, you are not. You got motion sick the other night in the rowboat. I’ll go with her. You stay here and keep us posted.” Aubrey pushed the boat away after Zoey released the ropes.
“He has to be here,” Scarlett said, pushing the boat to full throttle, unsure which direction to take.
“There,” Aubrey motioned. “The water is still rippling.”
Scarlett saw it then, the ripples in the small calm river area that was filled with tall sea grass and headed away from the open waters of the bay and the gulf.
“Reed’s house is this way,” Aubrey pointed out.
“Right.” Scarlett nodded.
“He could have gone to visit him?” she suggested.
“No.” She shook her head. “He was a few steps away from helping Britt. He wouldn’t have just decided to leave. Not without telling me.” She scanned the water.
“What’s that?” Aubrey asked and Scarlett glanced back to see where Aubrey was pointing. “Is that a… shoe?”
Scarlett cut the motor, and the boat drifted until she could bend down and pick Levi’s flip flop from the water.
“It’s Levi’s.” She scanned the horizon then called out several times.
“Are you sure?” Aubrey asked.
“Yes, he was wearing…” She gasped suddenly and then turned her eyes towards the water. She screamed out. Without saying anything, she tossed her phone down and jumped over the edge of the boat.
Her lungs screamed at her as she made her way towards the bottom of the sandy bank. If she hadn’t been looking for him, she would never have spotted Levi struggling under the water.
She didn’t know what to expect, but the thick rope wrapped around his chest and arms hadn’t been part of the plan.
When he noticed her, he stilled for a split second, then they worked together to free his arms.
She lost count of the moments, but when Levi stopped moving, she stopped herself from crying out. They hadn’t even removed a single rope from around him and now it was so twisted, she doubted she would ever be able to break him free. Not in time.
Then a hand shoved at her, pushing her up towards the surface. Aubrey pointed to the surface and motioned towards Levi. Scarlett rushed to the surface and gulped in a large breath before heading back down. This time, however, as Aubrey worked on the ropes, she took Levi’s face in her hands and blew all of the breath she’d taken into his lungs. Most of it spewed back out at her, but she prayed some of the oxygen reached his lungs. She repeated that twice before Aubrey had to surface for a breath.
It took way too long for the rope to loosen around him. Too long for them to drag his lifeless body up and into the small boat. They almost tipped it over as she gripped him and tugged him over the edge of the boat until he lay in the hull.
“You do CPR,” Aubrey said a little breathless. “I’ll drive. I called it in before jumping in the water.”
Scarlett started chest compressions, making sure to check his airway often and clearing as much water as she could each time.
“Please,” she begged as she pushed on his chest. “Don’t leave me,” she cried over and over again.
When the boat bumped into the dock, the EMTs were waiting for them.
“Help,” Scarlett cried, totally drained of energy.
Levi was lifted and one of the EMTs took over with the chest compressions.
“I can’t lose him,” she said to her sister, who wrapped her arms around her along with Aubrey, Elle, and Hannah. A jacket was pushed around her shoulders as they followed the ambulance workers.
“You won’t,” her friends assured her.
She watched as they rolled him away and knew that, if he survived this, she was never going to question her love for Levi again. No matter what happened, nothing could ever hurt as bad as this moment. Even if he broke her heart, she could never hurt as much as seeing him fight for his life at the bottom of the river.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dying didn’t hurt as much as coming back to life did. Drifting away while looking at the woman he loved was peaceful. Sure, it pained him, knowing that she would hurt for a time. But after a brief moment, he knew she would recover and continue to live life thanks to the support of her friends and loved ones.
He thought briefly about his grandmother and felt sorrow for her. After all, the woman had lost her husband and daughter. Would it break her? Losing him?
Then he’d been consumed by the blackness. Sweet peacefulness. Until he hadn’t. Pins and needles jabbed him all at once, all over his body. His lungs felt like they were on fire; his throat burned and felt constricted.
His toes and fingers ached and it spread up to the rest of his body.
He moved to push away the pain, only to be held in place.
“Easy,” someone said above him. “We’ve got you.”
Who the hell? He tried to remember where he was. What had happened? The only thing he could remember was that he wanted to see Scarlett and his grandmother one last time.
“Levi,” Scarlett’s voice cried out. “Please,” she begged him. He was just about to pass back into the darkness, but upon hearing her voice, he fought it and tried to open his eyes. His eyelids felt like they weighed a million pounds.
He managed to crack them enough to see dark grey shadows hovering above him.
“Levi, I’m here,” Scarlett said over and over. “Don’t leave me. Please,” she cried. He tried to reach out for her, but his entire body was weighed down now.
“Levi?” His grandmother’s voice hovered somewhere in the background. “Come back to us.”
“Sassy?” He tried to fight the darkness. “Gran?” He shook his head, confused, the women and what each of them meant to him blurring. His grandmother was his life. She’d been the only one he had really loved, until recently. “Help me,” he wanted to shout. “I can’t break free.” The darkness overtook him again. This time when he surfaced, he blinked a few times and realized he was looking down at himself.
When he blinked again, the face hovering above him didn’t. He opened his mouth to talk and the reflection did the same only it said his name instead of what he’d been trying to say.
Then, his reflection was replaced by Scarlett, and Levi smiled as she moved closer to him.
“You’re back.” She smiled down at him. “Your grandmother and dad are here.” She nodded behind her.
His eyes never left her face as he reached up, hindered slightly by the tubes taped to his arm. When his fingers touched her face, he sighed.
“You’re real.” He groaned.
“Yes.” She smiled down at him. “I’m real.” She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips as a tear fell from her eyes and landed on his cheek. “And I love you.” She reached over and quickly wiped the tear away. “I love you,” she said again with a smile.
“I love you.” He took a deep breath, and instantly regretted it as his chest tightened, causing him to cough.
“Easy,” she said and reached for a glass of water with a straw hanging out of it. “Here.” She tried to get him to drink but he pushed it away.
“I’ve…” —he took a deep breath—“had enough water for a while.”
She paused, then chuckled as more tears slipped down her face. Then she buried her face into his shoulder and cried as he held onto her.
“Gran?” he asked, holding onto Scarlett.
“I’m here, Levi.” His grandmother’s face came into view. She too had tears flowing from her eyes.
He reached for her and took her offered hand. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head quickly. “For what, boy?”
He smiled. “I didn’t want to leave you. I know everyone else has, but I didn’t want to.”
“I know, son.” She smiled down at him as she wiped her eyes. “I know.”
“I love you,” he said as Scarlett sat up again and wiped her eyes dry.
“I love you too,” his grandmother said, then she glanced over her shoulder. “I think your dad would like a moment with you.”
“Dad?” He frowned and then just as it had been uploaded to his memory like the Matrix, the last meeting with the man played in his head and he remembered. “Michael’s here?”
“Right here.” His father stepped into his view.
Levi realized then that he hadn’t been looking down at himself earlier. It had been his father leaning over him.
“Hey,” he said softly. He reached to shake the man’s hand.
“You don’t know how happy I am to know that you’re okay,” his father said.
“Me too,” he agreed.
“I’ll let you get some rest. When you’re up to it, I’d like to have a chat with you,” Michael said, soberly.
“Sure thing.” He turned his attention back to Scarlett.
“What happened?” he asked when he heard a door shut.
“You don’t remember?” she asked.
“I’m going to tell everyone that he’s awake,” his grandmother said from somewhere in the room.
“See you later?” he asked.
“Count on it,” she agreed and, again, he heard a door shut.
“Well?” he asked when they were alone.
Scarlett brushed her hand over his face slowly, then after taking a deep breath, said, “Someone tied an anchor around you and threw you in the bottom of the river.”
He frowned, trying to remember anything. Closing his eyes, he listened to Scarlett tell him how Aubrey and she had saved him.
It was strange. The last thing he could remember was walking down the path with Scarlett, talking about his lunch with his dad.
“I can’t remember anything,” he said after she was done.
“The doctor… she said that the drugs she’d given you would mess with your memory. That it would come back in time.” She lifted his hand to her lips. “You’re alive.” She rested her head in his hand. “I don’t know what I would have done if…” She glanced up at him. “They did CPR on you for almost fifteen minutes.” Another tear slipped from her eyes and he reached up to catch it.
“I don’t remember anything,” he reassured her. “My chest and throat hurt.”
“You swallowed a lot of water and well… chest compressions and them zapping you with the paddles.” She closed her eyes as if she was remembering it all.
“Hey.” He touched her face. “I’m here now.” He sighed, feeling the stiffness in his entire body. “I think I need a nap though.”
She laughed. “Sleep. I’ll be right here.” She kissed him again.
“Sassy?”
“Yes.” She smiled at his nickname.
“Whoever did this to me, I’ll remember,” he assured her.
“I know you will,” she agreed as he closed his eyes and once again drifted into th
e darkness.
When he opened his eyes the next time, it was to the annoying sound of Zoey and Aubrey arguing.
“I don’t care what the man says. He’s not coming in. This is about family now. Not blood family, but family,” Zoey was saying.
“He is family. Just because he married crazy doesn’t mean he doesn’t care as much about Levi as we do,” Aubrey replied.
“Really?” he said, getting everyone’s attention. “Is this the best way to wake a man up from the dead?”
“Levi.” Scarlett smiled at him as he reached for the bed controls and slowly raised his bed so he could see the rest of the small crowd in his room.
“Why wasn’t I invited to the party?” he asked as he looked around. There were even balloons and flowers. “Where’s the cake?” he asked dryly.
“Sorry,” Zoey and Aubrey said together.
“What’s going on?” he asked Scarlett.
“You remember… our last conversation?” She bit her bottom lip.
“Yes.” He nodded slowly, testing the soreness in his body.
“Well, you don’t have to remember anything that happened to you. We checked the video and well…”
“It was Leslie,” Zoey blurted out. “She approached you after Scarlett left you on the pathway. She had a gun and forced you walk to the boathouse. We assume she tied the anchor to you and knocked you over the head, since there’s a large bump on your forehead.” Zoey motioned to his head.
He hadn’t even felt that pain until she’d mentioned it.
“Thanks, I was unaware until you said something.” He touched the bandage slowly.
“She dumped the boat near the road,” Aubrey finished.
“They have her in custody,” Elle supplied.
“Your dad,” Aubrey started again. “He’s outside. The police don’t think he had anything to do with any of this. Well, he wants to talk to you. If you want.”
“I don’t think you should,” Zoey added. “He could have known about her plans.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “We’re all the family you need.” Her eyes narrowed. “Us and your grandmother.”
“Where is Gran?” he asked Scarlett.