by Sable Hunter
* * * *
The wedding went off without a bobble. Annalise was radiant. Ethan strutted like a peacock and everyone else was duly attentive and appreciative. Scarlet sang beautifully, but Alex expected her to meet his eyes as she sang Love Me Tender, but she seldom looked up, and when she did, she looked over the heads of the audience. Alex held his breath as Scarlet walked down the aisle, déjà vu of exhilaration almost overwhelming him. But, as before, Scarlet never met his eyes. The toasts were said, the cakes were cut and no one could have asked for a more perfect wedding.
The bouquet was thrown and Scarlet managed to be somewhere else. There was going to be a delay in Annalise and Ethan’s departure. Their flight to Hawaii had been delayed, so the sendoff wasn’t quite what it would have been otherwise. The guests departed and the newlyweds retired to their room for some much needed downtime. Scarlet and Alex were preoccupied with trying to see all the hired help off and tying up loose ends. It would take at least a couple of hours to put everything back to some semblance of normal.
* * * *
When Alex wasn’t looking, Scarlet crept up to the main house. She wanted to spend just a few minutes with Annalise and in her own way, tell her goodbye. Right now, she felt like she would be going home, but she had to think, she had to give Alex the benefit of the doubt. Maybe, if she just went away for a few hours, she could get her head on straight.
Best laid plans. When Scarlet reached Annalise’s bedroom door, she heard the unmistakable sounds of two people making love. She should have known. “Oh, well.”
Hearing the front door open, she tensed. “Scarlet!” It was Alex. “I’m going to the police station sweetie. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay.” She walked toward his voice, but before she could get there, he was gone.
* * * *
“When will I see you again?” Bobby held Cecile in his arms, his chin resting on her head. She was already packed and ready to head back to Dallas.
“It’s not that far to Dallas, Bobby. We’ll see each other.” Doubts had blossomed in her heart, almost overnight. There was no way this was going to work. What had she been thinking?
“When?” He was determined to tie down specifics. “How about next weekend?”
Cecile refused to meet his direct gaze. “Give me a call later in the week and I’ll let you know.”
“Are you giving me the brush-off, Ms. Fairchild?” Bobby’s tone was light, but the words were clipped.
“Bobby…it’s time for me to go.” He loosened his embrace and let her back up a couple of feet.
“Fine.” His voice was flat. “I’m not going to beg. You go back to Dallas. See your friends. But when you turn out the light at night and lay down in your bed, remember what it felt like when I pushed deep inside you. Remember what it felt like when I made you come apart in my arms.” Bobby jerked her suitcase up and strode off to her car. “If you want to get away from me that bad, I’ll help you.”
Tears clamored in Cecile’s throat. She would have no trouble remembering how it felt to love Bobby. No trouble at all.
* * * *
Alex met Officer Daisetta at the precinct building. “Come on in, Mr. Stewart, we’ve been expecting you.” Alex followed the uniformed man into the cold, clinical rectangular room, turning down the offered coffee.
“There are some things that I think you need to hear.” Officer Daisetta pointed to a chair, which Alex took. “It’s not often that a criminal offers us irrefutable evidence, but this man is a piece of work.”
“That he is.” The officer took out LeBeau’s digital recorder and set it to play. Every word that Rick and Scarlet had said was played for Alex to hear. He heard Rick’s description of the physical pain he inflicted, he heard the lies he told Scarlet about his love and their marriage. Ice cold panic flowed through Alex’s veins that once ran warm with life giving blood. This explained Scarlet’s behavior. This explained why she wouldn’t meet his eyes. This explained— “Oh, God. Thanks, officer, but I’ve got to go.”
* * * *
Scarlet didn’t pack everything, and she took nothing that Alex had given her. She even went so far as to remove the diamond jewelry he had gifted to her, but in the end she kept the bracelet, after all, it was engraved. She left the insurance card, without a marriage, it was just a piece of plastic. And she left a note.
Dear Alex,
I need to get away, to think. Just for a little while, I won’t be gone too long. When I return, you can tell me what we need to do to straighten this out so nobody gets hurt. I can’t pretend to understand what has happened. I am very torn about it all. I know Rick is a liar and I trust you. Beyond that, I am unbelievably confused. The only thing that keeps coming to my mind is the old saying, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Nevertheless, I do not regret a moment that I have spent with you. If it was all pretend, then I’m really no worse off than when I walked up the sidewalk with my bucket list. You’ve been wonderful, you’ve given me happiness that I never would have experienced otherwise.
Speaking for myself – I love you,
Scarlet.
When Alex drove up in front of Lost Maples, he knew she was gone. The little car that had been parked over to one side for these many days was now absent. The lovely Bed and Breakfast had a forsaken look about it. Alex knew it was totally his imagination, the B&B was still clad in its wedding finery. Checking in the garage, he saw that Ethan and Annalise were still here, as was Bobby and Cecile. Everyone was here, except the person that mattered the most to him.
Taking the steps, two at a time, he tore into the front door. He wanted to scream, but first he had to make sure she had left no note, anything that would give him an inkling as to where she might be and what was going on. After hearing the tape that Rick had made, Alex knew exactly what Scarlet was thinking. It nearly killed him to imagine that Scarlet was under the impression he had betrayed her.
Racing to his room, he found the note on his pillow.
Reading the words was bad enough, but seeing the tear stains broke his heart.
* * * *
Scarlet had forgotten she was broke. She had been living in such a fantasy world, that the reality of having to worry about day-to-day problems seemed foreign to her. Looping back toward the B&B, she decided to go back to the park where she had spent that first glorious night with Alex. There were picnic tables and rest room facilities, and she had spent the night in her car before. Stopping at a convenience store, she bought two bottles of water and some cheese crackers. Now she was officially broke. What she was going to do for gas to get home on would have to remain a mystery, at least until she could get her head on straight.
Parking in the shade, Scarlet rolled down the window to enjoy the cool fall breeze. Then quickly rolled it up when she realized how cool it actually was. Scooting her car seat all the way back, she shut her eyes and let the events of the day wash over her. As soon as she was still, pain knifed through her like the point of a sword. She regretted the turmoil of her childhood and the misunderstandings that she had with her father. She missed Alex, or at least she missed what she thought they had together. Even today, he had been so sweet and so attentive. How could this all be a lie?
Fumbling in her purse, she found her cell phone. This would have to go back to Alex also, she couldn’t afford to keep it. She hesitated to turn it on, if he called, she didn’t know if she could talk to him. Not yet. And there was very little juice left in the battery. Without a charger, it wouldn’t last much longer. But she turned it on, because he had asked her to keep it with her and to keep it on. Immediately, the cell phone went off. Picking it up, she checked the number. It wasn’t Alex. It was the doctor. Crap!
“Hello?”
“Scarlet? This is Doc Gibbs.”
“Yes, sir?” She had already talked to him once today. She knew she was getting worse. And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. What more could he say now?
“Scar
let, the cross match has come back. The transplant is a go. I need for you to come in first thing in the morning. You, my dear girl, are about to get yourself a brand new kidney and a new lease on life.”
“What? I don’t understand. I’m not getting a transplant. Are you sure you called the right person?” This was cruel.
“I know who I’m talking to. Your husband is an approved donor. He passed the tests with flying colors.” Emotion slammed into Scarlet’s chest like a wrecker ball.
“Alex wants to give me a kidney?”
“He’s already paid for the transplant. Insurance wouldn’t cover it, he sat down in front of me and wrote out a check to pay for the entire thing. That man worships the ground you walk on.”
Scarlet almost lost consciousness. Alex did love her. There was no other explanation. One did not fork out $375,000 on a joke. “I’ll have to get back to you, doctor. I need to talk to my husband, first. Have you called him?”
“He’s not answering his phone. I presumed that you two were together.”
“We soon will be. We soon will be.” She capped up her water and turned the key in the engine. It was time to go home.
* * * *
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Alex wanted to punch a hole in the wall. He didn’t have a clue where to look for her. He had tried her cell phone a dozen times, but she had it turned off. For the last hour or so, he had driven to the nearby towns and checked every hotel and motel. Nothing. Where in the hell could she be? She was sick. She was sad and she was lonely. And by God, she was his. And if he didn’t find her soon, he would lose his mind.
“Ethan! Ethan!” He knew that the love birds were getting a head start on their honeymoon, but damn it, this was an emergency!! “Bobby! Bobby!” Alex was bringing down the roof.
* * * *
Chaos reigned supreme at the county jail. Rick LeBeau didn’t look dangerous, but madness brings with it a surprising strength. One moment of inattention and LeBeau had taken the guard’s gun. He let out a loud yell and started shooting. Before he was through there was one dead and three wounded. And he was gone.
* * * *
Scarlet started back toward the B&B. This time, she would tell Alex what she was thinking and listen to his explanation. She was ashamed that she had forgotten one undeniable truth. She could trust Alex. He wouldn’t lie to her. He loved her. She believed that with all of her heart. Nobody would ever convince her otherwise again.
But taking his kidney?
That was another matter altogether.
But that he wanted to give it her, had paid for the transplant. That was more than enough proof for Scarlet that she was loved. She was loved above all others.
Breaking every speed record known to man, Scarlet headed home.
* * * *
Alex threw his cell phone against the wall. If he couldn’t call Scarlet with it, it was a useless piece of crap. The phone in the office rang and Alex sprinted for it, hoping against hope that it was his sweetheart. He never made it to the phone. From out of nowhere, a cold piece of steel stopped him in his tracks. The end of a gun barrel was being held securely to his right temple. “I’ve killed one man today, Stewart. It wouldn’t bother me a bit to make it two.”
“You piece of shit! You don’t know what your lies have done.” The word fear wasn’t even in Alex’s vocabulary—not for himself. The only reason he hesitated at all was because he wanted to live to make things right with Scarlet.
“I know exactly what I’ve done. And I’ve come to finish the job. Where is she?” He pushed the gun into Alex’s skull. Alex never flinched.
“She’s not here, you idiot. And if she was, do you really think I’d let you have her?” Alex glanced around, looking for anything that he could use to bash this monster’s head in.
“Look, I’ll get out of your life. I can live without your crappy job. But I want the church mouse. I want my sister. We’ve got a lot of time to make up for. If you’ll turn her over to me, I’ll let you live.” Alex’s blood ran cold. This man was truly crazy. And he wanted Scarlet. There wasn’t a doubt in Alex’s mind that Rick would kill Scarlet at the first opportunity.
“Over my dead body, LeBeau.” Alex’s words were said with the truest conviction that Scarlet had ever heard.
Scarlet had slipped in the front door, anxious to find her husband. Words of apology were on her lips, she never should have doubted him. He had never given her any reason to doubt, it had all been lies—lies perpetuated by a conniving maniac. Before she could call out his name, she heard a familiar voice. Rick LeBeau. Easing down the hall, she walked into the office area and saw a sight that made her blood run cold. LeBeau held a gun to Alex’s head and from what he was saying, she was the only one that could save him.
“I’m here, Rick. You can let him go.” At that moment, everything fell into place for Scarlet. She understood why Alex would be willing to give her his kidney. She understood why her friends’ brother had never given a second thought to saving his sister’s life. Scarlet understood how much she was loved, for she loved him just as deeply. “I’ll gladly take his place. I love him. Just let him go.”
“No, Scarlet.” Alex sounded like he was in anguish. “No.”
Scarlet tensed, every cell of her body was primed and ready to take Alex’s place.
“Easy, Scarlet. I’m right behind you.” Ethan’s whispered voice was the most welcome sound she had ever heard. “Wait until I tell you, then walk forward, slowly. Bobby is going to come up behind LeBeau and when he turns Alex loose, our football player will take him out before he even knows what hit him. Are you with me?”
“Absolutely,” she deadpanned.
* * * *
“Please, Scarlet. Baby, just turn around and walk away. I’ll deal with this maniac.” Alex was at the end of his rope. To his horror, she began to move forward. He watched her sweet eyes as they locked onto his. Alex was prepared to elbow backwards into LeBeau’s body as hard as he could and then try and twist around to wrench the gun from his grasp. He had to do something before the bastard got his hands on Scarlet.
Before, he could do anything there was a blur of activity. Rick grabbed for Scarlet. Alex reacted, but his brothers came out of nowhere. Bobby flew through the air and landed squarely on top of the smaller man. Ethan grabbed the gun and Alex grabbed Scarlet. “Don’t you ever, ever, ever put yourself in danger like that again.” He wasn’t shouting, he was talking so low that only she could hear. He wasn’t holding her harshly, or roughly, he was holding her like she was made of spun glass.
Fitting herself to him, she answered. “How? Like you’re ready to put yourself in danger to give me a kidney?” Realizing that she was back in his arms, he relaxed and just held her, searching for the words to say that he knew she needed to hear.
“So, you heard about that did you?” His lips weren’t still. He kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her throat, assuring himself that she was whole and unharmed.
“Yeah, I got a phone call from the doctor just a few minutes ago. I was coming to talk to you about it. When I walked in and saw that monster was holding a gun to your head, I nearly went crazy. There is nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do for you.”
“I know. I have it in writing, in my pocket, and I’m holding you to it.” His eyes locked with hers, he was not accepting no for an answer. “I want to hear you say yes to several questions I have to ask. Let me tell you the questions and you can practice saying yes. Scarlet, do you love me? Scarlet, will you love me forever? Scarlet, will you allow me to save your life? Please?”
At his whispered pleas, she smiled. “Maybe we can compromise. Maybe we can work something out. I’ll admit that seeing you in danger with LeBeau’s gun to your head and realizing that I could save you, I understand better now how you feel about the transplant.”
“Good, because I was desperate to convince you that my giving you a kidney was the perfect answer to all of our problems.”
“But, you had to pay cash for it, and it is so exp
ensive. Even if we were married, insurance wouldn’t cover it.”
A flurry of activity forced Alex to pull Scarlet out of the hall and into his bedroom. The police had arrived and were talking to Bobby and Ethan as they took the handcuffed LeBeau back into custody. “I will straighten out the confusion over the license as soon as possible. If we have to redo the ceremony, we will. But Scarlet, you have to know nothing that Rick said about me was true.” Alex sat down on his bed and settled her on his lap. “He had this irritating habit of recording every conversation that he had with anybody. Those words that you heard me say were electronically manipulated, I didn’t say those things.”
Laying her head on his chest, she sighed. “I know. I have to admit that for a little while I didn’t know what to think. And when the woman at the county clerk’s office called and told me we weren’t really married, it all began to make horrible sense.”
“The woman was Sandy Moffett. I don’t know how they managed to team up, that’s still a mystery, but she and LeBeau conspired to try and mess things up for us. Sandy has it in for me about as much as LeBeau has it in for you.” He pushed her collar aside and kissed the dark marks that marred the soft skin of her neck. “I am so sorry that you had to go through this. All I wanted to do was keep you safe and make you happy.”
“The transplant is costing you so much money.” Laying her forehead on his, she rubbed her palms up and down the muscles of his shoulders.
“Scarlet, you know that I love my Newmar Essex, don’t you?” She met his eyes, obviously trying to figure out what he was getting at.
“Yes, I do. It’s a beautiful RV.”
“Would you agree that I love you more than I love that RV?”
“Yes. I know that you love me more.”