Twist of Fate

by Witek, Barbara

  “Come home with me.” The words came out in a rush before he could talk himself out of them.

  She braced her hands on the table, looking ready to protest.

  He flashed a smile and proceeded to try to convince her it was the best idea he’d ever had. “No pressure, honest. We’ll sit by the fire, sip some of our favorite wine and relax, just two old friends catching up.”

  Then again, maybe he’d had one too many beers tonight.

  At the faint ring of her cell phone, she reached into her coat pocket. Scowling at the Caller ID, she shoved it back inside. Her voice quivered as she slid her free hand into the other pocket. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. They’ll be looking for me.”

  They? Christ, she really was in trouble. She had to know he would help her, in spite of her feelings for him now. He wondered who had called. Regardless, he wasn’t about to give up.

  “I’ve missed you, Kate. Seeing you here tonight has made me realize how much. I want to make it right again.” He saw the slightest of smiles touch her sweet mouth.

  A mouth he so desperately wanted to kiss.

  “I’ve missed you, too. You don’t know how many times I wanted--” She blinked and shook her head. “You’re expecting too much from me. I don’t want you to get hurt.” She touched his forearm and turned to leave. When he grabbed her elbow, she spun back to face him, her dark brown curls bouncing off her cheeks. “What are you doing?”

  “I won’t let you go.” They’d always been good together, good for each other. One careless mistake and he’d thought he’d lost her forever. That is, until tonight. Tonight hadn’t been a mistake. Tonight had been divine intervention.

  “You don’t have a choice this time.” She jerked her arm free, brushing past him toward the door.

  “I mean it. I won’t let you walk away again,” he said to her back, feeling his stomach lurch at the possibility. Kate stopped mid-stride and he noticed how her body stiffened, but she didn’t turn around.

  “So do I.” The words sounded almost deadly coming from her mouth. They both stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity before he made a move to reach for the back of her shoulder. In that same moment, she took a hesitant step forward and glanced over her shoulder saying, “You don’t understand. This isn’t just about you and me.”

  Sam might as well have been punched in the gut.

  ***

  Katrina’s hands shook so hard she could barely grip the steering wheel. Of all the out of the way places to stop, she had to pick the one where Sam hung out. She didn’t even know he still lived around the area. He’d caught her totally by surprise. She’d wanted to prove a point, yes, not jump off the deep end.

  What was she thinking?

  Being in your arms again feels so right. I want to get lost in your eyes forever. Don’t ever let me go. Kiss me. Yeah, that’s what she’d been thinking.

  For so long she’d dreamed of a moment like this. She’d never wanted to give up hope until eventually she’d had no choice. He’d seen to that. Her heart ached deep within her chest, screaming of the big mistake she was making. Was this a mistake? Feelings were still there, and that had to count for something.

  For a split second, she’d been ready to let it all go. Amazing how he still had the ability to make her lose all sense of logic, even after all this time. Images of how happy they’d once been flipped through her mind with every swipe of the windshield wipers. Snowmobiling and skiing in Vermont, camping, antique hunting. Apparently he’d never forgotten, either.

  “Oh no, Sam Hackett, you’re not going to do this to me again. You’ve broken my heart one too many times.”

  Sam may have remembered their past, too, but that didn’t constitute love. After blotting her eyes with a tissue, she turned up the wipers against the incessant patter of raindrops. Her finger pressed the scan button to find a local news channel since she’d never thought to check the weather report. Pounding the wheel with the palm of her hand, she shouted, “Why do I let him do this to me?”

  She’d only wished he’d thought to chase after her sooner. What he offered seemed safe enough, but would she ever be safe? Willing herself not to cry, she looked in the mirror. No headlights, good. No one followed her. For a second, she felt disappointment. Well, that was what she wanted, wasn’t it?

  Typical Sam, he hadn’t meant a word he said.

  So much had happened over the years. So much he didn’t know about. So much he would never know about. He’d made his choice, and she’d done what she had to do. Somehow she’d get through all of this, just like before...without him.

  She and Dante had been separated for the last eight months. He wasn’t the same man she’d married. Carlo Santini had changed him. For her own safety and the safety of her daughter, she couldn’t be a part of that world anymore. When Kate served Dante with divorce papers, of course he’d contested. Her friends thought she was crazy to go against him. Dante’s reputation as a ruthless lawyer was world renown. Kate suddenly doubted her daring actions against her soon-to-be-ex-husband. In their five years of marriage, she’d never done anything this bold.

  Then again, she wasn’t the same woman anymore, either.

  Putting some space between herself and all these problems, including Sam Hackett, was the best thing right now. The more distance the better, she thought as she pressed on the gas. Once she got to Jennie’s, she’d call her parents to check on Hope. Her best friend would help her get her head on straight. In times of trouble, Jennie made the best conscience. Tonight would be a double brownie-batter night for sure. Kate’s conference call with her overseas distributor had been rescheduled for next week so she was actually arriving a day early. She’d been so distracted by the contact with Sam, she hadn’t thought to give Jennie a heads up. Oh well, that’s what friends were for, unexpected visits.

  A flash of headlights brought her eyes back to the mirror. She wondered for a moment if Sam had kept his word, after all.

  High beams blinded her, and the first twinges of fear danced down her spine. When the vehicle caught up to her, she didn’t have to think twice as to who was at the wheel. She accelerated as much as she dared, the other car matching her speed until they were close enough to hit her bumper.

  Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel as she focused on the road in front of her. Her head jerked back as they struck her car harder this time, making it swerve. With quick thinking she cranked the steering wheel, keeping on the road. They were relentless, and a third knock slammed her car into a full-blown spin.

  The world flew buy in a sickening blur.

  She clutched the wheel, pinching her eyes shut. When her car finally stopped, she took several deep breaths and tried to calm her hammering heart. Headlights which had glared in the rearview mirror moments before now flickered off. Kate stared into the blackened glass, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat as two shadowed figures got out of the car. They had to be Carlo’s men. Would they kill her?

  In a blind panic, she punched the gas pedal to the floor. The tires whirled against the wet pavement. The car didn’t budge. Desperately, she tried again as blood pounded in her ears. A truck horn blasted through her thoughts, and her eyes snapped forward. She was sitting in the wrong lane.

  “Oh, God.”

  In its efforts to stop, the large truck’s tires locked and it went into a skid. Fear froze her hands to the leather-wrapped wheel, and she watched in slow motion as the truck slid toward her. She was going to die, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. Her shrieks went unheard against the sound of grinding brakes and metal upon metal. Her little sports car was no match for the construction vehicle.

  The tiny car slid over the embankment and started to roll. With every flip, Kate stayed secure thanks to her seatbelt. Loose change in the cup holder stung her exposed skin. Her daughter’s books from the back seat flew around the interior of the car. By the time the car stopped, she felt nauseous.

  Disoriented and numb, she coul
d faintly hear the water tapping on the roof. Her seatbelt had locked, and she couldn’t move. Placing her hand over her stomach, she tried in vain to loosen the belt. Worry and panic consumed her. How far had she rolled? What road was she on? Would anyone find her?

  She heard a loud pop from under her car. The front end dipped, then slid as water trickled through the door. Her seatbelt still wouldn’t release. Reaching with trembling fingers for her cell phone, she frantically tried to remember her parents’ number.

  “I have to get out of here. Please...don’t let me die. Hope. I have to get home.”

  Her eyes closed tight against a sudden, piercing pain and the phone dropped to the floor.

  ***

  Annoyed by his behavior, Sam drained his third cup of coffee since Kate’s departure. All those beers topped by the mystery shot of lightning must have made him see things that weren’t really there. She obviously didn’t feel anything anymore, so to hell with her, her loss. Maybe he’d just needed closure. Thank God his best friend knew better than to give him the old, ‘I told you so.’

  “So... wanna fill me in on what the hell just happened?” Rusty slapped him on the shoulder.

  “Not now,” Sam barked, slamming the mug down on the bar. “Need another refill, Jed.”

  “You didn’t leave with her,” Rusty winced under Sam’s glare and held his mug up for Jed to fill, “so I’m assuming she told you to drop dead.”

  “Not exactly.” Sam scrubbed his face, wishing he’d taken the time to shave. Then again, why should he care how he’d looked to her?

  “You hooking up with her later?”

  “No.” He gave his friend a warning stare. Rusty didn’t take the hint.

  “So what’s going on then?” Rusty paused for a second before a wide grin crossed his face. “She got under your skin again, didn’t she?”

  Sam tried to be flip. “I learned my lesson six years ago. I won’t be doing that again anytime soon.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Believe what you want.” Sam cradled the steaming mug in his hands and nodded a thank-you to Jed’s grey, whiskered face.

  “I didn’t think she lived around here.”

  “Yeah, me neither. I’d heard she came back to the states about two years ago. Don’t know where she ended up, though.”

  Rusty took a drink from his mug, and his eyes narrowed. “Think it would have made a difference if she’d come back home?”

  “Probably not. She hated me back then, anyway.”

  “So what do you think brought her here?”

  “I don’t know, and I sure as hell don’t intend to find out. She left this behind.” Sam held up the crumpled paper and answered the question in his friend’s eyes. “It’s an appointment for a court hearing. It looks like her perfect world isn’t so perfect anymore.” Rising from the stool, he tossed a wad of bills on the bar. “I’m outta here.”

  He hated to admit it, but Rusty was right again. Kate did get under his skin. Now he’d have to work like hell to get her out. He thought he’d been successful until tonight. One look and he’d been sucked in again. What had he been thinking? Miss high-and-mighty had herself a rich life with a fancy car, her own clothing line, a successful husband and a child. Everything she’d ever talked about, she’d accomplished without Sam’s help. Whatever was going on in her life was her business. No doubt she could handle that on her own, too.

  Sam reached forward to turn up the heat in his beat-up SUV, feeling the dampness of the spring rain deep in his bones. Oh, the coffee and fresh air had sobered him up enough all right, except the part of his brain that never forgot about Kate. There lay the problem. He quickly shook his head and cracked the window, hoping the spritz of rain would knock some sense into him.

  As his truck rounded a bend in the road, he slowed. A dark sedan sat on the shoulder, barely visible through the thickening fog. Rain pelted against his face when he stuck his head out the window to survey the situation. Sam noticed the broken guardrail and three different sets of tire marks on the road.

  “Must be they’re okay,” he said as the sedan crept back onto the road and drove off. There were no signs of flares or that emergency vehicles had been on the scene. His foot hovered over the gas pedal when the sour feeling in his stomach returned.

  “Aw, what the hell.” He hit the brake instead. “Better be sure.”

  Pulling his truck off the road, he grabbed the flashlight from the glove box and turned on his hazard lights before leaving the front seat. Sam shined the light as he looked around for anything out of the ordinary, scanning the base of the hill several times before he saw two taillights dimly glowing through the mist. When the sedan had left the scene, they never said a word about getting help and they didn’t seem in a hurry either. That alone was suspicious.

  Without hesitation, he started down the hill. His work boots slipped, and he almost lost the flashlight as he faltered to keep his balance. When he reached the door, he wiped the window and held up his light. Peering inside, he saw what he thought was a body slumped against the deployed airbag. Sam knocked on the window to be sure the heavy fog and moonlight weren’t playing tricks on him. The flashlight glinted off the person’s watchband.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  No answer.

  He tried to open the door but found it locked. “Can you hear me?”

  Still no response.

  Sam rushed to the other door, and his foot gave way beneath him. He took a step and was instantly knee deep in water. “What the hell?”

  He was sinking.

  Heavy winter snows had made the waters of Panther Lake rise to dangerous levels. The saturated ground was like mucky quicksand beneath the water, which meant the car was slowly inching its way into the lake. It wouldn’t have to go far before being picked up by the current. Sam didn’t have much time.

  “Listen, I’m going to get you out. Hold on.” He struggled to get back up the hill, seizing the crowbar from his tool chest in the back of the truck. Mud plastered to the wet legs of his jeans as he slid back to the bottom.

  After half a dozen hard hits, the window caved enough for him to pop it out with his hands. He opened the passenger side door and leaned on the seat, very conscious of the subtle movement of the car. The smell of lilies assaulted his senses, and a sudden tightness gripped his chest. For an instant, he had to fight for a breath.

  It couldn’t be…

  “Kate!” he yelled as he clasped her shoulders, leaning her back against the headrest. “Kate, it’s Sam, can you hear me?” Blood pounded in his ears, and a lump formed in his throat. She was unconscious and cold.

  And sinking.

  Her breathing sounded shallow as panic filled him to his very soul. “Okay, Sam, keep it together. Keep it together.” He breathed heavily just to hear his own voice against the bitter silence.

  Tenderly, he brushed her blood-tinged curls off her cheek then reached across to open her door. “You’ll be all right. I’m here now. I’ll get you to a doctor.”

  As he rounded the front of the car, anger flooded him like the raging current. “I knew I should have followed you. What the hell were you thinking, taking off in the rain like that?”

  His heart raced with fear when he carefully pulled her from the car. She could have more injuries than what he could see, which wasn’t much through the cloudy night sky. Clawing and digging in with the toes of his boots, he struggled to carry her up the hill.

  A million thoughts ran through his mind while he sped toward the hospital, Kate’s limp body secure in the passenger seat. How long had she been there? For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what time it had been when he’d last seen her.

  That had been the least of his concerns.

  He touched her leg. No warmth came through her clothes. Her body didn’t even shiver. “I’ll take care of you,” he whispered.

  For the first time in years, Sam prayed.

  Chapter Two

  Sam was still praying in
the red vinyl chair when the doctor appeared in the waiting room. He immediately stood and ran a hand down his wrinkled, wet clothes.

  “Mr. Hackett, I’m Dr. Wescott. Your wife is stable now.”

  Sam shook his head to clear it. “Doc, I’m-”

  “I’m sure you’re relieved.” The silver-haired doctor removed his gloves and shook Sam’s hand. “You can see her in just a moment, son. I want to update you first.”

  “But she’s-”

  “Going to be just fine.” Dr. Wescott motioned toward two chairs. “She needs plenty of rest for the next couple of days. From what my staff told me, she’s very lucky to be alive.”

  Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Sitting down, he rubbed both hands over his face. He’d been so worried. Now he couldn’t wait to see her, touch her. Every muscle that had been tensed for the last few hours began to relax.

  “She has a slight concussion. The CAT scan shows some trauma. We won’t know how much until she’s more coherent. Trauma amnesia is a possibility.”

  “Amnesia?” Sam lifted his face from his hands. “You mean she won’t remember the accident? Her family, her friends...me?”

  “Easy, son, it’s hard to say at this point. Right now she does remember the accident, and you. She doesn’t remember where she lives or what you do for a living.”

  Sam blinked and Dr. Wescott continued, “There may be some things from the past she doesn’t remember, like your wedding anniversary or your mother’s maiden name, what you did to celebrate your birthday last year.” He paused. “You see, the trauma from the accident may trigger her brain into subconsciously blocking out select pieces of her memory. For example, your wife might block out anything from her past that made her feel hurt or uncomfortable. With that said, she may fully recognize some people while memories of others remain out of reach. Simple, day-to-day activities may be difficult for a while. The brain is a very complex organ.”