Twist of Fate

by Witek, Barbara

  “But Doc, you don’t understand. Kate and I-”

  “You don’t have to say anything.” The doctor gave a knowing smile which somehow comforted Sam. “She told me you two argued. She doesn’t remember why.”

  “Will her memory come back?”

  “It may. After a couple days of rest, she may be fine. What little she doesn’t remember may return as familiar sights and sounds stimulate the brain. Or, they may not come back at all,” he said matter-of-factly. “Whatever you do, son, don’t do anything that might upset her.”

  The doctor must have seen his worried expression because he placed a reassuring hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Your wife seems like a strong woman. She may only have suffered the concussion and nothing more than some scrapes and bruises.”

  “Doc, I have to--”

  “Yes, I know. Tell her. Tell her you love her. Tell her the fight doesn’t matter. That’s what she needs to hear. Amnesia or not, use this as your starting point. Accidents of any nature can be frightening and recovery from brain trauma can be challenging. She’ll need you to lean on, to be there for her, you understand?”

  “Yes, can I see her now?”

  “Of course. Don’t ask her too many questions. Don’t try to figure out her state of memory. I don’t want her to worry about it, either. No stress. We’ll re-evaluate her in the morning.”

  “Thanks, Doc.” Sam walked into the room and pulled a chair next to Kate’s bed. His heart ached for her now. A thick layer of gauze covered her head. He was almost afraid to touch her, she looked so fragile. She stirred slightly from his touch as he laid his hand in hers. He smiled when her eyes slowly fluttered open.

  “Sam?” her voice was faint. “Don’t leave, okay? Stay with me.”

  “I will. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “About the fight ... I’m sorry. I should never have--”

  “It’s okay. Don’t think about that now. Close your eyes and get some sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

  “Promise?” The corners of Kate’s mouth twitched into a smile and made Sam’s heart jump.

  “Promise.”

  When she drifted off to sleep, he gently eased his hand from hers. She’d practically torn his heart out at Jed’s. He felt like a loser for being so sarcastic to her. She didn’t deserve to be laying here with amnesia. Leaning back in the uncomfortable hospital chair, he turned on the television. There before him, on the local news, was Kate’s car being pulled out of Panther Lake.

  “No way.”

  He stared blankly at the small screen and rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn’t imagining things. Turning the volume up as much as he dared without disturbing her, he listened in shock as the newscaster spoke of possible foul play. The man said Tompkins County law enforcement was in the process of running the plates to identify the owner. No body had been found in the car itself. Water level and current were making the search difficult. Officials said they would be dragging the lake as soon as it was deemed safe. Police also said a dump truck was found, abandoned, a couple miles from the scene. They were investigating to see if both incidents were related.

  “Foul play? Dragging the lake?” He glanced toward the bed, thinking he spoke too loud. Kate remained asleep.

  Were the people in that sedan part of the Santini family? How the hell did Kate get involved with these people? More importantly, could she safely get out now that it appeared she wanted to?

  They must have planned on watching her drown until he showed up, which meant they would be searching for her. Thank God the hospital mistakenly listed her last name as his. Shutting the television off, he ran his hands over his head and propped his elbows on his knees to think. How much time did he have before they figured it out?

  Whatever problems they’d had in the past, he couldn’t let Kate down now. He pulled the court notice from his pocket and studied it. He knew there was more to her story then she was letting on, and this paper held the key. Until he found out what it was and why she’d been so upset, he needed to keep her safe. She needed time to heal and Sam didn’t want to add to her confusion or have to go into a long explanation with the hospital administration.

  If the staff had given Kate the impression they were married, hell, he’d better make it look good. A bizarre thought crossed his mind and his body immediately shuddered at the absurdity of it. There was no way something like that would work. It was too big, even for him. No stress, the doc had said. Then again, he was pretty isolated at the north end of the lake.

  Sam took a quick look at her, the blinking machines giving him all the confirmation he needed. He would take her to the cabin. No one would have to know. When she was strong enough to handle things, he’d fill her in and then she could leave to solve her own problems.

  Now was the time to call Rusty. If this was really going to work, he’d need all the help he could get.

  ***

  “What do you mean you don’t know where she is?” Dante Pizzaro’s voice rattled the walls of books lining the spacious office suite. “How could you let this happen?”

  A large man in a black trench coat and flat-top haircut approached the polished cherry desk. “Sorry, boss. We were doing what you asked until this dump truck came from out of nowhere.”

  “Yeah,” interrupted the shorter, bald man, “he hit her car and she went down into the lake.” He slapped his gloved hands together, forming a visual explanation of events, then leaned over the desk as he spoke, “Don’t worry, boss, we took care of that driver-fella.”

  Dante inched his face closer, keeping his voice low as if the walls of the twenty-story office building had ears. Since becoming Carlo Santini’s personal attorney, Dante had no privacy. Cameras were another story. “What did you do, Joey?”

  Joey sliced his index finger across his throat. “He won’t be singing anytime soon.”

  “This is my wife we’re talking about,” Dante growled. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” The curious looks from his men didn’t go unnoticed. He knew what they were thinking. The divorce wasn’t final yet, and if he had his way, it never would be. Kate and Hope were his. They were a family. The sooner she realized that, the better.

  Paulie, the larger of the two, stepped forward and added, “We were going to pull her out, but then this other guy showed up.”

  “What guy?” Dante narrowed his eyes, forming barely visible slits.

  “It looked like the same guy she met up with at that bar.” Paulie wiped the perspiration from his brow with a meaty hand.

  “She met a man?” Dante balled his fists at his sides in an attempt to channel his rising anger. Murdering the truck driver was collateral damage. Murdering his wife’s lover was a privilege Dante wanted for himself. Once Kate was safely back where she belonged, he would make the fool disappear. It would be as if the man never existed.

  “She didn’t leave with him. But he must have followed her, too. Didn’t take him long to catch up.”

  “Did he see you?”

  “We left so he wouldn’t ask us questions,” Paulie answered. “By the time we circled back, they were both gone. We think he might have pulled her out.”

  “You think?” Dante’s voice boomed through the room. He slammed his palms on the desk, knowing he’d need to stop at the dojo to burn off the tension before going home to his daughter.

  “Well...” both men stammered, looking dumbfounded at each other.

  “You’d better do more than think. You’d better find out if he did take her, and what the hell he did with her.” Dante rubbed the sting from his hands. “And you better hope he wasn’t smart enough to pick the number off your license plate, or we’ll all be answering to Carlo.”

  “Sure thing, boss, we’ll get right on it.” Paulie shoved Joey as if to wake him up.

  “Just find her.” Dante pointed toward the door. Both men scampered to be out of his sight.

  His wife was missing. Soon to be Ex, to be exact, a fact he still wasn’t used to. Dante paced t
o the wet bar and poured a glass of single malt scotch from the crystal decanter. As the rich, buttery liquid passed over his palate, the strong peppery tones blended well to match his mood. Even though they’d been separated for eight months, to think Kate could be with another man made his blood burn. Could she be that shameless after all he’d given her? Did she once stop to consider what the media would do, or what he would do with such information?

  It had been two months since she’d served him with divorce papers. And now, how dare she even think about fighting him for custody of their daughter? Dante took a slow sip of the deep, amber liquid, closing his eyes as the tension released. The corners of his mouth tipped to form a satisfying smirk. No, Kate wouldn’t block him out of their daughter’s life, she knew better. She knew there would be consequences.

  There was no place she could go where he wouldn’t find her.

  ***

  “Where are we going?” Kate tried to hide the nervousness in her voice as she watched the passing scenery. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen another house, just an ever thickening forest of trees.

  “Home, where’d you think?” Sam tossed a grin in her direction, but it did little to calm her.

  “I thought our penthouse was in the city. This isn’t the way, or are we going someplace else?” She inched around in the seat, her hand settling on the door handle as she fought the urge to exit. This didn’t feel right to her at all. The doctor had warned her to take it easy. So far the ride home had been anything but relaxing. The frustration of silently trying to remember the details of her life had given her an atrocious headache.

  “Penthouse?” Sam’s voice cracked. He glanced at her then back to the road, clearing his throat. “We don’t live in a penthouse, silly. You must be thinking of Jennie’s place. We live in the country, in the house I built for us.” She furrowed her brows in his direction, trying to conjure the memory, and then continued to study the scenery behind them as if looking for a high rise to appear within the mountainous evergreens. “Don’t worry. You’ll know it when you see it,” he encouraged, and she refused to say she didn’t believe him.

  Heaving a sigh, she faced the front. “I guess.” Resting her head against the back of the seat, she closed her eyes. “I had this sudden flash of a chocolate-brown leather sofa and the city skyline. The picture was so vivid in my mind. I could have sworn it was our place.”

  “Remember what the doctor said? There may be some confusion for a while, but that’s normal.”

  He placed a reassuring hand on her knee while her fingers twisted the hem of her leather jacket. As much as she wanted to put her hand on his, she couldn’t. Her heart egged her to reach for him, while her mind erred on caution. Now, alone with him in the truck, she had the strangest feeling she didn’t belong there. She knew she shouldn’t be so uneasy, but as hard as she tried, she couldn’t get rid of the feeling of--

  Damn her memory for not cooperating!

  Dr. Wescott had told her it would take time. She shouldn’t try to rush things. She easily remembered almost laughing when the nurse ushered ‘her husband’ into her hospital room, but stifled her protest when she’d seen Sam’s worried expression. The nurses told her how he hadn’t left her side until he was certain she was out of danger, and he’d catered to her every need during her hospital stay. Though she was comforted to see Sam when she regained consciousness, she couldn’t get an image of darker hair and a mustache out of her mind.

  She stole a glance at Sam’s profile. Her body quivered with excitement at his strong jaw, shaggy brown hair and dark blue eyes intent on the road ahead. This handsome man was hers. He was taking her home.

  C’mon, Kate, this is Sam you’re talking about. Always and forever, you can say anything and he ‘gets you.’

  She tried to think of some everyday, mundane thing to say. How could she remember him and not their wedding or their house? “Nice truck, by the way,” she squeaked out, then widened her eyes in disbelief when she realized how stupid it sounded.

  “Thanks.” He gave her a sideward glance.

  “Is it new?”

  “Used, but new to me, picked her up about three months ago.” He slapped the vinyl dash in approval.

  “Oh. I didn’t remember that.” She chewed her lower lip.

  “That’s okay. You always did say red was my color.” His commercial-worthy smile made her relax into the seat and giggle. Sam always had a way of making her laugh.

  It wasn’t long before they turned down a stone road, or so she thought. The dirt and gravel turned out to be the driveway leading to a large log cabin-style house.

  Their house?

  Her jaw grew slack as she fixed her eyes on the most beautiful home she’d ever seen. Rustic, yet elegant in its design, the two-story house complete with wrap-around porch, looked like something from a postcard as it sat nestled among the tall pines. Even as inviting smoke poured from the flagstone chimney, an unexpected knot formed in her stomach.

  Her life was in that house. Why didn’t any of it seem familiar? She’d been living here with her husband, yet she couldn’t even remember the color of the kitchen walls. How many bedrooms were there? Was there carpet or hardwoods? What would she find behind those large, double doors?

  A pent up breath found its release a bit more sudden than she intended.

  Sam’s voice was soft and full of concern when it found its way through her thoughts. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” She hoped she sounded convincing. “I hate this feeling like I’m a stranger. I’ll be glad when my head is on straight. I want my life back.”

  When Sam put the truck in park his hands froze on the steering wheel. She wondered if he sensed her hesitation. She didn’t mean for it to be there, but no matter how hard she tried, it just wouldn’t go away. The silence weighed heavy between them as they sat there. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Her nerves prickled beneath her skin. Again, her mind rallied for something...anything.

  “Nice house.” No sooner were the words out than she groaned.

  “What?” He looked confused, as if she’d pulled him from a memory…or something complicated.

  “Oh, nothing, you seem worried. Is everything all right?” Her hand reached tentatively for his. When his hands remained tight on the wheel, she returned hers to her lap. Why wouldn’t he look at her?

  Blood pounded in her ears as a nagging wave of fear, like something dreadful was about to happen--or had happened--shook through her. Her gaze settled on his profile. She battled the butterflies somersaulting in her stomach and willed him to speak, practically jumping out of the seat when his deep voice finally broke the silence.

  “Damn it.” He rubbed his forehead while words found freedom and tumbled out in the air around them. “I was so scared, Kate. It all happened so fast, ya know? I thought for sure I’d lost you.” He white-knuckled the wheel as though he were holding on for dear life. When he pinched his eyes shut, the butterflies in her stomach fluttered to her heart.

  Her own voice quivered into the stillness of the truck. “You didn’t lose me. I’m right here, right now.” She swallowed back tears she suddenly had no control over. “Forever.”

  That one word hit its mark as his head slowly turned and their eyes met. Those deep blue irises that reminded her of cracked glass appeared to be troubled and she could see he was fighting some kind of internal battle. Her own breathing stopped until he spoke again.

  “One minute you were there in my arms, and the next you’re unconscious, bruised, bloody, I didn’t know what else to do. I did what I thought was best. I don’t, I didn’t, want to lose you.” He stopped looking at her and re-focused on the dash. “Now that we’re at the house, I don’t know if--” She saw his Adam’s apple bob when he swallowed hard. Whatever he was about to say fought for release. “There’s something you need to know. I only hope you can forgive me.”

  His face held so much sorrow she wanted to kiss him, hoping to make him feel better. What could
have happened that required her forgiveness? A sharp twinge in her temple gave her the connection. At her sudden intake of breath, he reached for her hands, looking distressed.

  “Kate, I’m--”

  “The Jag,” she breathed, finally figuring it out.

  “What?”

  “That’s it, isn’t it?” The pain subsided to a dull ache before easing completely.

  “What’s it?” He tilted his head, still not following her.

  “The Jaguar, it was totaled wasn’t it? That’s what you have to tell me, right?” How could she not have known?

  He seemed to fumble for the words as he scrutinized the interior of the truck. “Uh, yeah, the Jag.”

  “Why would I have to forgive you? You had nothing to do with it. I was behind the wheel. I’m the one who wrecked the car.”

  “Umm, well...I know how much you loved that car.” Sam flicked at the keys still hanging from the ignition. “I, uh, had to make the decision with the insurance company. We had to scrap it. I didn’t know how to tell you.” He looked a little pale. Apparently he was under more stress than she thought.

  “It’s just a car, Sam. We’ll get another one. Besides, it’s going to be quite a while before I want to drive again.” She twisted more in the seat so she could have a better view of his face, hoping her words would ease his mind.

  “There’s no rush.” He surprised her by reaching to caress her cheek with the back of his hand. Her eyes widened at the zing of electricity that whirled through her.

  “I know.”

  She hadn’t expected such a powerful feeling to sweep over her. After all, they’d been married for a while, hadn’t they? She’d expected a deeper, more comfortable sort of feeling.

  This was...intense.

  Did he feel it too? His lips parted and he stared at her with eyes blazing. She could feel them burn a path to her very core. Oh, God, she suddenly realized she wasn’t ready for this. She still had so many questions. He leaned in ever so slowly and she couldn’t move. It was all happening so fast, too fast. She should stop him, had to stop him, had to say something. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw two shadows scurry across the front windows of the house.