But that was before the call came, alerting her to the situation. The Monroe County courthouse clerk was formal and detached when she stated the facts. Since Mia had failed to pay the taxes and mortgage owed on the property, the house was going into foreclosure. All attempts to contact her had gone unanswered, so the county had no alternative. The bank was going to sell the house and land, recoup the debt payments, then forward her whatever was left.
Mia was still too stunned to believe it. Her father’s home, the only thing she had left of him, was about to be auctioned off without a second thought. Her ex-fiancé had evidently decided not to tell her about the foreclosure, and by the time she’d found out it was almost too late. Now her plan was simple, to drive to the county clerk’s office in town, fill out whatever papers she needed to fill out, and then get to her father’s house and ride the storm out there.
But truth be told, she needed to get away. She couldn’t stand being in Atlanta another minute. Knowing that her ex-fiancé and his new coed wife were coming back to town only prompted a quicker retreat from the city. Of course, driving into the storm wasn’t a great idea, but it did give her a valid reason to leave.
She wondered what she saw in Neal in the first place. For three years she’d wasted her time and money on a man who wouldn’t know class if it jumped up and bit him on the rear. Her father had been right all along.
In the rearview mirror she saw the jeep, its flashing lights turned off. Now he was exactly what she needed to put her nonrepression to the test. He was tall, maybe a little over six feet, nicely built, probably just over thirty years old, sexy and attractive. “Yep, he’d be perfect.” She laughed nervously. “Okay, but right now, girl, you needed to focus,” she told herself. She pressed the Mute button, filling the car with music again. Nodding her head, she reached over to her GPS and found a new route into town.
Chapter 2
Deputy Sheriff Stephen Morales picked up the fallen radio in his jeep and pressed the Return button.
“You still there?” he asked, breathing hard from the excitement.
“Yeah, I’m still here. What happened? Do you need me to send help your way?” Terrence asked. “I was just about to call into police dispatch.”
“No, I’m fine,” he said as he looked up in the rearview mirror to see the red taillights continue down the street. “Do me a favor and reiterate that part about staying off the roads. Apparently your listening audience didn’t hear it the first few dozen times you mentioned it.”
“What happened?”
“It’s what didn’t happen. A head-on collision.”
“Come again?”
“I just had a near miss with some crazy lady speeding to get to an appointment in town.”
“But everything in town is closed.”
“Yeah, I tried to tell her that. Listen, I better check in and see about the bridge situation.”
“All right, be safe out there. If you need anything else call me. I’ll be on the air for the duration. Do you need anything now?”
Stephen didn’t respond; he was staring up at the rearview mirror. His thoughts spun wildly back to the driver in the car. He didn’t get a good look at her face, but there was something…“It couldn’t be her,” he muttered to himself.
“Couldn’t be what? Hey, you sure you’re okay out there? I can send someone to you,” Terrence said. Stephen still didn’t respond. “Stephen, you there?” Terrence called out, his voice getting louder.
Hearing his name, Stephen blinked back. “Yeah, yeah, I’m just checking something out, that’s all. I thought I saw something. I’m not sure.”
“Man, you just got out of the hospital a few days ago. You need to take it easy out there. This isn’t the kind of weather you need to play with.”
“No, I hear you. I’m fine. So how are you and Warrick’s niece doing?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Sounds serious,” Stephen said, surprised by Terrence’s near obsession with the woman.
“Serious was two minutes after I met her.”
“In that case it sounds like the Holy Terror has finally been tamed. I wish you and Sherrie the best. Let me know when to get my tux pressed.”
“Will do. Be safe,” Terrence said.
“Back at ya,” Stephen said, and then signed off.
“Mi fantasía,” he muttered. It was his imagination, of course. Too many hours on duty, too many coffees, too little sleep, plus coming off the incident last week, he was understandably exhausted. There was no way he saw what he thought he saw.
Of course, he’d only really seen her once, at the funeral, nine months ago. She seemed small and delicate at the time. She leaned on the man with her, and Stephen was so filled with jealousy that he walked away and never looked back. He regretted not staying and at least introducing himself.
Stephen glanced up, seeing a set of red taillights pass down the street. He was sure it wasn’t her. He pressed the Call button on his walkie-talkie. “This is Morales checking in, over,” he said.
The response was instant. “Hey, everything okay out there?”
“Natalia, is that you? What are you doing at dispatch?”
“Sheriff has me sitting here playing nursemaid.”
“You’re pregnant. What do you expect?”
“Equal consideration,” she said, frustrated.
“I wouldn’t mind a little equal consideration right now. I’m soaking wet out here.”
“That’s why you stay in the jeep.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re nice and cozy inside.”
“Yeah, yeah, you just be careful out there. Remember, you’re not at one hundred percent just yet. As a matter of fact, you’re lucky you’re even out there. You’re still listed as injured.”
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me, I think I’ve done this hurricane thing once or twice.”
“Every hurricane is different, you know that. So don’t get too cocky out there, unless of course you want me to come out there and rescue you again.”
He laughed at the memory, but she didn’t join in.
A few weeks ago Stephen had been doing backup for Natalia as she rescued drunken tourists who’d crashed their car down a ravine. He’d saved Natalia and the tourists, but then found himself in trouble, needing Natalia to save him. He was injured in the process, and afterward she was put on desk duty by the sheriff, due to her advancing pregnancy.
“Yeah, you laugh now, but wait until you’re stuck on desk duty for the next three weeks,” she said, prompting Stephen to laugh even harder. “All right, back to business. What was the call?”
“It was just a tourist driving down Waterway Street in the wrong direction. We almost ran into each other.”
“Jeez, not another reckless tourist,” she said with obvious annoyance. “They must think this is some kind of game. When will these people learn that hurricanes are no joke?”
“That’s a fact,” Stephen said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “Oh, there’s another tree down on Waterway Street and a utility pole on Main.”
“Roger that. With the winds getting stronger, we can expect a lot more downed trees and poles. We’re up to eighty-five miles per hour on the bridge, and this hurricane is still hours away.”
“It’s gonna be a bad one.”
“Okay, listen up, the bridge is about to close, but we still have a few stragglers. They’re being directed to the local shelters.”
“Got it,” Stephen noted as he glanced in the rearview mirror. But the car had long since turned out of sight. “I’ll head over to the bridge now.”
“Negative. Take a pass. We’ve got the bridge covered. Remember, you’re not technically on active duty yet. Anyway, both northbound and southbound traffic are closing so we shouldn’t see anyone this way. At this point anyone in the Keys now is staying here until the hurricane passes.”
“Affirmative,” Stephen said. “I’m gonna swing by the shelters and check them out.”
“R
oger that. Afterward, why don’t you knock off? Everything’s covered and you’ve already done a triple shift.”
“I might just do that,” Stephen said.
“The band has been giving us some trouble, so stay up on the local channel for more details. We’re also passing info through Terrence. He’s going to be on air for a while.”
“Got it.”
“All right, be careful. Talk to you later, out.”
“Roger that, out,” Stephen said, and then placed the radio on the seat beside him. The familiar tension in his neck and shoulders strained his muscles. He rubbed the soreness and gently touched his upper arm. The stitches were gone, but the nagging pain was still there. It was his second day back, much earlier than required, but every officer was asked to help with the evacuations. He looked up at the dark sky. This was definitely going to be a bad one.
Having lived in the Keys all his life, Stephen knew these storms all too well. What was once paradise could quickly turn into a living hell. Advance planning and keeping a cool head were the keys to survival. Unfortunately few adhered to the simple precautions. He’d been in too many storms not to know the trouble when he saw it coming. Slow and deliberate, Hurricane Ana had all the makings of trouble.
Stephen looked up and stared in the rearview mirror. The familiarity of the driver still stayed with him. He knew it couldn’t be. He ran through the meeting quickly. The baseball cap was pulled down too low for him to see her face clearly, still, she looked so much like the woman in his dreams. But he was certain she couldn’t be. She hadn’t been here in the last nine months since the funeral or even the three years before. There was no reason for her to come down here now. Besides, no one in their right mind would venture into a hurricane. In his exhaustion he must be imagining things.
As if to make a point to himself, he yawned. He’d been on evacuation duty for the last twenty-four hours. He always mused at the absurdity of convincing someone to leave the area for their own safety. But it was his job to convince them, even conjure or beg, if necessary. So, with one last glance in the mirror he shifted gears and steered the jeep to the nearest shelter.
A few miles down the road Mia’s cell phone beeped. She pressed the button on the steering wheel to mute the radio, and then activated the car’s phone speaker system. “Hello.”
“Where are you now?” Janelle asked.
“Are you there yet?” Nya added.
Mia signed heavily. It was Nya Kent and Dr. Janelle Truman on conference call again. They’d been calling her off and on for the last few hundred miles. She loved and adored them and usually delighted in hearing from them, but today they were driving her crazy. Both were her stepsisters, as both their fathers had been married to her mother at one point. Each of the marriages eventually failed, but the three stepsisters remained best friends. “No, not yet, but I’m close. I’m off the bridge and in town,” Mia said.
“It’s about time. You left Atlanta over ten hours ago,” Nya said. “Shouldn’t you be at the courthouse by now?”
Before Mia could answer, Janelle said, “What makes you think the county office will still be open when you get there? They’ll probably be closed if the hurricane is as bad as the newscasters say.”
“They’ll be open. They have to be,” Mia said woefully.
“What you have to do is turn around and come back here.”
Here we go again, Mia moaned inwardly. It was the same conversation all over again and she wasn’t in the mood to hear it. When she first told them her plans to drive down to the Keys while under a hurricane watch, they were determined to talk her out of it, citing Hurricane Katrina as their main argument. She was finally able to convince them of the unpredictability of forecasting hurricanes and the extreme unlikelihood of the then tropical depression upgrading to hurricane level or even coming close to the Keys. Eventually they relented. “You guys are starting to sound like nagging six-year-olds in the backseat.”
“At the very least you should have flown,” Janelle said.
“As I said the last three times you told me that, Janelle, flights headed in this direction were being diverted.”
“What about a private plane?” Janelle asked.
“All flights were being diverted,” Mia repeated.
“Actually, not all flights,” Nya interjected. “I have a friend who can fly you just about anywhere at any time. All I have to do is—”
“Not now, Nya,” Mia said, getting slightly exasperated by her sister’s persistence. But to her credit, Nya probably did know someone who could fly in this madness. She had a network of associates who could do just about anything at any time. Her connections, thanks to her father, both legal and not so legal, were mind-boggling. “Guys, like I said before, it takes at least twelve hours to get here ordinarily. But with the storm, driving is slow, even if the roads into Key West are practically empty.”
“Empty? Well hell, of course they’re empty. Everybody with some sense has evacuated. I still can’t believe you’re driving down there in the middle of a hurricane. It’s insane,” Nya said.
“Don’t worry so much, the hurricane is something like seventy-five miles away. It’s raining and a little windy, but it’s not that bad,” she blatantly lied, “and besides, you know I didn’t have much choice.”
“You could have waited or gotten someone else to do it for you,” Janelle said.
“If you’ll remember, that’s what got me into this mess.”
“Stop blaming yourself, Mia. This isn’t your fault, no one knew this was going to happen.”
“My dad knew.” At Mia’s reply, her friends’ protests went silent. “I had to come today,” she said after a while. “The clerk told me that the house is going into foreclosure and an auction is imminent. I can’t let that happen. I need to be there before the place closes at five so I can file the extension papers.”
“But, Mia, are you hearing the weather reports? They say that this hurricane is a Category One now,” Janelle said.
“And it’s heading directly for the Keys,” Nya added.
“Yeah, I know, I heard,” Mia said, “but I have plenty of time to get to the county office, file my petition and get out of here before it hits.”
“Okay, wait, listen to this,” Nya interrupted. “With no signs of weakening, Hurricane Ana is strengthening—”
Mia cut her off. “You don’t have to read every weather report you find to convince me that it’s going to get bad. I know it will.”
“Apparently I do, because apparently you don’t.” Nya groaned. “You know she’s running away,” she said plainly.
“I know she is,” Janelle agreed.
“It’s all because of that stupid, childish, self-centered, egotistical fool,” Nya added.
“Ah, yes, Neal, her so-called fiancé,” Janelle clarified.
“Do you two mind not talking about me like I’m not here?”
“I still can’t believe he posted that e-mail like that. What a jerk.”
“He’s a jerk all right, just like I said before.”
This was one conversation Mia had no intention of hearing. “As usual, guys, talking about the drama in my personal life has been a blast for me, but according to the GPS, I’m almost there. I need to concentrate. I’ll call you back after I take care of everything.”
“What about your trip to Paradise Island?” Nya asked.
“I’m packed and headed there after I leave the Keys. Assuming the weather cooperates,” she added.
“All right,” Janelle said, “drive carefully.”
“Yeah, and don’t forget to call us,” Nya added.
“I won’t forget. Talk to you guys later,” Mia said, and then pressed a button on the steering wheel to disconnect the conference call.
The car went silent except for the howling winds and pouring rain. Oddly enough, they were a welcome relief after Nya and Janelle. She knew they were right. She was running away. But what else could she do? Her fiancé of three years had dumped her
and eloped to Vegas and there was no way she was going to be there when he and his wife got back. She was already humiliated enough.
The e-mail that ended their relationship was made public via the “Reply All” feature. She still had no idea how it happened. But there it was on the campus gossip Internet site for all to see. Professor Mia James Dumped by Professor Neal Bowes.
He had called her cold, unfeeling and sexually repressed. Sexually repressed. The two words were now forever attached to her name in cyberspace. It still infuriated her. She was not repressed. She might be a bit controlling and slightly restrained, but she was definitely not sexually repressed.
She glanced at one of the books she’d been reading and smiled. She was definitely not repressed and she intended to prove it to herself as soon as she got to Paradise Island.
“Nya is right. Neal was a stupid, self-centered, egotistical jerk.”
Chapter 3
Finally, Mia found the office building. She parked, tugged her baseball cap lower and then got out. In torrential rain she ran through massive puddles to the door and pulled it open. It didn’t budge. She tried again; still nothing. Wearily, she stepped back and stared up at the brick building hoping to see some semblance of life, the windows were boarded. “No, no, no,” she repeated. “Please don’t be closed.” She shut her eyes and said a silent prayer. Then she tried again, and that was when she saw the note on the door stating that the office would be closed due to current weather conditions.
Standing there, soaked, her tears mingling with the rain, she just stared at the sign on the door. It was over. She’d lost her father’s home.
Frustrated rage welled up inside of her. She should have listened to her father. None of this would have happened. She should have taken care of this herself. She should have dumped Neal years ago. But the should haves were a moot point. It was too late. Now there was nothing left to do but go to the house and collect whatever memories she could.
She ran back to the car and got in. Soaked to the bone, she turned on the ignition and with the wipers on the highest setting, she steered the car away from the flooding curb. It was time to move on.
Sultry Storm (Kimani Romance) Page 2