He made sense. “I guess so.” She didn’t like hospitals and knew they’d be standing around for hours while they waited for Tom to get treated. The gang members might expect her to ride in the ambulance and wait for her at the hospital entrance, so staying with Chase was best.
As Tom climbed into the back of the ambulance, he looked behind him. “Don’t you let her out of the room or I’ll kill you myself.”
Chase saluted and squeezed her side tight. She loved how protective Tom was, but at the same time, she didn’t like how he’d wormed his way into her heart. She studied his fierce expression and decided she loved him. It sounded stupid and was probably crazy, but deep in her soul, she knew he was the one for her. The biggest problem she faced was that she felt the same way about Chase. Was it possible to love two men? Was it even right?
“Ms. Viamari?”
She jerked her attention back to the sergeant. “I’m sorry.”
“Did you get a look at either man?”
“No. Just like Tom said, his horse bucked and my horse went crazy. As soon as I heard the gunshot, all I saw was Tom’s blood. After that, I remember running for my life.” Or maybe it was the other way around. The whole incident was too fuzzy.
“We’ll look into it, but if this is gang-related, even if we find these two, there might be more coming after you.” He touched his hat and stood. “Stay safe.”
* * * *
Chase watched Larissa pace the small living room of her suite. “Darlin’, please come sit down.”
“How can you stay so calm? Your own brother might be bleeding to death and someone wants to kill me.”
He went over to the minifridge and pulled out two beers. He twisted off the caps. “I think you need this.”
She took it from him, sipped from the bottle, and faced him. “What am I going to do? I can’t stay here the rest of my life. I have to go back to work and hope they forget about me.”
She was talking crazy, but he understood. Her life had spun out of control, and she had forgotten all her coping skills. He patted the sofa next to him. This time she nodded and sat next to him.
He rubbed her thigh, forcing his mind to stay on task. “I think you need to consider moving.”
“Moving where?”
He shrugged. “Anywhere but Arizona.”
She stared at him as if he had three heads. “You want me to run away and leave my friends and my job?”
He was hoping she didn’t want to leave him and Tom, but he’d bring up that topic later. Both he and his brother had enough money to live anywhere, but he didn’t want to scare her just yet by suggesting all three go together. Whether she knew it or not, the three of them were meant to be as one.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea. Even if we’d managed to kill both men today, you heard the officer. More will come.”
A tear leaked out her eye. “There were six hundred in that gang.”
“Jesus. You think you can escape all of them?” He turned her face toward him and swiped the tear from her cheek.
“No, but I love my job, and I don’t want to leave.”
“What do you think of moving to Texas?”
He’d never personally had the chance to visit, but they had Gulf fishing, and Tom could always use his petroleum engineering degree to work on oil rig designs, if he really wanted a job.
“How should I know? I’ve always lived in Arizona. My life is with the law firm.”
Chase wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her close. He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure something out.”
She twisted in his arms. Her eyes snapped shut for a moment. “The body painting contest. We forgot. I’m so sorry.”
She grabbed his thigh, and his mind jumped to a different part of her body. “No biggie. I’m not in the mood anyway. Tom might call.”
“You think they’ll release him tonight?”
“Whether they do or not, he’ll be fighting to get out. He’s stubborn like that.”
“But he got shot.”
“Tom has gotten a broken leg, three broken ribs, his head smashed in, and a host of smaller cuts and bruises. A little gunshot wound to his arm won’t stop him.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I feel so bad he got hurt because of me.”
“Darlin’, better him than you. If his horse hadn’t spooked your horse, that bullet might have hit you. I could never have lived with the knowledge we didn’t protect you.”
“That’s twice he’s missed.”
“All the more reason for you to get someplace safe.”
His cell rang. The screen said TOM. “Hey, man, you ready to split that joint?”
“How’d you know?”
Chase chuckled. “Any major damage?”
“The usual. I’m at Tucson Medical, the one on East Grant Road.”
“Know it. We can be there in an hour. Hang tight, bro.” He disconnected. “Ready for a ride?”
“Tom should be spending the night.”
“My brother would never settle for that. Ready?”
“I do feel like a caged animal. I wouldn’t mind a little ride to civilization.”
“Then let’s go.”
Since Larissa’s car was in the front lot and his was way in the back, she suggested they take her car. Worked for him, especially since she handed him the keys, acting as if they’d been together for years. His heart soared at the idea.
The sun was setting as they headed west toward Tucson. He took a chance no cops were around and went a little heavy on the accelerator. He rolled down his window, loving the cool breeze on his face. He always enjoyed the view from this drive. Catalina Highway provided stellar scenery. Today he had to concentrate more than usual since Larissa was in the car.
He patted his pants. “Damn, I left my phone in the room. Can I borrow yours?”
“Sure.”
He waited to dial as a large curve was coming up. As he neared the hairpin turn, the sun blinded him and someone smashed into his rear. His foot automatically went to the brake. Larissa whimpered. Anger rushed up from his gut.
“Hold tight.” He stuffed the phone in his top pocket and glanced in the rearview mirror. A large semi was on their ass, pushing them toward the railing. “Oh, shit.”
“Chase?”
Her plea tore at him as he tried to control the car. The side scraped the metal railing, and it took all of his effort to keep hold of the wheel. Praying the tires wouldn’t blow and send him plummeting off the mountain, he changed tactics and pressed hard on the accelerator. The relief was instant until they rounded another curve. The large vehicle barreled down on them.
“Too fast. Shit.”
The car slid to the side on the sandy road and lost purchase. The truck rear-ended them again. This time the car spun sideways, and the truck slammed into the driver side. All Chase saw was the large wall of rock right in front of him. The impact jarred him upward. The last thing he remembered was flying through the air over the railing to the desert below.
Chapter Seven
When Larissa opened her eyes, her whole body ached and throbbed. Head pounding, her skin seemed on fire. She tried to figure out what happened. “Chase?”
A warm hand grasped hers. “You’re in the hospital.”
The smell of burnt rubber and the crunch of metal flew through her mind. “Where’s Chase?”
“First things first. What’s your name?”
“My name?” The nurse nodded. “Larissa Viamari.” She tried to sit up, but the intense discomfort forced her back down.
The nurse took down her information. “Is Chase your husband or son?”
The thought of being married to Chase lessened her pain for a moment. The image of their first meeting flashed before her. He’d brought her into his tiny studio and, without a second thought, took off her top. What she wouldn’t give now to have his hands on her breasts and his mouth on her body.
“Neither. He was driving my car when a truck hit us.”
The nurse flipped some pages on her clipboard. “I have no one by that name here. Maybe you’d already dropped him off. Do you remember what happened?”
“Not really.” They were together. She searched her mind for the last image of him, but the throbbing pain prevented further recollection of their last moments together. “Chase and I were coming to a hospital to pick up his brother, Tom. I remember a large truck behind us.” She’d clamped down on the door handle and was pushing back in the seat as Chase flew down the mountain. “I yelled for him to slow down.”
A sharp pain stabbed her forehead.
“You said you were coming to the hospital for Tom. What’s Tom’s last name?”
She froze. She’d made love to two brothers yet had never asked for their last name. “I don’t know.”
How horrible was that? What did that make her? The pounding intensified. She needed to concentrate on what was important, which was finding Tom and making sure Chase was safe. Something horrible must have happened to him or he’d be by her side.
When she tried to sit up again, her muscles rebelled and vomit rolled into her mouth.
“Easy, Ms. Viamari. You have a broken wrist and a concussion. You must lie still.”
Easy for her to say. Chase needed her. This was all her fault. “I have to look for him.” She and Chase were together when the crash happened. That much she was sure about.
“I’m afraid we can’t let you go anywhere.”
“I’m fine.”
“We need to watch you for twenty-four hours to make sure there’s no brain swelling. Tomorrow, the doctor will put a cast on that wrist.”
She already had a stretchable wrap on it that prevented her from moving it much. Maybe she could contact Shayna and sneak out. The nurse stepped over to the stand holding drip bags. She pressed some numbers on a computer pad.
Larissa’s eyelids got really heavy. “What did you do? I’m really sleepy.”
“Nightie night.”
* * * *
Tom listened to his brother’s phone ring. “Where the fuck are you, bro?” He paced the hospital’s waiting room. He’d checked out over ninety minutes ago and needed to get back to the resort. He didn’t like the idea of Larissa being on the road. The last time they’d taken her out, the damn gang members had attacked. Christ.
He checked the time again. His last call was over two hours ago. Where the hell were they? Damn it. He should have gotten Larissa’s cell number. She’d know where he was. They were supposed to be together, but maybe Chase had found someone to watch over her. Given those gang members were after her, it would have been smarter to keep her in her room.
Out of options and out of patience, he dialed his boss’s number.
“Sensual Pleasures Fantasy Resort. Rod speaking.”
“Thank God. It’s Tom. Tom Sanford.”
“Tom! How are you? I just heard about the shooting. My God, man, what the hell happened? I’m sorry I wasn’t at the resort when the shooting occurred.”
He could only imagine what was going through Rod’s head. Guest gets shot at while visiting fantasy resort. What a PR nightmare. “I’m good, but I need to find Chase. He and Larissa left the resort two hours ago to pick me up at Tucson Medical, and they haven’t shown up.”
“You want me to help find them?”
“Could you? I don’t have Larissa’s cell, but Chase isn’t answering. I’m worried, man.”
“I’m on it.”
He disconnected. Tom should feel better, but in the pit of his stomach, he knew something bad had gone down.
Feeling a little light-headed, he sat. The waiting room suddenly got quiet. A mother and her three rambunctious kids finally got the needed attention. He leaned back in the chair and glanced up at the TV screen.
A picture of a mangled red sports car smashed into the side of the mountain on Catalina Drive appeared. His heart nearly stopped. Larissa had mentioned she drove a red sports car. He moved closer to the TV to listen to the story. Two fire trucks and a police car surrounded the wreck, but he couldn’t see any bodies inside.
“About an hour ago, a car belonging to Larissa Viamari crashed into a stone wall on Catalina Drive. When the police arrived, no one was in the car, but they found a body, burned beyond recognition, part way down the embankment. Ms. Viamari’s cell phone was found near the corpse.”
Tom’s legs nearly buckled. His head pounded and his throat turned dry. The nightmare continued. A wrecked car and a burned body? No. It wasn’t true. He had to get out of there. Larissa couldn’t be dead. Air. He needed air.
Once outside, he dropped to the steps. His airway swelled. What the hell had happened? Where was Chase? His brother never would have let her drive alone, but the report said the car was empty. Had more gang members come and abducted her? And where was Chase? Whose body was down the embankment? Jesus fucking Christ. He didn’t need this.
A migraine threatened. Sirens sounded nearing the hospital. People rushed by, but no one seemed to notice his life hung by a thread.
He must have sat there for close to an hour, trying to sort out the mess. Footsteps pounded on the pavement. Rod rushed toward him. Help had arrived at last.
“Rod. Thanks for coming.” He tried to stand, but he wasn’t strong enough. His heart had broken.
“You okay?”
“I think Larissa’s dead.”
Rod dropped next to him. “She’s dead? Jesus. I didn’t know. I saw the accident. I thought it might be her car. I tried to stop, but they waved me on. It looked real bad. What about Chase?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” Tears burned the inside of his lids. “What are we going to do?”
“Find your brother.”
Though his arm hurt like a bitch, he was tormented by knowing that if he hadn’t called Chase or Larissa to pick him up, they’d both be alive.
“We need to get back to the scene,” Rod said. “The tow truck was about to leave when I drove by.”
The image of the crashed car made a hole in his gut. “What good will that do?” He knew he wasn’t thinking straight from the deep-seated pain.
“We need to get as near to where the accident occurred to check out the area for clues. A person doesn’t just disappear from a car wreck as bad as that one, unless there’s some outside force.”
Like being kidnapped. He nodded and stood.
Forty minutes up the winding road, Rod motioned to a small parking area off to the side. “I’ll pull over here, and we can walk back down the road. Maybe something was left behind.”
The pain meds they’d given him were wearing off, but he was glad for the physical ache. It helped take his mind off his loss.
Close to the site, both stopped at once. Rod got down on his haunches. “Skid marks.” He began pacing off the length. “Christ. How fast was Chase or Larissa driving?”
Something wasn’t right. “Looks like two sets of tire marks to me.”
“Could be.”
When they reached the actual site, pieces of glass still lay on the road. The rock face had streaks of red where the car hit the wall. “I can’t believe this.” Tom walked another ten feet down the road, past where the rocks ended. He looked over the edge, where the cops said they found the burnt body. “I’m going down there.”
“You sure? It’s steep.”
He didn’t answer. Nothing was going to stop him. He stepped over the railing and slipped.
“Be careful.”
With his arm in a sling, his mobility was hindered, but he made it down the incline, stopping only when he got to the area of burnt grass. His stomach nearly heaved.
Rod scrambled down behind him. “The car I saw hadn’t burst into flames, so how did the body get burned beyond recognition?”
“Good question.” They separated and searched the area. When the sound of a toe hitting metal reached him, Tom turned around. “You find something?”
Using a handkerchief, Rod held up a shiny red gas can. “I’d say w
hoever got torched didn’t catch on fire as a result of the accident.”
“You really think that belonged to an arsonist? The police would have removed it as evidence.”
“Maybe they were in a rush and didn’t see it. The can is pretty far from the scene.”
“It’s possible. I’m just thankful the authorities located and took the body away.”
He refused to consider the body belonged to Larissa or Chase. The horror of it all was too much to stomach. Tom doubled over and threw up. He hated being weak.
Rod came closer but remained far enough away to give him some privacy. “You think the same men who shot you also tried to run Larissa off the road?”
Then burned her? “That would be my guess.” He swiped the back of his mouth. “Larissa told me there were over six hundred members of the gang. Any one of them could be responsible.”
“That makes finding whoever did this a hell of lot more difficult.”
That was an understatement. Shielding his forehead with his palm, Tom looked over the vast desert. If Chase had gotten away, or Larissa for that matter, where were they now? Which way would they go? There was a nice breeze up on the highway, but down on the desert floor the sun would be intense, lessening their chances of survival. Assuming both were alive and the burned body belonged to someone else, they wouldn’t last long in this harsh environment.
* * * *
Shayna clasped Larissa’s hand. The sleep medicine the nurse gave her lasted about three hours. As soon as she woke, she called her friend, and Shayna rushed over.
“Shouldn’t you call the authorities and tell them you’re alive?”
Ever since she’d seen the replay of the report about her possible death, she hadn’t been able to think clearly. Chase had to be the burned body, but her mind wasn’t ready to accept that fact.
“Maybe I want to be dead.”
“Oh, girlfriend. Don’t say that. I know you thought you loved Chase, but isn’t Tom still around? He’s at some hospital, right?”
“Tom! Oh my God. We were on our way to pick him up. He’s got to be worried, but no, when I said I wanted to be dead, I meant I wanted the world to think I was dead.”
Monroe, Melody S. - Hidden Fantasy [Fantasy Resort 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7