by Tara Rose
“I told you the worst thing that ever happened to me. Do you know how hard that was to finally say out loud, after all this time? I’ve taken care of you, and served you, and done it all without question or complaint, because you’re my entire world. And now because we’ve let Graham into our lives, and agreed to try this, and because I like it…and because I made love to him without you here…now you’re leaving? I don’t understand this. I don’t understand your reaction.”
She swiped at her tears as she watched him toss shorts, T-shirts, and underwear into the bag without even glancing at her. Finally, he looked at her, and she nearly recoiled at the expression in his eyes. It was a combination of regret and confusion. Leta had never felt so helpless in her life.
She sat on the floor because her knees suddenly buckled. Graham went to catch her but he was too late. He stood over her, the same confusion and helplessness on his face that she felt, but she didn’t know how to respond to that either. How could she help him when she didn’t even understand what was going on?
Graham took a step toward him. “Nando, don’t do this. We’ve been friends a long time. Come back into the kitchen and we’ll all sit down and talk.”
“Talk about what? She loves you, too.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sure Giselle loves both Kade and Elliot. Celina loves Arizona and Dallas. Alaina loves Jeff and Taj, and Jade loves Estevan and Liam. If they can make this work, so can we.”
Nando nodded slowly as Graham ticked off the litany of triads. “Yeah. Good for them. I’m just not sure I can do it. I need time and space to think.”
“I thought you loved me?” Her voice came out so softly she wasn’t sure he heard it, but then he picked up his bag and stood in front of her.
“I do love you, Leta. I always have. But I have to think. And I can’t do it here.”
“Where? Where are you going?”
“Kade’s house. It’s empty right now.”
“Please don’t do this,” she whispered.
“I have to, pet.” He glanced toward Graham. “For all our sakes.”
Leta watched him go, and she then she watched Graham run after him. She heard them arguing, but she didn’t understand the words. All she wanted to do was sleep and never wake up again. She lay on the carpet and cried, shaking, unable to stop.
Chapter Seventeen
Nando was grateful that Kade, Elliot, and Giselle didn’t ask a lot of questions. Kade gave him a key to the house and told him to take any room he wanted. “And we’re right next door when you’re ready to talk.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
He tried to watch TV, but nothing held his interest. He couldn’t get the image of Leta sitting on the floor out of his mind. He’d never seen that haunted, defeated look in her eyes before. He was a giant shit, but he also knew if he’d stayed, he and Graham would have come to blows, and that would have killed her to watch.
The fact that he’d started this wasn’t lost on him. He knew that. The most confusing part was that he hadn’t been surprised by her admission. And he didn’t need to ask Graham if he loved Leta. Nando was pretty sure he’d never really stopped loving her, even if he would never acknowledge that. It didn’t mean he hadn’t loved Bailey and Teddy. Far from it. But Leta had always held a special place in his heart. Anyone who knew them both saw that.
Nando walked around the house, opening drawers until he found a pad of paper and a pen. He should have brought his laptop but he hadn’t wanted to spend one more second inside his own house. He sat down again and wrote out the positives about having Graham in their lives. It was a long list, starting with the fact that he had always enjoyed Graham’s company.
He forced himself to include things on the list related to Leta and Graham. The way she looked at him now, with tenderness and love in her eyes. The fact that their lovemaking was better now that Graham was there, too. And the way she’d responded to play with both of them.
He also couldn’t ignore the fact that Leta had borrowed paint and brushes from Estevan, and was out in the town again, taking pictures and spending time with her friends. That had all happened in the past two weeks, ever since she’d agreed to give him the fantasy.
Having Graham in their lives was good for her. It was good for him. It was good for him and Leta together. It didn’t mean she loved him less. It had enhanced her love for him. He realized that now. If there was one thing Nando couldn’t ignore, it was words and numbers, written down or typed out in black and white.
Then he made a second column, intending to list the negatives, but there was only one. His irrational, immature jealousy.
When it was written out like this, side-by-side, it was as plain as day to see what the real problem here was. He’d already known that, but the question now was what the fuck to do about it. How was he going to get this under control? Because this afternoon wouldn’t be the only time she’d be alone with Graham.
He tossed the legal pad and pen across the room and turned on the TV again, finally settling on one of the cop shows. But after fifteen minutes, he took his cell phone out of the bag and stared at it. She’d sent him at least a dozen text messages, and so had Graham. There were several missed calls.
He’d imagined all sorts of scenarios, including the two of them finding comfort in each other’s arms. Judging by what he read, they hadn’t done that. They were worried sick about him and terrified that he’d never come back.
“This is ridiculous.” He turned off the TV and had just begun to put his things back in the duffel bag when he heard shouting outside. Before he could go to the door and see what was going on, Kade was in the house.
“Fire. At the resort site. Big one. People were still working. We think they’re trapped.”
Nando stuffed his phone in his shorts pocket. “Has the fire department been called?”
“Yeah, but good luck. Seriously. It looks like every fucking building went up at the same time.”
They raced through the woods behind Elliot and Giselle. She was on her phone as she ran, and it sounded like she’d called her parents to raise the alarm in town. The fire department on this island consisted of less than thirty men and women and three trucks. For something this extensive, they’d need help from the residents to get it under control. There was no one else to call for backup. No department from the mainland would ever reach the island in time for help that would make a difference.
Nando smelled the smoke before they reached the clearing. All four stopped and simply stared at the sight in front of them. The fire trucks were there, but it was obvious they couldn’t water all the buildings at once. It was chaos. Residents had already arrived, and they’d started an old-fashioned fire brigade with buckets, drawing water from a second hydrant at the street, but Nando didn’t need to know anything about fighting fires to know this was a lost cause.
“What about a helicopter?” asked Kade. “Or a plane?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m sure they’re going to try everything. Let’s go and help.”
As they approached the residents lined up from the hydrant to one of the smaller buildings, Nando spotted Santos and other police officers. His thoughts raced toward Graham and Leta. Surely they’d see the smoke and flames from the house.
Graham. He’d never be able to approach this site. It would bring back too many memories. He needed to know they were safe right now. His heart raced at the thought of them near this mess.
He took out his phone and was about to call Leta when movement caught his eye. A figure stood next to the concrete building that Leta had told them contained fireworks. It wasn’t close to where the other buildings burned, but if the flames reached it…
Nando was about to flag down Santos or one of the cops to let them know what was stored inside that building, when he noticed the figure wasn’t watching the fire the way a normal spectator would. He was peering around the building, like he didn’t want anyone to see him. And there was something uncomfortably fam
iliar about him.
Asa’s threat came back to him. “I’m not letting them get away with this. If there’s nothing else we can do without hurting the company, it’s time to take matters into my own hands.”
Nando shook his head. “No. He wouldn’t.” Then he realized that not only would Asa do something like this, but he’d stand there and watch the buildings burn, simply to make sure he’d done the job right.
Kade, Elliot, and Giselle had already joined other residents in a line. He should call Leta and Graham, but he also had to find out who the man was watching the fire. Even if it turned out to be Asa. The cops were busy. Everyone was busy. No one was paying attention to the concrete building. Except him. He had no choice.
Nando sprinted toward the other end of the property. If he approached the building from behind, the man watching the fire wouldn’t see him and run away before Nando could make a positive ID.
* * * *
It had taken Graham close to an hour to get Leta to stop crying, but she’d still insisted on calling Nando and sending text messages. He hadn’t responded to any of them, and finally she’d accepted that he simply needed time to think this through on his own. That was who he was. But he’d never done anything this drastic before. He’d never left the house. How were they going to resolve this and get back to where they’d been before this afternoon?
Leta and Graham heard several soft explosions from inside the house, then they ran out onto the deck and watched in disbelief as thick, black smoke began to rise. “It’s got to be the construction site.”
Graham tried to call the police station, but no one picked up. “This is bad…” His voice had an odd, faraway sound.
“Let’s go see if we can help. We’ll approach it from the beach. It’s faster that way.”
A fine sheen of sweat had broken out along Graham’s face. “Nando is at Kade’s house.”
“Then they’ll see it, too. Come on. We’ll find him when we get there.”
As they approached the scene, her fears turned from their relationship to the lives of any workers who might have still been in those buildings. The scene in front of them was like something out of a disaster movie. The cops and fire trucks were here, but they were inadequate to fight this fire. The flames shot at least forty feet into the air. Anyone on the island would be able to see them, and as she glanced around, she realized most of the residents were already here.
“This is bad,” Graham repeated. His face looked so pale in the flickering light from the flames, and his voice sounded strange.
“They need another water source. Those buckets are useless.” She glanced around, desperate to see Nando. “Where is he? We need to find him.”
“Okay.” He took her hand, and she was alarmed to find it so damp and cool. “Come on. Let’s stay on the perimeter so we’re not in the way. There’s nothing we can do to help that they aren’t already trying.”
“Graham, I won’t ask you to go near the fire, okay?”
He nodded, and she became even more worried at the haunted look in his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to do this. It was too much to ask of him. But at least he was moving now, so she squeezed his hand tightly and followed.
They walked around the outside of the crowds, and movement caught her eye next to the concrete building that Giselle had told her contained fireworks. The flames weren’t on it yet, but they were too close. They would soon overtake it if this fire wasn’t contained.
As she watched the figures near the building, icy cold fear spread through her veins. She let go of Graham’s hand and ran toward the structure. One of the men next to it was Nando. She wasn’t sure who the other man was, but the one facing her in profile was her Sir. She’d know him anywhere.
Leta screamed his name as Nando followed the other man into the building. What the hell is he doing? She heard Graham shouting after her, but she wasn’t about to stop. As she reached the door, the other man ran out, but Leta didn’t get a good enough look at his face because he had a hoodie pulled up. His form was familiar but she couldn’t place it. She heard a crash from inside the building, and then turned around to find Graham.
* * * *
Graham stood rooted to the spot. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t even breathe. Every memory of that night two and a half years ago came crashing in. They were too close to the fire. He had to get out of there. He had to get back the house. Or the other side of the island, where he couldn’t see the flames.
“Graham! I need help! He’s hurt!”
Leta was inside. Why was she in there? Her face was full of fear and desperation, and that snapped him back to the present. She held out her hand. “Come on. You can do this. Nando is hurt. I need your help.”
The flames were closer to the building now. She’d said there were fireworks in there. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t even think.
Leta was on her phone. Who was she calling at a time like this?
Then she was in front of him, tears running down her face. “Sir, please. I need your help. I can’t do this alone. Please come inside with me. He’s hurt. Nando needs us. Please.”
Her touch was so cool, so soothing. And it finally broke through the fog in his brain. He looked at her for the first time since approaching the scene. She loved him. She loved them both. And if she lost one of them, she’d never survive it. He understood that. He’d lived through it. He’d lost the two most important people in his life because he hadn’t been able to save them.
Leta was important, too. So was Nando. He loved them both. One as the best friend he’d ever had, and the other as the woman he’d never really stopped loving, all these years. He had to do this for her. For both of them. And for Bailey and Teddy. To put their spirits at rest, finally.
He could almost feel them standing next to him right now, urging him to go inside the building and save his friend. Leta needed help, and he was the only person who could give that to her right now.
He loved her so much. He had to do this.
Chapter Eighteen
Leta pulled Graham into the building and pointed. A beam had fallen on Nando, and he was trapped. He also wasn’t moving, but he was breathing. She’d never been so scared in her life, but she knew they could do this. They had to move the beam and get him out of here, even if they had to carry him out. She’d drive him to the hospital herself if the ambulances were busy with others.
She and Graham got under the beam for leverage and pushed with all their might. It finally moved, and then they almost dropped it again trying to move it off Nando’s back. When they finally did, she knelt close to him and whispered in his ear. “I love you, Sir. Please don’t die.”
“You take his legs, Leta. I’ll carry his shoulders.”
“We should turn him over first. That’ll make it easier to carry him.”
“Be careful.”
She started to help Graham turn him over when Kade, Elliot, and Giselle crowded into the building. “Thank God. You got my text.”
“What happened?” asked Kade.
She explained about seeing two men outside the building, and then finding Nando in here with the beam on top of him. They carried him outside, and Kade sprinted over to where one of the cops stood, talking on his radio. Leta wrapped her arms around Graham and they waited for one of the ambulances to make its way over.
“You ride with him,” he said. “I’ll go with Kade, Elliot, and Giselle.”
“Thank you, Sir.” She gazed into his eyes. “I love you. I love you both. And I’m so proud of you right now. For what you did. You faced your greatest fear, Sir. You did it. Thank you.”
The look of gratitude and love in his eyes nearly made her heart burst. He held her close, and then she climbed into the passenger seat of the ambulance and prayed all the way to the hospital.
* * * *
“He’s awake again.”
Graham’s voice snapped Leta out of her daydreams. She peered into Nando’s face and smiled as recognition dawned in his eyes. “You keep fa
lling asleep, Sir. They gave you a lot of pain medication.”
“My back hurts. Am I still in the ER?”
“Yes. They’ve done a bunch of CT scans and nothing is broken, but you do have a lot of bruising on your back from where the beam fell. They said you’re going to be okay. They’re letting you go home as soon as they catch up.”
“How did you find me?”
Leta told him how she and Graham had heard explosions, and then saw the smoke. They ran down the beach toward the construction site, and then she’d spotted him and another man go into the building.
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. He had on a dark hoodie. I didn’t see his face. Santos has already questioned us because others saw him, too. There were still workers inside some of the buildings and he was lurking around, just before the explosions happened.”
Nando shook his head slowly. “Jesus Christ. Tell me no one was killed.”
“I wish I could, Sir. Several workers were killed. And they’re flying most of the injured ones off the island to Birmingham, Mobile, and Baton Rouge. Their burns are that bad.”
“Christ…”
“Didn’t you see who the other man was?”
“No. I never saw his face either. I went around to the back of the building, but before I could turn him around to see who it was, he sucker punched me.” Nando lifted a hand to his left shoulder. “Then I chased him into the building and the next thing I remember, I woke up in the ambulance.”
He and Graham exchanged a look she couldn’t interpret, but guessed it had something to do with what Graham had told Santos earlier about Asa’s comment. “You don’t really think Asa would…” Her voice trailed off. He would. “Oh my God.”
“We don’t know for sure it was Asa,” said Graham. “Let the cops do their thing.”
“It doesn’t matter right now.” She perched on the edge of Nando’s bed. “All that matters is you’re all right. I was so afraid.”