Sweet Sacrifice

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  “Sash?” Two warm hands were placed on each of her cheeks and a small face appeared before her blurry eyes and peered down at her. “Sash, are you awake?”

  Both the voice and the concerned face belonged to Sweet. Sash opened her eyes in disbelief. Was she seeing a ghost?

  “Sweet?” She pushed herself up on her elbows. “Sweet? You’re alive?”

  The crooked grin bestowed on her confirmed that it was him. He threw his arms around Sash’s neck knocking her back onto the bed. He covered her face with noisy kisses but Sash was hesitant to touch him at first, still unable to believe that he had survived the fiery crash. Slowly, in measured degrees her arms curled around his small body. She caressed him and inhaled him, touched him and checked him for bumps and bruises until her mind was ready to comprehend that a miracle had happened. Sweet was alive! She was holding him in her arms, and except for a few scrapes and bruises he seemed to be unharmed. She could hardly believe it. She had longed for this moment, prayed for it fervently. Sash’s arms tightened around the little boy. She returned his noisy kisses with ones of her own as tears of joy replaced tears of despair.

  “Stop Sash! You’re squashing me!” Sweet protested trying to wiggle free.

  Brandon stood at Sash’s bedside feeling like an intruder as he watched the happy reunion. The love between the boy and his sister couldn’t be denied. He felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched them. He could remember how it felt to love one person so deeply. He was happy for both Sash and the boy and he hated to be the one to break up their reunion, but…

  “I’m sorry, Sash, but you’ve got to get some rest.”

  Forcing herself to tear her eyes from her brother, Sash turned her attention to Brandon. “Where are we?” For the first time she noticed her surroundings. The room she was in was richly decorated, with brocade wallpaper and expensive bedroom furnishings. There was an IV in her arm.

  “We’re in a private room at the hospital. The ambulance brought you here. The medic said that you were in shock. How are you feeling?”

  “You sick, Sash?” Sweet’s face registered his concern.

  “No, sweetheart. I’m fine.” Sash sat up with him still in her arms as she addressed Brandon. “I don’t like hospitals. I don’t want to be here.”

  Brandon decided not to argue. “All right, but we may have trouble trying to get out of here. It’s a madhouse outside.”

  “There’s police cars outside, Sash,” Sweet said with a combination of awe and fear in his voice. “There were fires trucks and firemen too at the other place. Sash, do I have to talk to those people?” Sash’s questioning eyes went to Brandon.

  “The FBI wants to talk to him and the press is gathering. Let me get the doctor, so he can sign you out. We’ll probably have to leave by some sort of back entrance. Do you think that you can make it? ”

  “Of course.” Sash sat up on the side of the bed and found her shoes placed neatly beside it. Sliding her feet into them smoothly, she looked up at Brandon. “Go get that doctor to take this thing out of my arm. I’m ready to leave.”

  ****

  Surreptitiously, Brandon watched Sash as she cuddled her brother while the boy was being questioned by the FBI agents. She never ceased to amaze him. He marveled at how well she had held up over the hours since Sweet had been rescued. He knew she had to be exhausted, but she refused to rest until all matters could be settled regarding Sweet. After successfully leaving the hospital without being detected by the media, they had been hustled into a waiting car by the FBI and had taken Brandon’s plane back to his Monterey home. He had called ahead to his private physician to meet them at the house. There, Brandon had insisted that Sash and Sweet be further examined. They were both declared physically fit.

  Up to this point, the three of them had stayed one step ahead of the media, but Brandon knew that their luck might not last. When word leaked out that the founder of Plaine Deal Media was the target of an extortion attempt the media pressure would be intense. The FBI agreed to conduct questioning of Sweet and Sash here in his home and he could only hope that they would be safe from the media for now. He was anxious for them to get through the questioning so that the two of them could get some rest.

  From the moment she regained consciousness and discovered that Sweet was alive all of Sash’s attention had been focused on him. She had made sure that he was fed and got some sleep on the plane. She was anxious that the questioning the authorities insisted that Sweet undergo be over with soon. What he had endured over the past few days had been torturous. She was concerned about not only his physical health, but his mental health as well. Sweet didn’t want to talk to the authorities about his experience and he did so reluctantly, but he did recount for Sash his miraculous escape from the flaming wreckage.

  He recalled how the woman in the car leaped from the back door with him in her arms. They rolled onto the ground into the waist high weeds. The impact had stunned Sweet but it had knocked the woman unconscious. Her body had cushioned his from the impact of the fall. She had been seriously injured as a result and was now hospitalized and lay in a coma. Her act of selflessness had saved the child’s life.

  According to Sweet, it wasn’t the first time that “the lady” had shielded him from harm. Sash hovered over him while he described his time with the “mean man” as one in which he lived with constant threats. But “the lady” had promised Sweet that she would protect him. She had expressed regret to him that she had been a part of the abduction and had fled with Sweet from the “mean man” even before Sash escaped from the basement in Santa Cruz. She had fled in the gray van Sash had described to Brandon.

  “She told me that I would be her little boy,” Sweet recalled with a frown. “But I told her I wanted to go home.”

  Whether the subsequent phone call that Sash had answered in Brandon’s office was an attempt to comply with Sweet’s request or another plan to get the money would remain a mystery until the woman awakened. Whatever the reason, her effort to flee from her partner had proved unsuccessful.

  “The lady and me went to go get something to eat and that mean man found us. The lady was crying and he said he would get rid of her like he did that other man if she didn’t shut up.” Sweet yawned and rubbed his eyes.

  Each adult in the room zeroed in on the child’s mention of the disappearance of another man. The authorities gave Sash the nod to take the forefront in the questioning of the exhausted child.

  “There won’t be many more questions, Sweet,” she said reassuring him with a kiss. “But did you see what happened to the other man?”

  She was relieved when he shook his head, and snuggled closer to her, his eyelids drooping slowly over his dark brown eyes. Sash shifted him in her arms and stood.

  “That’s it for today, gentlemen. I’ve got to get my brother home and put him to bed. Could I hitch a ride home from one of you? We're both about to drop.” She noticed that the agents from whom she requested a ride looked at Brandon expectantly.

  Brandon licked his lips nervously. “Do you guys mind giving us a few minutes?”

  The men left the room without protest seemingly oblivious to the look of confusion on Sash’s face. Closing the door behind them, Brandon turned to Sash.

  “What’s up?” She didn’t sound as if she would be pleased by whatever he said.

  “I told the agents that you and Sweet would be staying with me.”

  “Oh you did?” Sash’s tone was clipped. “And why would you say that?”

  Brandon nodded toward the boy asleep in Sash’s arms. “Because you’re both physically and mentally exhausted. The doctor said that Sweet seemed fine physically, but psychologically he’s been traumatized.”

  “I know what he said. And?”

  “He doesn’t need the additional trauma of having to wade through crowds of reporters for the next couple of weeks. He needs to rest, and so do you. That won’t happen if you go back to your place. I have plenty of room for both of you here. This is a gated area. T
here’s a security patrol and both of you will be protected from prying eyes if you stay here.” Brandon tried not to appear too anxious about her decision.

  Sash considered what he was saying. It did sound reasonable but she was reluctant to agree with Brandon in any way. “You never trusted me, Brandon. You all but called me a deceitful liar to my face since the day we met. I doubt if you trust anybody, so why would you want me to stay under your roof?”

  Brandon could hardly believe that she was still holding his initial distrust of her against him. “Well you’re right, Sash. I don’t trust anybody and you can blame me all you want. There’s nothing I can do about that. But I did what I felt was necessary and I thank God that things worked out and that Sweet is safe. Blame me all you want for what you perceive as my past transgressions, but right now, you and Sweet need time to heal and I want to offer the two of you the comfort and security that you need to help with that healing. I have the means and I have the opportunity to make the offer and with no strings attached, whether you believe me or not. If you don’t want to stay here for yourself, fine, but at least do it for Sweet. After all he’s been through he deserves the luxury of comfort and security. Now you think about that and let me know.” Stiffly, Brandon walked from the room closing the door firmly behind him

  Sash never felt so small. Brandon was right. What in the world was wrong with her? Instead of gratitude she was harboring resentment against a man who had helped save her brother’s life. She owed Brandon a debt she could never repay, and she owed him an apology.

  Brandon sat in his office nursing a scotch and soda. He wasn’t a drinking man, but Sash Adams could drive any man to drink. What did she want from him anyway? She had already cost him a small fortune now burnt to a crisp! What did she want next? Blood?

  Slamming the glass down on the desktop Brandon got up from the desk, walked to the window and looked out into the darkness. Why was he letting Sash get under his skin? Hell, he hardly knew the woman. So what if they had been through a lot together, he still shouldn’t let her upset him as much as she did.

  Brandon moved back to the desk and fell heavily into his chair. Fingering the crystal glass still filled with scotch, he stared into the amber liquid and sighed in resignation. He knew what the problem was and why Sash got to him the way that she did. He wanted her, and he wanted her to want him. And of course there was Sweet. He was quite a kid.

  Remembering the crash site Brandon recalled his feelings of overwhelming fear and helplessness when Sash slipped into unconsciousness. He had been frantic when he gathered her in his arms to go get help but his efforts were temporarily interrupted by a police officer exiting the darkened weeds. The officer was carrying a small bundle in his arms, a whimpering child, bruised and dirty but unharmed. It was Sweet. As they drew near, the child became aware of what was happening around him and he glanced down at Brandon. At that moment Brandon had nearly reeled as he recognized the eyes that met his own. He saw the resemblance immediately. The moment was electric, one he would never forget. The photo of Sweet that Brandon had harbored in his pocket for the last two days had come to life.

  Over the past few hours he hadn’t had the opportunity to spend any time alone with the boy and he wanted badly to get to know him. Of course the way Sash seemed to still feel about him, getting that chance might not be easy.

  Brandon was considering the best way to approach this dilemma when there was a knock on the door. Expecting John Nathan he was surprised when Sash entered the room. He watched her slowly approach him, hands behind her back. He hoped she wasn’t hiding a weapon. She stood looking at him for a moment before speaking.

  “I owe you an apology, Brandon, and I’m here to say I’m sorry.”

  Brandon looked bewildered at this surprising turn of events. “Oh, really?”

  “Yes. You helped save my brother’s life. I can never repay you, and I’m sorry for being so rude. Plus I’m sorry about slapping you earlier. It was my foolish move that almost cost Sweet his life, not anything you did. The slap was uncalled for. I hope that you’ll accept my apology.”

  Brandon nodded, pleased by her words. “You do carry quite a wallop, but I accept your apology, Sash, and I’m glad that things worked out.”

  Sash hesitated before continuing. She wasn’t as certain about her next words as she had been about the apology. “If the invitation still stands I would like to accept your offer to stay here for a while. You’re right about it being better for Sweet and—”

  The sound of rapid footsteps in the hallway interrupted Sash’s train of thought. A second later John Nathan burst into Brandon’s office. He looked harried as his eyes swept the room. His suit jacket was pulled aside to reveal the revolver in his holster.

  “What is it, John?” Brandon could see the man’s concern.

  “Sorry, Brandon, but I wanted to make sure you and Ms. Adams were okay. I already checked on the boy. We found two intruders on the grounds. Reporters.”

  Brandon frowned. “Reporters? How?”

  “I wish I knew. Somehow they broke security. They got past the guard at the main gate, and then it looks like they might have gotten on your property by way of the neighbor’s place. My men caught them before they made it to the house. They’re holding them now. We’ve called the local authorities.”

  “Good.” John turned to leave but Brandon stopped him. “Tell me truthfully, John, will your guys be able to prevent breaches like this again?”

  John was honest. “Truthfully, I don’t think so. We can only do so much, and this thing is attracting a lot of press. You should see outside the gate. There are helicopters hovering about, too.”

  Brandon thought for a moment, remembering how aggressive he had been as a young reporter after a big story, and knowing how aggressive he encouraged his own reporters to be. How ironic that he should be the big story. Well he could handle it, but it wasn’t fair that Sash and Sweet should have to. He turned to Sash. “You heard, John. It seems that my initial offer will have to be rescinded. I won’t be able to protect the two of you here, but I’ve got another offer. I have a place where I can assure you that neither of you will be bothered until you’re ready to leave. I’d like to extend the same invitation for you to stay there.”

  Sash shrugged. She was not anxious for her life or for Sweet’s life to be invaded by hordes of media. “Fine, as long as Sweet is protected. Where are we going?”

  Brandon grinned, hoping that she would be pleased by his answer. “Hawaii.” The look of surprise followed by the grin on Sash’s face told him that she was indeed pleased.

  CHAPTER 14

  “This is like being in heaven, isn’t it Sash?” Sweet was beaming. His dark brown eyes were shining with excitement. Sash had never seen him so happy, even before the kidnapping. She fought back tears of joy.

  “It sure is, honey,” she replied, returning his smile. The child’s description of their surroundings couldn’t have been more appropriate.

  They had arrived on Brandon’s Hawaiian estate, Pineapple Hill, three weeks ago, the day after the breach of security at his home in Monterey. She and Sweet had slept most of the way as they were transported to the estate on Brandon’s private plane. When they arrived at Pineapple Hill early the next morning, both she and Sweet were excited. The estate was located on a small, private island off Hawaii, or the Big Island, the largest of the state’s eight major islands and the state’s namesake. Pineapple Hill could only be reached by boat. On their arrival, neither Sash nor Sweet had any doubt that they had arrived in paradise.

  Exotic trees, flowers and plants surrounded them as they walked the short distance from the ocean to the estate, which consisted of four one-story structures. Each was simplistic in its exterior design, but their breathtaking interiors paid homage to the nature around them. The main house contained Brandon’s living quarters, including a master bedroom suite, an extra bedroom, and a state of the art kitchen. Every room in the house looked out onto the ocean beyond and the living ro
om with its soaring 40 foot, wood beam ceiling was spectacular. The cathedral ceiling culminated in a skylight that allowed sunlight to flood the room’s interior. Two guest pavilions flanked each side of the main house and were joined to it by flower lined walkways. Each of the three houses had pathways that led to a pool pavilion, topped by a thatched roof and supported by four wooden beams. Several garden showers with trellis ceilings were located within proximity of each of the buildings. The entire setting was picture perfect, very much like paradise.

  On their arrival at Pineapple Hill, Sash and Sweet were settled in one of the guesthouses. They wasted little time in learning to enjoy their lavish surroundings. During the weeks that followed, Sash noticed a dramatic change in Sweet.

  Since the death of their parents, when he was three, Sweet had often been a solemn little boy. Sash had made every effort to make sure that he knew that he was loved and cared about, but still she sensed that there was a void in his life that she couldn’t seem to fill. Yet, in these past few weeks a different child was beginning to emerge—a child filled with new life.

  As Sash wrapped Sweet in a thick oversized towel and wiped the pool water from his body, she noted how his nutmeg skin glowed. The Hawaiian sun had darkened him and the scrumptious meals that they had been treated to helped fill in his slender frame. The little boy before her was not only happier but also healthier. The anxieties she had feared would haunt him as the result of his abduction and fiery rescue appeared to be minimal and she had only one person to thank for all of this.

  Shifting her eyes from her brother to the man emerging from the swimming pool, Sash felt her heartbeat quicken. The sight of Brandon Plaine in a pair of skimpy swim trunks should be against the law. The man was six foot three of muscular temptation; there was no doubt about it. She had avoided that temptation as steadily as she could during their time on the island. She didn’t want to confuse her growing feelings for Brandon with the gratitude that she felt. She owed him so much. Not only had he helped save Sweet, but she also owed him for her brother’s physical and mental well being. Lusting after the man was something she didn’t need nor did he. Despite their initial conflicts, she and Brandon had developed camaraderie during their time together in paradise that she would not have believed possible. Each chose to ignore the increasing sexual tension between them. Instead, they concentrated on their growing friendship.