by Jill Sanders
The crying stopped instantly and soft hands grabbed his.
“Easy,” a soft voice said next to his ear. “I’m here.”
That was reassuring. If only he knew who it was that was speaking.
He tried to think back on where he was, what he’d been doing last. Then, quickly, a face flashed behind his eyes and concern flooded him.
“Crystal?” he called out as both of his eyes slammed open.
“Yes, I’m here. Easy.” Her free hand landed on his shoulder, holding him in place. “Don’t, you’ll hurt yourself.”
Her blue eyes looked down at him, flooded with tears and concern, and he stilled.
“Are you hurt?” His mind was still foggy and he wished someone would have asked him if he wanted any damn drugs before shooting him up.
“No.” She smiled and brushed a hand softly down his forehead. “I’m fine.”
“What?” He swallowed. “Where am I?”
“Silver Cove hospital,” she said, her eyes closing.
He closed his own and laid his head back. The last thing he remembered was climbing her front steps. Then… nothing.
“You were shot,” she said softly.
His body jerked in reaction. “Me?” He instantly ran his mind over every part of his body, only to come up without so much as a sore muscle. “I feel fine,” he replied. She chuckled as she wiped a tear away from her face.
“It’s the drugs.”
He nodded. “Yeah, even my nose is numb.”
She chuckled again and moved closer to him until she was just a breath away. “They pulled the bullet out of you. It was only an inch and a half shy of hitting anything important.”
“Who?” he asked, opening his eyes again.
Crystal shook her head. “You were on top of me, shielding me. I… didn’t see.”
He sighed. “Can I stop the drugs?” he asked, looking around after he felt warmth spread in his arm. He knew instantly he was hooked up to an IV.
“I’ll get the doctor.” She moved to go, but he tightened his hand and held onto hers.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I should have…”
“No.” She shook her head and more tears rolled down her cheeks. “This is all my fault.” She dropped his hand quickly and disappeared.
When the door to his room opened again, a stern-looking older gentlemen he assumed was his doctor came into the room, followed by Rowan and a nurse.
“There he is.” Rowan smiled. “Knew you’d come out of this like a champion.” He moved over and checked the monitor and tried to hide a slight frown.
“Still high?” he asked without looking.
“It’s getting there,” Rowan answered truthfully.
Rory glanced around the room and frowned. “Where is Crystal?”
“She needed a break. Kayla was going to take her downstairs and grab some food while we look you over.” Rowan nodded to the other gentlemen. “This is Dr. Collins. He’s the surgeon that helped me pull the bullet out of you.”
“Hi.” He nodded to the man. “Is she okay?”
“She’ll be fine. She just needs some time. She’s been by your side all night.”
He nodded and lay back as Rowan and Dr. Collins checked him over.
“So?” he asked when they were done.
“Everything looks good. Once we see those numbers go down a few more notches, we’ll let you get up and move around. We’ll keep you for a few days.”
He sighed. “Any news on what the police have found?” he asked Rowan after Dr. Collins left the room.
“No.” Rowan ran his hands through his hair. “The video shows a person in all black enter the house less than five minutes before you two arrived. They waited in the entrance, then when they heard you out front, shot through the open door and ran away once you were on the ground.”
“So, was it a burglary?” he asked.
“Nothing was taken,” Rowan shook his head and sat down. “Whoever it was, the camera couldn’t get a clear view of their face due to the angle.”
“Was it Joe?” he asked instantly.
“Could be. Brock and Tom took him in for questioning last night, shortly after you were brought in, but the last I heard, they released him this morning. Ben’s down at the station now, trying to find out something further.”
“When he gets back, tell him to stop by and fill me in.” He moved to sit up, but Rowan rushed forward and quickly raised the bed.
“Use this for now. You’ll want to stay away from using your left side for a while.”
He nodded and mumbled, “Thanks,” just as a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” he called quickly. The door opened and Crystal, Serenity, and Ben filed in.
“How are you feeling?” Ben moved closer and looked down at him, but Rory’s eyes stayed locked on Crystal. Sarah held onto her mother’s arm as if to hold her up. Crystal was pale and looked beyond tired. He imagined he didn’t look much better.
Shifting slightly, he motioned for Crystal to sit beside him. Sarah nudged her towards his bed, then followed and sat in the chair.
“So?” he asked when everyone was settled.
“Joe had an alibi.” Ben spoke first. “He was still at Serenity’s. We have him on the security tapes”
“He told the police he’d spent almost an hour after class clearing out his items from the back room,” Sarah added. “After the class, he was alone, yet… they let him go.”
“They didn’t have any evidence to hold him. He’s still a suspect, but… He doesn’t have a gun registered to him,” Ben added.
“That doesn’t mean anything. You can get guns anywhere. Borrow them, steal them… Too many options,” Sarah added.
“Is there anything you remember?” Ben asked.
His eyes moved back to Crystal’s as he shook his head slowly. “I don’t fully remember going up the stairs to the front porch.”
He held his hand out for Crystal to take, but she just looked down at his extended hand instead.
“Is everything alright?” he asked her.
“I… it’s all my fault,” she whispered. Suddenly, everyone else in the room faded away. This time when he reached for her, he gripped her hand and tugged gently until she moved closer to him.
“I don’t see how this is your fault.” He pulled again until she sat next to him. He reached up and touched her face. “You didn’t pull the trigger. You didn’t have anything to do with any of this.”
Her blue eyes filled again and she leaned closer, touching his face with her hands. “I should have done something. Broken it off sooner. I could have handled things differently.”
“Classic behavior.” He nudged her chin up until her eyes met his again. “You’re better than this. Stronger.”
She sighed, and he could tell she was thinking about everything. “You’re right.” She nodded after a moment, then smiled. “Of course.”
Crystal watched Rory sleep and thought about everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.
She hated that she was still thinking in the back of her mind that she was the cause. Rory had been right, she was too strong to allow herself to take on the blame. Still, getting involved with someone like Joe had been selfish and stupid. Even after her own daughter had warned her away from the man, she hadn’t listened.
She would have never believed that Joe would harm anyone. But she supposed that money had forced men to do stranger things.
She felt so naive. Hiding herself away all these years. Pretending that evil doesn’t exist. Hell, she hadn’t even been outside of her home state. What did she know of the world, really?
Her mind whirled so fast. Why hadn’t she seen all of this coming in the cards. She’d known Joe was a burning fuse, especially after how he’d treated her during his last visit.
When Rory stirred, she moved back to his side and took his hand in her own.
“Morning.” She smiled down at him and brushed a strand of his dark hair away fro
m his forehead. “How are you feeling today?”
“Hungry.” He smiled up at her. “And wanting to stretch my legs.” He nodded to the restroom and shifted as he tried to stand up.
“Easy.” She helped him. “Are you sure?” she asked when he made to stand up.
“I’m sure. Just hold onto me in case.”
She tried to take some of his weight, but he was almost twice her size. Still, she helped him make his way towards the restroom.
“I’ll be right outside.” She left him holding onto the railing with his good arm.
“I’ll try to be quick, but I’d do anything for a shower.” He glanced over at the stall beside him.
“If you need me…” She shut the door slightly, but kept it open a slight crack so she could hear if he needed her help.
He called her when he was finished and she was helping him back to the bed just as a knock sounded at the door.
“Come,” he called out.
A nurse entered the room.
“Wonderful!” She smiled at them. “It looks like you’re already up and about.” She walked over and checked his vitals. “Much better today.” She nodded with encouragement. “I’m sure the doctor will allow you to leave today. After he checks on you himself. They’ll be bringing you some breakfast soon,” she called out as she made her way out of the room.
Less than an hour later, her family showed up again. Ben carried a small bag with him. She’d asked that they bring a change of clothes for Rory.
“Morning.” Serenity smiled.
Rory was eating his breakfast and his eyes brightened when he saw the bag of clothes.
“My saviors.” He smiled and waved them into the room with his good hand. “I was just telling Crystal how much I wanted a shower and my own clothes.”
“I’ll help you after you finish eating.” Ben set the bag down. “We have some news.”
“Oh?” Crystal asked.
“Joe has left town,” Serenity added.
“What?” Crystal stood up quickly.
Chapter 17
Rory lay back on the sofa a few days later and smiled into the fire. He had a blanket tucked over him, his feet up on an ottoman, and a hot cup of coffee in his hand. There was an empty plate that had held a large piece of coffee cake that he’d devoured as quickly as he could. She’d fed him steak, real steak, from one of her suppliers. He had no doubt that the cow had been raised in a local field just outside of town and had been treated better than most pets. The meat and potatoes had tasted wonderful.
For the past few days, Crystal’s family had gathered around for meals and pampered him beyond anything he’d ever experienced before.
But since Serenity and Ben had returned to work, the house was once again quiet.
Currently, Crystal was curled up next to him, reading a book as he watched the TV on mute.
Images flashed in front of his eyes, but he didn’t really pay attention. Instead, he enjoyed the feeling of a full belly and Crystal lying next to him.
When an image of Senator Beranger flashed on the screen, he reached over and hit unmute.
“The senator was last seen leaving Boston.” A video of Clark flashed on the screen. “His wife, Jamie Beranger, has filed for divorce.” An image of Jamie flashed on the screen. He’d met her on several occasions. The woman was an ex-model turned senator’s wife. She was young, good looking, and naive. Still, because of the circumstances, she was due her share of Clark’s wealth.
The fact that he knew that the man was trying to hide some of it caused his stomach to roll. Reaching over, he flipped off the television.
“Are you okay?” Crystal asked, watching him.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “Just makes me mad.”
“What does?” she asked.
He nodded to the screen. “The client who tried to hide some of his assets.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Senator Beranger? He’s your client?”
Rory nodded. “He’s been a friend for almost ten years.” He wrapped his good arm around her and held in a groan as pain shot through his chest and ribs.
She sighed and rested her head gently on his good shoulder. “Marriage can be so…”
“Screwed up?” he suggested.
“I guess it’s a good thing neither of us has wed,” she joked.
He moved her closer to him as he wondered what married life would be like with her. The only image that came to mind was this. Them, here, like they were now, years from now. Sitting in front of a fire as snow fell outside.
At the moment, he’d never wanted anything more in his life than just that.
Her words hung in the air. He wanted to tell her what he was thinking, what he wanted, but instead, he leaned up.
“I’m tired,” he said.
“Let’s head upstairs.” She stood and helped him up.
They made it up to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, he was out of breath.
“Here,” she said, putting his good arm around her. “We’ll stop here.” She helped him down the hallway into his room.
She removed his shoes and pants, then helped him remove his button-up shirt and gently pushed him back on the bed.
Then she removed her own clothes and pulled the blankets up to cover them both.
“There.” She sighed and rested down against him. “Back where you belong.”
He held her as her breathing steadied and slowed, trying to figure out how to convince a wild, free-spirited woman to settle down with an overworked, uptight businessman.
By morning, he was feeling almost back to normal, with the exception of not being able to use his left shoulder and arm. Every time he moved his left side, he cringed.
They ate breakfast in the back room and watched fresh snow fall.
“It looks like it’s not going to let up for some time.” Crystal sighed as she looked over at him.
He glanced up at the gray sky and smiled. “I always did love a good snowstorm.”
“Will you… stay?” she finally asked.
He glanced over at her and nodded. He knew one thing—he wanted to remain right where he was for the rest of his life.
“I don’t think I’m going anywhere for a while.” He took her hand in his.
“Ben was wondering when you’d come visit the resort,” she said, looking down at their joined fingers.
Suddenly, something became clear. “Why don’t you go with me? We can spend the rest of the week out there, together.” He didn’t add that having them both away might give the police enough time to find out who had shot him. She would be safe with him on the secluded island and they could enjoy their time together.
“I…” He could tell that she was thinking about it. “What about your doctor appointments? Your health?”
He pulled her closer to him with his good arm. “I’m not due to be seen again for over a week. Besides, if I need anything, we can always call Rowan for a visit.”
She nodded. He could tell when she’d made up her mind. “I’ll go upstairs and pack.” She stood up.
“I’ll message Ben and tell them we’ll be there by noon.”
She stopped, then returned to his side and bent down to place a kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
“For?” he asked, enjoying the feeling of her hand on his face.
“Surviving.”
Crystal couldn’t count how many times she’d made the trip out to the resort in her lifetime. But she could probably close her eyes and still find her way to the shores of the place she’d once called home, where she’d fallen in love, become a mother, and lost her true love.
As the ferry pulled next to the dock, she smiled and waved at Serenity and Aurora waiting for them at the shore.
There was a six-seater golf cart parked at the end of the dock, and she helped Rory put their bags onto the back, then took Aurora from her daughter and sat down. She chatted and played with her granddaughter as they drove up the hill towards the massive building.
“We’ve
just finished painting the entire place, inside and out. I don’t remember it being this big of a chore last time.”
“That’s because you weren’t the one in charge last time.” She smiled. The golf cart drove up the gravel pathway.
“True.” Serenity glanced over at Rory, who was sitting beside her. “How about a tour before we head up to the house. I could use the fresh air.”
The snow was still falling, but the sun was trying to break through the clouds and warm everything up. At least for the time being.
“Sounds good.” He glanced back at her. “Will Aurora be warm enough?”
Crystal smiled at him. “She’s wrapped up tight and enjoying the ride.”
For the next half hour, Crystal held onto Aurora and enjoyed the drive around the private island as her daughter filled Rory in on East Haven Resort.
“East Haven sits on the tip of our own private island and boasts a small golf course, which is open from spring to fall. We have three swimming pools, a secluded white-sand beach, spa accommodations to rival the best New York hotels, and a large garden area equipped with several ponds and gazebos for special events. We’ve added a new pool house and just last year added a grand ballroom on the third floor of the resort.”
The icing on the island was the massive white four-story main building. Looking at it was like stepping back in time. Large white columns held up the private deck areas on the second and third stories.
Around the back of the building, the private garden area backed up against the water’s edge. There were secluded trails that wound their way through the endless flowers and bushes towards the golf course and tennis courts and ended near one of the swimming pools.
Finally, on the very back of the large building, there was a more private area set aside for the staff entrances and a small sitting area, no doubt used for staff meals and smoke breaks.
Over the years, so much had changed. The pools had been remodeled a few years ago.
The paint had been redone so that the building almost glowed white. The building, which sat on the top of the hilly island, was one of Maine’s most beautiful spots, according to several magazines and tourism guides.