by S. J. Bishop
"Tony! My mother! I've got to warn her!"
Tony shook his head from ten yards away. "I've got it taken care of," he called back. "You might've forgotten what Angelo's like, but I didn't. The first thing I did after you called was send some guys over to her house."
I breathed a sigh of relief as Tony turned back to the group of guys he'd brought with him. I recognized a couple of their faces and would have to remember to thank them later.
"You know, Clarissa," I said, turning back to her. "You're very brave, but you're also—" I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Lars? What is it?" Clarissa asked, fear shooting into her eyes. But the fear I saw there could never have matched my own fear.
"Tony! Tony! I need help!" I screamed.
"Lars, what is it? What's wrong?" She continued looking me over, searching for a bullet wound but finding nothing.
"It's not me," I told her, grabbing her hands and clinging to them tightly as tears flooded my eyes. "You've been hit."
She blinked, not understanding. "I've been hit?" she asked, laughing. "Lars, I'm fine. The bullet grazed my shoulder. That's all. I—" She turned to look at her shoulder to emphasize her point and saw the open bullet wound. Blood was pouring out of it. "I... no. I feel fine," she stuttered. "It doesn't even hurt." Tony was running toward us. I tried to get Clarissa to sit down, but she wouldn't listen.
"I'm fine," she assured me, then dropped to her knees. "Just fine."
I sat beside her, forcing her to lay down again. Her face was growing paler by the second. "Actually, maybe you're right. Something doesn't feel right."
I watched her eyes flutter closed and stay closed.
Tony was beside me in seconds, but it felt like hours. "I called 911," he said. I could hardly hear him. I pulled Clarissa, unconscious, into my lap. "Oh God," I cried. "I've lost her."
"Don't say that," Tony said. "This isn't Ash."
"Yes, it is!" I screamed at him. "This is Ash all over again! I failed her just like I failed him!"
"Lars, shut up, man. You can still make this right. You'll have another chance." But I couldn't hear him anymore. Even if the paramedics made it here in time, this was a footbridge. They couldn't drive the ambulance up on it. They'd lose precious minutes just trying to get to her while she bled out.
I took a deep breath and braced myself as I lifted Clarissa into my arms.
"Lars, what are you doing?"
"You can't carry her!" Madeline cried, running over to join us. "Look at you, you're hurt just as much as she is!"
I ignored them both. I ignored the pain in my side from where Angelo had stabbed me. I ignored the throb in my hand from where he'd stabbed me a second time. I ignored the blood loss and the lightheadedness and everything else except the woman in my arms who was carrying my child. I had promised myself that if she gave me another chance, I'd never let her down again.
I stomped slowly toward the foot of the bridge, taking care not to drop her. Every bone in my body ached more and more with each step, but I refused to give in to the pain.
"Let me carry her, man," Tony said.
My only answer was my silence. The foot of the bridge was my end zone, and getting Clarissa there meant I'd just won the game. Methodically placing each foot in front of me, I made it to the bottom of the bridge just as the cops arrived with the ambulance.
51
Clarissa
I opened my eyes to bright overhead lights. It wasn't until I turned my head and saw Lars in the chair beside my bed that I realized I was in a hospital. I'd never forget those chairs. I'd spent enough nights in them after my father's accident.
"Lars?" I croaked.
His head shot up so quickly that I wondered if he'd actually been asleep. His eyes were red as cherries. It looked like he hadn't slept in a month.
"Clarissa!" he breathed, so quietly that I almost couldn't hear him. It was like he was afraid that speaking too loudly would hurt me somehow.
"Where am I? Am I okay?"
He took my hand and softly brushed his lips over mine.
"Oh my God! She's awake!" My sister's voice screeched loudly through the air as Treena burst into the room, flinging herself over me. She glared at Lars.
"You were supposed to call me the second she woke up."
"She just opened her eyes," he said defensively. "I swear!" Treena took my other hand, and I suddenly felt like the center of some strange private art show. They were both staring at me as if I were the most beautiful, most wonderful thing they had ever seen in their lives.
"Um," I said. "So...is someone gonna tell me what's going on? Am I okay?" My eyes bugged out of my head, and I looked down at my stomach. "Is... is...?" I looked from Treena to Lars.
"It's okay," Treena said, rolling her eyes. "I know all about what Mr. Muscles here did to you. He confessed everything to me after I beat it out of him."
I looked at Lars, who blushed furiously. "I already told you I was gonna take care of it," he murmured out of one side of his mouth.
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "Take care of what? Is the baby okay or—"
"The baby's fine," Lars interjected. "Both of you are just fine." I breathed a sigh of relief.
"What about Dad?"
"You can ask him yourself when he gets back."
"Gets back? You mean he's awake?"
Treena nodded her head toward the empty bed next to mine. "Since yesterday. He's still kind of out of it. He's in the bed next to yours. Lars arranged it so you two could be roommates. I told him I wasn't sure that was the greatest idea, but he was determined."
I beamed at him and leaned up to kiss him, realizing for the first time that my arm was in some sort of cast.
"It was a clean wound," Lars said, pushing me back against the pillow as he leaned down to kiss me again.
"How long have I been in here?"
"Three days."
I couldn't believe I'd been asleep for three days. It made my head spin. "Who are you texting?" I asked Lars when he picked up his phone.
"Maddie. I promised her I'd let her know when you woke up. She can let Tony know then too."
"Your friend Tony?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, they've been pretty tight the last few days. When the cops hauled Angelo off, they tried to grab Tony too. She came to his rescue, so to speak. Let the cops have a piece of her mind."
"So Angelo's in jail?"
"Yep, and he's not getting out for a long time."
Suddenly, I felt like Rip Van Winkle. I'd fallen asleep and the world had changed all around me. I closed my eyes, suddenly very tired. Minutes passed without a sound, then Treena started whispering to Lars.
"We should let her sleep," Treena said.
"I will," Lars whispered back, "but I'm still not leaving."
"What about the ring?"
"My mom brought it over last night. It was my grandmother's. It's the only family heirloom we have. I can't believe my mom actually let me have it. Do you think she'll like it?" I heard rustling and then Treena's gasp. I opened my eyes.
"What did you just say?" My eyes were still bleary but not so bleary I didn't see the wide-eyed look Lars shot to Treena, who started grinning like a kid on Halloween.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" she cried.
"Treena!" Lars snapped at her, looking irritated but also a little excited himself. He turned his attention back to me. "You have a real bad habit of eavesdropping on people, you know that? I thought you were asleep."
"Well, you thought wrong," I said. A nurse suddenly appeared outside the door, pushing a man in a wheelchair. "Dad!" I shouted when he came in.
"Hey! Look who's awake!"
"Me? What about you?" He rolled himself over to my bed, and we hugged each other awkwardly as IV needles and tubes poked out of each of us.
"Ahem," Treena said. "Something important was happening here."
My dad looked from Treena to me? "What's that?" he asked.
Treena and I bo
th looked at Lars, who turned a bright shade of red. Slowly, he withdrew something from his pocket. It was a small white velvet box. He knelt down beside the bed as my heart sped up.
"I can't see you on the floor!" I cried out as my eyes began to water. "This bed's too high." I tried to peer over the edge and would've rolled off the edge if the bars weren't there to stop me. Lars stood back up, shaking his head. My father watched us, a confused look on his face.
"What's going on?" he asked.
I looked back at Treena. "Don't worry, I'll wheel him around the hospital after this and explain it all to him. That way you and Lars can have some alone time."
"Why would they need alone time?" my father asked, starting to look a little flushed.
This time, Lars ignored the traditional part about kneeling—we weren't very traditional anyway—and opened the box.
"Clarissa Walker, the first time I met you, I liked you. The second time I met you, I hated you."
"No," I interjected. "You still liked me. I hated you."
He grinned from ear to ear. "Nothing gets by you, does it? That's one of the things I love most about you. You're the whole package. You have the brains to match the beauty. I never thought I would want one woman to share the rest of my life with, but... I want you. If you'll have me? What do you think? Wanna grow old together?"
He was still grinning as he opened the box and presented me with a magnificent emerald cut diamond on a gold band. It gleamed in the hospital lights, almost blinding me.
"Will you marry me?" he asked.
"Yes!" I screeched, almost jumping out of the bed. "I'll marry you!" Lars leaned down, restraining me so that I wouldn't fall, and kissed me. His lips were a soft summer wind carrying me with him to places I had never before dared to dream. With Lars beside me, I knew I'd never have to worry where the wind took me, as long as we were together.
Epilogue
Lars
"Doesn't mommy look beautiful?" I whispered to Ashley before handing her off to Coach Walker. He'd told me to call him "Dad" a million times, but he would always be Coach to me.
"Are you sure she's gonna be okay out there?" Clarissa asked worriedly. "She's not even two yet."
"She's old enough to know her mommy when she sees her," Coach said, beaming.
"Besides, if she gets too squirrely, one of us will take her out," I told her.
"I'd be happy to watch her," my mom said. "Anything for my granddaughter."
"Maria, I invited you here to watch the show, not be a babysitter," Clarissa said.
"I know, but I never thought I'd get a granddaughter. I'm more than happy to help out."
"Tell you what," Coach Walker said, "if this little girl acts up, we'll take her outside together. What do you say?"
"I'd say deal," my mom said, smiling back at him. I wasn't sure I liked the overly friendly connection that seemed to be growing between my mom and Coach Walker, but I decided not to worry about it right now. I had enough to stress out about already. Besides, if things took a romantic turn between them, at least I knew Coach was a good guy. Like any son, I just didn't like the idea of my mom getting her freak on with any man, no matter who it was.
There was a knock on the door. "Clarissa, five minutes."
I could see her heart jump as she began pushing us out the door of her dressing room. "I'll see you all after the show," she said. She kissed me hard before shooing me out with everyone else. "I still can't believe it's finally happening," she said, taking a deep breath. "After all this time. The last year and a half has felt like ten to me."
"You'll be wonderful," Coach told her, kissing her cheek.
Tony grabbed Maddie's hand, and they headed out the door. "Break a leg," Maddie said. "By the way, have I told you how jealous I am that this is your second show with Phil?"
"First," Clarissa corrected. "A Bride for My Father never happened. At least not with me."
"Yeah, but you were still cast as the lead, so it still counts!" Maddie laughed, and Clarissa hugged her.
"I wish you'd taken that part. You would have been great."
She blushed. "I couldn't. You know that. Not after everything that happened. Besides, my first show opens in two weeks, and I expect to see you there, even if that means your understudy has to go on."
"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Clarissa told her before Tony tugged on Maddie's arm.
"Come on," he said. "We've gotta get to our seats." Maddie grabbed his hand, and they ran off together.
I took one last long look at Clarissa as her room emptied out. "Ring," I said, pointing at her finger.
"Oh!" she looked flustered. "Thanks for reminding me." She took off her wedding ring and handed it to me.
"I'll keep it safe," I promised, then kissed her quickly as they started calling places.
In my seat with Ashley, I looked around and realized that finally, after all these years, I had a family. A real family. I finally got what Ash had been trying to tell me all those years ago when he'd first talked about getting out. Money didn't matter. Nothing mattered except the people in your life. The people you called family. Of course, the hundred million dollar contract I'd just signed didn't hurt. I wondered how Angelo had reacted in prison when he'd learned about my contract. Finally, I had the money to pay him. Too bad he'd never see the light of day again.
The orchestra started, and the curtains opened. Clarissa's voice rang out, a low wail that carried through the theater and brought tears to every eye in the house. When she finished, the room erupted into applause. It was only her first song, and already the crowd loved her. Though I doubted anyone would ever love her more than I already did.
Cuffs & Ballers
BLITZ - BOOK 4
Prologue
Treena
I felt every eye in the room on us as Jax spun me around the dance floor. My red dress flared out, revealing long, trim legs, and the tan I'd been working on for the last two weeks. I still couldn't believe I was at Denver High's prom with the hottest guy at school. A slow song started, and Jax wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I pressed my face against his neck, inhaling every morsel of the scent I had come to know and love—green grass and sunshine. When I was a freshman, I never would have believed that sunshine had a scent, but as a junior, I could smell it on Jax as certainly as I could feel the muscles in his chest twitching through the thin fabric of my dress.
"I'm glad I beat you at skee-ball last week," I purred, resting my head against his shoulder. "Winning that bet was the only way I was ever gonna get you out on the dance floor."
"I've got a secret," he whispered back to me. "I let you win."
My head shot up, and a smirk lighted my face. "No one loses at skee-ball that badly on purpose."
He grinned back at me. "I'm ready for a rematch any time you are."
"You're on. I'll wipe the floor with you next time too," I grinned. I lightly pressed my mouth to his. The soft, gentle kiss I'd been going for turned long and passionate. We stopped dancing. We stood with our arms wrapped around each other, neither one of us wanting to let go.
"Are you ready to get out of here?" he whispered. I could feel his hot breath blow softly against my ear, warming me from my head to my toes.
"If you are..." I said, my heart palpitating wildly in my chest. I hoped Jax couldn't read how nervous I was.
"Treena," he said, putting his hand under my chin and tipping my head back so that my eyes met his, "we don't have to do anything tonight that you don't want to. There's no rush."
A slow smile spread across my face, impossible to hide. "Don't you dare try to back out now," I teased. "I'm ready," I felt my cheeks color. He leaned in and kissed my forehead, his soft lips lingering close to my face for just an instant before I caught a look from Mrs. O'Hara, who was chaperoning with about a dozen other teachers. I pulled back and took his hand in mine, swinging our arms as we walked toward the exit of the Colorado Hotel ballroom our school had rented out for the prom.
"Be
sides," I teased, "you're leaving in a few days. I want to make sure you remember me when you're surrounded by pretty college girls."
"Hey," he said, stopping just outside the entryway to the ballroom. "I won't forget you, whether we have sex tonight or not. You're the only one I want, Treena Walker. Now or ever. I meant what I said. I want this to be special. I don't want you to sleep with me because you feel like you have to."
My heart skipped a beat, and I lost my breath. If there was one thing Jax was, it was a gentleman. I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him, pressing my five-foot-five-inch frame against his hulking six-foot-four one. My lips just touched his, and I instantly felt that shudder I’d been coming to equate with a deep, primal urge. The kind that could only be satisfied with something more than kissing.
My body was on red alert as Jax escorted me up to the room he'd booked for the night. I sent my dad a quick text and told him I was alright, that I was out with Jax and our friends at a Denny's, eating midnight breakfast. I knew Clarissa would be waiting up for me when I got home. Even at fifteen, my younger sister had eyes like a hawk when it came to matters of the heart. The second I walked into the room we shared, she'd know something was different.
Our hotel room, average to anyone else, seemed magical to me as Jax closed the door behind us. It was as if it had been created by a fairy godmother especially for Jax and me on this special night. The bed sat in the middle of the room, ready and waiting. This was the only time since Jax had first asked me out when I was in seventh grade and he was in eighth, that we were alone together in a hotel room. I set my purse aside and spun to face him.
Jax's blue eyes glimmered across the dim light of the room, searching mine. I tried to send him a signal the way women in movies always did, conveying lust and love and willingness all in a single, simple glance, but I think all I managed to convey was my nervousness. Jax stepped close enough that I could feel his breath on my face and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. My breath caught in my throat, forcing a small cough. Jax reached down, taking my hand in his. He raised it to his bare chest and placed my open palm over his heart. It was beating just as frantically as mine.