Darlene huffed out a breath and held out her hands palms up in a placating gesture. “I saw you clutching that manila folder and then you and the computer programmer poured over it all the time. You never told me what was in it. I was hurt that you didn’t confide in me.”
Jac rolled her eyes, immune to Darlene’s attempts to switch things around and make herself out to be the victim. It wouldn’t work—not this time.
“When you and Logan went for a swim, I snuck in your office and read your files,” Darlene confessed.
Jac closed her eyes in disbelief. Matt steered Darlene back to the subject. “What did your boyfriend do, exactly?”
“He sent the fake bomb and the doll parts and the notes. He also left a message on the bathroom mirror and set all the clocks to ring at the same time.”
“How did he get in to my house? I have a state of the art security system.”
Darlene looked around the area, at her feet, everywhere but at Jac. “Remember when the man called about the installation?” Jac nodded. “I sorta listened in and got your security code.”
“My God, Darlene,” Jac whispered.
“What else did he do?” Matt urged through clenched teeth.
“Well, he was the one who tried to run you off the road except I’m sure he wouldn’t have actually done it. He just wanted you to think he would.”
“Wrong!” Jac sprang forward and poked Darlene in the chest hard enough to make Darlene stumble backwards. “He did do it. We ended up in a ditch.”
“Well so did he!” Darlene snapped. “But he spent four days in the hospital.”
Jac inched closer until the two women were nose to nose. “Good. He deserved to be hurt. He tried to kill us.”
“What the hell is going on over here?” Logan jogged to Matt’s side. “You can hear them from across the parking lot.”
Matt shook his head, mouthed “Get the police” and pulled Jac away from Darlene before she wrapped her hands around the redhead’s neck. His face was an icy mask as he addressed Darlene again. “Did he cut Jac’s brake line, too?”
“No…at least I don’t think he did. Well…maybe.” Darlene’s face scrunched. “I swear, I would never have gone along with it if he had actually tried to physically hurt her.”
“Touching,” Jac said dryly.
Matt spread his hands wide. “Why? Why would you agree to help him? You’re supposed to be Jac’s friend. She told me the only family she had left was you.”
Regret flashed through Darlene’s eyes but it was quickly replaced with hatred. “Because...whatever Jac wants, Jac gets.” She waved her hand in Jac’s direction. “She has everything and it’s not fair. Now she has you.” She shoved her nose in the air. “Well, Marc told me he loved me. Then he told me that he hated Jac and how she was to blame for his brother’s death. Well, I couldn’t condone that, not even from my best friend.” Darlene’s voice dripped with malice.
“What?” Jac gasped, appalled.
Darlene smiled evilly. “He said you sent him and his brother to reform school and that his brother got killed because of it, because of what you did to them.”
“Marc! Oh my God,” Jac whispered. “Marcus Cardinal.”
“Cardinal?” Confusion swept through Matt as memories assailed him. Fractured snippets from the past tumbled around his head like puzzle pieces struggling to fit together. A gnawing suspicion ate at him and picked up speed faster than a Pacman gobbling dots. “Was his brother named Sean?”
At Darlene’s confirmation, he wiped a hand over his open mouth as all the pieces locked into place.
Jac Sera. Little Jacqueline Sera. Sonofabitch.
His gaze met Jac’s and locked. The same recollections were pummeling her. Twenty years peeled away like pages from a calendar.
Thirty-three
Twenty Years Ago
Like an Olympic athlete competing in the hundred meter dash, Jacqueline Sera sprinted as fast as her little ten-year-old legs would move. But she wasn’t racing for a medal. She was running for her life.
“Jacqueline’s a baby, Jacqueline’s a baby.”
The taunts surrounded her, enveloped her in fear. She peeked over her shoulder and her eyes widened in horror. The two boys gained ground rapidly. She faced forward and pumped her arms as hard as she could. If they caught her, they would make good on their threat and toss her off the pier.
Long blonde hair floated behind her like a cape, slowing her progress. Still, she raced for all she was worth, not noticing the obstacle in her path. Her red sneaker slid beneath an exposed tree root, throwing her violently forward. She didn’t have a chance to brace herself for impact.
“Oof.”
She slammed to the ground. Tiny pebbles embedded into her skin and tears sprang instantly to her eyes.
“What’s wrong, baby? Not learned how to walk yet?”
Jacqueline ignored the scoffs, struggling to replenish the air in her lungs. The hard fall knocked all the breath from her small body. “Go away,” she wheezed, fighting terror and tears.
Why, oh why had she chosen this path? She thought she would be safe from the menacing Cardinal brothers. Their family began visiting the exclusive Pines Resort in Southern Indiana last year where Jacqueline and her parents vacationed. What was once the highlight of summer break turned into her personal nightmare, all because of the two boys circling her like vultures on a rotting carcass.
“We’ll go away,” twelve year old Sean agreed easily. “Won’t we, Marcus?” He smacked his brother on the chest.
Marcus shared a conspiratorial wink with his older brother. “Oh, yes, we’ll go away.”
They snickered and Jacqueline knew it was too good to be true that they would actually slither away like the snakes they were.
“But we’re taking you with us.”
Marcus grabbed Jacqueline’s legs while Sean seized her arms. Caught off guard, she hadn’t been able to put up a fight.
“Let me go, let me go!”
Jacqueline twisted her tiny frame, tugging at her captors’ grips, all to no avail. At four and a half feet tall and seventy pounds, she was much smaller than the two older boys draped in baby fat.
“Heellllp,” she wailed in an attempt for rescue, knowing it was hopeless. Judging from the overgrowth, few people came this way. Ever since she stumbled upon the trail last year she’d not seen other human life along the path, and that included the two mutants currently attached to her limbs.
Panic gripped her and using a surge of strength, she wrenched one leg free and flailed at the younger Cardinal brother, striking him in the chest.
“Oww,” he howled, his face reddening. He used his now free hand to slap her across the face. At her stunned stillness, he regrouped and grabbed her limp leg.
Jacqueline had never been hit in her life. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She was tough, a tomboy. She wouldn’t cry. She squeezed her lids shut and repeated the mantra in her head. Her eyes popped wide open as rubber soles smacked against wood. Her stomach pitched and rolled.
“Please put me down. I don’t know how to swim.”
“You should have thought of that before you kicked me,” Marcus jeered. The boys stopped at the end of the pier and with Sean holding on to her arms and Marcus her legs, they began swinging her over the water like a pendulum.
“One,” they counted in unison. “Two, three!”
The brothers let go and Jacqueline sailed high in the air, her arms and legs windmilling as she plummeted rapidly to the murky waters of Patoka Lake. She barely had time to hold her breath before she plunged below the dark brown depths. She sank deep for what must have been miles before finally managing to stop her descent and fight for the light. She broke the surface to fading laughter.
“Help me!” Her arms clumsily slapped the water. “Please, hel…” She gasped as a wave broke over her face and she swallowed the grimy substance. She slipped back under, not knowing how to tread water. She had been unable to inhale as the liquid rushed in a
nd now her lungs burned. A vice squeezed her chest. She couldn’t breathe.
She was going to die.
Scenes from her too-short life flashed in front of her eyes. Her parents—she would never get to see them again, never be able to tell them how much she loved them. Polka, her spotted Dalmatian, would be lost without her. She saw her grandparents and her friends and her stuffed animal-cluttered room.
Adrenaline kicked in and with one last attempt, she surged to the light. She felt warm air waft over her hands but exhausted from exertion and air deprivation, she couldn’t pull her head out. Her lungs were exploding. She was so tired. She barely heard the loud splash as her eyes closed and the world faded to black.
* * * *
“Come back to me, sweetheart. That’s it.”
A violent heave woke Jacqueline, her body quivering as she unceremoniously purged water from her lungs in an explosive cough.
Dazed, she wiped her fingers over her mouth as fluid bubbled in her throat. A comforting hand stroked her back and held her as she bent and expelled the liquid. Was she in Heaven? She struggled to sit upright, weary eyes concentrating on her surroundings. If this was Heaven, she was a little disappointed. Where were the angels? The puffy white clouds? Grandpa Sera?
“Hey now, don’t try to get up just yet,” a deep voice crooned. “Take it easy.”
She froze, horror paralyzing her muscles. Had Marcus and Sean come back to finish what they started? Was she not dead? Her brows puckered. Why would they bother to save her after ruthlessly tossing her to certain death? They probably wanted to give her hope, only to dash it again. They were thoughtful that way.
Swatting damp locks from her eyes, she focused on her rescuer and promptly lost the breath she’d just fought hard to replenish. The sun suddenly seemed brighter, the birds chirped louder, somewhere in the background she heard the “Hallelujah Chorus” and Jacqueline’s ten-year-old heart sprouted wings and soared with the eagles. She was in Heaven.
Her savior was none other than Matthew Dianetti, a real-life, earth-bound seraph.
Matt’s uncle owned the resort and for as long as her family had been coming here, he’d been a lifeguard. He was eight years her senior, drop dead gorgeous, and two weeks each summer, the object of her adolescent affection.
“How did you…?” Her raspy voice trailed off as turbulent spasms racked her body. He gently rubbed her back and whispered comforting words and she wanted to crawl on his lap and put her head against his bronze chest. His long, dark hair hung in damp tendrils around his face, his blue eyes soft and concerned.
“Don’t try to talk just yet, sweetheart.” He wiped her face with his balled up shirt. “I was walking down the path when the Cardinal boys blew by me. I knew that meant trouble. Then I heard your scream. I jumped in and caught you.” He brushed a thumb over her chin. “You don’t know how to swim do you, sweetheart?”
She couldn’t get her tongue to work. Her secret love called her “sweetheart.” She felt special, honored. Shyly, she shook her head.
“Well then, it’s time you learned. Lessons starting tomorrow.” He smiled. She liked his smile. A lot. “Your name is Jacqueline, isn’t it?”
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes agog. Matt Dianetti knew her name. Shock rendered her utterly speechless.
Grinning amusedly, his finger gently forced her lips together. “Jacqueline?”
She nodded lamely. “Sera,” she whispered. “Jacqueline Sera.”
“Well Jacqueline Sera, what cabin are you staying in?”
“S-Spruce Lodge,” she stuttered.
“How about we say nine in the morning?”
She could only nod in wonder. The hunk of Patoka Lake was going to teach her how to swim. This was her lucky day after all.
“Do you think you can stand? I’ll walk you back.”
“Yes.” She accepted the hand he held out and clutched tightly, never wanting to let go. He winced slightly and she loosened her grip. “Sorry,” she stammered.
“No problem, sweetheart.”
Her stomach fluttered as if a butterfly colony had taken flight. She couldn’t help but skip. “You really will teach me how to swim?”
A rueful grin twisted his lips. “I was going to ask another lifeguard to work with you. Bobbie Jo. Do you know her?”
She stopped abruptly, her death grip causing Matt to jerk to a halt as well. Her lips puckered with annoyance. Bobbi Jo? Bobbi Jo of the big blonde hair and huge boobies barely contained in her teeny tiny suits? He expected her to learn how to swim from a real life Barbie doll, one that even had her own flashy red convertible dream car?
Oh no. She refused to be taught to swim by a girl who came with her own personal flotation devices. She’d suffered through watching Bobbie Jo fling said devices all over Matt the past few summers.
“I don’t want Boobie Jo teaching me,” she announced sternly. She crossed her arms defiantly.
“Bobbie Jo,” he corrected, chuckling.
“Whatever.” She stamped her foot. “I want you to teach me.”
He brushed the baby fine hairs from her face and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Sweetheart, I would love to teach you how to swim. Believe me, I would. But today is my last day. I’m heading to college tomorrow.”
Irritation slowly gave way to alarm as his words penetrated her brain. “L-leaving? T-tomorrow?” Her family would be here another ten days. Like a hammer to a porcelain vase, her face crumpled. She threw her arms around his waist. “Please don’t leave. I want you to teach me.”
Matt hugged her tight and carefully pulled her arms free. He knelt down until he was face level and tilted her head.
“I’m sorry. I have to go, but please don’t cry. It breaks my heart to see a pretty young girl in tears.”
She sniffed and swiped the back of her hand across her wet cheeks, leaving a streak of mud. “You th-think I’m pretty?”
“You know you are, don’t you?”
She studied her feet and shook her head. She twisted a hand in her shirt. “Marcus and Sean said I was so ugly that a blind bear would leave me alone even if I was wearing meat-flavored underpants.” Had she really mentioned skivvies in his presence? Matt chuckled and she peeked at him through her lashes.
“Darlin’,” he drawled, “if you were a few years older, I would be after you like Yogi on a picnic basket.” That elicited the sought-after giggle and he helped her dry her tears. “Don’t listen to those two troublemakers and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t beautiful.” He touched his lips to her cheek. “Come on, let me walk you back.”
He started down the path but she stood cemented to the ground. Her hand moved to the spot he just kissed. She vowed then and there to never wash her face again.
Oblivious to her shock, he continued, “And listen, you don’t have to worry about those Cardinal brothers. After I see you to your cabin, I’m heading over to security. Although this is the most serious prank they’ve pulled, it’s far from the only one. They won’t be coming back.”
She hurried to catch up and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “I don’t want to get them in trouble. Th-they might come after me again.”
“Sweetheart, they’re in the worst kind of trouble. If I hadn’t wandered down that path, you would have drowned. That would have made them killers.”
She blanched at his words. He was right. If he hadn’t saved her, she would be dead. “What will happen to them?”
“If I have my way, they’ll be in a juvenile facility somewhere. I’ll let the police decide.”
“Police?”
“Yes.”
The enticing aroma of grilled hamburgers floated to them as they neared her cabin. Her dad waved and called out a greeting. His smile immediately disappeared and the hamburger flipper clanged forgotten to the ground when he looked at her face. Her parents rushed forward, enveloping her in their arms.
“What happened?” her dad demanded.
Gone was the relaxed outdoorsman. I
n his place was the serious lawyer. Matt briefed him while her mom hugged and cried and planted kisses all over her face. They thanked Matt over and over and her dad offered him a reward he promptly turned down. At her father’s request, Matt stayed after alerting security and ate a burger while her dad called the local authorities.
The evening passed in a blur as she was questioned by the police and forced by her parents to go to the Emergency Room to be checked over.
When they finally got back to the cabin, Matt was gone. In his place was a long stemmed pink rose with a note attached that read: Sweetheart—don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t beautiful. Matt Dianetti.
Thirty-three
“I knew we’d met before,” Matt uttered.
Jac chose to ignore him. She couldn’t deal with that now. She couldn’t admit she’d kept the note he wrote her, carried it with her always. Her hand unconsciously moved to the spot on her cheek where he kissed her all those years ago, giving her strength. Still, pain roughened her voice when she spoke to Darlene. “You believed Marcus? Over me? I thought you were my friend.” Her closed fist covered her heart. “My family. Remember me telling you about the time Matt saved my life all those years ago?”
Darlene jerked a shoulder. “Yeah.”
“It was Marcus and Sean Cardinal who threw me in the water, knowing I couldn’t swim. They left me to drown, to die.”
Darlene’s eyes rounded. “I-I didn’t know.”
Jac’s voice was dangerously low. “You could have asked. I’ve never lied to you.” She paused, giving her voice a chance to steady. “Which is clearly more than you’ve done to me. Why? Why would you do this?”
Darlene’s eyes flicked away. “I wanted to be just like you but I’m not pretty enough, or smart enough or strong enough or confident enough. I just wanted you to know what it was like to suffer in my shadow once.”
“Suffer?” Jac mocked and clapped her hands. “Well, mission accomplished, Darlene. Thanks to you, I’ll be suffering for a long, long time.” She slashed a hand through the air. “You’ve single-handedly shattered my life, my future, destroyed my dreams, and my faith in the human race. Yes, I would have to say you achieved your goal quite admirably.”
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