The Strand Brothers Series: Complete Set

by Lora Ann

Slightly irritated I responded, “I know. She had one when I found you.”

  “I wasn’t referring to Ari,” she claimed calmly.

  That was when I noticed Lacey felt too warm against my body. When I reached out to find her face, I discovered sure enough she had a fever, which meant infection. Fucking fantastic. Could this really get any worse? As soon as I thought that, I realized I had just cursed us all. On cue, Keeley gasped, “Something’s wrong!”

  Aimee crawled away from me. I placed a tender kiss on top of Lacey’s head and went to see what the matter was. I could hear a gurgling noise, and as I approached, I could feel a body convulsing. None of us knew what to do, so we did our best to keep Ari from hurting herself while her spasm continued. Finally it ceased. Aimee announced, “She’s even hotter than before.”

  Keeley cried out, “She needs help.”

  “We all do,” I conceded with defeat heavy in my voice.

  I found my way back to Lacey and spooned behind her. My arm was numb at this point. I closed my eyes and drifted off into an unrestful sleep, wondering if we were truly in our tomb.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Lacey

  So cold. I couldn’t seem to get warm, though I felt a warm presence against me. Awareness that I was running a fever had not been lost on me. My arm ached right in the center of my bicep. It didn’t feel like anything was lodged inside. For that I was grateful. I peered over my shoulder. Why? I had no idea—wasn’t as if I could see anything. Albeit, I would know his scent anywhere, I inhaled deeply. E’s hand gripped my hip tighter in response.

  “How’re you doing?”

  “Sore and shaky. Otherwise, alright. And you?”

  “Can’t really feel my arm anymore.” His voice was rough, which sent shivers along my spine. “Guess that’s good,” he added.

  His mouth found my nape where he pressed a soft kiss. I wanted to tell him I loved him, that I had heard him say it more than once since we had been in here. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to say those three little words. The Avett Brothers’ “I And Love And You” played through my head. Funny how when I was full of emotion, I could always find a song that fit. I had to wonder if that happened to others. I responded, “I don’t know. How’s everyone else?”

  Keeley chimed in, “Hanging on.”

  I heard a raspy sound but couldn’t make out the words. “What was that?”

  Keeley answered, “Aimee said ‘she’s okay,’ but Ari isn’t.” The melancholy in her voice tore at my heartstrings. She had bonded with that girl while they had been held captive. A part of me was jealous, which didn’t make a lick of sense.

  “Aimee. What’s wrong with your voice?”

  Keeley again had to translate. “She said ‘her throat is raw from the screaming when she was forced to watch those videos.’” There was a cringe that crept into her tone when she said that last part.

  “What videos?” E and I asked at the same time.

  “Tell you later,” Keeley replied, “Too disturbing.”

  This time I heard Aimee croak out, “Nightmarish.”

  I was the one who got creeped out that time.

  E whispered, “Try not to think about it.”

  Just then, I heard a distinct sound. Suddenly the mine shaft came alive with activity. We heard a voice boom, “Is anyone in there?”

  E instantly left my side and crawled over to the where we heard the commotion and answered, “Yes. There are five of us in here.”

  “Everyone alright?” The man inquired.

  E replied, “We need medical attention.”

  “Hang tight. We’ll get you out.”

  It felt like days passed after that, but in all reality, it was only a few hours. Eventually a space large enough for us to escape was made by the rescue crew. We decided that Ari should go first since she was the one barely alive. Although I didn’t want to leave E, he insisted, “You go. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “But…”

  He kissed me fiercely, which stopped my argument. When he pulled away, he said, “I love you.” Then he helped me get to the opening. As I began to go through on my belly, since my arm couldn’t hold my weight, I felt him pat my bottom. Even in a dire situation, he couldn’t resist. Dear Lord, I loved this man. Without any reservations, I called out, “I. Love. You.” I heard his gasp. Maybe my timing was inappropriate. Would he think I didn’t expect him to be rescued? That wasn’t it at all. I just knew we’d be separated once we were out of the mine shaft, and I couldn’t leave him without him knowing how I felt. Seemed fate had other plans. Just as I made it outside, blinded by the bright sunlight, I felt the earth shift. Everyone took cover as best they could. Then I heard the worst sound imaginable, like a train roaring through the still of the night. There was a loud crunch of rock meeting rock—a sound that would haunt me for all eternity.

  I scrambled away from the emergency crew and raced back to the entrance I had just come out of. Which was pointless, it was completely blocked. I could hear the screams of grown men as they were crushed under the weight. I fell to my knees, wailing over and over, “Even! No, E. No! I love you. Please…God, please. Noooooo!”

  I was pulled back from the carnage by strong arms. “Lacey,” the pained voice said into my ear. “He’s a fighter. Don’t. Give. Up. On. Him.”

  I turned to see Nik right in my face. His words were vehement. He was right that E could still be alive in there. After all, he was further back than those men. “Oh no,” I gulped as I took in the sight before me. There were at least four men trapped between those rocks while the others were frantically trying to dig them out. Alex came over and spoke over my head. “Aimee’s asking for you, Nik.”

  “Right,” he replied. “You stay strong, Lacey.”

  I nodded since words refused to form.

  Alex tucked me up against him, stroking my back, up and down, in a soothing motion of comfort. I barely felt it when he hit the wound between my shoulder blades due to how numb I felt inside. For reassurance I inhaled deeply, getting lost in his cologne and doing my best to hold on to hope.

  *****

  They’d had to force me to leave the site of total destruction, slipping me a sedative to ensure my compliance. After my wound had been cleaned, sutured, and bandaged, I was given antibiotics and sent back to the hotel. Stir crazy didn’t even begin to cover the antsy feeling crawling through every cell of my body. I wanted to go back and search for E, but had learned it wasn’t going to happen. The entire area had been shut down due to the devastating loss. Those four men lost their lives in the midst of true heroism. A sacrifice so great I doubted I would ever be able to repay it. Dear Lord, their poor families. While an earthquake could not be blamed on any one person, the fact that we were all there could be. My loathing for a man I had never met had reached its boiling point. Seething with hostility and at a loss as to what to do to help Even, I left the hotel right at sunrise. Where I was heading I didn’t know. I just needed fresh air.

  I ended up as close to the abandoned mine shaft as I was allowed. They had it cordoned within a mile of where we had been. Therefore, I began to walk west acknowledging that the tourist area was in the opposite direction and closed down, for good reason. As I trudged along an overgrown path, I could’ve sworn I smelled smoke. But that didn’t make any sense. Still, the tingle to my nostrils told me someone was burning something. Ignoring it, I continued. My thoughts were a jumbled mess of could’ve, would’ve and should’ve. What ifs plagued me with every lumbered step. Bogged down with worry and remorse, I didn’t realize I had hit a clearing. It wasn’t natural, which made it strange to find such a spot in the middle of the forest. Obviously someone had the land cleared out. As I walked further along, a house came into sight. Well, to be honest, it was more than an average house. The mansion called to me in a strange, poignant way.

  It wasn’t the lodge on the brochures, for that I was certain. While taking in the surroundings, I could tell it was privately owned and very old. Still, it had been
well maintained. The acrid stench of something burning caught my attention. I studied the fortress in front of me once more. There, just barely perceptible, was a wisp of smoke creeping towards the heavens. A cold chill went down my spine as the display of evil penetrating the peaceful, morning sky unfolded before my eyes. Darkness began to cover the roofline and that was when it dawned on me: The log mansion was on fire.

  I sprinted up the steps and inside without much forethought. My only concern was that no one was trapped inside. Movement caught my attention to the left where a man stood, watching.

  “Hello,” I called out. “You need to get out of here and call for help. Your house is on fire!” I yelled loudly.

  There was no reply. As I approached, the shadow disappeared. Though there was no mistaking the maniacal laugh I could hear echoing off the walls. My veins filled with icy terror as I searched frantically for any other signs of life. I rounded the corner and stopped short on a loud gasp. “What the hell?”

  “No, my dear—” a voice from behind said into my ear—“Welcome to hell.”

  All of a sudden my vision swam and blackness closed in around me. My only thought was, finally, I would be with the man I loved.

  *****

  The darkness consumed me. I would’ve thought it’d be more peaceful than this. Instead I heard a loud crash, which brought me out of the strange blackness I’d been in a few moments before. In an attempt to get my bearings, I shook my head. Crap! That hurt. I ran my hand over the back of my head and felt the large lump there. Inspecting it a little closer, I was happy to discover there was no blood. Thank God. Again, I heard something crackle and that was when full awareness hit. The mansion was on FIRE!

  I scrambled towards the door on my hands and knees. There was no smoke in the room, but it was best to be cautious. Plus, I wasn’t convinced I had the ability to stand without falling. With the backs of my hands, I tested the door. Thankfully, it wasn’t hot to the touch. I reached up to try the handle knowing full well it would be locked, but I had to make sure. Yep, just as I had suspected, it was locked tight. Okay, think Lacey. What now? As I scanned the room for another way out, I noticed I was in some kind of den/library. There were no windows that I noticed, but it was worth double checking. So I crawled towards the walls and started searching.

  I came upon a few items that seemed strange and out of place. First off, the room had a masculine feel to it: large, dark leather furniture filled it. Even the desk in the corner was oversized, as well as the fireplace. There were a couple of floor to ceiling shelves filled with tomes, which was why these particular items were conspicuous. I ran my fingers over the ornate picture frame. The girl staring back at me could easily pass for Keeley or Aimee. I set it back down and noticed yearbooks opened to pages with the girl. While I read the names, I noticed a very young looking Nik sitting with his arm around her. Underneath was the caption: Most likely to get married. I studied closer to find out her name and finally located it with a picture of her and another guy that looked familiar, for some odd reason. Did I know him? No, that wasn’t it. I felt as if I had seen him on more than one occasion but couldn’t quite place where. I glanced back at her name once more: Rachel Burns. Wait a minute…this was Nik’s Rachel! “Oh my,” I gasped. My hand came up over my mouth. Nik’s late wife looked so much like my sister. It was rather creepy. Not to mention how much Aimee resembled her, albeit, Aimee was a full-fledged woman with all the delectable curves to prove it. Why was Rachel’s picture here in this house?

  My eyes darted towards a large scrap book opened underneath a reading light. The woman on this page was Marissa Walker, and again, she looked like the others. I flipped to another page and, sure enough, another petite blond was staring back at me from the newspaper article. Frantically I turned the pages that revealed, over and over, women who all looked alike. The other thing that was common place: They were either missing persons or obituaries. I crawled backwards like a crab as terror seized me. Whoever owned this house was behind the disappearances of all those prostitutes. I had to get out of here before whoever he was came back. All of a sudden, I hit something hard. No, not something—someone. Please don’t be the monster behind all of this. I peered over my shoulder and inhaled sharply. How was this possible? Where had he come from?

  I flipped over so fast my head spun. I blinked several times to clear the stars from my vision, as I shook the man prone before me. “E,” I screamed. “E-v-e-n, wake up!” I slapped at his sculpted cheeks. Nothing. No response whatsoever. Tears were freely streaming down my face as I leaned over him and placed my lips just above his. He was breathing. Relief washed through me like a cleansing waterfall. I tenderly kissed him, but there was no movement from him. Why was that? I spent the next several minutes trying to revive the man I loved. Nada. WTH?! While I had been busy with the previous investigation and discovery of E, the fire had continued to feed. Smoke was now slowly making its way into the room we were in. Awareness hit that I wasn’t waking Even up anytime soon. Once again, I put my effort into finding another way out of our ‘tomb of doom.’

  The air had thickened with the deadly smoke. Just when I was about to give up and lie down next to E and leave this world, my hand slipped as I fell forward against a shelf. When I righted myself I used the wall of books for assistance, and that was when the passageway revealed itself. Pure elation filled me. I propped the entryway open with a huge tome and went back to get E. Again I attempted to wake him, all to no avail. Then it clicked, he had probably been drugged. Figures. Luckily I’m not a tiny girl. I stood and bent over him, sliding my arms up and under his shoulders and stepping backwards with him in tow. As I dragged his heavy frame, I heard the snap, crackle, pop of the door disintegrating. The fresher air of the tunnel I had stepped in was a gift that I gulped down greedily. I stepped over E’s body and kicked the tome out of the doorway, effectively sealing us off. Now…the real work began.

  I hauled Even further down the rough floor, hoping I wasn’t hurting him too badly. I paused for a second to catch my breath and caught sight of a slim line of light along the edge of the wall. As I ran my fingers along it, I felt a latch. With a fingernail, I inched underneath it and lifted. Bingo. It released as I shoved against whatever held it in place. We were up a little ways, but not so far that we couldn’t jump from our perch. I checked our surroundings outside of the confines of the burning mansion and saw the black smoke billowing in the sky. Surely emergency crews had been called. Someone had to have seen it by now.

  Adrenaline dumped into my blood stream, once more, as I hauled E towards the exit. I was completely cognizant of the fact that I would have to literally push him over the ledge. Though I loathed the thought of harming him further, the alternative was death. Not going to happen on my watch. However, getting him up and over proved to be a challenge. While I watched him fall towards the ground, I hysterically laughed out, “Challenge accepted.” For all intents and purposes, I had lost my sanity. Tends to happen when one had been injured, was fighting to save the life of the man she couldn’t live without, and adrenaline raced through her system. Great. Add to that that I was speaking about myself in third person. Yep, I was heading to the psych ward when this was all over.

  I jumped down and landed smack dab on top of E. Now normally this would be welcomed, but not in his current state of unconsciousness. I rolled off his body and assumed my familiar position behind him. Digging my heels in, I began to drag him away from the inferno before me. Glass was popping and beams were snapping, all the while the air was filling with soot and noxious gas, which made breathing difficult. But I was determined to get us to safety, or die trying. There were no other options. In the distance I could hear the wail of sirens—a sound that resembled an angelic choir to my ears. Never had I been so grateful for the screech and whine of fire trucks and police cars. Hopefully there was an ambulance in there for good measure. Still, I didn’t stop as I continued to haul Even’s six-foot-four, two-hundred-plus frame as far away from the unsalvag
eable mansion as possible.

  The parade of emergency vehicles came into full view. At that moment, I let exhaustion win and fell beside E. Paramedics rushed to us as the firefighters efficiently battled the blaze. I was given oxygen and asked pertinent questions regarding myself and E. Honestly, I didn’t remember everything they asked, or even how I managed to answer. My focus was fully on E and if he would recover. When I heard the words I desperately prayed for—“looks like he was given a sedative, but his vitals are stable”—I finally let the dizziness, that had plagued me since I woke up in that room, have its way as blissful nothingness took me away.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Caleb

  “FUCK!” I roared at the television screen in the living room. I had safely made it to my home in Sacramento without detection. Viviane was resting in the guestroom. I needed answers, but right now she couldn’t talk. Of course that had a lot to do with the tranquilizer I slipped her before putting her in the back of the SUV. Once she remembered Joe was no longer amongst the living, she would be of little use to me. Since I had need of her for a while longer, putting her out of her misery wasn’t an option. Pity. Love made a person weak; I had seen that proven time and time again. How those two ever made their relationship work in the business they were in baffled me. They were kindly cruel, yet viciously caring. Oxymoron at its finest.

  I listened to the newscaster a bit closer as pictures of the fire victims appeared on the screen.

  Even Strand had been presumed dead in the fatal collapse of the Hawkins Mine Shaft twenty-four hours ago. That collapse claimed the lives of four emergency personnel from Amador County. Investigations are ongoing at this time. However, it appears the cave-in happened as a result of the 5.0 earthquake. The historical mansion fire, which is owned by the Reynolds family, has been completely destroyed. A representative from Senator Reynolds said, “The home held a special place in the Senator’s heart and he will definitely rebuild when the time comes.”