Alyssa licked her lips, trying to picture the moments before the crash. “Well,” she hesitated. “There was someone in front of me.” That was all she remembered.
The paramedic removed the stethoscope, unfastened the blood pressure cuff and backed a few steps to make room for the officer. Alyssa reached down between the seats, dug one-handed in her purse for her wallet, found it and passed the whole thing to the officer. She snagged the registration and insurance certificate from the visor and gave that to him, too.
The officer glanced at the documents. “Someone ran in front of you?” he said.
“No. Maybe. A car?” She closed her eyes. Her head throbbed. “I don’t know.”
“Ms. Mallory?” The police officer again. She opened her eyes. “That gentleman by the blue Beemer” ‒ he glanced behind him and nodded ‒ “says you suddenly sped up. He couldn’t avoid hitting you.”
“He ran into me? I don’t think ....”
Beyond the officer the man leaned against the front fender of the low slung sports car.
The arrogant Dr. Trammel, Alyssa thought.
“I’m trying to figure out what happened,” the officer said.
Alyssa shook her head. Although it seemed incredible, she couldn’t remember the moments before the impact. “I don’t know.”
The officer frowned. “I have to give you a ticket for failure to yield right of way and not wearing your seat belt.”
“Why?” Alyssa bristled. “It wasn’t my fault if he ran into me.” She glanced at Trammel.
The officer pulled out his electronic ticket book and tapped with a stylus. “That’s the way the law works. Despite what he says, witnesses say you swerved and hit him.” He handed the wallet back to her. “I’ll return your things in a moment.” On the way to his cruiser he stopped and spoke to the man from the blue car. They ended their conversation with a handshake.
Alyssa sighed and dropped her wallet into her purse.
Once again the paramedic leaned over her. “You sure you’re all right?”
She managed a wan smile. “Yes. It just hurts.”
The paramedic pulled the ice pack away momentarily. “The bleeding’s mostly stopped,” he said. “I wiped off your face, but there’s blood on your clothes.”
Alyssa looked down. Red splotches sprinkled her white T-shirt. “It’ll wash.” Why had she made such an inane comment? “Do I have to go with you?” The thought of ambulances and hospitals reminded her too much of her aunt. Sitting and waiting for the doctor to tell her what she knew when she found Ellen on the floor in the shop: her aunt was gone. Alyssa could not face the sounds and smells of an emergency room.
“What’ll I do about the van? I have to feed my cat.” Some distant thought told her she wasn’t making much sense.
“No, ma’am,” the paramedic said. “You don’t have to go in the ambulance.” He pointed to her forehead. “You need sutures. And keep the ice in place.”
“I’ll go somewhere,” she said. There was an urgent care clinic near Aunt Ellen’s neighborhood. They probably dealt with things like this all the time.
The officer returned and held out a small electronic tablet.
“Sign with your finger,” he said. She scribbled her name. He handed her license back to her. “You’ll receive the ticket in the mail in a few days. Hope you’re okay.”
She dropped the license into her purse.
The paramedic stepped closer with a clipboard. “Ms. Mallory, you’ll have to sign this release. It says we advised you to go to the hospital, and you declined, stating you’d get medical attention.”
Alyssa took the proffered pen and signed on the indicated line. “I will.”
“You can’t drive your vehicle.” The paramedic tore off a copy of the form she had signed and gave it to her. “Your tire’s flat.”
Through the haze Alyssa realized she should call someone. “I have a friend … where’s my phone?”
“I’ll take you.” Nick Trammel’s voice.
Alyssa stared into intense brown eyes. “But ‒”
“It’s no trouble, really,” he said. “The campus security officer will vouch for me.”
The man in the blue uniform shirt came up behind Nick. “It’s fine. I know him. He helped me with my laptop when it wasn’t working. He’s Dr. Harbison’s assistant.”
Nick held out a hand to Alyssa. “Come on. You can sit in my car until we get your van pushed into an empty space. I only have a crunched fender. I’ll take care of everything.”
Alyssa allowed herself to be helped to the blue car. She sank into the soft leather seat and squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed only moments passed, and the man sat down in the driver’s seat. She felt a weight on her lap and closed one hand over the familiar outlines of her purse.
“It’s parked,” Nick said. “The key’s under the floor mat, and your other keys are in your purse.” He reached in the breast pocket of his sport coat and pulled out a cell phone. “I’ll call a garage to change your tire.”
Alyssa groaned. “No spare. It was bad. I’m supposed to take it in tomorrow for new tires.”
“I’ll have it towed there.”
She couldn’t think of an argument. “Murphy’s on Miller Avenue. The number is ….” She couldn’t remember it. Usually she pulled even occasionally called numbers from her memory bank.
“No problem.” He tapped his phone a few times and spoke to someone at Murphy’s.
He gave the location and description of the vehicle.
“Yeah,” he said into the phone and looked up at her. “Yes, she’s fine. Just a flat tire. I’ll call you later with a credit card number to pay for it. Thanks.”
He returned the phone to his pocket and got into the car.
Alyssa lowered the ice pack and turned to her benefactor. “I ran into you.” Her thoughts were fuzzy, as if she’d had a couple of drinks.
He looked away and started the car. “It’s all right. I’ll take full responsibility. It’s just a dented fender. I don’t think your old beater suffered much. Just sit back.”
“Here.” He took her hand with the ice pack and raised it. “Hold it here. You’re bleeding.”
She pressed the cold pack to her forehead. He leaned across her and fastened her seat belt. His bearded cheek brushed against her cheek. Alyssa closed her eyes and tried not to notice him.
The car began to move, and she relaxed into the soft leather seat, trying to understand why she had been stupid enough to run into someone’s car in the middle of a parking lot.
***
Nick glanced at the woman beside him. Her disarrayed blond hair unnerved him.
When he had first seen her after the accident, her face covered with blood, his mind had flashed on another time, another face, blond hair … and blood, so much blood ….
No. He shook off the memories. That was behind him, another life. This was an accident, not at all like what had happened before.
But something wasn’t quite right. A thought gnawed at the back of his mind. One of the witnesses had mentioned a car leaving the accident scene. Nick hadn’t seen it.
Alyssa looked pale and vulnerable. He concentrated on driving and ignored the warning signals in his mind.
Chapter 2
At the urgent care clinic Nick bustled Alyssa in, charmed the receptionist and chatted with everyone until Alyssa wondered if they took her ahead of others just so the nurse could flirt with him. Then, reason prevailed, and she figured they took her so others waiting wouldn’t have to look at the bloody dressing on her face.
In less than an hour and a half, Alyssa walked out the door, Nick Trammel at her elbow. The cut just under her left eyebrow sported three tiny, dissolvable sutures.
“I’m a good stitcher,” the doctor had boasted. “The scar probably won’t be visible.”
Armed with instructions for ice packs and cleanliness, and a small bottle of pills – “In case it hurts, and to help you relax,” the doctor had told her – Alyssa settled
back into the BMW.
“You’d better put those pills in your purse,” Nick said. “And the doctor’s instructions, too. And buckle up.” He fastened his own seat belt.
Alyssa frowned, which made her eyebrow hurt. “I thought Novocain or whatever they use was supposed to numb you.”
“Don’t make faces like that, and it won’t hurt.” Nick started the car.
Impatient, put off by his attempt at humor, Alyssa fastened her seat belt. Where did he get off ordering her like a child to buckle up? But she couldn’t be overtly angry with him because she needed his help. A few more minutes, and she would be rid of him.
Alyssa cleared her throat. “I live at –”
“Four twenty-two Stockbridge.” She stared at him. “I heard you tell the officer.”
Alyssa was silent for a moment as Nick pulled out into the street. “It’s just off –”
“Mason, between Jackson and Civic Park Drive. I know.”
“I suppose you also know the best way to get there?”
He shrugged. “Probably Michigan to Second Avenue, right on Second, then left on Humphries to Mason. Wouldn’t you say so?”
“Yes,” Alyssa said through her teeth. “How’d you –”
“I live in the neighborhood.”
The rest of the ten minute drive passed in silence.
Nick turned onto Stockbridge, slowed and turned to her. “Hey, you live near a great antique shop. Where’s your house?”
She was surprised he knew about the shop. “Oh, you mean you haven’t figured that out yet?” She hadn’t meant to sound snappish. Maybe the pill was making her hypercritical.
He did not respond. Alyssa sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. Middle of the block on the right. It’s the white Victorian with the big maple in the front yard – besides the ones along the street.” Nick pulled into her driveway. “The door’s around back.”
He drove to the back of the house where he stopped, jumped out and opened her door.
“Chivalry is alive and well,” she said, and stepped from the car.
Again, she hadn’t meant to be nasty, but her voice was tinged with sarcasm. Why did he set her on edge? She should be grateful for his help. She must have been out of it right after she hit her head. This whole situation would have been much less confusing if she’d been lucid enough to call someone she knew.
But the man was a hunk. She pushed that thought away.
Nick’s expression hardened. He closed the door forcefully and followed her to the house. She dug in her purse for her keys, finding them in an unexpected pocket.
He had only meant to be helpful. She looked up at him. “I’m sorry about your car ....”
A fragmented image flashed in her mind. A car with someone ... something not right .... She tuned back in. “Don’t worry. Really,” Nick said. “It was my fault. If you don’t mind, I’d rather not involve insurance. With a car like mine, they hike the rates every chance they get. I’ll be glad to pay for any damages. Except for the flat, your van just has an extra ding. My fender can be fixed.” He moved closer and peered into her eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Yes ....” She hesitated, confused at the memory. “There was another car.”
A fleeting emotion played across his face, settled in his dark eyes. Fear? What would he be afraid of?
“Somebody mentioned it to the police,” Nick said. “I didn’t see it. They probably didn’t want to get involved.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
A thought tickled the back of Alyssa’s mind. Some detail she could not quite grasp. Nick’s expression softened. For a long, silent moment he stared at her, frank appraisal in his eyes. A butterfly took flight in her stomach. Must be the medication.
Alyssa put the key in the lock, pushed the door and stepped forward. Crunch. She paused. In the ensuing silence, something rustled inside the enclosed porch. Nick pulled her back against the side of the house, his hands a little too strong.
“What was that?” he hissed in her ear.
Isabella meowed and rubbed against her leg. “My cat.” Alyssa evaded Nick’s grasp and caught the creature up, cradling her gray, furry body.
“Bella,” Alyssa said. “You’re a naughty beastie.” To Nick she said, “She’s been in the cat food. I was in a hurry and I left a bag here – just ripped a hole in it and grabbed a handful for her. I bet there are Kitty Krunchies all over.”
Gently, she set Isabella back inside. The cat scampered into the darkness beyond the enclosed porch. Alyssa reached for the light switch. Nick grasped her wrist, and she froze. His touch sent shivers up her arm. Her heart lurched. His breath was warm on her cheek.
“Are you sure?”
Moonlight lit his face, and his eyes held wariness beyond ordinary caution. His body, a hair’s breadth from hers, emanated heat. He was taller than she had thought, perhaps six two. She would have to stand on tiptoe to kiss him.
What a ridiculous thought. He was attractive but too arrogant to kiss. The medication disoriented her and made her feel vulnerable. With a mental shake, she reached inside and flipped on the light.
“Of course I’m sure it’s the cat,” she said. “This house doesn’t have ghosts. And if somebody robbed me, the alarm would be shrieking. And they’d need a moving van to cart away all the antiques.”
“The antique shop is yours?”
“No,” she said. “I’m a kindergarten teacher. The business is – was my aunt’s, and she died ….”
“I’m sorry.”
Alyssa swallowed a wave of grief. There was no reason to share any of that with a stranger.
“Thank you,” she said. Then words just tumbled out. “This is terrible. I have to decide whether to stay in teaching or run a high end antique business, and my whole life is turned upside down.” She snorted. “I put off the last class I needed to get my Professional Teaching Certificate – which I might not even use if I leave teaching, but I signed up months ago for the class, and I have to take it or I’ll lose my job anyway – and then I crash into you. Great, huh? I’ve never had a ticket before, let alone an accident.”
He shrugged, visibly relaxed. “Sorry about the ticket. The crash was my fault. I should have seen you coming. My mind was ... I was thinking.” He looked at her searchingly. “So, do you live amongst the antiques?”
Was he being sarcastic or trying to make light of the situation? She pointed. “Upstairs. Second floor.”
“Well then, let’s get you upstairs.”
Alyssa shook her head, suddenly wary. “No, thank you. Other than a mild headache, I think I’m all right. The pill the doctor gave me makes me think I don’t care what hurts.”
Nick Trammel’s face swam slightly out of focus. His dark eyes glittered. She could get lost in his eyes. This would not do. A pill would not get the better of her emotions.
She tried to pull away, swayed and felt like she was falling. He supported her and gently propelled her up the steps. “I promised the officer at the scene and the doctor I’d look out for you, and I’m a man of my word. Key?”
She found the right one on the ring and pointed it at the lock, but her hand was shaking, and she couldn’t line it up with the keyhole. Nick took the key ring and opened the door. Isabella leapt past them and scurried inside.
“I could have done that.” Alyssa hadn’t meant to sound angry. What was it about this man that set her nerves on edge?
Nick nodded, his expression cool, distant. “Of course.” He dropped the keys into her open purse and set the purse on a table beside the door.
“Well, I could have.”
He steered her inside. “Look,” he said, “you’ve had a bump on the head. Anyone would be a little shaky.”
He glanced around the living room. Alyssa had the disconcerting notion his gaze missed nothing, registered each trivial detail, right down to the laptop computer presiding over its corner. Inside the living area, a cooling breeze blew in from the open front windows and cleared her
head.
She shouldn’t be snarky to him. He was just being kind.
“I am sorry,” she said, trying to sound sincere. “You’ve been a real help. And I’ve been rude. It’s just that I’m used to taking care of myself, and I-I –”
“Don’t like anyone butting in and taking over?” he finished for her with a rueful half-smile.
Weariness washed over her. “I think I should lie down.” She closed her eyes and wished he would leave. Her knees buckled.
Next thing Alyssa knew, she was sitting on the couch, Nick hovering over her.
“Open your eyes,” he said. “Look at me.”
She obeyed without thinking. He peered at her, disturbingly close. His pleasant, masculine smell made her heart flutter. The room spun in slow motion.
He looked from one eye to the other. “Equal pupils, reactive to light.”
Her heart pounded. She pulled back. “It’s j-just the m-medication.”
“Probably. Say, do you have someone to stay with you? Maybe you shouldn’t be alone.”
“No,” she said. “No one. My aunt was the only family I had. I have friends, but it’s late … and Carl’s out of town.”
Nick stepped back. Distance came back into his eyes, a distance from which his candid appraisal made her feel uncomfortable.
“Well,” he said, “you just go to bed. Get some rest.”
“I’m fine,” Alyssa said. “Really.”
At the doorway he turned back to her. “Lock this, and I’ll lock up downstairs.”
“Yes,” she said, rising from the couch. She felt a bit less dizzy as she made her way to the door.
His troubled eyes softened. “Take care, Alyssa Mallory.”
Again her heart flip-flopped. “I will, Nick Trammel. And thank you. Really. Thank you.”
She closed the door behind him and leaned against it. Hugging herself, she stroked her arm where he had touched her. His footsteps receded down the stairs. The back door opened, the lock clicked, and then the door closed.
“Move, Alyssa.”
Double Danger Page 3