Ride The Storm (Storm Warning Series Book 4)

by Geri Foster

  “I thought he was a little too close to Nancy at the end of the meeting. So I got out of my pickup and went inside. The man claimed his name was Alec Jones, but I figured that was as fake as a mirage.”

  “He left though, right? No other trouble.”

  “Yes, and I walked Nancy home. But the very next night she’s attacked in the parking lot of Frankie’s Bar? Isn’t that too much of a coincidence? A stranger shows up at a meeting and rattles her, then there’s a kidnapping attempt? The correlation is right on target. There is danger in the air and we don’t know what it is or why Nancy might be the center of the situation. Not to sound self-centered, but I get the feeling I’m involved somehow. The guy just felt…familiar.”

  “Sure it’s not that paranoia again?”

  He cocked his head and gave Russ a look. “Very funny.”

  Russ put his hands up in front of him. “Alright, alright. Jokes aside, this sure is a mess. I’ll call Austin and see if we can get together today and try to figure something out.”

  “For now, I just want Nancy safe with me while they unravel all of this. And if it’s sanctioned by the law, which living together out of wedlock is, I think her reputation should be spared any hardship.”

  * * *

  Standing outside a trashy medical center where more words were scribbled in Spanish on the big square windows than English, Alec jammed his hands in his pocket and paced, waiting for the place to open. Several women with young children were gathered at the entrance, waiting as well. A Mexican man sat on the sidewalk cradling an obviously broken arm, and a kid nearby kept coughing his head off.

  Soon, a woman the size of a small tank opened the door. She was dirty, smelly, and her black hair hung down in oily strands. She wore a pair of over-stretched pants, a baggy, stained shirt and house slippers. Great first impression. He didn’t know if he wanted to go inside for medical treatment or not. Maybe he’d be better off going to a regular doctor.

  He took out his cell phone and searched for a cleaner, more sanitary place to be treated. He feared he might catch HIV or herpes from a place like this. He’d just have to lie his ass off if he went to a legit place, but he was good at that. Decision made, he got in his car and drove away. After several minutes of fighting the clogged up freeway, he exited near a hospital and allowed his GPS to direct him to a medical facility. It was a vast improvement over the last place. Cleaner for sure, and more what a medical facility should look like in his opinion.

  He’d debated all night about seeking medical help but, in the end, his pain was too much. He constantly fought off panic attacks from not being able to breathe and the scratches on his face made him uncomfortable. Not to mention, the pounding going on inside his head. Even the sun bothered him.

  Hunkered down in his hoodie, he went to the desk and asked to see a doctor. The woman eyed him suspiciously before slipping five sheets of paperwork to fill out under the glass partition. With pen in hand, he lied about everything on the pages. He used the same name he’d used in Rainwater because that was the only fake ID he had. Hopefully, no one would check.

  In the end, he waited over two hours in a room full of people coughing, sniffing, throwing up in trash cans, and gripping injured body parts. What a pathetic situation. Finally, they called his name, and he stood and walked through a maze of corridors before finally being put in a small room at the very back of the building.

  “A nurse will be with you shortly.”

  Settling in for another long wait, he leaned back on the table and dozed, awaking only when the door opened. A cute little thing walked in and he smiled. She had beautiful, long, black curly hair, dark mysterious eyes, and a sweet little body he’d love to crawl all over.

  He sat up and cleared his throat. The girl wearily gazed in his direction and pressed a button by the door. “Hello, Mr. Jones,” she said. “I’m Katrina. I’m your nurse today.”

  “All right.” He smiled sweetly. “I feel better already.”

  She sent him a dry, humorless smile, then her eyes dropped to the papers he’d filled out. “There are no medications, is that correct?”

  “Yeah, I don’t like pills.”

  “And you have no medical issues other than your nose, some scratches and you say your—” she cleared her throat. “And your testicles hurt.”

  He stood and put his hand on the elastic waistband of the sweats he wore. “Yeah, you want to check them out yourself?” He chuckled lightly, enjoying himself.

  The door opened, and another woman came in. He dropped back down on the edge of the table, fun over. She looked like a damn sumo wrestler. He hadn’t realized women could get that big. The monster stood over six feet four and weighed probably three hundred pounds. She took up half the space inside the room.

  He pointed to the unwanted visitor. “Who’s that?”

  Katrina smiled for real. “She’ll be assisting me with the exam today.”

  “Well, I just want to see a doctor and get out of here.”

  She turned to a computer and begin typing. “I have to do a preliminary exam, take your vitals, then the doctor will be in.”

  He frowned at the giant standing in front of the closed door, her arms crossed, wearing a scowl mean enough to scare any man. Reminded him of Game of Thrones, ‘Hold door’.

  After a few minutes, nurse Katrina took his blood pressure, his temperature and asked more questions. By now, he just wanted to go back to the hotel and call it a day. Handing him a gown, she explained she and Hulk would be outside the door while he got undressed.

  Stepping out of the sweats, he again glanced down his shorts. He didn’t really hurt down there, he just wanted to make sure nothing had been damaged in the struggle with those four bimbos.

  After another hour wait, a tall man with blondish hair came in and shook his hand. “What’s going on today, Mr. Jones?”

  “I got attacked the other night and I think my nose was broken during the fight.”

  “Did you report it to the police?”

  “Nah, it was just a couple of guys in a bar who had too much to drink.”

  “I see,” the doctor said, examining the scratches on his face. “Looks like a few women joined the fray.”

  “What,” his heart beat faster. “Why do you say that?”

  “Usually scratching isn’t a man’s first line of defense.”

  “Yeah, a guy’s old lady jumped in.” He held up his hand. “I didn’t touch her. I don’t hurt women.”

  The doctor’s expression didn’t change. He examined his nose and it hurt like hell. When he finished, he slipped on a pair of blue latex gloves and told him to stand.

  “I’m going to examine your testicles now, all right?”

  “Yeah, sure. Do what you gotta do.”

  He lifted his gown and examined him, then told him to sit back down on the table.

  Without much else, the doctor took out the prescription pad and started scribbling.

  “Everything okay, Doc?”

  “Yes, I’m giving you some antibiotic salve for the scratches and a nose spray that will shrink those swollen membranes in your nose.”

  “So, it’s not broken?”

  “No, bruised and swollen, but not broken.”

  He pointed between his legs. “What about down there?”

  “No permanent damage. I can’t see any swelling or anything like that. Just be careful. Wear loose clothes and if you experience any discomfort use ice. Make sure to have a cloth between the ice and your testicles.”

  He felt better already. He’d like it better if the doctor gave him a prescription for oxy, but those were hard to come by lately unless you shopped on the street.

  Without another word, the doctor handed him a sheet of paper and walked out the door. He dressed and followed the arrows that pointed to the way out, hoping to see that pretty little Katrina again, but no such luck today.

  He paid the bill and walked across the street to fill the prescription. Afterwards, he prowled the streets un
til he found a dealer and scored some good pain killers. He wasn’t hurting but, once he could breath again, he wanted to do nothing but grab a bite to eat then crash in his room with a cold beer and ride the sweet high from the drugs he’d just purchased.

  First things first, he stopped at the Western Union and collected the Commander’s money. The thought brought a smile to his face. He planned to be making the trip several times a week—the Commander just didn’t know it yet.

  Chapter 10

  Nancy’s day proved to be uneventful as far as excitement went. She spent most of her time preparing for the upcoming audit. With the bank just getting back on its feet from the embezzlement case involving Jim Snyder, then the ex-VP being arrested and jailed on those charges instead, the board wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

  She helped several customers fill out loan applications, and others to make a few investment decisions, but otherwise she had a very normal morning at work.

  Thankful for a change of pace, she smiled when Candi walked through the door around one. “Good afternoon. I’m happy to see you,” she said.

  Her friend held up a white paper bag in one hand and a cup carrier with two drinks in the other. “I brought lunch.”

  Surprised, she tilted her head. “You did? Well, I guess I’ll have lunch after all today.”

  Candi walked toward the employee breakroom and waited for her to unlock the door. “I’ll be joining you. Austin and Lucas didn’t want you out and about by yourself, so I decided, since a girl’s got to eat, I should bring the food to you.”

  Candi marched to the center of the room and put the bag of delicious smelling food and the drink holder with two frosty cups in it on the table and pulled out a chair.

  She walked closer, happy to see her friend, but wanting to get to the bottom of this nonetheless. “So, this was all their idea? Do they plan to lock me up or something?”

  Candi took two burgers and fries out of the sack and spread a napkin on the table. Placing one in front of her, she smiled up at her. “I don’t know. I think Jeff is worried someone might be trying to harm you.”

  Irritation scalded her neck. “We’ve talked about that. While I was worried last night, in the light of day, I’m beginning to think the idea is absurd,” she insisted. “I’m not a person anyone in their right mind would want to bother.”

  Even in her ire, the aroma of the fried food had her pulling out a chair and taking a seat. She gazed down at the taboo food in front of her, tempted. She hadn’t had a burger and fries in forever. Not able to remember the last time, she picked up the burger and fought the urge to devour it in three bites. It smelled so good it almost had her dizzy. But it wasn’t exactly on her diet and the scales would punish her later.

  “You should’ve gotten me a salad.”

  “Jeff actually ran in and got the food. I ran into him outside the place and explained I was getting something for you. He had planned on the same thing, but he had an appointment so he gave in and let me bring it—but he wanted to order it. Aren’t men funny?”

  Pulling her eyes away from the juicy, everything-on-it burger, she swallowed a mouthful of saliva. In all her life, she’d never wanted to sink her teeth into anything so badly. Well, except maybe Jeff, but that was a completely different story.

  “I’m not surprised,” she said. “He’s texted me twice today already, wanting to know if I’m all right.”

  Candi emptied several ketchup packets on the corner of her wrapper for them to share, then bit into her burger. Mumbling around a mouthful of food, she said. “I think he has a crush on you.”

  That had her biting into the burger if for no other reason than to avoid divulging her own feelings. If Candi got wind of how she felt, the advice would never stop.

  She chewed slowly, determined to enjoy this burger if it was the last thing on earth she ever did. After chewing several times, she moaned. “This burger is to die for.”

  “Vern makes the best,” Candi said, popping a fry in her mouth. “I think it’s the extra grease.”

  She swallowed and took another bite, enjoying the delicious taste of fat, fried meat, and cholesterol. Mentally, she promised to spend an extra thirty minutes on the treadmill tonight and to do more reps at the gym tomorrow. All, just to enjoy right now.

  Mind made up, she grabbed several fries, dipped them in ketchup and opened wide. A celebration started in her mouth and she took a deep breath, enjoying it while it lasted instead of focusing on the negative aspects of cheating.

  Candi held a fry up and pointed at her with it. “So, back to Jeff liking you. Are you on board with that?”

  She slowed down eating as a sense of fullness crept closer. “I don’t know.” She lowered her voice. “I stayed there last night.”

  Candi’s eyes widened. “You did?”

  “Yes, but don’t say anything. Jeff was concerned the man who grabbed me might try to break into my house.”

  Candi bit the fry in half. “I can’t say I don’t agree with him. We’ve all decided that guy wanted you and if we hadn’t been there to fight him off, God only knows what could’ve happened.”

  Grasping her straw, she took a long sip of regular Coke. No doubt it instantly shot up her blood sugar, but she didn’t care. It tasted delicious. “Maybe, but why?”

  “Why what?” Candi asked, picking up her burger.

  “Why on earth would anyone want to hurt me? I just work at the bank and mind my own business.”

  “Stop it, you know that’s not true. Maybe they want to rob the bank and think by taking you hostage they can make you give them the combination to the safe.”

  She shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way anymore. Safes are much more complicated today. It’s no longer a simple combination. It’s all computerized.”

  “Well, then what else do you have?”

  She lifted her shoulders and held out her hands. “Nothing. The house my parents left isn’t worth much and it needs a lot of repairs. I have money in savings, but I spent most of that shopping last night.”

  Wrinkling her brow, Candi propped her chin on the palm of her hand. “Then what does this guy want from you?”

  “Like I told Jeff, I can’t think of anything.”

  “It’s a real mystery.” Candi jumped to her feet and gathered all the trash from their lunch and stuffed it back in the sack. “Guess he was just your run-of-the-mill creep then.” Walking over to the trashcan, she tossed the garbage. Brushing her hands together, she returned to the table and sighed. “I have to get back.”

  “Thanks so much for lunch. I really appreciate it. And the burger was scrumptious.”

  Candi winked. “I bet it was after months on your starvation diet.”

  “It’s just low carbs, but you’re right. I often feel like I’m starving.”

  “How much weight have you lost?”

  “Sixteen pounds,” she beamed. “I’m very grateful my hard work is actually paying off.”

  “You should be. Good job.”

  Candi turned and walked out of the employee lounge, leaving her wanting a chocolate candy bar to top off her lunch. She didn’t dare, but suddenly her appetite had been slapped awake and a sweet treat sounded tempting. Rising, she left the lounge and returned to work. That always proved to be the best way to ward off a sweet tooth.

  She was lost in the multiple things her job required when suddenly, feeling she was being watched, she looked up and saw Jeff standing in front of her desk.

  “Hello,” she said, surprised to see him. “How’s your day?”

  “Very fruitful,” he replied, looking very pleased with himself.

  “Oh, how’s that?”

  “I met with Austin and Lucas, then several townspeople and, finally, the president of the bank. It’s been agreed you’ll be staying at my place until we get a better handle on what’s going on around here and why someone tried to take you.”

  She scooted back her chair. “Wait a minute. Don’t you think I should’ve bee
n notified such a decision was going to be made on my behalf?”

  He shrugged, his confident appearance lessening. “We’re doing it for your safety.”

  “You may be, but where I stay is my decision and mine alone.”

  “I thought you were worried about your reputation? I made sure your job wouldn’t be in jeopardy, just like I promised.”

  “I am. However, that doesn’t mean I’m prepared to pack up and move in with a near stranger. Jeff, we hardly know each other. What’s going to happen when this drags on and you get sick of seeing me in your face every night?”

  He dropped his gaze. “I won’t get tired of you.”

  “You can’t say for sure.” Keeping her tone calm, she pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. “I’m not going anywhere. I have a home and that’s where I’ll be. The next time you decide to do something for me, ask first.”

  She sat down and turned to her computer, typing away. This simply couldn’t be allowed. He didn’t have the right to up and change her whole life because he suspected something might happen. Not to mention, doing all this with no proof.

  As much as the thought of a man wanting to care for her excited and even flattered her, she couldn’t permit anyone to dominate her life like Jeff had just done.

  Without a word, Jeff walked out of the bank, his gait determined and purposeful. What did he have planned, she wondered. Maybe he was devising a way to kidnap her himself.

  She continued working until the bank closed and all the tellers were gone for the day. After turning out the lights she locked up, set the alarm then began walking home.

  She passed several residents along the way who asked how she was, considering what had happened last night. She wasn’t surprised word had gotten out. Big news like that was bound to travel fast. But, because of that, it took her nearly twice as long to get home, though she didn’t really mind. Another night of TV reruns and a salad was all that awaited her.

  As she came upon her house she saw Jeff sitting in the swing, bent over, reading a magazine. “What are you doing here?”