Behind the Flame: An Everyday Heroes World Book (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Renee Harless

  “I don’t think any of us are very lucky,” Ridge replied more harshly than he intended. Thinking about River being in pain was too much for him. He never wanted to see a single hair harmed on her head.

  “I know, son.” His uncle handed River a plastic bag filled with clothes and then sat another bag on the table against the wall. “I figured they’d probably let you out today, so I brought some clothes you had at River’s place.”

  “Thanks. How’s Delilah?”

  “Good. Asking for your day and night, as to be expected.”

  “That’s good. I’m ready to get back home.”

  Silence fell in the room until only the sounds of the monitors echoed in the small space. His uncle’s eyes continued to trail over to River’s as they communicated non-verbally.

  “What’s going on?” Ridge demanded when the quiet became too much.

  “Nothing,” River said at the same time Joseph asked, “Son, what do you remember?”

  He wasn’t sure what he was remembering or what was a dream. He knew he had rushed to River’s side instead of fighting the blaze engulfing his house. Ridge had made the split-second decision to rescue her instead of his home. Because he loved her more than he had ever loved another woman besides his daughter, and witnessing her using her own body to protect his most precious possession was almost more than he could take.

  After making sure that she was safe, he only saw flashes of images, nothing concrete.

  “I don’t remember much. Just bits and pieces.”

  His uncle nodded his head while River tried to pull her hand away from his, but he held firm, not letting her escape. He needed her close.

  “Anyone going to enlighten me?” Neither party seemed inclined to divulge any more information, which angered Ridge more than he expected.

  “Tell me what the fuck is going on!” he shouted, alarms pinging in the room at his outburst.

  The door to the room opened and Ridge expected to find a nurse rushing to his bedside. Instead, he found himself shocked speechless.

  “I think I can probably answer that.”

  ***

  The dark-haired woman stepped into the room, her hands twisted behind her back and secured with handcuffs. River wasn’t keen on how the woman made her appearance, but Preston continued to urge the woman into the room.

  Penny.

  Ridge’s gorgeous ex-wife had clearly seen better days. The woman that had been turning their lives upside down for the last few months. The woman that cradled the little girl River loved so much when Delilah had recognized her.

  Ridge whispered the woman’s name. A breathy sound that River couldn’t decipher. He had told River that he loved her, but this woman's arrival could change everything and River wasn’t confident she was prepared for the downfall.

  What looked like affection from Penny was mirrored on Ridge’s face, and as the mother of his child River could understand, but it didn’t hold up the breaking pieces of her heart.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Ridge snarled, and River realized that it wasn’t affection he felt toward Penny; it was a cacophony of fury, anger, and worry.

  “Well,” Preston began as he kept a steady hand on the cuffs behind Penny’s back. “I thought it might be better for Ms. Riner to tell you exactly what she told me. I have the official statement, but I thought it would be better for you to hear it directly from her.”

  River had only heard bits and pieces of the story as Penny had spoken to Preston. She was too focused on Ridge’s health and safety that she had tuned out most of the woman’s confession. Ridge’s uncle moved to stand beside River, offering her silent support as he clasped her shoulder in his hand. River’s second attempt at removing her hand from Ridge’s was quickly thwarted with a firm squeeze from his uninjured hand.

  Sighing, River relaxed her shoulders and settled in to listen to Penny tell her side of the story.

  “I want to start off by saying how sorry I am that I left Delilah at your apartment in California. I was in a bad place, but I was trying to get better. I had gone off the drugs for a few days and thought I was going to turn my life around. I struggled after our divorce, you know. I forgot what it felt like to be cared for and-”

  Interrupting her, Ridge growled, “Let’s keep it related to why I’m lying in a hospital bed, okay?”

  Penny had the decency to look ashamed at her tangent, then continued. “Right, anyway, I had overheard Dominic talking about wanting to use Delilah in some way to traffic drugs. I freaked out and immediately packed up her things and sent her to you.”

  Beside her, Ridge was vibrating with fury. River suspected that if he weren’t strapped to the machines next to the bed, he would have launched himself over the foot of the bed and strangled the woman. She should have never allowed her daughter to come so close to a sinister man like Dominic.

  “It broke my heart to leave her that day because I was trying so hard to make things better. After that, I couldn’t figure out which way was up or down and lost myself again.

  “When Dominic realized that I no longer had Delilah, he was furious. I had thwarted his plan and he took it out on me. I spent a week in the hospital only to realize I needed to find a way to let you know he was going to come for her.”

  “The letters,” River whispered as things started clicking into place. Penny was sending the letters as a warning to keep Delilah safe. “Why did you send some of the letters to me?” River asked the woman curiously, surprised as a flash of jealousy flickered across her face.

  “I wasn’t exactly sure which house was Ridge’s since you went back and forth so frequently. I could only leave the letters at night to stay hidden. Dominic. . .he. . .he was tracking me. I had stolen one of his cars not knowing that there was heroin in the trunk with a tracker. But I knew enough that he considered me his property, and Dominic didn’t just let go of something that belonged to him. No one was safe.”

  “So was the plan just to keep us in the dark until he showed up?” Ridge questioned in anger.

  “I didn’t have a plan, Ridge. I didn’t even know his plan. I just knew that he was coming.”

  “None of this makes sense,” Ridge replied, directing his statement toward Preston. River had to agree, the story seemed outlandish and she wondered why Penny didn’t just send an anonymous tip to the police.

  Preston chose that moment to put together more pieces to the story, mentioning how Dominic had an in with the police department, which gave him access to Ridge’s whereabouts when they filed their own reports in Carson.

  “So, you’re saying we led him straight to us?”

  “Not exactly, but the town is small. It didn’t take Dominic long to figure out where to find you.

  “From what we learned, he was desperate, and thanks to River’s quick thinking, he sustained a significant knife wound to his spleen after the attack. Alexis was able to trail his car and stop him just before he entered the highway.

  “We weren’t sure of his motive until Penny demanded that we search his car. That’s when we found Delilah’s toy. Even I was surprised at first that the entire mess was over a pink stuffed teddy bear, but Penny told us to cut the back of the bear open.

  “We found roughly five ounces of cocaine and millions of dollars in stolen gemstones.”

  “Holy shit,” Ridge and River whispered in unison.

  Continuing, Preston added, “It seems that it wasn’t so much your daughter that he wanted, but to use baby toys to move drugs and stolen goods across state lines. Businesses and police aren’t as skeptical when you have an actual child.”

  “So, why is Penny in handcuffs?” River asked, her sympathy for the woman growing with each passing second.

  “She tested for drugs in her system, Fentanyl, without a prescription, and she confessed to selling some of the heroin. Not to mention she’s wanted to child abandonment charges in California.”

  “Penny. . .” Ridge whispered with the barest hint of disappointment in his voic
e. River could understand. The woman did the best she could to protect her daughter, but had she not been tangled up with a drug dealer in the first place, none of this would have happened. Of course, River also knew that Penny’s misgivings were the only reason she met Ridge in the first place.

  “I’ve made mistakes, Ridge, but I’m going to get better. And, River, I’m sorry that you got tangled up in all of this mess. I’ve watched you with Delilah and she’s lucky to have you in her life. Both of them are.”

  Preston didn’t hang around much longer. He tugged Penny up by her arms and escorted her from the room, leaving a shocked Ridge, River, and Joseph.

  “That was all. . .unexpected,” Joseph said, mirroring River’s sentiment.

  “None of it makes any sense to me. I mean, why not just turn Dominic in from the get-go?” Ridge asked.

  “Well, sometimes it’s hard to convince a drug addict that the police could help. And she was scared.,” his uncle responded.

  “But the letters? Why not just tell me what’s going on? I could have helped her.”

  And River realized that the lack of trust was what hurt Ridge the most. The man with the superhero complex felt useless.

  “Paranoia, I suspect. Anyway, I just wanted to drop off your clothes. I’ll see if I can persuade the doctor to come to check you over so he can discharge you sooner rather than later.” Turning to River, Joseph asked, “Are you good to drive him home? He gets pretty grumpy when he’s hurting. Been like that since he was a teenager.”

  River chuckled as Ridge denied his uncle's assessment. “I think I can handle it.”

  Just as Joseph left the room, a doctor walked in with discharge papers and a prescription for pain medication that Ridge hesitantly took. The doctor explained that he had four bruised ribs and severe smoke inhalation in his lungs that he would need to monitor for the next couple of weeks. Not to mention the large goose egg on the back of his head where he had fallen onto a large rock in his yard when the explosion had happened.

  River was given instructions to care for him over the next few weeks and he could only return to work when his primary doctor gave him a clean bill of health, which was met with an unenthusiastic groan from Ridge. The man would go crazy sitting at home, unable to work.

  “I’m going to go crazy sitting at home doing nothing.” River stared at him, wondering if he realized what he said. It took only a minute for his eyes to widen and then he squished his face together in distress. “I don’t even have a house to go back to.”

  “Well, you can always stay with your aunt and uncle. You know that they would be more than happy to nurse you back to health.”

  “That doesn’t sound very pleasant at all.” She had to agree. Ridge wasn’t someone that liked to be babied.

  “Or. . .or you could just move in with me.”

  “Temporarily?” he asked.

  “Permanently?” she replied. River felt immediate embarrassment at her question, like a shy girl speaking with the football team's quarterback. “It’s silly. You can ignore I said that,” she back peddled. “Of course, you should stay with your family. I can’t believe I ever suggested otherwise.”

  “I want to stay with you, River.”

  Surprised and shocked, she asked, “Why?” River’s heart pounded in her chest, eager to hear his reply.

  “Because I love you.”

  His words released the dam of waterworks she had tried so desperately to keep at bay the last three days. They were all she wished to hear when he started waking up from his injuries.

  “I love you too,” she managed to stutter between her sobs. Ridge tugged her closer with the little strength he could muster. She fell over the side of the bed and he quickly wrapped his arms around her. River was afraid she would hurt him, but he didn’t seem to care.

  They stayed in that position for a minute and River could have remained for the rest of her life. There was not a single place that she’d rather be than in his arms.

  “Hey,” he whispered into her neck. “Think you can still help fasten my cape?”

  She chuckled against him, then leaned over and brushed her lips against his.

  “I promise, superhero.”

  Epilogue

  “Is that the last of them?” Ridge asked as he unloaded the last of the crates from the back of her SUV. She had taken Delilah to the local nursery this morning so Ridge could get a few extra hours of sleep after his evening shift.

  He had turned down the Fire Chief position from his uncle, who was completely supportive of his nephew’s decision.

  River had grown close with Ridge’s family, his Aunt Amy becoming somewhat like a mother to her. She had filled the hole her grandmother had vacated.

  Her grandmother had suffered three more strokes over the winter season, the last ending her life a week before Valentine’s Day. She hated witnessing Sue’s worsening health, but there had been a bright spot despite the debilitating disease. Her grandmother had an instant and undeniable affection for Delilah and Ridge. Once he had been stable enough to leave their house after the explosion, River had taken them to visit with the nurse’s permission. Sue had taken one look at Ridge’s daughter and her entire mood had changed. And until her last day, Sue had more good days than bad, thanks to the little girl playing in the mulch bed.

  Ridge and Delilah’s move into her house had been seamless, mostly because they stayed at her home a few times anyway. She liked having them close and sharing her space. River also enjoyed the fact that she had unlimited access to Ridge’s Carson Fire Department shirts.

  “That’s the last one. There were only three,” she called out from the little stool in her flower garden. She was planting flowers for the spring, something she hadn’t been able to do in years. That was if she could keep Delilah from pulling the small flowers out of the ground the moment River planted them.

  A horn sounded from across the street and River turned her head, guarding her eyes from the sun with her hand. She watched as Austin Connelly’s pickup truck with his construction logo emblazoned along the side parked across the street. Ridge’s home had been a total loss, but Poppy and her husband Jameson were quick to rebuild on the lot. Austin and his crew had already framed the entire structure, working tirelessly to finish the home before the summer.

  She had to chuckle as her annoying neighbor, Paul, stomped out to the truck with his preppy popped shirt collar. He had made it very clear that he didn’t appreciate the construction noise on the weekends. Watching him try to argue with Austin, who stood half a foot taller with more muscles, was better entertainment than a soap opera.

  Turning back toward the flower bed, the sun glistened off her hand and she couldn’t fight back the smile that grew as she took in the two-carat ring on her finger. Ridge had proposed three months ago at the Carson Mountain Winery where they’d had their first date. That time was special, not only because of the engagement but because the ring had been her grandmother's. It was something she had admired since she was a little girl. It had been one of the most magical moments in her life.

  She still had hang-ups whenever he was called to a job, but she worked on those with Amy’s help. The woman had opened up about her own struggles with Joseph’s schedule, but she explained that the town was also part of that family. They would need protection and, in turn, would be there for her as well. River was never going to be truly alone.

  “Oh, sweetie, don’t put that in your mouth.” River swiped the flower’s identification tag from the toddler’s hand, earning an angered pout. “How about we go see if daddy wants any lemonade?”

  The child’s pout quickly morphed into a smile as she reached her arms upward. “Mama, up,” she demanded.

  River was still getting used to Delilah calling her mom, but Penny had been okay with the moniker. She was back in California in a low-crime jail, but they spoke to her once a week. She was doing better and hoped to be out on parole soon. Dominic was in a mess of his own making. The United States, Mexico, and Colom
bia were all fighting over rights to try him for his crimes in their country. River didn’t really care; she just wanted him locked away for life.

  With Delilah settled on her hip, they made their way over to Ridge who was standing on the porch with the empty jug. She never got over the way he looked at her, with love and happiness. River was sure it mirrored her own expression. The corner of his eyes lifted the smallest amount whenever he saw her with his daughter. They had been discussing adding to their family, and River couldn’t wait to give Delilah a sibling.

  “How are my two favorite girls?”

  “Thirsty and dirty,” She explained as she held out Delilah’s palm caked with dirt.

  “A little dirt never hurt anyone,” he said as he reached forward and tickled the little girl’s stomach.

  “True enough. I’ll head inside and refill the lemonade.”

  “That’s okay. You rest here and I’ll take care of it.”

  “You’ll choke if that cape gets any tighter around your neck,” she called out to him as she settled into the wooden rocking chair with Delilah on her lap.

  A butterfly landed on the porch railing and the little girl’s face lit up in delight at its appearance.

  A minute later, Ridge returned and poured them each a glass of the freshly squeezed drink and took the seat beside her.

  This was more than she could have ever dreamed of. She had been kicked down, trampled on throughout her life, and used until she had nothing left to give. She had no idea that her happily ever after would come in the form of a cherub-faced little girl and her father. A man that swooped in and saved her from herself and gave him something else to live for beyond the flicker of a flame.

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