Flirting with Revenge

by Kristel Ralston

  “That sounds great. Good night, Veronica,” he murmured, very close to her lips.

  She expected Michael to kiss her. She could have sworn that the feeling of torture and desire was mutual. She was wrong. She did not let her disappointment show when, at the last moment, he swerved and planted his lips on her cheek.

  When Michael moved back, the cold wind covered the heat of those lips.

  “I... Thank you.”

  With a wink, Michael left.

  When she closed the door to her apartment, Rachel had a serious talk with herself. She could yearn for those kisses, but not let herself be carried away by emotions. She needed to remember her goal. Whoever had the advantage and could remain in control would win the game. A game, in this case, that Michael did not even suspect they were playing, and one he would lose in a monumental way.

  CHAPTER 5

  Michael could not believe how, in less than twenty-four hours, he’d gone from being excited to desperate. He paced from one side to the other in the Emergency Room. His nephews had been in an accident on their way back from baseball practice, on the Little League team’s bus. Alan did not play, but he always went with his brother. They were inseparable, even if they did not share the same interests.

  One of the twenty children on the bus had just died. The blood-curdling scream from the mother made Michael’s hair stand on end. His family was in shock, and waiting for news from the doctor. They had been at the hospital for hours.

  Moses had been more seriously injured since he was in the window seat when a soda truck slid on a patch of snow and hit the side of the bus. Alan had been thrown into one of the adjacent seats and had received quite a jolt. They had heard that the bus driver, as well as the soda truck driver, had both died on impact.

  They were at a hospital that Michael donated to regularly, to support their different medical research projects. When the medical team found out his nephew had been admitted, they prepared a private room for him and his family.

  He was nervous. Terrified. Those two boys were one of the most important things in his life. He felt a feeling of deep sorrow for his brother. He’d never seen Douglas so dejected.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore,” said Doctor Anastasia Collins as she entered the room.

  The woman’s face looked calm. Michael did not need to be told that bad news was coming. Something inside him screamed it. He felt Louisa tighten her grip on his arm, and Jack was trying to control his anxiety by clenching his jaw. For Michael, the worst part was watching his brother and sister-in-law, their faces devastated, get to their feet when the doctor called them.

  “Any news?” asked Douglas, who’d postponed his flight to Delaware for a case with a multinational company when he found out about the accident. Lara looked at the doctor, pleading with her eyes as if that would get her the news she yearned for: that her sons were out of danger. “Don’t keep us waiting,” she begged.

  Young Galia held her mother’s hand tightly. Lara squeezed her soft little fingers with both affection and anguish.

  “Moses will recover. He’ll need surgery; his left arm is broken at the wrist. We need your written consent.” She handed them some forms, which the couple quickly took and started to fill in before they handed them back to the specialist. “He’s young; his limbs are flexible, and he will recover quickly.” The parents nodded.

  “And Alan?” asked Michael in a hoarse voice.

  She was used to giving bad news, but Doctor Collins still found seeing the desperation and pain in parents’ faces disheartening. She treated her patients as if they were part of her own family. It was a mistake, her husband always told her, but Anastasia could not help it.

  “I’m sorry... the boy is in a coma.” This was enough for Lara to crumple into Douglas’ arms with a heartbreaking whimper. “We’re monitoring him, but the prognosis is reserved.”

  “Even for the family?” Michael wanted to know, pulling Galia to his side, as if the girl could give him strength.

  “For the moment, I’m afraid so. As he evolves, we will let you know,” she replied. “I need to go to the operating room to prepare for Moses’ surgery.” She quickly looked over the forms to make sure that the Whitmores had not forgotten to sign any of the pages. Once she was satisfied, she nodded. “I’ll let you know the details, but it’s not a risky intervention.”

  When the doctor left, Galia took Michael’s hand. He looked at her.

  “Will Alan be okay, uncle?”

  “We need to have faith that he will. How about coming with me to find a cup of hot chocolate, princess?” he asked, aware that his brother, parents, and sister-in-law could not express their worries in front of the little girl.

  Galia, with her beautiful wavy hair the color of night, and bright green eyes just like Michael’s, looked at her parents. They nodded with a smile that did not reach their eyes. But the nine-year-old girl could not have noticed that.

  “Sure, uncle Mike.”

  ***

  Rachel knew Saint Cleare Hospital well. Her parents had been admitted here in critical states when they had their accident. She’d spent several days wandering around the ward until she was told she would never see them again. Every time she thought of those four stormy days in her life, breathing in the scent of disinfectant, she became ill.

  When she got Michael’s message, telling her that he was at the hospital with a family emergency, she asked if there was anything she could do. He answered that there was no need since he had enough to do trying to console his family. A part of her, the one that was not wrapped up in her intention to take revenge on that man, encouraged her to go to the medical center. Finding out that those two innocents were in the emergency room moved her.

  The boys’ health had no part in her plan. She would put it aside for the day, or until Michael was fully recovered. An enemy struck down by fate did not provide the same victory as when she had caused the fall. Was that not true?

  If their roles were reversed, and Michael was out for revenge, would he not have acted just like her? Was a man’s revenge different from a woman’s? She did not think so.

  “What did you say your name was?” asked the stranger’s nasal voice. “I’ve never seen you at any of the parties Michael and I usually go to.”

  “Veronica,” she answered, crossing her arms in the waiting room. She’d already sent Michael a text letting him know she was at the hospital. She was nauseated and wanted to run out of there, but she was no coward. Being there made her face her fears, and her past, and also reminded her why she was being kind to the Whitmores.

  The woman smiled.

  “I’m Heidi, Michael’s girlfriend,” she said, extending a hand with perfectly manicured fingers and dripping with gold jewelry. It was not in bad taste at all. The woman oozed sophistication through every pore. “I came as soon as I could. I found out by chance, “she started to explain without anyone asking, “because one of the nurses is a friend of mine. Michael is so reserved. Poor thing, don’t you think? So overwhelmed he did not even have the chance to let me know,” she said with a pout.

  “Poor thing, no doubt,” replied Rachel, seething. The scoundrel had a girlfriend and had planned to take her out to dinner. She shouldn’t feel even a morsel of rage. It was about this Heidi woman interfering with her plans, and nothing more than that, right?

  “How did you find out,” the woman inquired, looking from one side to the other.

  “Casualty of fate,” said Rachel with a smile.

  Forty minutes later, Michael’s unmistakable demeanor appeared before Rachel. Despite clear signs of exhaustion and rumpled hair, he looked as handsome as she remembered. She wanted to get up and hug him, to comfort him, but she restrained herself. She thought that Michael would hug Heidi, without caring about anything else, so his reaction to her presence took her by surprise.

  “What are you doing here, Heidi? I was very clear this morning; we’re over.”

  Rachel looked the other way.

  “But
I thought you were only saying that because you were overwhelmed with work. Out agreement is more than convenient for both of us, darling,” she whispered with a smile, placing her hand on the front of his blue shirt. She ran her fingernails along the neck seam.

  He removed her hands firmly.

  “You thought wrong, Heidi,” he replied. “Thank you for the solidarity, but I’d rather you stayed out of this family moment.”

  “And what about this woman?” Heidi asked with poorly concealed resentment, looking at Rachel.

  Rachel stared at the ceiling. As if she had no part in the conversation. She regretted having come to the hospital. That was her fault for being an idiot. Hadn’t someone explained the inconveniences of seeking vengeance without knowing the terrain?

  “Veronica is welcome. She’s met my family,” replied Michael, very uncomfortable. He had no time to deal with Heidi and no idea how she’d found out.

  “You don’t say... what a surprise. Is she my replacement?” she asked, holding her Gucci purse tightly and glaring at Rachel.

  “No woman is another’s replacement, especially when there’s no love, Heidi.”

  “Only sex,” added the woman, before glaring at Rachel again and leaving the waiting room in a huff.

  Michael ran his fingers through his hair.

  “I’m sorry Veronica. I don’t usually treat anyone like that, but Heidi and I...”

  “Oh, no need to explain,” she lied. “I came without being invited. So if you’d rather be alone, honestly, I understand. I just thought you could use a little company,” she laughed joylessly. “Sometimes I can assume situations in my mind that, well, are not quite the most adequate.”

  Michael stared at her.

  “I’m glad you came. I need a breath of fresh air and a genuine smile. We’ve had a rough few hours," he said, coming closer to her.

  Without thinking about what she was doing, Rachel shortened the distance between them and hugged him. The warmth of Michael’s body enveloped her. Feeling his strong arms around her, she started to feel comfortable. It was not what she needed, so she came to her senses and pulled away.

  “Has there been any change in your nephews’ health?” she wanted to know.

  He felt a change in her but said nothing. His lips were tight, thinking about his young nephews.

  “Moses is in the operating room. Alan in a coma.”

  “Oh... I’m so sorry, Michael.” She remembered the two little tykes jumping from place to place the previous day. She felt sorry for both of them. “Have you eaten anything since you’ve been here?”

  He shook his head.

  “My parents just left to change clothes and rest, but my brother and his wife are still inside. When I told them that the Moulin Rouge dancer was here, they smiled.” Rachel laughed. “It was their first smile in ten hours. At least it’s a sign that coming here was a great idea. Thank you, Veronica. I’d better eat something before I pass out from starvation and give them another thing to worry about...”

  She did not want Michael’s gratitude, because that gave her conscience a slight, very slight twinge of guilt. But, had he had a guilty conscience when he’d sentenced an innocent woman to prison? Of course not!

  “Why don’t we get some coffee” Your nephew will be in the operating room for a while longer, and we don’t want his uncle to be unable to visit him because he’s lost his strength.”

  He nodded, and they started walking towards the exit.

  Rachel’s mind was filling with images that had little to do with the idea she had of Michael. In just two days and a few hours, he’d come across as anything but that unscrupulous, vile, soulless lawyer she thought he was. But if there was something she’d learned over the years was not to let first impressions fool her. She needed to keep digging.

  “I guess in the end, we’ll have our dinner...” muttered Michael, smiling at Rachel and pulling her out of her daydream. “With a different twist, that’s all.”

  She returned his smile.

  “You know plans can change from one moment to the next.”

  “Except for the intention behind them,” he continued in a husky voice, watching her as he held the door of the restaurant in front of the hospital. It was a Wendy’s, but he did not want to go anywhere outside the perimeter where his family waited.

  “Are you sure?” inquired Rachel, as they waited in line to order.

  “Completely,” he answered, his gaze fixed on the girl’s blue eyes.

  At least the idea of flirting with her took him away from his family worries. When the hell they were living through was over, he had every intention of seducing Veronica Marsh, no matter how their plans had changed.

  CHAPTER 6

  When Rachel got home, she was ready to get in the bath to shake off the feeling that she was being a fool, worrying about the Whitmores’ wellbeing. The loving way they all seemed to support each other left a bittersweet taste in her mouth. Those family scenes were everything she ever wanted and everything she believed had been taken from her. By Michael.

  Once she was sitting in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn, she curled her legs under her on the comfortable sofa and turned on the news. She zapped through the channels. Reluctantly, she turned off the television and closed her eyes.

  She was falling asleep when the buzz of the intercom startled her, and she managed to knock the bowl of popcorn to the floor at the same time, spilling its contents. She cursed. She looked at the time. Almost midnight. Who the hell?

  “Open, please. It’s Piper.”

  She did not think twice. She pressed the button to let her sister in and waited for her to ride up in the elevator. Piper never visited her. She always waited for Rachel to come first. In general, her sister had become a recluse, rebellious and, though she was still affectionate, her displays of affection were few compared to the way she used to be.

  She said that her experience in prison was too hard for anyone to hear about and worse, to live through. She preferred to keep the knowledge of those past experiences from Rachel; they should stay in the past. Part of her rebelliousness had led to the rejection of her younger sister’s offer to stay in her apartment. She preferred to live in a less safe neighborhood, paying for everything herself.

  “Piper!” exclaimed Rachel, seeing her. She was shocked when she noticed how run down her sister looked. “Come in. Why did not you wrap up in something warm?” she asked, concerned when her sister shivered. She walked to the fireplace and added a few more logs.

  Silently, without waiting to be asked, Piper flopped on the sofa.

  “I’m in trouble,” she announced out of the blue, looking at her younger sister. She hated having to ask for help, but that night a friend had come over to tell her something that made her nervous. She could not wait until morning.

  Rachel felt her heart skip a beat. If her sister had come to her, that was enough to know that something terrible was brewing.

  “What’s going on? What do you need?” she asked, kneeling in front of her sister and taking her hands affectionately.

  “A man I informed on is still free because they haven’t managed to find enough evidence to back the charges and arrest him.” Rachel opened and closed her mouth. “I’m on parole because the judge considered my good behavior in prison and the information I gave on a drug trafficker. I got that information through the contacts I made inside. If that gangster finds me, he’ll kill me.”

  “How long have you known about the plan they put together to get solid evidence from your information...?” she asked with a quaver in her voice.

  “For seven hours. I called you on the number you gave me, but the call did not go through.”

  “I’m sorry. I was running an errand. How do you know all this about what the police are thinking, and everything?” she asked, disconcerted.

  Piper sighed. Her sister was so naïve.

  “Rachel, I was in prison. I was surrounded by truly unscrupulous people. Special treats like
candy, or things we rarely had access to, were sometimes exchanged for information from the outside or favors for family members. My cellmate, when she found out I could be released for good behavior, told me I needed something else to guarantee my release.”

  “Offering information to the police.”

  “Exactly. I always swore I knew nothing...”

  “Because you’re innocent.”

  Piper sighed.

  “In this type of situation, innocence does not matter. You have to learn to smooth the edges and make alliances sometimes, Rachel. If I had run into someone who knew the people I could have given up or not during the trial, you’d be putting flowers on my grave right now.” Rachel grimaced. “Once you leave prison, or visit that world, sometimes you’re still surrounded by people from that world. Some call and know who you are... others wait for you to fall into the same cycle they’re in... it’s complicated, little sis.”

  Rachel held Piper’s hands gently.

  “And what made the difference this time, to make you talk?”

  “My good behavior and impeccable record in prison caught the eye of the warden, Martha Forrester. She held me in high regard, and I don’t know how, but Martha got the judge to review my case again. Then, using information from Stacy, my cellmate, I improved my chances.”

  “And this Stacy, what did she... or what did you exchange for that information?”

  “Stacy was the mistress of one of Emilio Gordov’s enemies. He’s the drug trafficker the authorities are after as if he were the golden ticket. So it was not easy for Stacy to find out where Gordov was.”

  “Can they have sex in prison...?”

  “Rachel, there’s no point in talking about the stunts, sexual issues, and other things that take place in prison. What I need from you is to get me a good place to hide.”

  “Here?” asked the redhead.