by Jill Sanders
Aubrey reached over and took his hand. “How’s Lea taking all this?”
“She saved his life. Seconds after he called her a …” He shook his head. “She knelt on the floor and breathed life back into him. She didn’t even bat an eye at helping the man who had just terrorized her.” He hadn’t realized he’d been babbling. When he stopped talking to take a deep breath, he realized it. “She’s freaking amazing.”
“Yes, she is,” several people agreed.
“I told her I love her.” He closed his eyes. “I could have done it better. I didn’t even get her flowers.” He shook his head.
“Oh.” Hannah clapped her hands. “I’ve got a crazy idea.”
Several people groaned.
“What?” he asked.
“When Hannah gets an idea, it usually means we’re going to have some extra work to do,” Aubrey said.
“Oh, hush.” Hannah waved her hand towards her friends. “It’s not going to be too extravagant. Some rose petals, candlelight, maybe a band, and a picnic on the beach…” She was now writing things down in the big black binder that she always carried around.
“What do…” he started to ask, but Hannah looked up at him.
“No, do nothing.” She stopped him. “I’ll take care of everything. When is her next evening off?”
He thought about it. “She’s officially quitting the hospital today. She gets off shift around six.”
“Perfect.” Hannah rubbed her hands together. “She’s been moping around for days leading up to her quitting. This is going to lift her spirits.” She smiled. “I’ll text her and tell her that we need her help tonight. I’ll have her meet us on the beach around seven for a sunset dinner. I’ll get her to change into a sundress.” Hannah said all this while typing on her phone. “And done.” She set it down. Then her eyes narrowed at him. “Do you have a cream-colored jacket, a white button-up shirt? Some nice khakis?” He thought about it but before he could answer, Hannah had picked up her phone again. “I’ll have it delivered here so you can change.”
He glanced around at the smiling faces. “Hannah is a miracle worker when it comes to romantic dinners,” Scarlett added.
“What about flowers?” he asked.
“If you want, you can swing by the florist in town at lunch and pick something out for Lea yourself. If not, I’ll have her favorite flowers delivered.” Hannah looked down at her phone again.
“You know her favorite flowers?” he asked, wondering if he even knew this.
Hannah chuckled and ignored him as she typed.
“Why do I feel like she has a better handle on my love life than I do?” he asked the table.
“Welcome to the club,” Levi said, earning himself another stab in the ribs from both Scarlett and Aubrey.
An hour after Brett got off work, he stood on the private white-sand beach in khakis, a white button-up shirt, and a cream-colored cotton jacket. Beside him, there was a table, complete with a crisp white tablecloth. More lilacs than he’d ever seen adorned the table and flowed over the sides. Two places were set for when their food arrived, and a bottle of champagne was chilling in a stand next to the table.
The setting reminded him of a classic proposal spot, which had him sweating profusely.
It wasn’t as if he couldn’t see him and Lea living happily ever after. Hell, at this point, she was the only woman he could see himself with. But…
They’d only been official for four months. Wasn’t that too early?
Okay, sure, they’d known each other all their lives. He probably knew more about Lea than he did any other woman.
Was she thinking about marriage? They weren’t even officially living together yet. Officially.
By the time Lea walked down the pathway, he had removed the jacket and rolled up the sleeves of the shirt.
“Wow,” Lea said, taking in the entire scene. “This is… like a scene from The Bachelor.” She stopped next to him and then gasped. “Oh my god.” She turned to him. “You’re not going to propose, are you?”
The sick look on her face had him laughing. “No, but I think Hannah might have gone a little overboard.” He motioned to the table. “I mentioned that I hadn’t bought you flowers when I told you that I loved you and”—he waves his hands to the display—“this happened.”
Lea began to laugh and didn’t stop until she was doubled over. “That’s Hannah for you.”
“Don’t get me wrong. This is… amazing. I could have never pulled something like this off if I had a month to put it together.” He pulled out the chair for her to sit. When she sat down, the chair sank slightly in the sand. He moved over and sat across from her.
“She is pretty amazing,” Lea said as he poured them each a glass of champagne. “So,” she said after they both had a glass, “this is all so you can tell me that you love me again?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah.” He held up his glass. “So, it’s official. We love each other.”
She tapped her glass to his. “Officially.” She took a sip.
Suddenly Dean appeared with two plates of food.
“What did you two do to earn such a cool dinner?” Dean asked.
“We’re in love,” Lea said with a chuckle.
“Cool,” Dean said before disappearing.
“He’s just jealous,” Brett said, causing Lea to laugh some more. “So, today? How’d it go?”
Her smile slipped just a little. “I handed in my resignation to Laura.”
“And?” he asked as he dug into his steak.
“And she was happy for me. Even told me that if I needed I could come back and work any shifts I wanted.” Lea relaxed back in the chair. “I don’t know why I was so afraid. I work with some great people.” She leaned forward slightly. “I had a talk with Sanjay today. I told him that I had heard what he’d done, that he’d stuck up for me. I guess I’d judged the guy wrong.” She shook her head. “He’s been pretty cool lately.”
“That’s good,” Brett said and waited for a heartbeat. “Did you see my dad?”
She took up her glass and took a slow sip. “I thought it was best to avoid him.”
He nodded. “That’s for the best, I suppose.”
“I hear he’s doing well. If he makes some changes in his diet and health, not to mention controlling his temper, he’ll have a full recovery,” Lea added.
He looked down at his steak. “Guess I’ll have to be wise to the fact that it’s in my family history now,” he said with a slight groan.
She reached across the table and took his hand. “I don’t think it’s mostly his diet. I think the hate he’s been holding onto had a lot to do with it.”
He nodded. “In case I haven’t said it, I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t you dare.” She set her glass down with a slight bang. “Don’t you apologize for anything that man has said or done. You are not your father.”
“No,” he agreed, “I’m not.”
“Good, now…” She leaned on the table and smiled at him. “Tell me that you love me again.”
He laughed, then snapped his fingers. “I have…” He took the bundle of flowers that he’d sat on the other chair. He’d picked them out on his lunch break. It had been so long since he’d walked into the florist that he’d been completely lost about what to get Lea.
“Lilies.” Lea gasped. “My favorite.” She buried her face into the soft white and pink petals.
“Yeah, thanks to Hannah, I know that now,” he said with a shrug.
“Okay.” She set the flowers down. “Since we have the time and the romantic spot, what do you say to getting to know more about each other?”
“I’m game. What did you have in mind?”
“What’s your favorite flower?” she asked him.
He laughed. “I’m not sure. Those are nice.” He pointed with his fork to the bundle he’d gotten her.
“Not fair. Pick something else out. These are my favorite,” she joked.
“Roses are co
ol.” he said with a shrug. “I like the smell of honeysuckles.”
“Okay.” She nodded and tilted her head. “Favorite sport?”
“To watch or play?”
“Watch.”
“Soccer,” he answered quickly.
“Mine too,” she said with a smile.
“Nope, not fair, pick another one,” he joked as he threw her words back at him.
She laughed. “Okay, European football.”
It was his turn to laugh.
While they ate, they went down the entire list of favorites. Colors, food, movies, music, and even travel spots.
He enjoyed getting to know more about her and telling her about him. He was discovering more about her than he’d ever known about anyone.
By the time their desserts arrived, he had laughed more than he had on any other date in his life. Lea was like an old friend that he was lucky enough to be attracted to physically and love for the person she was. She was the best of everything in life.
As the evening progressed, he realized just how easy it was to see their future together. By the time they walked down the beach to watch the sun sink below the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf, the thought of marrying her didn’t seem so crazy anymore. Actually, it was the most natural thought in the world. She had always been there. Even if he hadn’t known it.
But one thing was clear—he was not going to let Hannah pick the time or place that he proposed to the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.
“I get my car back tomorrow,” Lea said after they started to drive back home.
“It’s done?” he asked, glancing at her. “That was fast.”
“My dad knew a guy,” she said with a shrug.
“What color did you have it painted?”
She smiled. “Cherry red.” She quickly held up her hand. “But that does not mean…” Her words dropped off when he turned the corner out of the campground’s driveway. “What the…” She gasped.
He jerked the wheel and skidded around a massive carcass.
“What is that?” Lea asked when the car came to a stop.
“A pig.” He put the car into park.
“Pigs aren’t that big.” She glanced behind them.
“Wild boars are,” he said quickly. “I’ll go move it out of the road. I’d hate for someone to hit it or swerve and cause an accident.”
Putting on his hazards, he turned to Lea. “Stay in the car.”
She nodded and he got out of the car and got a tire iron out of his trunk so he could shove the thing out of the road without touching it with his hands.
The massive thing probably weighed more than two hundred pounds. At first, he tried to shove it, but when it didn’t budge, he figured he’d flip it over and roll it off the road.
That seemed to work at first. The moment the boar flipped, he noticed the perfect gunshot wound in the boar’s head area and froze. Glancing around, he felt the familiar prickle at the back of his neck.
The moment he moved to rush back to the car, he saw a figure in black step up to the open door of his car. He watched in horror as the man slid in behind the wheel of the still-running car and took off with a squeal of his tires. He had heard Lea scream briefly just before the door slammed shut.
He screamed and ran as fast as his leg would take him, chasing the fading taillights. When his left leg folded under him, he pounded the pavement with his fists.
He’d left his cell phone sitting in the middle of the console. He couldn’t even call for help.
Thinking, he turned back around and rushed as fast as he could back to the camp, cursing the entire way at his leg. At his ignorance of the situation. What had he done? He’d put her in harm’s way.
Why? Who?
All of those questions flooded his mind as he ran for help. It took longer than it would have had his leg been back to its normal health.
When he rushed into the main lobby area, he was covered in sweat and even angrier at himself for falling for the trick.
“My God, what’s happened?” Julie gasped from behind the counter.
“Police, someone’s taken Lea,” he managed to get out before he passed out cold.
When he woke, he was still on the floor of the entryway, surrounded by his friends. A glass of water was shoved in front of him. He drank it like a man who had just crossed the desert.
“Lea,” he said when he could speak.
“We’ve called the police,” Aiden said quickly. “What happened?”
“There was a dead boar in the road. I got out to move it to the side, and someone jumped in the car and took off with her,” he said quickly.
“Your car?” Aiden said, pulling out his phone.
“Yes.” He nodded.
He listened while Aiden relayed the information, most likely to Carl.
“They’re putting an alert out,” Aiden said.
“Are you okay?” Aubrey asked. He was rubbing his leg, which was hurting almost as bad as when he’d been shot.
“I’ll survive.” He stood up with the help of Aiden. “Got your keys?” he asked his friend.
“I’ll drive,” Aiden said.
“We’ll all go out and look,” Aubrey said. “You were heading home? To the right?” she asked.
“Yes, but that won’t stop them from turning or going a different direction,” he said as they made their way back to the parking lot. He was thankful that Aiden took his arm and threw it over his shoulder so that he could take most of Brett’s weight.
“Could it be Robbie or Larry?” Aiden asked once they were in his truck quickly heading back down the long driveway of the camp.
“Last I heard they were both still locked up. That wouldn’t stop either of them from coordinating it or stop their buddies Dale and Billy from taking their revenge. Everyone knew that we worked here.” He silently cursed himself again for falling for the ruse.
“We’ll get her back,” Aiden said several times, almost as if he was chanting it in order to make it true. “Is your phone still in the car?”
“Yes,” he gasped and reached for Aiden’s phone.
“Find-my-phone app,” they both said at the same time.
“Where is it?” he asked, frantically looking on the screen.
“The second screen,” Aiden replied.
He couldn’t count the times he’d forgotten or lost his cell phone. Enough times that Aiden had installed the app on his phone to help him find it.
Within seconds, he saw the little blue dot that was his phone traveling down the highway towards Panama City.
“I need my gun,” he said more to himself as he relayed the direction to Aiden. “Swing by my place.”
“No, you need to call Carl and let him know where we’re going,” Aiden corrected.
“When I find the bastard that took her…” he started.
“We’re going to let Carl and the police handle it,” Aiden said firmly. “But just in case, we’ll stop off and get your gun.”
Chapter 23
The moment the dark shadow jumped into the car, she knew it wasn’t Brett, and she screamed.
She’d been so occupied with watching the man jump behind the wheel that she hadn’t seen the gun until it was too late.
She didn’t even have a second to try and remember anything Aubrey had taught her in judo class that could help her out of this situation. She fought and tried to scratch her attacker, only to see stars as everything faded into darkness when he hit her with the butt of a gun on the side of her head.
She woke quickly when the car came to a screeching halt. Her head snapped forward and, before she could recover, arms grabbed her and pulled her out of the car. Instantly, she fought and screamed in hopes that someone would come to her aid.
She was shoved, pushed, and even hit a few times.
“Get the bitch inside,” someone growled. “Quickly.”
She was pushed again. When she screamed at the top of her lungs, a meaty hand covered her mouth, blockin
g the sound from traveling.
She kicked out and used her elbows as Aubrey had taught her. Nothing could have prepared her for two large men manhandling her and finally lifting her and carting her through the darkness.
“We’re just going to teach you a little lesson on who you shouldn’t mess with,” one of them said the moment they carried her through a doorway.
The hand over her mouth shifted slightly, and she bit down hard and didn’t let go until the man screamed in pain and she felt a trickle of blood ooze into her mouth. She wanted to gag, to spit it and the skin she was cutting loose out of her mouth. Instead, she clenched down even harder.
Then her legs were dropped, and a fist connected to the side of her temple. She released her bite as stars exploded behind her eyes. Everything spun so quickly, she felt her stomach lurch. Her body went limp, even though she didn’t completely lose consciousness.
She drifted just on the verge of awareness as they carried her down a hallway and up a set of stairs, and finally dumped her unceremoniously onto a hard floor.
“Tie the bitch up,” one of the men said.
She knew that if they managed to tie her up that she would never leave this place alive. It was the raw desire to live that once more had her kicking, screaming, and fighting away the hands that reached for her.
The room was too dark for her to see who her attackers were. Besides, the multiple knocks to her head had her seeing double. Triple even. Everything shimmered as if she was wearing glasses that had been shattered into millions of pieces. The pain in her head was so great, each time she moved, she felt nauseous.
Then she remembered something Aubrey had told her. Abductors didn’t like bodily fluids. If you could, you should pee yourself. Throw up. Spit. Aubrey had taught her to use more than just your muscle.
She jerked her head around and instantly felt the steak dinner and wine that she’d just shared with Brett begin to come back up. She made a point to try and aim and when the hands that had been grabbing her jerked away, she continued to let her stomach revolt.
“The bitch is doing that on purpose,” one of the men screamed.