by Alexa Verde
Julia needed to find Ivan, needed to make sure he was okay. Worry squeezed her rib cage. She’d held him up in the room to help the little girl, and Ivan had breathed in a lot of carbon monoxide. Julia felt a sting of guilt. No matter what she did lately, she always brought him problems.
Finally, she glimpsed Ivan. He was helping an elderly woman with a cane to an ambulance. Julia stepped in his direction but was stopped by a paramedic, her stepsister, Ashley.
“I can’t believe it!” Ashley exclaimed. “You again!”
“Happy to see you, too,” Julia muttered.
“Yeah, but I’d rather see you under other circumstances. First, you fall down stairs. Then you have a severe allergic reaction. Now you barely escape fire. What’s next?”
Probably a gunshot wound if Julia and Ivan didn’t find Seth’s killer fast enough. Julia kept her grim thoughts to herself.
“Ash, I hate to give you additional work, but I’m not having fun here, either.” Julia staggered.
Ashley switched into a professional mode. “We need to check you and take you to the hospital.”
Julia shook her head. “Later.”
“Julia!” Ashley’s voice rose.
“Please? Just five minutes. I need to make sure Ivan is okay.”
“Okay. But I’ll be back in three minutes.” Ashley pursed her lips, stepped away, and started assisting a family with two children.
A van with media pulled up, and a reporter started interviewing the night manager.
Julia had lost sight of Ivan again. She tamped down her disappointment. He was probably helping someone. He’d gotten out of the burning building, and that was the main thing. The moments she’d been standing with Masha sobbing on her shoulder, waiting for him to jump, had been the longest in her life.
Julia had remembered too well he’d had a fear of heights as a child. For a second there, she’d been afraid he wouldn’t let the windowsill go.
Julia glimpsed Ivan’s father in the crowd, but the man was gone immediately. She shook off the thought. What would his father be doing at the Rios Azules Inn? She must’ve been wrong.
Julia waved to Barbara, who was checking a child of about seven years old. As a doctor, Barbara would have her hands full for a while.
A slight tap on Julia’s shoulder made her whirl around.
Her heart leaped into her throat at the sight of Ivan.
“Are you all right?” He stepped close to her, not letting the people moving around him sweep him away.
“Yes.” Exhaustion was claiming her body. But she couldn’t let herself relax. Not yet. “Do you think this was arson?”
Why would anybody set the inn on fire? It couldn’t be because of her, could it? Julia shuddered. Putting the lives of so many people in danger didn’t make sense.
“It’s a possibility.” His fingers circled her wrist, and he held her in place as a man passing by pushed her. Her skin prickled at his touch. “Julia, we’ll need to give a statement to the police. But what happened to the little girl?”
“She’s back with her mother. Thank you, Ivan. You’re a hero.” She stepped aside, trying to get away from the crowd, and he followed her.
“Not at all. You, on the other hand…” His voice held notes of admiration.
“You’ve always been a hero to me.” Julia glanced at his hands and gasped at the sight of blisters. Her heart squeezed at the thought of the pain he must’ve experienced. She flagged down Ashley, who rushed to them immediately.
“Ivan Vargas here needs medical attention. Just look at his hands! The number of victims tonight would’ve been much higher if not for Mr. Vargas.”
“I don’t need medical attention,” Ivan said.
Julia narrowed her eyes. “Please. At least let the EMTs put some ointment on and bandage your hands.”
“I will if you’ll go in the ambulance to the ER and have a complete checkup.”
“I second that,” Ashley said.
“It’s blackmail.” Julia suppressed a sigh. “Okay.”
He surrendered to the EMT. Julia had another paramedic check her vital signs and give her oxygen.
As soon as she was done, her blood pressure and pulse not bad after a shock like the one she’d gone through, Mari, Lydia, and Soledad rushed to her. Julia spotted Luke hanging in the distance near his car.
“Julia, are you okay? We heard about the fire.” Their voices dripped with worry.
As glad as Julia was to see her friends, she shook her head in disbelief. “I’m fine. And you should be at home, asleep, instead of rushing here.” She turned to Mari and pinned her with a gaze. “Especially you.”
Luke reached them and placed a protective arm around his wife’s shoulder. “I agree. Glad you’re okay, Julia.”
Mari raised her hands in surrender. “Two against one.”
“If the baby could vote, it would be three against one.” Julia gave her friend a hug. “Go home.”
“Okay, okay.” Mari let Luke lead her away, then glanced back. “But are you sure you’re fine?”
“Positive.” Julia waved her off and turned to Soledad and Lydia. “Soledad, when did you get back to Rios Azules? You shouldn’t have left your husband and the grand opening of your exhibition.”
“I returned to Rios Azules as soon as I heard what happened to you. You shouldn’t have kept it from me. The exhibition will go on without me. And I didn’t leave James behind. He came to Rios Azules with me.” Soledad’s eyes sparkled when she talked about her husband.
And to think, once upon a time, Soledad had been reluctant to give James a chance because of his bad-boy reputation.
Julia sighed. “Well, you shouldn’t have left your husband in the middle of the night on my behalf.”
Lydia gave Julia a hug. “I don’t have a husband to worry about.”
While Julia was on a roll, giving unsolicited advice, she looked at Lydia. “You probably would if you gave Aidan a chance.”
Lydia winced and shifted back. “You know my secret. He’s better off without me.”
“Maybe you should’ve let him decide that,” Soledad chimed in. There was a new glow in Soledad’s eyes. She’d always been attractive in a quiet, unassuming way, but after getting married, she’d simply blossomed.
“I broke off our engagement. Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?” Lydia visibly swallowed.
Aidan approached her. “Good morning, ladies. Ms. Morrison, I’ll need your statement.”
“Okay. Girls, go home.” She waved to Soledad and Lydia.
Aidan and Lydia exchanged uncomfortable glances, and Lydia’s pale face flamed up in a blush.
“Fine. We’re going home. Call us if you need anything.” Soledad gave Julia a quick hug.
Lydia did the same, and Julia followed them with her gaze to make sure they did leave.
Then Julia gestured to Ivan that she was going to go with Aidan, and Ivan gave her a curt nod. His hands were bandaged now, but Ashley was checking his blood pressure at the moment.
Suppressing a twinge of worry about Ivan, Julia followed Aidan to the patrol car and described the events of the night the best she could.
The crowd seemed to increase instead of thin out by the time she was done, with a large influx of passersby. The few police officers present were taking statements and keeping the people away from the building. The Rios Azules Police Department was rather small, and Ivan was obviously much needed during his leave of absence.
Julia weaved her way through the crowd to get back to the ambulance where she’d left Ivan.
Her senses were rather subdued after a sleepless night, so it didn’t register immediately when she felt the prick of a needle in her arm. The next moment, grogginess took over and she fell to the ground.
Had someone started the fire to lure her out of the room and attack her in the crowd?
She needed to warn Ivan.
Julia struggled to move and to say something, fighting the weakness and the mental fog that overcame her.
But her limbs didn’t obey her. No sound came out of her throat.
She managed a short silent prayer.
Then darkness took over.
Chapter Nine
Ivan checked the time on his phone and frowned. Julia’s statement was taking too long. She should’ve been back by now. He tapped down irritation mixed with concern.
In several long strides, he reached the patrol car. He knocked on the door, and Aidan rolled down the window.
“May I speak to Ms. Morrison?” Ivan asked.
“She left about five minutes ago,” Aidan said.
Worry intensified in the pit of Ivan’s stomach.
Where could she be?
“Thanks!” Ivan turned to leave.
“Ivan, wait,” Aidan’s voice hit him in the back. “I’ll need to get your statement, too.”
Torn between his duty and the need to find Julia, Ivan racked his brain for an answer. “How about meeting at the hospital in about an hour? You’ll probably need to talk to other people who were taken there.”
Aidan nodded. “Okay.”
Keeping his cool wasn’t easy, but Ivan couldn’t let fear for Julia overcome him. He looked around. There was no sign of her.
Stop.
Two paramedics carrying someone on a stretcher caught his attention. The patient wore an oxygen mask, but there was no mistake about that red hair. His heart fell. One of the paramedics was Ashley.
He bolted to them. “What happened?”
“I found her on the ground,” Ashley answered.
He’d known Julia’s stepsister for years, through work and through visiting family gatherings with Julia. Ashley’s facial expression was neutral, but there was worry in her hazel eyes.
“Julia seemed to be fine just moments ago.” Ivan cringed. How could he let this happen? “I’ll ride with her in the ambulance.”
Ashley nodded. “You need to get a complete checkup in the hospital, too.” She pointed at his bandaged hands.
Ivan waved off her concern and climbed inside the ambulance after the stretcher.
Julia looked so fragile and helpless. Her beautiful eyes were shut, and he missed the light shining in them. Her face was paper-white. A vice squeezed his heart. He’d failed to protect her, to keep her safe. A painful stab of guilt reminded him he’d failed Seth and Jake, too.
Ashley hooked Julia up to IV fluids, and the growl of the motor signified their takeoff.
Holding Julia’s hand all the short way to the ER, he wished he could still pray.
He cared about Julia. He’d always cared about her, but now more than ever.
Why had she collapsed? She didn’t have cherry-red lips, a telltale sign of carbon monoxide poisoning, so most likely it wasn’t that. She didn’t seem to have any burns.
“How are her vital signs?” he asked Ashley.
Ashley paused. “They are fine,” she said at last.
Ivan felt a jolt of joy at that bit of good news. “Then what went wrong?”
“We don’t know. You’ll have to talk to the doctor once they run tests and make an initial assessment,” the other paramedic, a blond bearded guy in his mid-thirties, said.
Ashley sent Ivan an apologetic glance and busied herself with checking Julia’s blood pressure again.
Once they parked, Ivan followed the paramedics taking Julia on a stretcher inside the hospital. A young male nurse stepped forward, trying to stop him at the ER doors.
Ivan stared him down. There was no way he was staying behind without knowing what was going on with Julia. “I’m Officer Vargas. I’m off duty, but I have come in with this patient.”
Ashley drew her eyebrows together as she faced the male nurse. “He’ll accompany us.” Her firm voice left no room for argument, and the guy stepped aside.
Once inside, Ashley waved for him to wait. “I’ll ask someone to take you to Julia as soon as it’s okay to see her.”
She left.
Ivan dropped himself in a plastic chair and stared at the wall. The hands on the clock on the wall seemed to stop moving.
He longed to be by Julia’s side, but he had to let the hospital staff take care of her. Dr. Barbara Smith rushed past him, giving him a brief nod. He had to grit his teeth to stop himself from asking about Julia.
A nurse gave him a clipboard with paperwork, and he completed it the best he could, then returned it to the nurse.
Concern for Julia made his stomach clench. She mattered to him. She’d always mattered to him.
But in high school, Julia had made it clear she wasn’t looking for a serious relationship and wanted to be just friends. He didn’t want to have his heart broken by falling for her. She had a trail of broken hearts big enough as it was. But right now, the most important thing was for her to get better.
Five more patients were taken past him on stretchers. All the beds behind the curtains were filling up fast, most likely due to the fire at the Rios Azules Inn.
Ivan paced the small hall. He couldn’t help feeling anxious. He forced himself to sit down and stay still.
Finally, a nurse approached him. “Are you with Julia Morrison?”
“Yes.” He leaped to his feet.
“Follow me, please.” The nurse led him behind one of the curtains.
Ivan rushed to Julia’s side and slumped in relief. Her eyes were open now. Her breathing was even.
Thank You, Lord.
The prayer in his mind appeared unexpectedly, and without any effort on his part.
His heart squeezed at the sight of Julia hooked up to the IV and with the oxygen tubes snaking out of her nose. But her eyes were clear, and he was grateful.
“Hi, Ivan. How are your hands?” Her voice was barely audible.
Startled, he almost took a step back. In her condition, she was concerned about him? A person like this couldn’t be the ruthless heartbreaker she was rumored to be.
“Don’t worry about me, Julia. The question is, how do you feel? Don’t ever scare me like this again.”
“I’m okay,” Julia answered, though the tubes contradicted her words. She gave him a smile, and no matter how weak it was, it lit up her lovely face.
His felt dizzy with relief.
Dr. Barbara Smith entered the miniscule space behind the curtain.
“What happened to Julia, Dr. Smith?” Ivan turned to her.
“Considering the circumstances, this might be carbon monoxide poisoning. Julia doesn’t have cherry-red lips, but they might’ve faded by now. I’m waiting on tests results to know more. Right now, she’s being given fluids and oxygen. She seems to be responding well to them. And of course, we’ll keep monitoring her vital signs.”
Ivan searched his memory. “I don’t think she had red lips in the first place.”
Barbara’s eyebrows rose. “Hmmm, we’ll look for other possible reasons she lost consciousness. Fluids will help her feel better. Julia, do you remember what happened to you?”
“Before I collapsed, I felt the prick of a needle in my right arm,” Julia whispered.
“You suspect someone might’ve drugged you? Someone intentionally tried to harm you? But why?” The doctor’s voice had an angry note to it.
“We don’t know yet,” Ivan said. “But we have to be extra-vigilant.”
“Of course.” Dr. Smith inspected Julia’s right arm. “I don’t see a trace of a needle, but it might’ve been small. We’ll run tests for drugs. I’ll ask for blood to be drawn again immediately. And I’ll see if I can transfer you to a regular room, where you’ll be more comfortable.”
“Thank you,” Julia said, her voice a little stronger now, a welcome sign.
“Don’t mention it.” Dr. Smith’s lips curled up. “I’ll do everything for you to get better. You’re like the daughter I never had. But now please excuse me. I have to go to other patients.”
“Barbara, wait. How are the victims of the fire? There are no”—Julia visibly swallowed before continuing—“casualties?”
Dr. Smith shook her
head. “No casualties. There are no serious burns, either, to my knowledge.” She disappeared behind the curtain.
Julia’s blood was drawn right away, and soon she was taken to room number twenty. Ivan followed her there.
While the nurse was talking to Julia, Ivan sat down in a nearby chair and ran his fingers through his hair in thought. The recent events made him realize he couldn’t imagine his world without Julia. Yes, he’d left for the army and then the police academy because it was his calling. But there was always a chance to return to Rios Azules and Julia.
That chance had been lost when he’d learned that Julia had been seen everywhere with his brother. Ivan had jumped to conclusions then, assuming there had been something between Julia and Seth. He should’ve talked to Seth and Julia instead of stepping aside.
Ivan massaged his forehead.
Would she ever open her heart to love?
Could there be hope for a relationship between Julia and him?
Before he could answer those questions, he had to persuade his family, his boss, and other people that Julia wasn’t to blame for Seth’s death. And somewhere along the line, Ivan needed to keep Julia safe. So far, he hadn’t been doing a very good job of that.
While the nurse was finishing up with Julia, he stepped outside and called Chief Ronson. Ivan passed details of the recent events and asked about the victims of the fire. The chief gave him information about the victims reluctantly and seemed even less happy to hear Ivan’s report.
“Vargas, there’s no proof the fire was connected to Ms. Morrison. Check if there’s any trace of drugs in her blood to prove her claim about the injection. But even if there is, she might’ve taken drugs herself. There’s no proof Seth’s death wasn’t suicide, either.” The chief’s voice was gruff. “I’m certain about one thing, Vargas. You’re getting too close to this case.”
“I’m impartial.” Ivan made sure he sounded confident.
“You’re still a rookie. You need to prove yourself. So far, I’ve seen none of the latter.” The chief grunted. “Come back to work. Then you can investigate real cases. Not imaginary ones.”
Ivan frowned. Though he couldn’t imagine his life doing anything besides being a cop, he had to protect Julia. Even if he had to go against the chief’s wishes to do that. He could find another job. He’d never be able to find another Julia.
