by Alexa Verde
“Thank you, Chief. But I need to use the leave of absence you granted me.” Ivan pulled his shoulders back.
“It would be in your best interests if you changed your mind. Think about it.” His boss disconnected.
Ivan returned to the room, his mood grim.
“Is there any more information on the victims of the fire?” Julia asked.
“Nobody suffered serious injuries. Two people were treated for minor burns. Seven people are being held overnight for observation for carbon monoxide poisoning, but the prognosis is positive. Masha Kud-ryav-tse-va”—he took special care to pronounce the last name as it wasn’t an easy word to say—“wasn’t one of them. The little girl is fine, thanks to you.”
“And you.” Julia smiled, obviously grateful to hear the good news. Then the smile disappeared from her face, as if she had to tell him something unpleasant. “I think I saw your father in the crowd after the fire.”
His jaw dropped. “You’re mistaken. Why would he be at the inn?”
“Maybe I’m wrong,” she said slowly.
Ivan’s gaze lingered on her face, beautiful even without any makeup, her red hair standing out against the white of the pillow.
Slowly, he slid the back of his hand along the smooth, soft skin of her face. Julia’s eyes widened, but she didn’t move away. His heart thudding faster in his chest, he laced his fingers through hers.
Neither of them said a word.
Drawn to Julia, he leaned so close to her that if he moved one more inch, his lips would touch hers. Strangely, even with the stench of smoke that clung to her hair, he could still distinguish the scent of her shampoo—lavender and sweet pea. That scent, and a half-hopeful, half-frightened look in her eyes, took him back many years.
He’d liked her a lot in high school, but he’d known early on he’d wanted to join the army. He couldn’t ask her to follow him wherever he’d be stationed. She’d had her own dreams to chase, like getting a degree in accounting and working at a nonprofit. And frankly, he hadn’t felt like competing with her many admirers.
But one day when they’d been fifteen, when he’d taken her home from the movies, he’d lingered on her front porch. She’d lifted her eyes at him, with the same half-hopeful, half-frightened look in them in the dim light of the lantern. With her lips so close, her scent enveloping him, he’d surrendered to a strong urge and had kissed her. Ivan’s pulse skyrocketed. He’d never forgotten the amazing feeling…
A knock on the door made him shift back.
A nurse entered the room and adjusted Julia’s IV.
Several months after their first kiss, she’d suddenly suggested they be only friends. His heart had shattered then, but he’d thought he’d forget about her once he’d left Rios Azules. He’d been wrong. He hadn’t forgotten about her and missed her terribly. When he’d finally returned to Rios Azules, to reconnect with his family—and yes, give himself a chance with Julia again—he’d found out she’d had more suitors than he could count. Including his own brother.
The reminder had the effect of a cold shower on Ivan, and a weird sense of loss overtook him. Anyway, he needed to pay more attention to his current investigation and not to the way Julia made him feel.
The nurse closed the door behind her.
Ivan rose to his feet and looked out the window, careful not to stand too close to it. He studied the parking lot and the surroundings for anything suspicious. He didn’t see any threats to Julia’s safety.
A knock on the door made him whirl around, his senses on high alert.
Julia’s friend Lydia entered the room, and he relaxed.
“You said you were fine, but now you’re in the hospital again. What happened?” Lydia rushed to Julia’s bed. “Oh, hi, Ivan.”
“Hello, Lydia.” He stepped toward the door. “I’ll leave you two to chat.”
Another knock on the door was followed by Mari rushing in, bringing the scent of coconut shampoo with her. “Julia, this is getting crazy. I heard you were drugged. Oh, hi, Ivan.”
“Hi, Mari. Bye, Mari.” Ivan exited through the door.
He bumped into Soledad in the hall.
“Hi, Ivan. Julia is in room twenty, right?” Soledad took in the room numbers in the hall.
He nodded. “Exactly. Hi, Soledad. Bye, Soledad.”
“Thanks. Bye, Ivan.” Soledad hurried past him.
It was high time to find Aidan and give his statement about the night’s events. Ivan also had some ideas to run by his co-worker and see if he had results of the alibi checks.
After talking to Aidan and getting interesting information about Ronda and Ashley, Ivan hurried back to room twenty, hoping Lydia, Mari, and Soledad were still with Julia. Considering all the attacks, he didn’t want Julia to be alone, even for a short time.
As he rounded the corner and rushed along the hall toward Julia’s room, the sight of a woman in a white jacket on the floor had him stopping to assist her. She slumped near the wall and groaned as if she were in pain. His brows shot up when he recognized Dr. Barbara Smith.
Ivan leaned down to help her up. “Are you feeling unwell?”
Dr. Smith rubbed her right arm, as if it were bruised. She grabbed his hand and looked at him, fear reflecting in her eyes. “A man in dark clothes! He appeared out of nowhere. He pushed me aside, and I hit the wall.” Her voice shook.
Ivan considered chasing the intruder. But he had to make sure the victim was all right first. “Are you hurt, Doctor?”
“You don’t understand. I’m not the one who needs help right now. From talking to Julia, I know she was attacked several times already. You need to help her. He ran that way!” Dr. Smith pointed toward room twenty.
Oh, no.
A young male nurse rushed to them from down the hall.
“Please assist Dr. Smith!” Ivan said to the nurse and sprinted in the direction of Julia’s room.
Chills traveled down Ivan’s spine.
He could only hope he wasn’t too late.
Chapter Ten
Julia opened her eyes and grimaced, breathing in the scents of medicine and antiseptics. Just like a day ago, when she’d suffered a severe allergic reaction to peanuts.
She’d been happy to see her friends, but she’d felt groggy, and Lydia, Mari, and Soledad had left to let Julia sleep.
She’d dozed off. Awake now, she had a feeling of emptiness. She missed Ivan.
But he probably had other things to do, and it wasn’t like he had to guard her all the time, anyway. Still, Julia swallowed a lump of disappointment.
She should be thankful for being alive. She said a prayer of gratitude.
Voices filtered through the door. Julia tensed. What was the commotion about?
The door flung open, and Ivan stormed inside.
A warm feeling swept through her at seeing him. But it changed into one of concern when he looked around frantically and rushed inside the bathroom. He appeared moments later and checked the window.
Julia lifted herself on her elbows. “What’s going on?”
“A man knocked out Dr. Smith on the way here. We thought you were in danger.” Ivan even checked the nightstand near her, as if the intruder could fold himself into the small space.
Worry for Barbara slammed into Julia. “What? Is she okay?”
“I’m so glad you’re fine.” Barbara’s voice reached her from the entrance.
Julia jerked her head in that direction. A wave of relief flooded over her at seeing her friend unharmed, with only her blonde hair ruffled and her white jacket smudged. “Likewise, Barbara. Sorry to hear you were attacked. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
Barbara nodded. “I’m sure. More frightened than anything. Not just for myself. For you, too.”
“Julia, did you see anyone?” Ivan asked.
“No, but I dozed off for a while,” Julia said sheepishly.
“I’ll check on you later. I’ll have to talk to security and the police about this. I’ll also put hospital staff on
alert about a possible intruder.” With that, Barbara turned around and left.
Ivan moved a chair closer to Julia’s bed and sat down. “How do you feel?”
“Better. I hope Barbara will release me today. History seems to repeat itself. Again, I’m in the hospital. And again, you’re guarding me.” Tenderness toward Ivan stirred inside her. “Did you get any sleep at all?”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about me.”
But Julia did worry about him. He might have problems with his father and his boss because of spending time in Julia’s company.
The sting of guilt got even worse when Julia looked at his bandaged hands. Though unintentionally, she was the one who’d caused his burns by asking him to help the little girl.
“You need to get some rest.” Julia suppressed a sigh. “Some rest far away from me. You’ll be better off without me.” She only brought trouble into his life.
“Away from you? No way, no how.” He leaned to her. “I do have some news you might not like. It’s about your stepsisters.”
“Are they in danger?” Julia sat up in her bed, her heart hurting from worry.
“Not exactly. Did you know that Seth dated Ashley for about two months until breaking it off with her three months ago, around the time he started taking you everywhere?”
Julia raised her chin in indignation. “I know all about it, and I had nothing to do with their breakup.” Was she going to be blamed for that, too?
“But what if Ashley blames you?”
Julia’s heart sank. “Ashley never told me anything. I… trust her. I thought she trusted me, too.”
His brown eyes hardened. “Sometimes the person who we consider our best friend is our worst enemy. Not that I’m saying Ashley is. Just that you should be more careful.”
“This can’t be.” Julia shook her head. “Ashley was infatuated with Seth. Why would she kill him?”
“While in the academy, I’ve heard of cases of women killing men who spurned them because they didn’t want them to be with anybody else. I went through Seth’s files that he kept at home. Most of them were financial papers, resumes, marketing ideas. But one paper stood out. It was a list of people invited to Gallagher’s swimming-pool party the night he drowned. Ashley’s and Ronda’s names were there. Lydia’s and her grandmother’s, too.”
Julia grimaced. “Probably together with fifty other people.”
“Ashley’s and Ronda’s names were circled, most likely by Seth.”
Julia kept quiet for a moment. “But how would they benefit from Gallagher’s death?”
“Not sure yet about Ashley. Maybe she thought she’d get back with Seth, and Seth did benefit from Gallagher’s death. As for Ronda, apparently Hank left her a small inheritance for long-term service as his secretary. By the way, did Ashley or Ronda have a key to your place?”
Julia groaned. “Okay, I gave Ashley a key once when I needed to be at home for a plumber to fix a leaky faucet and my boss asked me to come in to work. Ashley volunteered to open the door for the plumber. But she gave me the key back in the evening. As for Ronda, I made a duplicate for her when she stayed at my place while her house was treated for termites. It was about a year ago. But I’m sure neither one of them would switch the cookies for ones containing peanuts and steal my EpiPen.”
A somber expression on Ivan’s face told her he wasn’t so sure.
“What would be Ronda’s motive to kill Seth?” Julia pursed her lips.
“She’s dating Ted Connor. And Ted Connor’s career has skyrocketed since my brother’s death.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about that.” Julia rubbed her forehead. Her head hurt.
Ivan leaned forward. “I asked Aidan to check their alibis for the time of Seth’s death.”
At the sound of the knock, he pulled back.
Barbara entered the room and frowned, looking at the food tray. “Julia, you need to eat.”
Julia smiled at the woman who’d always been like a second mother to her. “I will. Is there any news on my blood test?”
Barbara nodded. “I received the results. Everything is normal. There were no traces of drugs.”
“Thank you.” Julia hoped the latter statement wouldn’t make Ivan doubt her again. She knew she hadn’t imagined the prick of a needle. “Barbara, would it be possible to get discharge papers? I feel fine. And you just said the results of my blood test were normal.”
“Well…” Barbara pointed at the full tray with a half smile. “You obviously have a lack of appetite.”
“I’ll buy her a double cheeseburger. And she’ll eat it. With fries,” Ivan interjected.
Barbara lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay. I’ll tell the nurse to bring discharge papers. Just make sure to avoid anything containing peanuts.”
Julia rose to her feet to give Barbara a hug. Julia’s limbs were weak, but at least she wasn’t light-headed anymore.
“You seem to be ending up in the hospital often lately. Be careful. Don’t make me worry about you.” Barbara walked out the door.
Julia smiled, grateful to have people who still cared about her. She hoped that Ivan was one of them. She studied his handsome face. Would she ever be more than a job to him?
Ivan handed Julia her clothes. “Dr. Smith is right. I’ve failed to keep you away from the hospital.”
Julia placed her hands on her hips. “Are you kidding me? I’m still alive because God put you on my path. You, on the other hand, have problems with your boss and your parents because of me.”
She took her shirt and slacks that had the stench of smoke ingrained in them now, as well as several stains. Even so, her clothes were an improvement over a hospital gown. She put them on the bed and wobbled to the sink, eager to splash some water on her face.
He supported her elbow on the way, causing her skin to tingle at his touch.
Julia glanced in the mirror and grimaced at the tousled hair and dark circles around her eyes. “I look horrible.”
“You look beautiful. You always look beautiful.” The gaze of his dark eyes roamed over her face.
Julia stilled, then turned to him slowly. His gaze stopped at her lips, and all reasons why she needed to stay away from him went out the window. Her analytical mind didn’t want to analyze this moment, but her soul wanted to enjoy it.
The setting wasn’t romantic at all, and she probably looked a mess. But Julia didn’t care anymore. He slid his arms around her waist, and she wasn’t sure whether it was to support her or to draw her closer or both.
Ivan leaned to her, and she couldn’t help it. She’d waited for this for years and couldn’t wait a second longer.
“Julia…” There was a question in his voice, as if he didn’t want to do anything she wasn’t ready for.
She’d been ready for a long time.
Julia gave him a nod, and he claimed her lips with his. She entered a world of beauty, joy, and tenderness. With everything in her, she responded to his kiss, and her heart swelled in her chest. She wanted the incredible moment to last forever.
When she finally pulled back, the air in the room seemed to be charged with awareness. Something changed between them, something important. It took her several moments to gather her bearings. She wasn’t just infatuated with Ivan, like before. This was a much stronger, more mature feeling.
Her world changed.
She leaned against the wall because her knees felt weak.
“I have feelings for you, Julia.” His voice was husky.
Joy blossomed inside her, and Julia had to stop herself from throwing herself into his arms. “I… have feelings for you, too.”
His eyes lit up.
She didn’t want to give him false hope. Even more, she didn’t want to give herself false hope. “It’s not the time or place to discuss it. We… have a culprit to catch. I… need to change. Could you please wait for me outside the room?”
Ivan’s eyes dimmed. He lingered, as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he nodded. “Okay.
Yell if you need any help.” He left.
For a moment, she stared at the door he’d closed behind himself. Why had she always pushed him away when she’d wanted so desperately for them to be together?
Groaning, Julia washed her face with cold water, her heated skin welcoming the freshness. It took some effort to change into her clothes, and Julia grunted. But several minutes later she was done.
A nurse brought the discharge papers, and soon Ivan was driving Julia away from the hospital. He went through a drive-through and got them cheeseburgers with fries.
After saying grace, she bit into a juicy double cheeseburger. Her stomach responded happily.
“You’re going to eat yours, right?” She pointed to his unwrapped burger that was set aside.
“I’ll eat while you get clothes at your place. The fire at the inn is under investigation, so there might be some time before we get our bags. Or whatever is left from them.”
“Okay. What will we do after stopping by at the cottage? I suppose you won’t want me to stay at my place. And there’s only one more hotel in Rios Azules, besides the inn.”
“I want to talk to Gallagher’s widow. It’s way overdue already. Would you like to accompany me?” He stopped at the traffic light, then moved forward.
“Of course!” Julia finished the hamburger and flushed it down with iced tea. “And then… I was thinking about going to San Antonio to find Rowena and Blake. What’s your opinion?”
“Good idea.” He turned to the street her small house was on. “I’ll contact the San Antonio Police Department for the addresses of Rowena and Blake McDougal.”
Julia wrapped up the trash neatly. “Don’t bother. These days, one can find everything on the Internet. I’m sure I can get their addresses online.”
“No privacy, huh?” Ivan parked at the curb and walked her to the front door.
Her ankle thankfully didn’t bother her anymore, but her limbs felt weak, so she leaned on him. Then being so close to him made her weak in the knees for a totally different reason. The memory of their recent kiss made her heart flutter as she unlocked the door.
