Elaina

by Jennifer Hanks

  “We just loaded you into the ambulance. You were in a car accident. Do you remember that?”

  I nodded, a sickening feeling in my stomach. “What about Pike?”

  “Was that the driver?”

  “Yes.” I said quietly.

  “I’m not sure how he is, but he is in the ambulance behind us.”

  I exhaled. “Good.”

  We pulled into the hospital quickly and I was unloaded. I tried to see Pike behind me, but I couldn’t, there were too many paramedics around him. A doctor came running from the emergency room doors, past me and straight to Pike.

  That’s when I knew it wasn’t good.

  There were too many, all shouting orders and rushing him inside. I swallowed hard. How the hell did this happen?

  They wheeled me in and I was checked out, but in the end I was fine, just another cut on my forehead, this time on the other side, so I’d have matching scars. I’d asked about Pike, but no one seemed to know anything. They wanted to keep me overnight for fear of a concussion, but I explained I wanted to wait in the waiting room with the rest of the family for information on Pike. Luckily a nurse knew the family I was talking about, as apparently they had been bothering her for a while for information on both of us. She bandaged me up and wheeled me to the waiting room, barely making it through the door before Jake was kneeling before me.

  I reached out and ran my hand through his hair. “I’m fine.”

  “Lanie.” His voice cracked.

  His brothers came over, with Sydney and Lucy. Anna, Gia and Kasey were home with the kids. I assured everyone I was fine, even making the joke about my matching scars.

  “Does anyone know anything about Pike?” I asked the room at large. “No one would tell me anything.”

  “He’s in surgery.” Cam bent his head, staring at his hands. Sydney moved to sit beside him, running her hand along his back.

  “Did they say how bad he was hurt?” I whispered to Jake.

  He wheeled my chair over to sit beside a regular waiting room chair and he sat. He took my hand in his. “It’s bad Lanie, really bad.”

  I looked to the floor, but I heard my name called out and my head snapped up. “Dad?”

  He stopped immediately when I said that. It must’ve been an unconscious thing because I didn’t even think, it just popped out and I hadn’t said it before this.

  He started moving again and that’s when I saw a pretty blond woman walking behind him. He got to me and squatted down. “Are you okay?”

  “How are you here?” I felt confused.

  He gestured towards Jake. “Jake called me and said you were in a pretty bad car accident.”

  “Oh.” I smiled at Jake because that had been thoughtful of him. “I’m okay honestly. I’m just a little banged up.”

  “Thank god.” He leaned and wrapped his arms around me. It was our first hug, we hadn’t gone that far yet, but it felt good, it felt like home. “Thank God, Lanie, I just got you. I can’t lose you now.”

  I squeezed him and closed my eyes, staying like that for a little while before he leaned back. He reached his hand back and the woman who was with him grabbed it, moving closer. “Lanie, this is my wife MaryAnn.”

  I lifted my hand in a wave, which made my dad chuckle. I slapped him on the shoulder playfully before turning my attention back to his wife. “It’s nice to meet you MaryAnn.”

  She smiled. “You too Lanie.”

  We talked for a few more minutes until Jack came over and introduced himself, all three of them finding a seat when I heard MaryAnn say to Sydney, “Don’t you own Joe’s?”

  Sydney nodded and they started talking about the coffee shop. Everyone chatting, trying to pass the time, but none of us forgetting why we were sitting in this room. Again.

  Luke pushed through the door a little while later, his clothes and hair wet from the rain and as if they all knew something was wrong, his brothers stood. He scanned the group, his eyes landing on Jake and moved towards us. His brothers followed.

  Luke reached down and grabbed my hand, squeezing it before giving his attention back to his brothers. “What do you know?” Cam broke the silence.

  Luke blinked slowly. “Julie was driving the other car.”

  Jake closed his eyes and I reached up, grabbing his hand and squeezing, he held mine just as tightly. “And? Where the fuck is she?”

  “She didn’t make it, Jake. She died on impact. According to witnesses she was driving really fast and erratically. There’s no sign that she tried to brake or swerve at all.” Luke said.

  “It was intentional?”

  “That’s what it looks like.” He slapped his hand against his shoulder. “I know this is not the news you wanted tonight, but hear me brother and hear me now, do not blame yourself for this. She obviously had a lot of problems. There was nothing you could’ve done to stop her. Hell, we couldn’t even get to her.”

  “I know.” Jake nodded. “You’re right. Just fucking sucks that Pike’s fighting for his life because of her.”

  “He’s a fighter Jake.” Cam said. “He’s been through worse than this.”

  Jake nodded again and sat down beside me, Ben taking the seat beside Jake. I watched Cam and Luke huddle together, talking while the other brothers once again settled in to wait for the news, any news on Pike. I met my dad’s stare from his seat next to Jack and gave him a smile, but by the look on his face, I was going to have to explain who Julie was. We’d definitely need coffee for that conversation.

  Jake leaned his body in to me and I laid my head on his shoulder. “It’s over Jake.”

  “Yeah, it’s over baby.” He laid his cheek against the top of my head. “But why the hell do I have a bad feeling that something’s just beginning?”

  I couldn’t answer that because I’d been having the same bad feeling. I can only hope we’re both wrong.

  ~*~

  Can’t get enough of the Dimarcos?

  Jennifer Hanks’ new series features men who work for Elite Securities, a company run by two of the Dimarco brothers. Keep reading for an excerpt from MY REDEMPTION.

  Excerpt from

  My Redemption

  Book One in The Elite Securities Series

  by Jennifer Hanks

  PROLOGUE

  PIKE

  “Pike!” Lanie’s panicked cry mixed with others that had come before her and my mind raced back to a similar time when I faced death.

  Memories of screams produced by war and sacrifice pierced my thoughts, my visions becoming a mix of then and now. My best friend Cam’s face above mine screaming my name, but my eyes had been heavy, my legs numb, and in fear I had given in to the blackness threatening to consume me.

  My body flew forward, forcing my head towards the windshield and my thoughts back to the present. The air bag in front of me was unable to stop the momentum of my body. My neck snapped back, slamming my head into the window at my side.

  Thoughts running wild, I saw flashes of the hospital I had practically lived in while trying to recover from the explosion only a few years ago. Sharp pain seared up and down my back, reminding me again of the injuries all those years ago before this car I was driving slammed into something and finally came to a stop.

  My sister’s beautiful face passed through my mind, her dark hair and green eyes shining when she was a child, ignorant to the ugliness of the world, but then her face became gaunt and pale. I screamed her name, ‘Kennedy,’ but she was gone, her skin cold, the white casket held her frail body while she was lowered into the ground. Wetness dripped down my cheeks, but my arms were too heavy to lift and wipe the tears away. As quickly as her face appeared it was gone and replaced with Gia’s, another beautiful woman in my life who reminds me so much of my sister that I cling to her. She and her daughter Lexi, who I call my niece whether blood ties us together or not, have become more important to me than I ever believed anyone could. I can almost feel Lexi’s small head resting on my shoulder while she sleeps.

  M
y family, all the family I’d ever known, flashed through my mind one image at a time.

  I could feel hands on me, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t feel my legs, and I refused to open my eyes, fearing the images of my beautiful girls would fade.

  I recognized when my body was being lifted, a fiery pain shooting down my neck and across my shoulder reminding me I should be afraid. Shouts echoed all around me, but my mind couldn’t make sense of the words. My girls became nothing but blurry images and I called out to them, but I was too late.

  They were gone.

  And then only one is in my mind. The one I know I could never have. The one I would never invite into my dark world because she is light and I’ve never deserved her light after all I’ve done, knowing if given the chance, I’d do it all again.

  She smiled, her face beaming when she called my name, but her body faded slowly until all that remained was her smile.

  My mind allowed me one final good-bye while darkness consumed me.

  Good-bye Bella.

  CHAPTER ONE

  BELLA

  Shoving my sore feet into my sneakers, I sighed. Another long night of dancing in four-inch heels had wreaked havoc on my poor feet. Callouses and blisters were as much a part of me now as my eye and hair color. Grabbing my bag, I made my way to the side door of the club, pushed it open and took a deep breath of the warm night air. Fresh air. So different from what I breathe in five nights a week at the club.

  “See ya tomorrow Bella.”

  I glanced to my side and smiled at Dylan, one of the security guards who watches the doors so the girls stay safe entering and exiting the club. He has a full line of vision of the parking lot and I know from past experiences he’ll watch me until I’m safe in my car and driving away.

  “Night Dylan.” I shot my hand up in a small wave, but didn’t stop to talk; then again, I rarely did.

  I folded my tired body into my van and took a minute to rest my head against the headrest. I was tired. I was always tired. I had been since I turned seventeen and my life changed drastically. Throwing the van into drive, I drove the twenty minutes out of the city, and with the lights from the Vegas strip dimming in the distance I could breathe easier with each mile I put behind me. I pulled into the driveway of my small one-bedroom bungalow. And that’s exactly what it is. It’s tiny, only enough room for the one bedroom, one bath and kitchen/living room.

  Grabbing my bag, I threw open the door and jumped down from the seat before walking the short distance to front of the small gray house. Standing at the front door, I was careful to be quiet while putting my key in the lock and pushing it open on the off chance that she was already asleep, even knowing that was rarely the case. Tiptoeing through the door leading right into the kitchen, I quietly laid my things on the chipped, bright yellow kitchen counter closest to the door.

  “Hi honey.”

  I sighed inwardly, but turned my tired, aching body towards the small living room adjacent to the kitchen in an open-concept layout, searching through the dim lighting until my eyes settled on the custom chair in the far corner.

  “Hi Mama.” I walked to her and leaned down, kissing her on the cheek.

  She raised her hand and laid it against my cheek, holding me in place, her eyes searching mine, her mouth frowning. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  I turned my lips up in what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Just tired.”

  She continued her perusal of my face until she seemed satisfied and dropped her hand. I backed up and flopped down onto the corner of the couch positioned beside her chair. “You look tired too Mama. You know you don’t have to wait up. I tell you all the time.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “And I’ll tell you that just because you turned twenty-eight recently doesn’t mean I stopped being your Mama. I can’t sleep until my girl is safe in her bed.”

  I knew why that was and we’d had this conversation so many times over the years, I’d lost count. When I was seventeen my mom was in a car accident that paralyzed her from the waist down, but she was the lucky one because my father and sister died in that same accident. I hadn’t been in the car with them because I was working my after-school job at the local supermarket in our small town. My mother has always said she was allowed to live so I wasn’t left alone, but sometimes I wonder if she wishes she was with my father.

  I spent more hours than I could ever count before and after school in that hospital and then in a rehabilitation facility with her, juggling school and work to be there as much as I could. With the help of a case-manager at the hospital, I was able to get disability payments arranged for my mom so she at least had some type of income and insurance while she was recuperating. My father had been the sole provider in our family and unfortunately when he died, we were left with no money and no health insurance. There was no way for me to pay the bills that continued to pile up, but I kept working, hoping that one day something would present itself to help me in some way.

  I talked my mom into leaving our small southern town in Texas and moving to Las Vegas when that same case-manager told me about a new therapy program being offered to individuals with paralysis. We waited until I’d turned eighteen and graduated high-school before moving to Las Vegas. The house we live in now was the only thing we could afford close to the clinic and because all the money I make goes to medical bills and things for my mom, it’s the only home I think we’ll ever live in.

  I sighed and pushed to my feet, needing a shower. “Are you ready for bed?”

  She smiled softly, her pretty blond blob swinging when she turned her head my way. My mom is beautiful, always was and the accident hadn’t taken that from her. I’ll never forget the tears she cried the day she cut her hair short so it would be easier for her to take care of alone. She had beautiful long blond hair my entire life, but I’ve told her she looks even prettier with it short. I think for her it was just one more thing she had to let go of in a short period of time.

  Her hand went to the controls on her chair and she started past me. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  “What time did Marian leave?” I followed behind her chair while she made her way into the bedroom. We have little furniture, only what’s necessary because I’ve wanted to make it easier for her to negotiate through the house.

  “Around eleven,” she answered, and I smiled. Marian was a godsend to us. The clinic recommended the company she works for when we first moved here as they specialize in disabilities like my mom’s. Marian is scheduled to sit with my mom every time I work for my own peace of mind. Having her at home alone at night is scary for me when I know if someone broke in, she’d be vulnerable. Even though my mom grumbles I know she likes having the company. Marian is about the same age as Mom so they talk about their lives, which I think is good for her.

  I help mom into bed once she positions her chair and puts on the brake. This routine is so customary to us we don’t even have to think about it anymore, we just go through the motions. I back away when she’s comfortable and gather my things to take to the bathroom with me.

  I was almost to the door when I heard her voice. “I hate that job.”

  I dropped my head, but didn’t turn back towards her. “I know, Mama.”

  “We need to figure something else out.”

  I pasted on a fake smile and turned only my head in her direction. “We will soon.”

  She nodded and I moved out of the room. It was a conversation we’ve had often, but we both know we’re stuck for now and the only job that pays enough to keep us here, is the one I’m doing. I have nothing but a high-school diploma, so finding another job that pays well enough to keep up with medical expenses and everyday life while caring for someone with disabilities is not going to happen. I turned the shower to hot, needing it to work out my sore joints, stripped off my clothes quickly and stepped inside.

  It’s a handicapped shower, which I’d had put in, but it was worth every penny. I wanted my mom to feel as independent as possible and the shower
’s accessibility made that a reality. I’d had to pay for the bathroom to be increased in size as well, which took space from the living room, but she was still able to get around so it made the shower increase worthwhile.

  I laid my head against the cold tiles of the shower and closed my eyes. I hated my job. The only thing that had made it bearable was my friend Gia, but she moved a while ago and is now married and pregnant with her second child. I used to earn extra money watching her daughter Lexi who I loved, during the day while she worked, going home to get mom dinner and wait for Marian and then go back to dance at night.

  I was just in New Hope, the little town in North Carolina where she lives with her husband Brody and their daughter Lexi, for their wedding, and I was her maid-of-honor. Their story is amazing.

  They’d met and had one night together, resulting in Lexi, but didn’t know anything about each other, including names. Through hard work and complete dedication to her daughter, Gia found Brody and they reconnected. Marian had been willing to stay with my mom for the few days I’d been gone and I honestly felt mom was happy I was going, just as she had been when I went to visit Gia for her birthday. I was thrilled when Gia asked me to be in the wedding. Since the accident, I haven’t had any real time to make friends or to be a good friend, but that’s what I always liked about Gia. We were both working hard trying to survive; her paying off debt her parents left her in their deaths while raising a baby and me trying to take care of my mom and keep our heads above water. It was almost as if we bonded over sacrifice.

  I stepped back into the spray of water and started the process of washing my hair, my thoughts shifting from my friendship with Gia to a man I’d met courtesy of Gia and Brody.

  Pike.

  I smiled at the memories of talking with him and even having the opportunity to dance with him at their wedding. He’s such a gorgeous man, with blond shaggy hair, bright green eyes, and a playful smile, although from the sadness in his eyes I sometimes notice when he thinks no one is looking, I’d venture to guess his smile isn’t always genuine. I feel a connection to him I’ve never felt before, but my only real relationship had been my high-school boyfriend who took off after I started dedicating all my time to my mom. I couldn’t blame him. It was a lot of responsibility and it wasn’t his, so I didn’t hold any ill-will toward him when he broke up with me. I honestly didn’t have time to be upset over it, and I hadn’t even thought about a man since moving to Vegas.