Midnight Reckoning (Leave No Trace Book 1)

by Jannine Gallant

  “Did your neighbor call 9-1-1?”

  “Yes. The operator sent the police and an ambulance.” She grimaced. “It’s a good thing I still have decent insurance through my job, or I’d be screwed. I can’t even imagine what this little adventure will cost.”

  “All I care about is that you’re okay.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. “I’ll recover, but the whole thing sucks, especially having a broken wrist.” After a few seconds, she looked up at him. “When I asked Mr. Trimble to call you, I didn’t expect you to drop everything and drive down here.”

  “Dalton and Ursula understood. As it is, I’m beginning to think she’ll never have that baby.”

  Raine smiled slightly. “Then she’ll be the first woman in history to be pregnant forever.”

  Before he could answer, the orderly arrived with a wheelchair. Raine was slow sliding down from the bed, and with his assistance, settled onto the chair and let out a sigh.

  “Let’s hit the road, Jack.”

  The musclebound kid, who didn’t look much older than twenty, grinned as he picked a battered tote bag up off the floor and handed it to her. The nametag on his scrubs read Jack. “You’ve got it, Raine. It looks like you’re feeling a whole lot better than when you came in.”

  “That’s because they pumped me full of the good drugs.”

  Levi frowned at the chummy exchange. “You need to fill your prescription before we leave.”

  “That’s right. Why don’t you bring your truck around to the curb while Jack pushes me to the pharmacy?”

  “Sure. I’ll see you out front in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll have her waiting for you.” The orderly bent close to Raine to say something else as he propelled her down the hall.

  Levi stared after them for a moment before hurrying in the opposite direction to an exterior door that led out onto the street. A siren wailed, and horns honked in the foggy night as he ran toward the parking structure where he’d left his truck. By the time he retrieved it and pulled up close to the ER exit, the orderly was pushing Raine down the sidewalk toward him. Leaning across the center console, he opened the passenger door.

  “Stay there. I’ll come help you up.”

  “I’ve got her,” the kid answered. Sliding one arm around Raine’s waist, he boosted her onto the seat.

  “Thanks for your terrific care, Jack. I appreciate it.”

  “You bet. Bye, Raine. Have fun in Tahoe. Maybe I’ll see you on the slopes next winter.”

  “Maybe so.” She leaned back against the seat, holding her bag on her lap, and closed her eyes.

  With a shrug, her new BFF shut the door and pushed the wheelchair toward the hospital entrance.

  “You okay?” Levi studied the tight line of her lips as she opened her eyes.

  “Yeah, but everything’s beginning to ache and throb. I guess the drugs are wearing off. I’ll take more when we get home.”

  He nodded, waited for a break in traffic, and pulled out onto the street. “You certainly seem popular with the hospital staff.”

  Her lips curved upward. “Jack asked for my number. I told him I was too old for him.”

  “That was your only excuse?”

  “And that I was serious about you.” She carefully turned her face against the seat to look his way. “Thanks for dropping everything to come down here.”

  “Of course.” He took his hand off the wheel to squeeze her knee. “You would have done the same for me.”

  “Yeah, I would have. I still appreciate it.”

  They rode in silence for a couple of minutes, and he thought she’d fallen asleep when she finally spoke again.

  “I keep asking myself who would do such a thing. Some drunk idiot?” Her voice faded. “Or someone who wanted to injure me? Maybe kill me.”

  Levi had wondered the same thing on the three-hour drive to the Bay Area. Adding to his anxiety, when he’d phoned the hospital to check on her condition, she hadn’t been available to speak to him. Even though a nurse had assured him she was battered but would heal, the drive had been the longest of his life.

  “No matter who did it, for whatever reason, I’d like to kill the son of a bitch. Still, why would anyone want to hurt you? It must have been an accident. A drunk or distracted driver going way too fast.”

  “That’s what I want to believe, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the headlights blinding me as I leaped out of the way. The same thing happened when I left the office to catch the bus home. A car with its brights on sped up to a crosswalk and stopped at the last minute. Two women had just joined me at the corner. If I’d stepped out onto the street alone . . .”

  “You think it was the same car?”

  “Small and dark like the one that almost hit me. I didn’t pay any attention to the make or model.”

  He clenched the steering wheel a little tighter. “None of this makes sense.”

  “I know. I haven’t hurt anyone. Moselle was pissed I quit my job, but she wouldn’t try to kill me. I can’t believe someone would hate me that much.” Her voice broke.

  He squeezed into a parking spot half a block from her building and turned off the engine before reaching over to cradle her face in his hand. Anger simmered at the hurt in her tone. “You did nothing to incite what happened. Nothing.”

  “I know, but—”

  “No buts. Let’s go up to your apartment. You’re obviously exhausted and in pain. Everything will look better in the morning after you’ve had some sleep.”

  “Sure.” She sounded anything but.

  He got out and came around to help her down. “Can you walk?”

  “Yes. I may not be moving at my normal pace, but you won’t have to carry me.”

  “I wouldn’t mind.”

  After grabbing the overnight bag that he’d hastily packed, he took the tote from her, locked his truck, and slid an arm around her waist. Slowly, they shuffled up the sidewalk to her apartment. When she faltered at the foot of the stairs in the lobby, he dropped his bag and scooped her up in his arms, mindful of her broken wrist.

  “I’ve got you.”

  She didn’t argue as he headed up, hugging her close against his chest. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and held on.

  “The keys are in my tote bag.”

  “Okay.” When he reached her apartment, he gently let her down and dug through the bag for her keys. After unlocking the door, he flipped on the light and ushered her inside.

  Packing boxes sat around the living area, but the couch was uncluttered. She dropped onto it, and the breath left her in a whoosh. “We made it. God, I hate feeling weak.”

  “You aren’t weak. You’re injured.” He rested a hand on her shoulder for a moment. “I’ll go get my bag and be right back.”

  “Thanks, Levi.” Her eyes were shadowed with pain.

  “I’ll get you a glass of water, and you can take those meds first.”

  “Probably a good idea.” She shifted on the couch and grimaced. “Everything is throbbing.”

  He got the water, and after she swallowed the pills, he ran down the stairs to the lobby. As he picked up his overnight bag, a door opened, and an older, bearded man wearing a red velour robe stepped out of his apartment.

  “I thought I heard someone out here. Are you Levi?”

  “I am. You must be Fred. Thanks for helping Raine and calling me with the news.”

  “How is she? I’ve been too worried to sleep.”

  “Sore all over, but her concussion is mild, and her fractured wrist will heal.”

  “Good to know her injuries aren’t worse, but I’ll never forget seeing that car drive straight at her.” He shivered and reached into his robe pocket to pull out a phone. “Would you mind returning this to Raine. She gave it to me to call you. Tell her I hope she feels better real soon.”

  “Of course.” Levi took it and smiled at the man. “Thanks again. I’ll pass along your message.”

  Fred scowled as he stepped backward
into his apartment. “I sure hope the police find the idiot who was driving that old Camaro. He deserves to be locked up.”

  Levi tightened his grip on his bag. “The car was a Camaro?”

  Raine’s neighbor nodded. “A black one. I used to own a red one back in the day.”

  “Did you tell the police?”

  “I did. It was probably a ’96 or ’97. Unfortunately, I was too shaken up at the time to get a look at the license number. I wasn’t thinking about anything but helping Raine.”

  “Of course you weren’t.” Levi hesitated a moment. “You referred to the driver as a he?”

  The old guy’s brows drew together. “I suppose it could have been a woman. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see the driver.”

  “Well, I appreciate the information. Get some rest, Fred. It’s after midnight.”

  “I’ll sleep like a log now that I know Raine will be okay. She’s a lovely young lady, and I’ll miss having her as a neighbor. You take care of her, Levi.”

  “I intend to.”

  After the man shut his door, Levi ran up the stairs and entered Raine’s apartment. Only to find her curled up on the couch, sound asleep. Rather than wake her, he slipped off her shoes and covered her with a fuzzy throw draped over the back of the couch. Staring down at her, his heart ached—and a sudden thought sent a shiver through him.

  Dropping onto a chair near the window, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his social media, clicking first on Bobby B’s profile. In the note Raine had sent with the T-shirts, she’d mentioned her plan to meet with Detective Gilbert. If whoever had killed Cooper was afraid she knew something incriminating, maybe he—or she—had tried to stop her before she could tell the police.

  Checking Bobby’s pictures, he found a few of the ex-ballplayer standing beside a silver Tesla—the top-end model that had probably cost more than Levi would make before he turned thirty. “Definitely not an old Camaro,” he muttered.

  Pulling up Matt’s profile next, he searched through his photos. None featured a vehicle of any sort. Trying the pictures Matt was tagged in, he paused on one of the attorney leaning against the bumper of a black car at the edge of the shot. His heart beat a little faster as he blew up the photo. A Ferrari, not a Camaro. Possibly Matt’s car. But he supposed it could belong to the subject of the picture, a dark-haired man in the expensive suit, cutting a ribbon in front of a building. Maybe he could casually ask the other members of their old club if anyone knew what sort of car Matt drove.

  Giving up on Matt, he checked Ava’s photos. A half dozen pictures showed Cooper’s ex-girlfriend beside a white compact. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he typed in Rosa Gonzales and scrolled through dozens of pictures of her with friends. At bars, at the beach, in hot tubs . . . One of her sitting in the driver’s seat of an older, blue sedan, blowing a kiss to whoever was taking the picture. The blue car also appeared in the background of a picture where Rosa and a couple of other girls sat on a picnic table in a park.

  Apparently, finding a photo of that Camaro wasn’t going to be so easy. Rising to his feet, he stuck his phone in his pocket and walked over to check on Raine.

  Not that he couldn’t tell she was still asleep from a few yards away, but he used the excuse to study her closely. Dark lashes fanned out against her cheeks above the bruising, and her sweetly curved mouth was open slightly as she breathed steadily. He’d missed her over the past two weeks. Missed hanging out together, her sense of humor, kissing her . . .

  Slowly, her eyes opened, fogged with confusion that gradually cleared. “Hey.”

  “Did I wake you? I’m sorry.”

  “No.” With her good hand, she pushed herself upright. “I’ll be even sorer if I spend the night on the couch. I need to go to bed.”

  “Do you want something to eat first?”

  “God, no.” She brushed tangled hair off her face. “Make yourself a sandwich. There’s turkey and cheese in the fridge and bread in the cupboard.”

  When his stomach growled, he nodded. “I will. Thanks. Can I do anything to help you first?”

  “Nope. I don’t think I can manage a shower right now. I intend to wash my face and brush my teeth and call it a night.”

  He helped her to her feet and pulled her into his arms. “I hate that you’re hurt.” Cupping her face, he kissed her. “Eating won’t take long.”

  “Okay.”

  When she swayed slightly, he walked with her to the bathroom. “Don’t fall over in here. Those meds must be pretty strong.”

  “I won’t.” She gripped the counter and stared at herself in the mirror. “Oh, my God. I look like the victim in a horror flick. Ugh.”

  “You’re still beautiful, even bruised and bloody.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for lying to make me feel better. Go eat. I’ll be fine.”

  He kissed the side of her head above the bandage. “Yell if you need anything.”

  Leaving her in the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator door. After finding the promised lunchmeat, a package of cheese, and lettuce, he made a sandwich and sat at the counter to eat it. As he chewed, it suddenly occurred to him that the local cops wouldn’t connect a hit and run in San Francisco with a murder in Yosemite. Quite possibly, they weren’t connected. But just in case . . .

  He pulled out his phone and texted a brief summary of the attack on Raine to Detective Gilbert, including his failure to tie any of their suspects to the Camaro.

  His cell dinged a minute later. Will look into it. Thanks for the heads-up.

  Didn’t the man every sleep? Apparently not.

  Levi finished his sandwich and washed it down with a glass of water. After setting the glass in the sink, he headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. The bedroom was dark when he entered it a couple of minutes later. Quietly, he stripped off his jeans and T-shirt and slid into bed.

  “Levi?” Raine’s voice was soft in the inky blackness.

  He tugged her against him, spooning his body to fit around hers. “Are you hurting?”

  “No. I’m just sort of numb.” She reached for the hand draped over her waist and held it tight. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  He cuddled her closer, enjoying her soft curves and silky skin, even though he wouldn’t do anything more than hold her tonight. There was nowhere on earth he’d rather be than with this woman beside him.

  “I’ll always be here when you need me, Raine. Always.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Raine followed Levi’s pickup through the high mountain pass, her headlights illuminating granite rocks and towering pine trees along the side of the interstate. Her Jeep Cherokee, as well as the bed of Levi’s truck, were intricately packed to hold the maximum. After he and one of her friends had moved her furniture into the storage unit she’d rented, he’d packed both their vehicles while she hung out and watched, keeping her wrist iced and elevated. Not that she hadn’t tried to help, but he’d shut down all her attempts to lift anything heavier than a pillow.

  Maybe a good thing. After resting all day, she was feeling a heck of a lot better than she had the night before and could now manage her pain with ibuprofen instead of the heavy-duty meds.

  Passing Boreal Ski Area at the top of Donner Summit, she began the twisting descent to the town of Truckee. It was late, nearly ten o’clock, and fatigue clawed at the back of her eyes. She turned up the music, blasting an upbeat pop hit, to keep her awake for the final miles of their journey.

  Levi hadn’t wanted her to drive alone, suggesting they spend another night in the city. But she’d been adamant about leaving. He’d wanted her to stay and see a doctor about her broken wrist. She’d told him they had doctors in Truckee and had called to make a new patient appointment for Saturday morning, thankful the office was open on the weekend. Not that she expected any complications since the ER doctor had assured her the fracture was a simple one. Wearing a cast for a few weeks should do the trick.

  Which wou
ld totally suck but was a heck of a lot better than having a shattered bone or needing surgery for nerve damage.

  When Levi turned on his blinker to exit the freeway, she followed suit. They soon left Truckee behind, driving down a stretch of highway where open space was replaced by thick forest. Finally, he slowed and flipped on his blinker again. Almost home. At least his cabin would be the closest thing she’d have to a home until she found a place of her own. The knowledge unsettled her, but she tamped down her anxiety, refusing to second-guess her decision.

  The road they followed was roughly paved and narrow, with tall pines and firs crowding in on either side. After what seemed like an eternity but was probably only ten minutes, they emerged into a clearing where a long, log building rested near the edge of a small lake. Levi turned down a dirt driveway to park in front of a tiny cabin a short distance from the lodge.

  Raine stopped her car beside him and turned off the engine. The music cut off, and only the sound of the motor ticking and a dog barking somewhere nearby disturbed the silence. She smiled, enjoying the peace and quiet, so different from what she was used to in the city.

  A minute later, Levi rapped on her window. She released her seatbelt and opened the car door.

  He studied her for a minute beneath the interior light. “You look wiped out.”

  “I’m tired. I’m not going to lie. But my head doesn’t ache much, and my wrist pain is manageable. We’re here, and that’s all I care about.”

  When she stepped out of the car, he slid an arm around her waist. “Home sweet home. Welcome to my humble abode.” With his free hand, he waved toward the cabin then stiffened. “No, Woody. Don’t jump. Down, boy!” Releasing her, he fended off a giant, shaggy, slobbering mop that tried to lick them.

  “He’s adorable.” After Levi grabbed the dog by the collar, she rubbed his furry ears as he whined in excitement. “Apparently Woody missed you.”

  “Yeah, I love him, too. Down, Woody. No jumping.”

  Finally, the dog stopped straining against his hold, and Levi released him. “I’ll bring in your overnight bag. We can deal with the rest of your stuff in the morning.”