“I didn't ...” he let his voice trail off. The ashes on his butt grew long, so he flicked the whole thing away. With a sigh, he immediately took a fresh cigarette out of the pack. “I mean, it's a simple fix to a shitty situation. Looks like we're going home early, kid.”
Her heart was absolutely bursting for the surly, taciturn, ridiculous, beautiful man in front of her. Just starting to fall? She was an idiot. She was past falling for him and well into “I want to share my life with this person” territory. She didn't want to say that, though, and make him feel any more awkward. So she leaned into him, pressing her face to his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
“You did good, doc,” she whispered. “And I can't wait to go home with you.”
He stayed stiff for a second longer, then she felt him relax. His arm stayed tight around her waist while he continued to smoke with his free hand.
“Me either, Tor. Me either.”
THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS were a whirlwind. Besides paying for a new well to be put in, Landon had also made arrangement for a water purification station to be built, and had purchased filters for the homes with running water in the village.
Sure, Thailand was in general drastically cheaper than the United States, but Tori shuddered to think of how much everything had cost. How much of Landon's savings was being used for this? He'd probably mortgaged his Twin Estates building. She found herself staring at him, all moon eyed, overflowing with pride and emotion. If he caught her, he inevitably scowled and shooed her away, or flicked his cigarette at her, but she didn't even care. There was nothing he could do to upset her anymore.
Now it was just a matter of fixing up the remaining sick people. The old well had been destroyed, no more contaminated water. A large batch of supplies – most likely the last – was brought into the camp to help wrap everything up.
Landon had turned into a bundle of nerves. The stress of everyone rushing around seemed to be getting to him. He snapped more often and more easily than ever before, which was really saying something. He was going through his cigarettes at an incredible rate. As their own departure date drew near, Tori even realized he'd lost a fair bit of weight since they'd arrived. The Edenhoff twins were lean by nature. Wiry. But if Landon lost anymore weight, he'd be well into scrawny territory.
“Slow down,” Tori insisted one night as he tore around the tent, packing up all their stuff. Clothing was shoved indiscriminately into bags, her stuff mixed with his.
“We're leaving in two days,” he replied, stubbing a butt out into an overflowing ashtray. “How did you collect so much shit in just a couple weeks!?”
“Okay, it's been more like a month,” she corrected him. “And it's not really that much 'shit', it just looks like a lot when you're cramming it into a suitcase without folding anything.”
“Well, if I don't fucking do it, it won't get done,” he snarled. She frowned.
“Seriously, chill the fuck out. You've been like a giant girl PMSing these last couple days. Is this what withdrawal looks like? Because it ain't pretty,” she snapped. It was a low blow, but Landon never shied away from those. He always seemed to appreciate the ugly truth.
“No,” he growled, still not looking at her.
“So you've been using?” she checked. That earned her another glare.
“No.”
“Then what's up? Do you want to stay? We can stay,” she offered. “Are you nervous about going home? We don't have to go back there just yet, I'll tell Liam I need more time. Is it Liam? Is it rehab?”
He let out a groan and sat down on the bed next to her. He had a fresh cigarette between his fingers, but he hadn't lit it. Instead he chucked it onto the file cabinet before laying on his back.
“It's everything,” he breathed.
Tori frowned and laid down next to him.
“So tell me about everything,” she urged.
He was silent for a long time and she held her breath. The Landon she'd gotten to know in Bali, the one in Thailand, he was a different man from the one in San Francisco. Would he turn back into that guy? Would he still want her, once he was back in the land of easy women?
As if he could read her mind, she felt his hand come to rest on top of her own. Then he slowly twined their fingers together and squeezed tightly.
“You still gonna like this asshole when we get back?” he asked in a low voice. She smiled up at the tent above them.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I really didn't want to like you at all, you know. You didn't play fair. You had to turn out all decent and honest and life-save-y.”
“I didn't try to.”
“I know. That's the best part. You're just a good person, deep down.”
“I don't think I am,” he breathed.
“Pity, because I know you are.”
He abruptly started rolling and shifting around. Moving so he was hovering over her, bracing himself with one arm. He used his free hand to smooth some stray hairs away from her forehead. She stared straight at him while his gaze wandered over her face and down to her neck.
“I don't deserve you, Victoria,” he sighed. She smiled at the use of her full name.
“No, but you got me anyway.”
“My consolation prize.”
“Watch it.”
He bent down and kissed the hollow of her throat. The act was so gentle, so unlike him. Then he turned his head to the side and laid down completely on top of her, almost crushing her with his weight. She could feel his breaths against her collarbone.
“The best prize,” he whispered. “I really don't deserve you, but ... I'm so fucking thankful for you. You saved me, Tor. I didn't even know I was dying, and you brought me back to life.”
Tori blinked away tears and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“Yeah, well,” she struggled to find the right words. “I was lost, and you found me, so I guess that makes us even.”
“I guess that makes us the perfect match,” he countered, and she smiled.
“Perfect.”
God, if they got any mushier, she was going to puke on herself. Or blurt out that she was in love with him. Thankfully, he didn't give her a chance. He raised himself up and kissed her hard on the lips. She squeaked in surprise, then moaned as his tongue swirled through her mouth.
His hand moved heavily over her breasts and she was glad he was finally going to work out some of his stress on her body, but then they were interrupted. There was the sound of hurried footsteps just outside their tent and they both paused.
“Dr. Edenhoff!” a man's voice shouted.
“Christ, what!?” Landon barked, moving to kneel over Tori and pulling at her tank top.
“You're needed in the crisis tent!” the man referred to their version of an E.R. A separate tent where serious cases were taken, also nicknamed The Tent of Death. Landon paused with the fabric bunched up under her breasts.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Dr. Sarawut had a heart attack!”
Landon got off the bed and Tori scrambled to push her shirt back down before he could open the entrance. A short male nurse stood outside, nervously twisting his hands around his wrists.
“I just saw him two hours ago, he was fine,” Landon said. The other guy nodded.
“I know. He was doing a run into the city, was asking if anyone needed anything. One minute he was laughing, the next he was on the ground. They started doing chest compressions when I ran for you.”
“Tor, I -” Landon started to yell, but she was already on her feet.
“Go,” she urged, gesturing. “Do what you do best. I'll finish in here.”
He nodded and stepped through the opening. She went to their suitcases, determined to separate everything and pack it neatly, when he came rushing back in. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but he kissed her before she could make a sound. Yanked her close so every inch of her was pressed against him.
“I had to do that,” he said when he finally p
ulled away. “We were having a moment. I'm shitty at moments, but I wanted you to know I was aware. You're important, but this ...”
“This is life or death,” she laughed, pushing at his chest. “And that's important, too. Go. I'll be here after you save his life.”
“You're the best,” he said, then he planted one last rough kiss on her mouth before rushing out of the tent.
Me. The always late, always second choice, can't keep a job, can't focus, drinks too much chick, I am head over heels with a frickin' gorgeous doctor. A life saving doctor. A good humanitarian doctor. ME. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but holy shit, I am so grateful.
19
By ten o'clock that night, Tori had almost everything packed. Their tent, her little home-away-from-home for the past three weeks, looked spartan and empty. She was almost sad to say goodbye.
Almost.
A knock on a tent post got her attention and she glanced at the front of the tent.
“Yeah?” she called out while she rearranged things in her backpack.
“Message for you, Ms. Tori!”
She smiled and headed across the space. She'd been getting messages all day. Dr. Sarawut's heart attack had been a big one, apparently. Landon had gotten his heart beating again, but he would need surgery, and not the kind that could be done in a field hospital. Using an old military ambulance, Landon and two nurses had taken the sick man to Bangkok. Landon had been keeping her posted – he didn't want to leave until Sarawut was stable. As soon as that happened, though, he'd come straight back.
She opened the tent flap, expecting another message from Landon, hopefully saying he was on his way home. The same volunteer stood outside, holding a piece of paper.
“Sorry he's making you run around all day for us,” she said, taking the note.
“Is no problem. You leaving soon?” he asked. She nodded.
“Yeah. Day after tomorrow.”
“We'll miss you. Maybe you visit sometime?”
“Definitely.”
The volunteer gave her a big smile, then scampered off back up the road.
Tori unfolded the paper, then frowned. All it said was to meet at the guard station. She glanced down the hill, to the small security booth and gate arm. Was Landon already back? She liked surprises, but a surprise from Landon. She almost shuddered at the thought.
With a shrug, she shoved the note into her back pocket and trooped off down the road. The windows on the guard station were so tinted they were almost blacked out, she couldn't see inside at all, but she still smiled and waved. One of her first duties at the camp had been to bring the guards their lunches and dinners, so she'd gotten to know them pretty well.
“Hey, Raul!” she called out as she ducked under the arm and went around to the door. “Hi, Aroon. What's the haps, you guys?”
Her foot landed on something soft and rolled, almost throwing her onto her face. She struggled to catch her balance and fell against the door frame. She hissed and rubbed at her arm, then looked around to see what had tripped her.
“What are you do ...”
Tori's voice trailed off as her brain short circuited. Aroon, a short but stout Thai man, was stretched out on the ground, laying face down. A large pool of blood was spreading away from his neck. She started to shake as her eyes traveled across the small space to Raul, a tall wiry Thai. He was sitting in his chair, like always. His head was tossed back and he was staring blank eyed at the ceiling, blood running from a cut down the side of his neck.
She let out a sob, then pressed both hands over her mouth. She was going to vomit. She was going to faint. Possibly both. But as her knees started to wobble, she quickly she decided the one thing she would not do was fall down. No, because if she went down, she wouldn't be able to get back up.
“Oh my god,” she cried, falling into the door again. She slid her way along it, towards the outside. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I can't ... I can't ...”
She was sobbing and hiccuping, almost blinded by her tears, as she all but fell out of the small building. She leaned over the gate arm, trying to control her gag reflex. When she went to stand upright, someone stepped up next to her.
“You know,” a voice with a soft accent spoke from the darkness. “You are much prettier up close.”
Tori went to scream, but before any sound could escape her lips, a rag was shoved into her mouth. It was quickly followed by a black bag over her head which effectively blinded her.
Still, she tried to scream. Tried to lash out and hit and kick. She struggled as she was picked up and carried away. They dropped her, twice, but still managed to shove her in some sort of vehicle. The bag got bunched up around her ears and for just a second, she caught a glimpse of her surroundings.
She was in a van, maybe one hundred feet away from the guard station. There were several people moving around the vehicle, all speaking in a different language. In the distance, the security lights glowed around the medical camp, all orange and eerie.
Then the bag was shoved back into place and she didn't see anything again for a long time.
LANDON SAT ON THE FLOOR of the waiting room in a hospital in Bangkok. He was in a pair of ill fitting scrubs. He'd taken off his gloves, but there was still some blood on his forearms. He didn't notice. Just took another long drag on his cigarette. He got a dirty look from an old woman sitting across from him, but no one told him to put it out, so he didn't care.
Dr. Sarawut, the head doctor at the camp, was going to live. They'd had to put several stents into the man's arteries, but it had worked. He was stable and his family was being bused into the city to see him.
Sometimes, Landon couldn't tell whether he hated his job, or he loved it. Moments like this, knowing he'd done everything he possibly could and it had actually been enough, were amazing. But for every one like it, there were five bad moments, and at least three downright awful.
Moments. Only searching for those good moments, but never really working for them. Time to change the tune, Edenhoff. You want good, you gotta work for it.
Speaking of good moments, he hadn't spoken to Tori all day. His cell phone had died on the way into the city, so he'd been sending messages to her via one of the nurses who'd come with him. He'd only just now gotten a chance to charge his phone, and he glanced down at it. Twenty-eight percent, good enough. He unplugged it from the wall and pushed on her contact info.
Usually, she picked up right away, but by the third ring, nothing had happened. He frowned and glanced at his watch. It was after eleven, she might have already gone to sleep. He was about to end the call when the line connected.
“Shit, I hope I didn't wake you,” he grumbled, patting at his pockets with his free hand, searching for a fresh cigarette. “I finally got my phone working and just wanted to let you know I'll be on my way back in like half an hour.”
“Excellent, we are very excited to see you again, Dr. Edenhoff.”
Landon was pretty sure his blood froze in his veins. The cigarette butt in his mouth fell to the ground and rolled under a chair. Time itself seemed to slow down and he couldn't quite remember how to breathe.
No. This was fool proof. I'd gotten away with it. It didn't involve her. No!
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice surprisingly calm.
“Oh, I was thinking of scheduling an appointment,” the drug dealer Niran sighed dramatically. “I thought I should see a doctor. I have been getting these very bad headaches, you see, ever since someone stole a large quantity of my drugs.”
“Sounds like a bummer,” Landon replied, then he cleared his throat. “But you should talk to a neurologist. I'm the wrong doctor for your problem.”
“Oh no no, I think you're just the right one. Do you know what happens to people who cross me, Dr. Edenhoff?”
Landon hurried to his feet.
“If you fucking touch her, do anything to her, I swear to christ, I'll -”
“You'll what, doctor? She belongs to me now, so I will
do anything I please. I consider her partial payment for the drugs you stole. While she is a good specimen, she's clearly used goods. I won't be able to sell her for much. You will have to get me another twenty-five thousand dollars, before the weekend is over, or I will find someone else you care about and ruin them, as well.”
Sell her. The drug lord was going to sell Tori. How the fuck had this happened!?
“Sell her to me,” he spoke quickly, licking his lips. “Whatever price. Whatever you want. I don't care.”
“That is not how this works. You fucked with me, now I fuck you up,” Niran snarled. “She's no longer your concern. Focus on the money, Edenhoff. You have two days to get my money.”
Before Landon could argue anymore, the line went dead. He held the cell phone in his hand, staring at the blank screen. Wondering what he could do, who he should call. His brother? What could Liam do? The U.S. embassy? How much help could they be? Fuck, he had to hurry. He had to think. What should he do!?
He pulled up another contact and hit the call button, then he started running through the hospital.
“You have some fucking nerve calling me,” Velez snarled after he'd answered.
“You know,” Landon was panting for air as he burst out into a parking lot.
“Yeah I fucking know! How do you think they found you!? They called my boss, dickhead! We'll be lucky if either of us gets out of this alive, Lan. Stole from my contact, from the guy I hooked you up with! I should kill you myself,” Velez threatened.
“You totally can,” Landon assured, running between cars and trucks. “You can do whatever you want. But help me get back Tori first.”
“I'm not helping you do shit, you piece of – wait, what? What about Tori?” the nastiness fell out of Velez's voice.
“When you told them where I was,” Landon growled. “You told them where she was, too. I'm in fucking Bangkok right now, they took her from the village. They've got her god knows where and he said they're going to sell her. Fucking sell her. You have to get her back.”
Neighborhood Watch Page 17
