McKenna’s heart jumped. “What’s wrong? Is she badly hurt?”
“No, she’s got some bruises. I think most of the physical damage that Hughes inflicted has gone.”
“There’s something else, though. What?”
“Nothing. Other than you’re going to want to meet her.”
Yes, she knew she should. If nothing else, she needed to apologize.
Samara huffed a sigh. “Get that look of guilt off your face.”
“How can I not feel responsible?”
“Because you’ve done nothing wrong. You did not create Damon Hughes. You’re not responsible for what he did.”
Leaning her head back on her pillow, McKenna closed her eyes briefly. “I’m just not sure what I’m going say to her. I’m sorry you had the misfortune to look like me?”
Samara smiled. “I think you’ll find something. You two have a lot in common.”
“I guess we do. How bad is she?”
“She’s going to need counseling, but she’s incredibly strong. She’ll get through it. She said she survived other bad stuff…and she would survive this, too.”
Sadness filled her. Apparently Jamie hadn’t had an easy life, and thanks to Damon Hughes, it had only gotten worse. He had damaged so many people. But now, thanks to Lucas, he couldn’t hurt anyone else.
“I can’t believe it’s finally over.”
“You’ve got a lot of thinking to do. You’re free for the first time in years.” Samara stood. “I need to put Lucas out of his misery and let him know you’re awake. Are you ready to see him?”
Resisting the urge to let Samara tell him to come in right away, she said instead, “Do you have a hairbrush I could use?” Then, grimacing at the foul taste in her mouth, she added, “And maybe a toothbrush, too?”
Laughing, Samara went to the small bathroom and returned with a cosmetic bag and a glass of water. “Go ahead and get presentable while I’m here. The moment I step outside and tell him you’re awake, I won’t be able to hold him back.”
McKenna hurriedly unzipped the bag, making use of the toothbrush and toothpaste. That one thing made her feel a thousand percent better. She brushed her hair quickly. Knowing no amount of brushing would get rid of bedhead, she dared a glance in the handheld mirror and decided she didn’t look as bad as she could have. Maybe two days of sleep had been good for her. Though her skin was still pale, the dark shadows beneath her eyes had disappeared. She shrugged and put the mirror aside. This was the best she could do until she could take a shower.
Lifting the covers, she grimaced. A catheter tube lay against her leg. After she saw Lucas, she’d get that taken out and then she’d take a long, hot shower.
Too impatient and anxious to even consider waiting any longer, she looked up at Samara. “Tell him.”
Laughing softly, Samara went to the door.
Her heart pounding with excitement, McKenna kept her anxious eyes on the entrance. She didn’t have to wait long. The door swung open, but it wasn’t Lucas who came through the door. A gray-haired nurse entered, followed by a dark-haired, smallish man in a white coat and a bright smile.
The doctor said, “Finally, our star patient is awake.”
“Star patient?”
“Since Mr. Kane has created such a stir, you’ve become quite the talk of the hospital.”
Having hidden a good part of her life, she wasn’t comfortable with the thought of being the topic of conversation. Frowning, she looked at the closed door behind him. “Where’s Lucas?”
“He’ll be here in just a few moments. I wanted to make sure you’re as well as you claim.”
Though she didn’t want to wait to see Lucas, McKenna was relieved to have the catheter removed. Then, as she suffered through having her vital signs checked, her impatience increased. The doctor looked at her wound while asking seemingly endless questions. Her eyes remained on the door. Was Lucas really waiting outside? Or was she just being told that? Had something happened to him and they weren’t telling her? Was that why the doctor was asking all these questions? To see if she could handle the shock?
Throwing the covers back, McKenna swung her legs over the bed.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I need to see Lucas.”
“He’ll be here in just a few—”
“Look, I’m fine, but if Lucas doesn’t get in here right now, I’m going after him.”
Huffing out an exasperated breath, the doctor backed away. “You and Mr. Kane have much in common. Get back in bed and I’ll get him.”
McKenna willed the door to open. Yes, she knew she was being irrational, but she couldn’t help herself. Until she saw Lucas and knew that he was truly okay, she could not relax.
The door swung open and there he stood. It took every bit of her willpower not to jump out of bed. Knowing it would hurt like hell was the only thing that stopped her.
He looked exhausted. There were dark shadows under his bloodshot eyes and his golden hair looked as though he’d run his fingers through it a thousand times. To McKenna, he looked beautiful.
Sitting in a chair beside the bed, he took her hand in both of his and pressed a kiss to her palm. Oddly enough, he didn’t speak. She didn’t know what she expected him to say, but she hadn’t expected him to just stare.
“Lucas?”
Finally he released an explosive sigh. “I’ve gone through this scenario in my head a million times. What I would say to you when you finally woke. Now that you have, I find myself speechless.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to hold you and kiss you. At the same time, I want to shout at you and threaten severe punishment if you ever put your life in jeopardy like that again.”
Not the least bit intimidated, she grinned. “What kind of severe punishment are we talking about?”
A small smile shifted the grim line at his mouth. “Limiting your dessert intake, or only allowing you one serving of your favorite meal.”
“Wow, that’s a pretty stiff penalty.”
Pressing her hand to his mouth, he whispered against her skin, “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
She raised a brow. “And didn’t you do the same thing?”
He snorted. “I thought I was protecting you and got you shot instead.”
“You didn’t get me shot. The idiot was intent on shooting someone. I just happened to be the unlucky recipient.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Not bad, actually. A little stiff and sore, but I feel amazingly energized.”
“I’m glad.” He paused for a second, then said, “I asked the doctor to examine you before I saw you.”
“Why?”
“There are some things we need to discuss. I wanted to make sure he felt you were healthy enough to hear them.”
Her heart dropped. “What things?”
“There’s something I need to tell you, sweetheart.”
Dread returned. His face held a look she’d never seen before; one she couldn’t read. “What’s wrong?”
“Actually, I think things are finally turning out right for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something you need to know about Jamie Kendrick.”
“Dammit, what?”
“When she was fifteen years old, she lost her immediate family. An older relative took her in and raised her. She changed her name when she moved away.”
McKenna nodded. She wasn’t sure where Lucas was going with this, but it must be damned important for him to worry about her reaction.
“Her name was changed to Jamie Kendrick.” He paused for a second, then asked, “Don’t you want to know what Jamie’s real name is?”
Still having no clue what he was trying to tell her, she shook her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Sweetheart, Jamie’s real name is Amy Sloan. Your sister is still alive.”
twenty-seven
If she were standing, McKenna knew she would
have fallen to the floor. Her entire world had just tilted sideways; she struggled to absorb Lucas’s words. “What?”
“Amy is alive.”
She shook her head. “But that’s not possible. She died. They reported it on the news. I went to her gravesite, put flowers on it. She’s buried between my mom and dad.”
“She was badly injured and in the hospital for a long time. For her protection, it was reported that she died. At that time, you and Damon were both still considered criminals. They didn’t know how determined Damon was to kill everyone in your family. They wanted to make sure she stayed safe. After she was released from the hospital, your Aunt Mavis, your father’s sister, took her back to Louisiana to live with her.”
“But her name…?”
“Your aunt changed her name, even went so far as to put up a fake headstone. It was supposedly all done in an effort to protect Amy.”
McKenna couldn’t stop shaking her head. That wasn’t possible…it just wasn’t possible. She still had a sister? Amy was alive? And no one had told her?
“But when I came back…why didn’t anyone tell me? I saw my aunt at the jail…when I was returned back to Nebraska. Why didn’t she tell me?”
The sadness in Lucas’s eyes gave her the answer. No one told her because they considered her a bad seed. Even though the charges had been dropped against her, so many people still believed she was guilty. Not deserving to know that her own sister was alive. She remembered the hatred burning in her aunt’s eyes when McKenna had seen her. The one and only comment she’d given her niece had been pure condemnation. “I hope they give you the death penalty.”
“Your aunt died a while back, but your sister has been looking for you for years. You had disappeared so completely, she couldn’t find you, but she never stopped looking.”
McKenna tried to get her head wrapped around what Lucas was telling her. “But Damon was charged with her murder, too…wasn’t he?”
“No, I had my investigator go back and look at Damon’s charges. He was prosecuted for your parents’ death, but there was a glaring omission surrounding your sister.”
“I never asked to see anything…just took everyone at their word.”
“Your aunt apparently had money and influence, along with an iron will. Perhaps because Amy was a minor, they left all the information out to protect her. I don’t know. Amy isn’t sure, either.”
“But how did Damon know…?”
“He didn’t. She looked so much like you that when his men saw her they assumed it was you. He never figured out she was Amy.”
“My God.” McKenna gazed around the hospital room. In the span of seconds, her entire life, her whole outlook, had changed. A million emotions flooded her at once. She didn’t know what to feel first. Taking a breath, she pushed aside anger and hurt at her aunt’s cruelty to focus on the most important thing of all. Her sister was alive!
“McKenna?”
Hearing the concern in his voice, she turned back to Lucas. “She must hate me.”
His eyes blazed. “Hell no, she doesn’t hate you. She’s able to see things much more clearly than you. She knows exactly who’s responsible. Damon Hughes was the monster.”
McKenna closed her eyes against the threatening tears. She knew she needed to concentrate on the miracle of Amy being alive, not the evil deeds of a madman. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I want to see her.”
“I’ll go get her. She’s just a few doors down.” He turned to leave.
“Lucas?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Yes?”
She swallowed hard and whispered, “You’re sure she doesn’t hate me?”
He came back to her. Instead of answering with words, he cupped her face in his hands and put his mouth on hers. The kiss started softly and tenderly but as each of them breathed into each other, renewing their bond, passion ignited. McKenna moaned under his mouth, Lucas licked at her lips. She opened her mouth and took him deep, savoring his taste, loving his passion.
Lucas pulled away, his breathing slightly elevated. “I promise, no one hates you, sweetheart, especially your sister. Now let me go and get her before I forget where we are and that you’re still recovering.”
“I love you, Lucas.”
Pressing a soft kiss against her forehead, he whispered, “I’m going to hold you to that.” He turned and walked out before she could ask what he meant.
McKenna took a breath, preparing herself for something she never thought she’d ever be able to have. Another chance with her sister. She actually still had family. A multitude of questions sprang to her mind, but one was at the very top and wouldn’t go away. How could Amy not blame her for what Damon had done to her and their parents?
Several minutes later, the door opened and a young woman walked into the room. McKenna felt as though she was looking into a mirror from eight years before. No wonder her sister had been mistaken for her. Other than some slight differences in facial features, she was the spitting image of the young McKenna Sloan. How could she not have recognized her when she saw the missing person’s report?
“Amy?” Her voice was so thick with emotion, she wasn’t sure her sister heard her.
McKenna’s worry that her sister blamed her was immediately answered when Amy ran across the room and threw herself into her arms. Holding her tight, McKenna barely felt the stitch in her side. Nothing could spoil the joy of being able to hold her little sister in her arms.
After several minutes of shared sobbing, Amy pulled away and whispered, “I’d given up on ever seeing you again.”
“And I never thought I’d get the chance. I thought you were dead.”
“I almost was. I was in and out of consciousness for several days. Then they put me in a drug-induced coma. Those first few weeks are a blur. I don’t remember much of what happened.”
Moving over a little so her sister could sit on the bed with her, her eyes roamed over Amy’s face. She was just so lovely.
McKenna cleared her throat. Things needed to be said before they went any further. “I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened.”
Amy snorted. “Lucas told me you’d apologize and that’s ridiculous. The dead bastard Damon Hughes is responsible, McKenna. I never blamed you for anything.” She grimaced. “I know you were treated horribly when Damon brought you back. And I think Aunt Mavis had a lot to do with it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was unconscious for several days after it happened. When I woke up, Aunt Mavis had taken charge. My memory was so spotty…I tried to remember everything, but I think I ended up sounding like an idiot. When they asked me if you’d been involved in it, I denied it. I might not have remembered all the facts, but I knew you had nothing to do with it. Somehow, I think Aunt Mavis convinced them otherwise.”
“But why?”
“Because I believe Aunt Mavis did blame you. And she wanted to make sure you never saw me again. She whisked me to Louisiana as soon as the doctors let her. I was never questioned again.”
“But when all the charges were dropped against me…I can’t understand why no one told me you were alive.”
“I don’t know the answer to that. All Aunt Mavis told me was that Damon had died in prison and that you had disappeared. I didn’t know until I started searching for you that you were even considered a suspect.”
McKenna stared into space, remembering the day she walked out of the jail a free woman—battered, ravaged, and so determined to get away from everyone who reminded her of what had happened. She’d stopped at a small market, and using some money the public defender had given her, she purchased flowers for all three graves. She’d taken them to the cemetery, said goodbye, and then she’d left.
Had anyone ever tried to find her, to tell her that her sister was still alive? She would probably never know.
“You weren’t responsible, Kenna. In fact, I blamed myself for a long time.”
Shocked, McKenna asked, “For what?”
“I told Mom and Dad about Damon. If I hadn’t, I wonder how this would have worked out. I think part of his problem was being told he couldn’t see you again.”
Lucas was right. They were both taking on guilt that belonged to Damon only.
“You’re not responsible, Amy.”
“And neither are you.”
McKenna smiled. “Samara said we had a lot in common.” The smile vanished when she saw the yellow and brown bruises beneath her sister’s makeup. “I am sorry for what you went through, though.”
Amy’s mouth trembled as she shook her head. “I can’t talk about it yet. Okay?”
Understanding that better than just about anyone, McKenna swallowed another lump and said, “Just know I’m here to talk if you need to.”
“Thanks. And, oh, would it be too weird to call me Jamie, not Amy? I’ve kind of gotten used to the name over the years.”
“Jamie’s a lovely name. And it suits you.”
“It was one of the few things Aunt Mavis let me have a say-so in.”
“What do you mean?”
Jamie’s nose scrunched up into a grimace. “Remember how sour she always was?” McKenna nodded.
“Remember Daddy’s nickname for her?”
Ignoring the clutch to her heart at the mention of her father, McKenna nodded again. “Aunt Pickle.”
“And she never got any less sour, believe me. But when she convinced me to change my name, I chose the name Jamie Kendrick.”
Enlightenment dawned. Amy had used her entire family’s name to create her own. Their mother’s name had been Jane and their father’s name had been Rick. The “Ken” came from her sister’s nickname for McKenna, “Kenna.”
McKenna smiled at her sister’s cleverness. “Did she ever figure it out?”
Jamie shrugged. “She may have but she never said. You know Aunt Mavis wasn’t one to talk much anyway.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Jamie huffed out a sigh. “You have to stop apologizing. What Damon did to our family was all him—not you. Okay?”
Awed and humbled by her sister’s generosity and maturity, McKenna nodded.
Shifting a bit to get more comfortable, Jamie gave her a mischievous all-girl smile. “So, tell me all about Lucas Kane.”
Last Chance Page 30
