Duke put his finger to his lips and nodded. Emma bit her lip and turned to walk down the sidewalk, hoping Duke had some kind of plan.
“How do you know that?”
“Because that’s how I met them. They can play those games for hours.”
All the pieces fell into place, and the name suddenly clicked with Emma. This was Gage’s cyberstalker. “He believed you had moved on. He asked you to not contact him anymore.” Way to provoke the gun-wielding crazy person, Emma!
“Then he changed his number so I couldn’t even talk to him about it.”
“You tricked his friends into giving you his number. He changed it because what you were doing was wrong. You need help, Amy. I know of several doctors—”
The solid, metal muzzle of the revolver pressing against her spine silenced her as Amy stepped close to her and said, “I don’t need a doctor. I need Gage. And I need you to shut the fuck up.” The woman’s voice shook, and Emma could tell she was becoming emotional. Perhaps she was realizing she was in over her head and rethinking her plan.
Emma knew if she got in that van she was as good as dead. Turning to look Amy in the eye, she pleaded with her. “You really don’t want to do this, Amy. You don’t strike me as the type to hurt other people. I can get you help, Amy.”
Tears flooded Amy’s eyes, and a red flush came over her face. “I’ve had enough ‘help’ to last a lifetime. I don’t need anything but Gage and he needs me in order to be fulfilled. When we talk it’s like our souls have always known each other. All I have to do is meet Gage face-to-face and he’ll understand that we were meant to be together forever. Our hearts are bonded and we have a lot in common. Keep walking.”
Keep her talking, Emma. “What? Like camping, hiking and fishing? Are you an IT consultant and help people like he does?” Emma wracked her brain for ways to persuade the woman from her intentions.
“No,” she sneered again. “Computers, gaming online. We used to instant message all the time…until you came along.”
That was right about the time he’d told Emma that he’d asked Amy to stop bothering him constantly. Emma wished now that Duke had followed through with the offer to trace Gage’s cyberstalker and have a serious talk with her and the authorities. It was obvious that Amy hadn’t been convinced by Gage’s repeated attempts to cease communication with her. Amy had simply used whatever skills she had to locate him, and there was no telling how long she’d been in Divine.
“Everything was going along fine and then you came along and he just cut me off, like he didn’t need me anymore. You poisoned him against me!” Amy’s voice trembled, but Emma could hear the unreasonable anger in her tone.
“Amy, put the gun down and we can talk all of this out. Give Gage a chance to explain. Maybe you just didn’t understand.” Emma wished now that she’d talked about it more with Gage so that she could find some common ground with Amy. Emma hadn’t wanted to know all the details behind their online friendship because frankly it had made her a little jealous to think of Gage chatting with another woman.
“I don’t think you understand, dear doctor,” Amy said as they reached the van and she opened the back door. She jerked the utility box out of Emma’s hand and placed it inside then held out her hand. “Give me your cell phone.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t have it. It’s inside my apartment.” Over Amy’s shoulder she saw blond hair and movement alongside the van. Please be careful, Gage!
Amy sneered and said, “I don’t believe you.”
Trying to be brave, Emma replied, “Search me, if you don’t believe me. Make sure and wave that gun around some more so people can see it. I don’t have my phone. I was checking my mail and getting something from my vehicle when you accosted me.”
Amy blew out through her nostrils angrily and gestured with the revolver. “Empty your pockets.”
Feeling a little anger of her own, Emma said, “I just got back from my vacation. There is nothing in my pockets. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you check them yourself?” Emma, shut your crazy mouth before she shoots you instead!
Emma was afraid for a second that Amy was considering it. Gage was on the other side of the opened van door. Emma saw his shadow on the ground in her peripheral vision. Pointing the gun right at her, Amy cautiously leaned forward to pat Emma down. She stood stock-still waiting for Gage to make his move. Amy’s shoes shifted on the gravel as she half squatted to pat down Emma’s pockets. Gage chose that moment to act.
He stood and gestured silently for Emma to jump into the van as Amy’s head was turned away from him. He held up three fingers, then two, then one. He leaned back to kick the back door hard, a split second after Emma jumped into the back of the van. Amy grunted in surprise as she was knocked away from the van, evidently to the ground. Emma heard shouts and a struggle outside and the blessed sound of sirens in the distance.
Looking around for something to aid in the struggle, Emma noticed a box of large, industrial-sized black trash bags, and a cardboard box that contained several saws and other tools. Her eyes rounded in shock, realizing that if Duke and Gage hadn’t known what was going on, she might have met her end in this van.
Growling, she turned the handle on the back door and pushed it back open. Unfortunately, her appearance was ill timed, and she hit Duke in the face with the other half of the door as she flung them open. Gage and Amy were struggling for control of the gun. Gage was speaking calmly to her, trying to not hurt her. Amy took advantage of his concern for her and kneed him in the balls, threw her weight against him, and wiggled free. Her eyes were wild as she focused on Emma, pointed the revolver, and pulled the trigger.
Gage howled, “No!”
Pain blossomed raggedly in Emma’s chest, and she fell back into the van.
She heard Duke shout, “No!”
“Angel!”
A cacophony of noise surrounded her, sirens, the screeching of tires, the firing of a weapon, and much hollering. It all came to her from a distance even though she knew it was close by. She put her hand to her chest and saw blood when she lifted it. She reached for her medical kit as Duke shouted her name and hurriedly climbed into the van. Her slippery fingers skidded uselessly across the plastic surface of her utility box, leaving a wet, bloody smear.
When she spoke, her voice was nothing more than a whisper over the ringing in her ears. “Duke. Stop the bleeding. Shot.” Stars began to form in her vision, and her hands fell limply to his as he checked her wound. Everything went black.
* * * *
Duke’s heart froze in his chest when Emma’s head lolled to the side and her hands stilled on his. “Emma! Emma! No! Oh, God! Emma!”
He fumbled with the latch on the medical kit she’d been reaching for and got it open. He found what he needed and ripped open a large square gauze pad. Peeling back the T-shirt he’d helped her don that morning after making love to her, he groaned when he saw the bleeding bullet wound on the right side of her chest. He pressed the pad to the wound and looked behind him as emergency responders pulled open the back doors of the van. Two paramedics climbed in beside him, immediately going to work.
He told them what he could, and then one of the men looked at him with all seriousness and said, “We’ll handle it from here. You can ride with us if you want to but you’re going to have to stay out of the way. Your nose is bleeding. Are you okay?”
Duke nodded numbly. “Yes.”
He touched his face and looked at his hands. Emma’s blood and his coated his fingers. He’d forgotten about the pain when the gun had gone off. He crouched and turned to the back opening of the van and climbed down with help from Eli Wolf.
Eli looked over Duke’s shoulder at the occupants of the van and said, “David and Carter are some of the best paramedics in the area, Duke. They’ll take good care of her. Come on.”
Duke turned back to watch the paramedics as one of them spoke rapidly into his radio. He wanted to stay as close to Emma as possible, but Eli pulled hi
m away and said, “I know how you feel, Duke. I’ve been in your shoes. If you believe in God, prayer is your best bet now. Come on. Gage is talking to Hank Stinson. You can ride up front in the ambulance with me.”
Blankly, Duke looked around at the chaos on the front lawn of their apartment building. Gage stood speaking with the sheriff. Two sheriff’s deputies stood near the sheet-covered body of the woman who had tried to abduct Emma. Other law enforcement officers blanketed the scene and diverted traffic through the area.
He looked up at the door to his apartment. What could he have done differently? What if he’d charged the woman before Gage shoved her with the door? What if they’d disarmed her more quickly? God, what if they hadn’t had the windows and balcony screen door open and overheard the entire conversation between the two women? They’d noticed the blue van before and had been curious about it. What if he’d run the plates? They might have had a little warning that Amy was in the area if it was even registered to her. They’d never even known Amy’s last name. Online she was known to them only as “Amyp1620.” He’d missed the signs.
Eli spoke with Hank and Gage, went to the back of the ambulance, and then returned to Duke’s side. He handed him a cold, wet compress. “That’s for your nose.” The tall man leaned down and looked at his nose, pressed around a bit, and said, “I don’t think it’s broken. Put that on it. Gage is not done giving his statement. He’s pretty antsy about Emma too, so Hank will probably bring him to the hospital and take your statement later. They’re loading her onto a gurney right now. Come on, we want to be ready to go.” Eli handed him Emma’s stack of mail. “They recognized Emma and said this was lying next to her medical kit.”
Duke looked down at the thick bundle. This time, instead of drawing her to them like the first batch had, these blood-spattered envelopes in his hands might signify them losing her completely.
Feeling eyes upon him, Duke looked up, and Gage nodded at him, looking worried and haunted. Heavy blood spatters covered one side of his T-shirt. Duke followed Eli to the ambulance and climbed in the passenger seat. He looked back between the seats as the paramedics jerked open the doors and loaded her quickly into the treatment area. A deputy closed the door behind them, and Eli pulled away.
Duke couldn’t take his eyes off of her as they treated her, what little he could see of her. He couldn’t understand what they were saying over the radio chatter. Eli called in to let the emergency room know they were in transit.
Eli said, “Your nose isn’t bleeding anymore.”
Duke remembered the compress in his hand and placed it to his nose, which was beginning to throb. “You said you’d ‘been there’ before?”
Eli nodded. “Yes. Rachel was involved in a serious accident on FM 709. That was back before you and Gage moved to town.”
“Oh.” Duke nodded. “The accident with Ace? So you really have been there, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. When I saw her as they pulled her from the ambulance, they had to restrain me. You’re handling this well.” Glancing in the rearview mirror, he gestured to the working paramedics and said, “Don’t worry. They’re good at their jobs. Prayer helps.”
Duke closed his eyes and prayed like he’d never prayed before.
Eli hit a button as they neared town, and the siren started wailing. Luckily it was a Sunday evening and there was very little traffic on the streets. They pulled up to the emergency room bay, and a team of doctors and nurses stood waiting as the paramedics unloaded her and began their rundown on her condition. Duke saw one of the nurses react when she saw Emma, and Duke realized that treating her would be personal for them. They would do everything they could for her.
Duke tried to follow them, but Eli directed him through the automatic glass doors and into the main waiting area for the ER. “Check in and they will let you know as soon as they have news about Emma. I let Rachel know and she said she would be up here as soon as she could. She said she would call Summer and the guys. Emma has been really good to us. I’ll be praying for her too, man.”
Duke slumped in a chair to wait for Gage to arrive. He’d looked so distraught earlier, and it occurred to him that his cousin might have been the one who shot Amy. The noises of the hospital went on around him, people coming and going, talking and asking questions. He was startled from his thoughts when Ace, Kemp, Summer, and a very pregnant Rachel showed up. Summer and Rachel sat on either side of him, and he filled them all in on what had happened.
Gage and Hank Stinson arrived, looking grim.
Gage anxiously asked, “How is Emma?”
Duke replied, “We haven’t heard yet.”
Duke peered at Gage and asked, “Everything happened all at once. Can you tell me?”
Gage leaned forward and said, “Amy fired at Emma and I reacted. My reaction seemed to…cause her to snap. I was trying to get the gun away from her, to keep her from shooting one of us, and she turned it on herself.” Gage let out a shaky breath, sat back in his chair with his head against the wall, and closed his eyes.
Hank sat down with them and said, “Amy Patterson has been staying at the Motel 6 on the interstate. They were going through her belongings and found her laptop computer. It seems she outlined her plans on it, even had checklists.” With a sad shake of his head, he added, “There was also a journal.”
Summer excused herself and a few minutes later returned with a fabric bundle. She reached out to touch Gage’s shoulder, and he opened his eyes.
“I got this for you, Gage. It’s a scrub top, in case you wanted to change,” she said, gesturing to his bloodstained T-shirt. Gage thanked her and went in search of the men’s room to clean up and dispose of his ruined shirt. He returned a few minutes later, looking drained.
Duke and Gage both sprang from their seats when one of the ER nurses called Duke’s name. Duke’s heart was in his throat as he approached her. The nurse told them that Emma had already been rushed to emergency surgery.
Chapter Thirteen
Emma laughed softly as Duke’s sexy, deep voice echoed from the hospital room doorway. “Trick or treat.”
“Are you here to trick me or treat me?”
“Treat you, of course,” Gage replied as he followed Duke into the room. The temperature outside must have turned chillier because they were both clad in sweaters and jackets. Gage even wore a stocking cap, which he removed before he kissed her. Emma smiled from Gage to Duke as he bent and kissed her also.
She felt very blessed as she gazed at her men, now that she knew how easily she could have lost them. They’d had to revive her twice on the operating table, but she’d pulled through.
Almost two weeks in the hospital had done wonders in how she felt, and she was waiting impatiently for word on when she could leave. The staff had hovered over her a lot, especially in the beginning, but the attention and inactivity was driving her nuts.
Duke said, “We brought you something.” He placed a handled bag on the bed next to her. She smiled when she saw the store name and slogan on the bag. Discretion…we put the risk in risqué.
“Oh, what did you get me?”
Gage grinned like he had good news for her. “We got you something that you can wear home…today.”
Emma sighed in thankfulness that she didn’t have to spend another night in the hospital. She had received excellent care while she was there, but doctors made the absolute worst patients. She was sick of being hovered over and told what to do. When to eat. When to pee. They treated her like she was made of glass. She knew it was out of affection, but it was driving her crazy. “That is wonderful news.”
“But…” Duke began.
“But what?”
“You’re coming home with us, angel,” Duke said firmly. “We can’t stand for it to be any other way. We almost lost you.”
“Twice,” Gage cajolingly added. “Open your gift and say you’ll come home with us.”
She could’ve argued, laying claim to her right to independence, but Emma remembered the depres
sion and loneliness she’d felt while unpacking after their tree-camping vacation, right before she’d been accosted by Amy Patterson. She could accuse Duke of being pushy, but the truth was she couldn’t imagine anywhere else she’d rather be. Her freedom and independence were pretty empty if she enjoyed them alone in her cold apartment.
“You’re going to get sick of my compulsive neatness.”
Duke scoffed and replied, “Once you’re up and out of bed, you and Gage can compete for the title of Neat Freak.”
Emma chuckled and dumped the luxuriant bundle of black lace from the bag. She lifted the first piece and realized it was a full-length, silky-soft lace robe.
Moaning in delight, she brushed the black lace against her cheek and said, “It’s gorgeous.” The other bundle was a matching long, black lace halter gown that had a split on one side all the way up to the hip. “My goodness! This must have cost a mint.” It didn’t escape Emma’s notice that they’d made sure to buy a style that would de-emphasize the healing incision over her breastbone.
“It was worth it,” Duke replied. “We can’t wait to see it on you.”
Emma held the gown up in front of her face and smiled at her handsome men, who were clearly visible through the fine lace. “I can’t wear this home. Everyone will be able to see my goodies.”
Both men chuckled, and Duke placed another, larger shopping bag on her lap. “That’s what these are for.”
Emma peered in the bag, saw her jammies, and squealed in delight. “How did you know?”
Duke replied, “We remembered that you wore them a few weeks ago when you came upstairs. You said something about them being the equivalent of comfort food, but in clothing. We probably should’ve brought them before now.”
Emma hugged her bunny slippers and her SpongeBob SquarePants jammies gently to her chest. Not only had she required surgery for the bullet wound, they’d had to perform emergency open-heart surgery on her, which was why her stay in the hospital had been prolonged. In all, she was lucky to be alive and only a little worse for the wear. Fortunately, she also had a new lease on life. Her men and their bucket list had better hold on for dear life.
Rainier, Heather - Their Divine Doctor, A Holiday Ménage [Divine Creek Ranch 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 14
