by J. M. Madden
LORA WAS IN a haze of pain. There was nothing on her that didn’t hurt. And it seemed like the doctors were prodding every single injury just to grade her pain. ‘So looking at this pain scale, how would you rate your discomfort?’ She’d finally gone off on them. “It fucking hurts,” she screamed.
The doctor had looked at her as if she were the one being unreasonable. After that, everything floated away on a cloud of pain medication. She didn’t feel her sprained wrist being wrapped, and she didn’t feel the needle in her scalp as they sewed in stitches. The light over the bed was a blinding source of aggravation, and it was a relief when they draped her face in the blue cloth in preparation of fixing her head. It shielded her eyes, and allowed her to rest for just a few minutes.
One of the nurses came in with a clipboard, asking if she had been the victim of sexual assault. Then didn’t seem to believe her when she told her no. When she asked the same question for the third time, Lora finally just rolled over on her side and ignored the woman. She seemed to get the hint.
Sometime later, a Denver Police officer arrived to question her about the assault. Lora went through every detail she remembered, then told the woman about the voicemails she had been receiving on her phone. Mostly just hang-ups, but Derek had called yesterday to wish her happy anniversary, even though they had been divorced for two years. Lora had known then he would be coming after her.
No, he hadn’t raped her this time.
The officer kept referring to the notes in her notepad, as if she already had a statement from somebody. Oh, yeah, the tall guy. Duh. He stayed until the squad had taken her away. He had apparently talked to the cops and told them what he had seen, too.
She didn’t know what to think about him. Relief and appreciation that he had gotten Derek off her, but she was still royally pissed too. He’d been following her for weeks. Her paranoia had served her well when she’d spotted him at her work parking lot one day, and recognized him later on sitting down from the house when she went home. Had he actually thought she wouldn’t see him? He followed her everywhere. Sometimes in different vehicles, but always about the same distance away.
What was up with that arm? It stuck out. Even in the midst of her own crises, she remembered cringing in shared pain for him. It looked like he had been burned or something. The flesh was eaten away, and the bones looked kind of warped, like the healing skin was pulling them into unnatural shapes. It looked painful. The scars spread all the way up his neck to his hairline behind his ear. There were a few scars on his face too, but they were just pale white lines, like they had happened several years ago.
It wasn’t any business of hers though. She certainly had no reason to be worrying about his pain when she had plenty of her own.
The doctor, too young to have very much experience, admitted her. Lora had expected that and called the sitter to let her know. Truth be known, she dreaded letting her daughter see her this way. Mercy remembered hearing loud voices during the divorce, after Derek had found her, but Lora had carefully made up her face to cover any bruising she incurred. Between the shiner and the cut on her head and the bulky wrap on her arm, she was going to have a lot of explaining to do to her little girl.
They moved her to a quiet room on the fifth floor and finally dimmed the lights before leaving her alone. Lora tried to sleep, but the scene from her house kept replaying in her head. When she did doze off, she would snap awake at the slightest noise from outside in the hallway.
When there finally was a knock at her door, it was almost a relief to have a reason to sit up and be aware. “Come in.”
The private investigator stuck his head inside and gave her a slight smile. “Mind if I step in for a minute, ma’am?”
All the anger of the night came rushing back. “Why? Do you need more pictures? Does he want proof of what he did?”
The man shook his head and held out both hands as he stepped into the room. “No camera, I promise. And your ex didn’t send me here. I came on my own.”
“Why?” she snapped.
“I just wanted to check on you. I feel sick for letting you get hurt.”
Lora took a moment to scan his somber face, and all she could see was truth in his vivid blue eyes. At least she thought he was being truthful. She wasn’t a great judge of character recently. “I’m fine. It wasn’t your fault.”
He scrubbed a long hand over his short, walnut colored hair. “It was, though. I’d been there for hours, long past when I should have been off-duty, but something didn’t feel right. I could tell you were nervous by the way you were acting and I should have been more aware.”
Lora was torn. He seemed like a decent guy, just hired to do a job, but she was royally pissed he’d been watching her like that. “Well, I’m fine. I appreciate your stepping in when you did. Don’t feel guilty about it. We’re done.”
For several long seconds he stared at her before glancing at the floor. When he looked back up, there was a determined look on his face. “Don’t worry about our investigation. We are officially off the case. I talked to my partner and if there’s anything you need us to do, please let us know.” He fished a business card out of his wallet and stepped close enough to the bed to set it on the rolling table. “I called the jail. Derek will at least be kept for the night because they smelled alcohol on his breath, but it’s up to the judge what happens in the morning.”
Lora’s insides tensed up when he stepped close, but she didn’t let him see that. She stared at him as hard as she could with her good eye and left the card where it lay. “I don’t believe I’ll need your services.”
Frowning, he turned away and crossed to the door. “That’s fine, ma’am, but if he bothers you, let us know.”
Lora didn’t respond to his slow drawl and he walked out the door. She had a glimpse of scuffed gray cowboy boots before he disappeared.
Panic raced through her and she suddenly felt all vulnerable again. Her stomach shivered with fear, and she felt very alone sitting on the big bed. Slipping down off the mattress, she tried to drag the big recliner they kept for visitors over to the door with her good hand. It took her a while, but she eventually got it wedged underneath the handle. The nurses wouldn’t appreciate it, but she would hear a person coming for several seconds. It would give her some time if she needed it.
After tugging on the locked window and crawling into bed, Lora finally allowed herself to relax. Emotions started to swamp her. Unfortunately, that also allowed the tears to come. Five minutes, damn it, to cry. Then you’re done.
Chad’s heart ached in his chest when he heard the woman crying softly in the room. It tugged at his emotions, getting him choked up. He wanted to go back in and pull her into his arms and rock her until she stopped being fearful. The door was blockaded though. And even if he made it in, she certainly wouldn’t want his attention.
He gritted his teeth in frustration as he leaned against the wall. Lora O’Neil seemed to be a woman with heart, willing to fight for her child. Over the weeks he’d been watching her, Chad had found himself admiring her for her vigilance with their safety. The girl wasn’t out of her sight at all, and the people that watched her seemed just as devoted. Lora worked at the local high school as a secretary, never missing a day or breaking her routine. It was why she’d been so easy to follow. He knew where she was going to be at all times. The only aberration was on Wednesdays, when she went to the big white house in Arvada. She would stay a few hours, then head home. Saturday mornings she took the girl to one of the parks in the city and then went grocery shopping.
The little girl would be worried when her mother wasn’t there to cook her breakfast in the morning.
Walking down the hall, he talked to the nurse on duty. He was granted a little leeway with information when he flashed his investigator’s badge. Lora would be released the next day at 11 o’clock, as long as the doctor thought she was able. Chad promised to be back then and headed out the door.
Chapter Two
AT TEN
-THIRTY THE next morning, Chad waited outside Lora’s room. The smell of the antiseptic fumes had hit him as soon as he’d walked in the front door, making him pause as emotions tried to swamp him. It had taken serious effort to make his legs move and remind himself who he was here for. Not for one of his guys. Not for him. Lora.
Nurses had been bustling in and out and he was sure one of them had told her he was there. He made it a point to smile congenially at everybody that went in, in spite of their leery looks. They knew what Lora had been admitted for, but they didn’t know what her ex looked like.
Chad understood their hesitation. And appreciated it. There was no way to prove he wasn’t her ex unless they asked Lora outright.
So he cooled his heels, waiting till he thought she would be getting ready to go. At quarter till, he knocked on her door and stepped in.
Lora’s injuries didn’t look any better in the light of day. Her un-swollen eye narrowed in on him sharply. “Why are you here? I thought you understood I didn’t need your help.”
Chad shrugged, trying not to be put off by her demeanor. Honestly, he couldn’t blame her for feeling bitchy. If he were in her position he would feel that way too. It wasn’t like she had oodles of help.
“I do. I just thought I’d give you a ride home so we could talk about a few things.”
Pushing to her feet, she grabbed the railing of the bed to steady herself. “I really don’t think we have anything to talk about.”
Chad hated to be the bearer of bad news. “Derek bonded out this morning.”
A frantic look passed through her eyes before she straightened her spine. “Good for him. I need to get home.”
He stepped forward one step. “I know you do. My car is right in front.”
The hesitation was obvious on her face. She wanted to get home to be with her daughter, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust him or not.
“Have you called for a ride yet?”
She pursed her lips, but winced when the split puckered. “No,” she admitted. “I thought the security guard could call me a cab.”
Chad held out a plastic Wal-Mart bag. “I got you a pair of sweats. I didn’t think the squad grabbed anything for you on the way out the door.”
For a long moment, Lora just stood and stared at the swinging gray bag in his hand as if it were a snake. “Lora, you don’t want to have to walk into the house in the bloody gown you left in.”
She frowned. “I think they may have thrown the thing away in the emergency room. There wasn’t much left to it. One of the nurses was going to find me a pair of scrubs or something.”
He set the bag on the end of the bed within her reach. “Now you don’t have to wear somebody else’s clothes.”
She glanced at him from beneath her dark lashes. The purpling around her left eye was complete, although some of the swelling had receded, and Chad fought to keep the anger off his face. She’d been through so much and if he had only moved quicker, she wouldn’t be here at all.
She reached out and took the bag. “I’ll pay you back when we get to the house.”
Chad nodded once. If she wanted to pay her way, that was fine. “I’ll wait outside for you.”
Within just a few minutes, a nurse arrived with her discharge paperwork. Then an orderly arrived and parked a wheelchair outside her room, knocking. Lora appeared in the pink sweats. Chad was impressed with himself. They fit her perfectly. She’d also put on the flimsy little tennis shoes he’d gotten her, but he could tell by the way she shuffled that they didn’t fit her correctly.
She eyed the wheelchair belligerently. “I can walk.”
The orderly smiled tightly. He’d heard this argument before. “Ma’am, it’s hospital policy. I have to wheel you out.”
Chad could feel the tension rise in the hallway as she shifted from foot to foot.
“I don’t want to sit in the chair.”
The orderly glowered. Lora shifted subtly back toward the room.
“Ma’am, I have to wheel you out. It’s policy.”
Fear skittered across Lora’s face and he suddenly realized it wasn’t the chair she was objecting to. It was having the big orderly behind her where she couldn’t see him.
Chad shuffled forward, wincing slightly. “Mind if I push the chair? My hip’s bothering me today. Must be some cold weather moving in.”
The orderly looked him up and down, resting lightly on his left arm before meeting his eyes. “Iraq?”
Chad smiled tightly.
The man nodded once and released the chair handles. Chad moved in behind the wheelchair and met Lora’s eyes. She didn’t look much more accepting of him pushing the chair, but she stepped forward and sat down anyway, placing her feet on the foot rests.
That small glimmer of trust touched him greatly. The poor woman had been through hell, partially brought on by his actions. He wanted to reach out and rest a hand on her shoulder, but he knew for a fact that would send her screaming in the other direction.
Shoving off, he made sure to favor one side to keep his story believable. The orderly walked ahead of them, pushing the elevator button and triggering the automatic doors for their passage. At the parking loop in front of the hospital, he opened the door of his Chevy for Lora and stepped back. As quickly as she could manage, she slid into the seat and shut the door.
Chad turned the chair over to the orderly and thanked the man, shaking his hand, then circled the hood to get in.
Lora had already fastened her seat belt, but she turned her head to look at him. “Thank you for doing that. I didn’t want him behind me.”
The words were gritted out, as if they’d seriously hurt her pride to say. Chad nodded once, and tried not to make a big deal of it. “I thought not. You’re welcome.”
They didn’t say anything as he pulled out of the hospital lot and turned away from downtown, heading toward her little subdivision.
He glanced at her as they got onto the freeway heading east. “Do you have a place you can stay for a while? Family or something?”
She shook her head. “I don’t have family out here. But you probably already know that.”
Chad chose not to respond to the bitterness in her voice. He had known, but he wanted her to confirm it. “You have a protection order against him, issued by the judge this morning, but I have a feeling Derek doesn’t really care about a piece of paper.”
He could feel her sharp gaze swing to him. “How do I have a P.O. already? I haven’t gone in to file it yet.”
“My boss spoke to the judge this morning, before Derek went to court.”
Lora exhaled softly. “I guess I have to thank you again.”
Chad shook his head as he glanced behind him to shift lanes. “We didn’t do this for thanks. We realized we were on the wrong side too late, so we’re trying to amend the situation. That’s why I need to talk to you about a few things.”
“What things?” Her voice was wary, and he had to wonder if she was leery of everything anymore.
“Well, if you don’t have a place to stay, we’re going to assign a couple of people to keep an eye on you for a while.”
“The hell you say!”
Chad glanced at her. Her hands were clenched into fists and her expression was livid.
He forced his voice to stay calm. “Let me tell you why.”
She eased back in the seat. “I don’t want more people watching me.”
“I know you don’t, but what about your daughter? You can’t be with her twenty-four seven. And from what we were told when Derek hired us, he wants the girl back.”
Lora barked out a laugh. “No, he doesn’t want her. His mother does. She’s the one driving him.”
Chad thought she was right. Mrs. Malone had come to the original interview and had supplied several of the “facts” about Lora’s unsuitability as a parent. “Well, regardless of who wants her, your child is definitely at risk.”
She was quiet for a long time. Chad could feel the anger radiating off of he
r, but it couldn’t be helped. The girl had to be protected.
“How long do you think you’ll have to watch us?”
Chad sighed, flicking the turn signal to the right. “Honestly, I don’t know. He has to go to court for this assault and hopefully he’ll get time for it. But his mother may continue to pursue guardianship. I think the best thing you can do is exactly what you’ve been doing. Keep your nose clean and provide a safe environment for Mercedes. Unless you have a boatload of money hidden away that you can tap to completely disappear, you’re kind of stuck where you are, dealing with things as they come.”
Lora knew everything he was telling her was correct, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. She literally had to bite her tongue not to argue.
“Do you think he’ll get time for this?” She waved a hand at her face and wrapped wrist.
The investigator shrugged, swinging the wheel with one hand. “If we have anything to say about it he will.”
He tossed her a roguish grin, startling her, and Lora wished she could be charmed by him. If she’d been any other woman, he would have appealed to her. The only thing she could appreciate was that he was big and made her feel a little more secure in the strange environment. And his eyes seemed kind.
Lora stared out the window. Her face throbbed, but she knew she wasn’t going to use the painkillers in her purse. She’d taken the bottle only because it was more expedient than arguing with the doctor. Derek was known to show up at inopportune times, protection order or not, and she couldn’t risk Mercy’s safety for her comfort.
The thought of having people follow her deliberately, with her knowledge, sickened her. It defeated everything she had worked for to get away from Derek. During their marriage, she had endured bodyguards everywhere, watching them do everything. Derek was used to it; he’d grown up that way. But to Lora it had been humiliating. None of them had ever stepped in when Derek had beaten her, and their sly glances afterwards told her they would do the same if they ever got the chance. She wasn’t sure they hadn’t.
