After a good night’s sleep in a tent just big enough for the two of them, Nicole walked Jared to the command tent and kissed him goodbye. “I’ll see you later this afternoon, it shouldn’t take me long to get caught up.” He said, wishing that he could go with her instead of dealing with what was happening in Juneau.
He watched her walk away, feeling a lightness inside him that he’d never felt before. Not sure what it was, he’d decided not to think about it too much, to simply enjoy the feeling and the woman who inspired it. Reluctantly he turned and went into the tent, it was time to deal with the backlash his group email would have caused this morning.
Backlash didn’t even describe what his email had set in motion; there were multiple angry messages he had to deal with. Several men had threatened to pull their support if he didn’t do something and fast, each making it very clear that he wasn’t their only source of information about what Seth was up to. He did what he could without outright lying, sending off emails for hours, until he wanted to just throw the computer in the river and walk away. The whole time he’d been working, he’d been watching emails from Gina come in one after another, adding to his frustration.
He ignored them, viewing them more as an annoyance than anything else, but when he’d sent his last message, he opened the first one. It was almost as cryptic as the one from the night before, so he clicked on the next one, then the next. By the time he reached the last message, he’d begun to get worried, cringing he clicked it open and cursed. He read it twice more before he jumped to his feet, ran to the map on the wall and made a few calculations. Looking at his watch, he cursed again, then tore out of the command tent, hoping he’d make it on time.
It took him far longer to get to the mine than he would have liked, the mile seeming more like five as he ran. If he was lucky they’d be behind schedule, wouldn’t set the charge off on time so that he could warn them. Out of breath when he got to the mine, a sea of people between he and Seth, Jared took a deep breath to issue a warning. Before the words could come out of his mouth, Seth pushed the plunger and the mountain side rumbled and the ground shook.
Jared unsteady on his feet as the ground shook, out of breath, pushed through the crowd to the front. “Get everyone out of here.” He yelled when he got close enough.
Seth and George looked at him, then at the mountain which had begun to rumble again. “What?” Seth yelled back.
“You have to get everyone away from here, the charge was in the wrong place. The whole side of the mountain may come down.” Jared was finally close enough not to have to yell, but the intensity of his voice had more impact on Seth.
He looked at the mountain again, then shouted, “Everyone go, get away from the mine.”
The crowd of people split in two, the group going in opposite directions, but it was too late. With a warning rumble, a huge piece of the mountain side detached itself and began to slide, taking with it anything in its way. Most of the crowd had gotten away, but there were still several people standing shocked in the center of the slide. As Jared and Seth watched, trees and boulders were swept into the air, only to come crashing down to Earth, after several narrow missed, Jared knew that he had to do something.
When he started toward the slide, Seth pulled him back. “You can’t go in there. You’ll never be able to get to them. It’s not worth the risk.”
“I have to.” Jared said, trying to shrug off Seth’s arm. When Seth wouldn’t let him go, he shouted, “It’s my fault Seth. I can’t explain right now, but it’s my fault.”
Seth was so shocked he let go of Jared, who immediately jumped onto the moving piece of rock to try and rescue the people whose lives he’d put in jeopardy. By the time he got to the first person, the rock had stopped sliding and the debris had settled, relieved he helped the woman to her feet. When the dust had finally settled, Jared was relieved to find that there was only one person who was injured badly enough to need a stretcher, a broken leg that was causing the man a lot of pain.
When he turned to ask for the stretcher, Seth held up his hands. “Jared don’t move, we don’t know if the mountain is going to shift again. George is looking into what you said, but until we know for sure, I need you to hang tight.”
Jared could feel the mountain shifting slightly under him, “Okay but this man needs help.”
“We’ll get a chopper in here and lift you both out. It’s on its way and should be here in just a few minutes. Just try to relax and don’t move any more than you have to.” Seth said, motioning for everyone to back away from the slide.
As Jared was waiting he wondered where Nicole was. She was supposed to have met him at the mine or at the command tent, but he’d been so distracted it hadn’t occurred to him until just then that she hadn’t shown up. They’d been working up above the mine, and suddenly he began to panic, thinking that she might have been injured. But he heard his name, and she was there, standing next to Seth, tears streaming down her cheeks.
When the helicopter finally came into view, Jared was ready to do what he needed. It wasn’t easy to hurt the man when he had to move his leg to strap him into the stretcher, but the mountain rumbling underneath him told him that he didn’t have any time to waste. He slid into his own harness and strapped himself in, looking up at the helicopter, more scared than he’d ever been in his life.
But when he looked down at the man, he knew that his fear could be nothing compared to his and blocked the fear, even put a smile on his face when he asked, “Are you ready for an adventure?”
Chapter 11
Nicole watched the helicopter fly away with Jared thinking that it was unfair that their time together had been cut short. But then she looked around herself and realized that she was being selfish, still it hurt to be parted from Jared without even a goodbye kiss. But now that the men were out of danger, Seth began barking orders, the first and loudest was that everyone but the engineers were to evacuate the site, and she headed for their tent.
As she packed up hers and Jared’s gear, she began to pick up little snatches of conversation. Everyone was talking about the slide and what had caused it, she kept hearing Jared’s name, but not enough of the conversation to hear what was being said. When Sam and Julie finally joined her, Julie pulled her aside.
“I just want to warn you before you hear it from someone else.” She started, making Nicole’s heart race and her knees go weak. “Jared told Seth that the charge was in the wrong place and it was his fault. Everyone is saying that he was trying to sabotage the project.”
Nicole took a step back and sat down on a log, her knees no longer able to support her. She’d been so sure that Jared had changed, sure that he was behind the project. “But that can’t be true. He wouldn’t… I mean….”
“I’m sorry Nicole, I heard it from Seth’s mouth. It’s not gossip.” Julie said, sitting down next to Nicole and putting her arm around her.
Nicole wanted to cry, she’d been so sure that Jared had changed, but if Seth said it, it had to be true. At that moment her heart broke into what felt like a thousand pieces, it wasn’t just that she’d lost Jared, it was the knowledge that he’d used her that was so devastating. She’d thought that what they’d shared had been real, but it had all been an act, and act to give Jared the chance to destroy what Seth was working so hard to create.
Straightening her shoulders, she said, “I’ll be okay. It was just a fling.” Then stood up and went back to breaking camp.
By the time they went to the village where Annabelle was waiting for them, it had become common knowledge that Jared had tried to sabotage his brother, and risked numerous people’s lives in the process. Nicole had been over and over it in her mind, and kept coming up with the same thing. If Jared had been responsible, how and when had he done it, and why would he have been there when it happened. As heart broken as she was, there was a part of her that just couldn’t believe that Jared had been responsible.
When she walked into the house, their friend Marci took
one look at her and said, “You need some sleep.” Then she took her hand and pulled her upstairs.
She tucked Nicole into bed, shushing away her protests about being dirty. “The sheets will wash and so will you. Get some sleep.”
When Marci got back downstairs, she found Sam and Julie in the kitchen and demanded the full story. Although they weren’t exactly sure what had happened between Jared and Nicole, it was clear that it was something significant. They told her as much as they knew, then about the sabotage at the mine and Jared’s supposed role in it, just like Nicole they were having a hard time believing that he’d done it.
Marci listened to them, reading between the lines before she fed them and sent them off to bed, she planned to stay up for a while and see if Nicole woke up. She’d be hungry if she did and might need to talk, so she sat down at the kitchen table, a book in front of her and waited. Her patience was rewarded just as she was about to give up when Nicole wandered into the kitchen, her color had improved but she still looked tired.
“You look better, I’ll bet you’re hungry.” Marci said, getting to her feet.
Nicole’s stomach rumbled in answer and both women laughed. “Sit down and I’ll get you a plate; there is plenty left over from dinner.”
But when Marci set the plate down in front of her, her stomach lurched, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to eat it. “Umm, I’m sorry Marci, I guess my stomach is a little messed up.”
Marci took the plate away and instead set a cup of hot tea and some dry toast in front of Nicole, a knowing look on her face. Nicole finished the tea and toast, then yawned hugely and went back to bed. The next morning when she woke up the nausea was back and even the thought of food made her feel sick. She tried to roll over and go back to sleep but sleep just wouldn’t come, so she got out of bed and went to the kitchen where she was sure she’d find Marci.
Marci took one look at her and sat her down in a chair, then put a cup of tea and some crackers in front of her. “How are you feeling?” She asked, knowing just from the look on Nicole’s face how she felt.
“Not so great, my stomach is still upset. It feels like I’ve picked up the flu, but I don’t know where I would have.” Nicole said, taking a small sip of the tea.
“Well, you just drink that and see how you feel. Eat a bit of the toast if you can.” Marci said, going back to the sink where she’d been standing when Nicole came into the room.
Nicole didn’t really feel like drinking or eating anything, but she couldn’t refuse Marci, so she slowly sipped the tea and took a few bites a cracker. Before long she was feeling better, still tired but the nausea had gone.
“I feel a bit better, but I’m still so tired.” Nicole said, when the cup was empty and the crackers were gone.
Marci came over and sat down at the table with Nicole. “I thought you might.” Then she pulled a white and pink box out of her pocket and set it down on the table in front of Nicole.
Nicole looked at the box, not sure what it was at first, then realized that it was a pregnancy test. “What’s this for? I can’t be pregnant.” Nicole said, then realized that she and Jared had never even talked about birth control and a blush crept up her cheeks.
“Are you sure?” Marci asked, “I could be wrong, I have been before, but do me a favor and take that.”
Again, Nicole couldn’t refuse Marci, but it had only been a week since she and Jared had started sleeping together, it was impossible that she was pregnant, there hadn’t been enough time. But they hadn’t used any birth control, hadn’t even talked about it, which meant that there was a chance, a slim chance, but a chance none the less.
When Nicole came back to the table, she was pale and shaking. She set the test down in front of Marci and asked, “How did you know?”
Marci jumped to her feet and put her arms around Nicole, “It’s just something a woman can see. Come on sit down here and let’s talk, you’ve got some choices to make.”
It had been nearly three hours since Jared and the injured man had arrived at the hospital, three hours spent pacing the waiting room and berating himself for getting involved with Gina. He should have seen that she was bad news, but he’d been so distracted with feeling sorry for himself that he’d missed all the signals. Worst of all he’d let her convince him to behave like a spoiled child, to strike out instead of adapting and adjusting to the changes in his life.
He still hadn’t figured out exactly how Gina had done it, wished that his computer and phone weren’t hundreds of miles away. But knowing how she’d done it wouldn’t change the fact that she had and he was responsible for her even being involved. Now he wasn’t sure how to go forward, how he was supposed to make this right, how he’d ever explain to his brother what had happened. Staring out the window at the mountains in the distance, he wished that he could go back to the beginning of the summer and do it all differently.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear Seth come in, “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought by now you’d be back in Juneau trying to figure out how to get yourself out of this one. You went too far this time Jared.”
There was so much that Jared wanted to say, all of it jumbled in his mind, so he took a minute to collect his thoughts. “I didn’t do anything, well I guess that’s not completely true. I didn’t have anything to do with the charge in mine.”
When Seth only started at him, arms crossed over his chest, he continued. “Look at my emails, Gina did this. It’s my fault that she did, but you have to know that I wouldn’t have done something as crazy as this.”
“Then why did you say it was your fault?” Seth demanded.
“Because I let Gina convince me that I needed to get even with you.” Jared said, then sat down heavily in a chair.
“And?”
Jared took a deep breath and told Seth about his original plan to bring the project down, listening to himself, he could hear just how selfish he sounded. When he’d finished, Seth said, “Well, if what you say is true, the police will sort it out. I’ve given both your lap top and your phone to them. Until this is sorted out, I’d appreciate it if you’d stay away from all of us and the project.”
It was more than Jared could have hoped for, “Thank you Seth, and I promise you that I had nothing to do with this.” He said, then understanding that it was time for him to leave, he walked away from his brother, who watched him go in silence.
When he emerged onto the street, he looked around him unsure what his next move would be. Part of him wanted to go straight to Gina’s apartment and confront her, but then he realized that it was Nicole who he really needed to talk to. He could only imagine what she must be thinking right then and he wasn’t sure what was worse, that she’d think that he had sabotaged the mine, or that he’d used her to make it happen.
Before he could even come up with a plan, a police cruiser pulled up in front of the hospital, followed by what was obviously an unmarked car. When the officers got out of the car, he had the insane urge to run, but stopped himself. He should have been prepared for this but hadn’t really thought about being arrested, but that was exactly what was about to happen. Knowing that it was probably the best way to get this matter settled, he waited for the detective, then volunteered to go with them to the police station.
After hours of interrogation and a night spent in a jail cell, his lawyer insisted that they let him go, they had no evidence that Jared had known what Gina was doing. In fact, everything pointed to the fact that Jared had changed his mind about his plan to sabotage his brother’s project. But Gina had disappeared, packed up her clothes and personal items and vanished. There was some suspicion that he’d warned her, but once they’d traced his movements, it became clear that he’d been nowhere near Gina for weeks.
His assistant picked him up, a capable man who had been with him for years, he’d gotten Jared a new cell phone and arranged for a vehicle for him to drive. He wanted to see Nicole, needed desperately to make her understand that he’d had nothing to d
o with the sabotage of the mine. But when he got inside his apartment, exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he barely made it to the bed before he was asleep.
It had been two days since she’d arrived at the main house and Nicole was sure that she’d only slept a few hours in all that time. She was completely exhausted but her brain just couldn’t seem to shut down. Every time she shut her eyes the choices she had to make flooded her brain. Tonight, she hadn’t even tried to go to sleep, instead she’d grabbed a warm blanket and settled down on the balcony outside her room.
Being outside seemed to calm her nerves, the sounds of the night like gentle soothing music, but the sound of a car coming down the drive interrupted the quiet. It was nearly midnight and the house had been silent for hours, but obviously not everyone had made it home for the night. When the car finally pulled up in front of the house, she didn’t recognize it, but she did recognize the man who stepped out of it.
She’d know Jared’s walk anywhere, and as he got closer to the house, his features became clear. It was no secret that Seth had asked Jared to stay away from all of them until things had sorted themselves out, and it wasn’t going to be a good thing if he was caught sneaking around the house at night. Jumping to her feet, she leaned over the railing and softly called his name.
He was just about to go in the front door, but changed course when he saw her standing on the balcony. “What are you doing here?” Nicole asked, as quietly as she could.
“I had to see you.”
Nicole’s heart was pounding in her chest, part of her had hoped that Jared would come looking for her, and part of her wished he’d just stay away. She’d still made no decision about the baby, it had been too much of a shock, too much to cope with after learning that Jared had been using her. But she couldn’t turn him away, no matter that she knew she should, so she motioned for him to come to her room.
Have My Twins : BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 16) Page 11
