Vegas Sunrise

by Fern Michaels

  “I did that, Mrs. Thornton.”

  “Reed. My name is Reed now.”

  “My apologies. A gold box for Mr. Ash and silver one for Mr. Simon.”

  “That’s fine. Thank you,” Fanny said as she extended her credit card.

  Back on the road to the mountain, Fanny started to cry.

  “Now what’s wrong, Fanny? That was a nice thing you did back there. Simon distinguished himself in the war. That should never be negated. Burying his wings is a good thing. I’m sure he’s aware of what you’re doing. Is that why you’re crying?”

  “I guess so. It’s sad. I cared for him very much at one time. These wings are all that’s left.”

  “Some people don’t leave that much behind, Fanny. It’s the way it is.”

  “When I go, Ash, what will I be leaving behind? Tell me. I need to know.”

  “The family. Our children, their children. No one has a right to ask for more.”

  “It seems like there should be more. You know, something people can look at and say, Fanny Logan Thornton Reed did that.”

  “That’s pretty selfish coming from you. There can’t be anything more important in this world than family. Mom and Dad started it. You and I took over. Now it’s our children’s turn. I’m so goddamn proud of that, Fanny, I could just bust. I know in my gut Jake is going to . . . I don’t know what he’s going to do, but he’s going to do something to distinguish himself at some point in his life. You wait and see.”

  “Okay, Ash.”

  “Okay, Ash. That’s it?”

  “Okay, Ash, you’re right. I knew that, I was just testing you. You passed the test.”

  “I had a hell of a teacher, Fanny. Thanks.”

  “Take care of the kids, okay.”

  “You bet.”

  16

  Sage wasn’t sure how long he’d been alone. Minutes, hours? He wasn’t even sure how he knew there was no one behind him. He’d lost track of time a long time ago. All he knew was that he was alive, he was numb with cold, and no one had answered his hoarse shouts for a long time. He needed to rest, to swallow a little snow. He allowed himself to crumple into the snow.

  He knew he was on higher ground because the trees were denser. The scent of pine resin was sharp in his nostrils. The air was thinner, singeing his throat and lungs. He felt as though he’d used the last of his strength. Would he be able to get up and move again? He shouted Ruby’s name again, as loud as he could. It was less windy now, the snow lighter, or else it was a hopeless wish on his part. He looked upward, blinking to clear his vision. Black clouds scudded across the sky. He stumbled and fell, picked himself up, and stumbled again, landing facedown in the snow. He cursed under his breath, every dirty word he’d ever heard. Where in the hell was he? He shouted Ruby’s name again to no avail.

  Sage’s legs refused to hold him upright. He dropped to his knees and crawled upward, his movements automatic, robotic. He hunkered into his coat and crawled forward as swirl after swirl of snow slapped and stung his face. Now the snow was thicker, heavier, the wind strong and gusty. Then he tripped and fell, his face smashing into something cold and hard, something that wasn’t snow. The breath knocked from his body, he fought his fear as he tried to calm himself. Was it a rock, a large boulder, a clump of granite? His numb hands brushed at the snow. He worked feverishly, his breathing ragged and shallow. He had to stop three times to fight off momentary bouts of dizziness. He wouldn’t give up. He couldn’t. Birch was out here and Birch needed him.

  Minutes later he saw the shiny black machine that to his eye looked like a giant bumblebee with tail feathers. The key. Where was the key? Was this the snowmobile Metaxas’s friend said he would leave? One machine? Were there more? He called Ruby’s name again and again until his voice was little more than a croak. He could hear Ruby’s name echo down the mountain. He waited to see if his own name could be heard. All he could hear was the sound of the storm all around him.

  Sage dug farther, his hands everywhere as he searched for the other machines. There should be seven. Or was it six? He couldn’t remember. Would the machine start? He said a small prayer as he turned the key. He almost fainted when the engine turned over. “Oh, baby, I’m in business now,” he chortled as he climbed into the seat. He angled the machine to the left as he catapulted from the drift. Seconds later he was skimming off into blind whiteness. He slowed the machine as he tried desperately to get his bearings. Better to continue upward to the lodge and start from there. Up, up, the machine went, straining, the engine whining and struggling to do his bidding. He veered sharply to the right as a copse of trees came into view.

  What seemed like an eternity later he saw a dim light ahead. The lodge? He offered up another prayer. The barn! He slowed the snowmobile, then cut the engine. A minute later he was in the barn, staring at the oil lamps and the line of snowmobiles on their track. Four machines were missing. Four! Birch and Libby? Who were three and four? People from the lodge?

  Sage ran from the barn to the snowmobile and climbed on. He pressed the gas pedal and roared to the entrance of the lodge. He left the engine running while he ran into the lodge, shouting to anyone who could hear him. He listened to the night clerk as his heart thundered in his chest. “What time is it?” he bellowed. “Ten o’clock! That means he has a two-hour head start on me. If they find their way back, tell them . . . hell, you know what to tell them.”

  Sage raced back to the barn and gassed his machine, topping it off. At the last second he filled two gallon plastic containers with extra gas and put them on the seat next to him. He was off, snow spewing behind him in a six-foot wake. His goggles in place, he could see faint signs of tracks from a previous machine. He switched on the light, hoping the glow would outline the tracks. It did nothing. Better to save the battery and blow the horn. He let loose with a loud blast. There was no return blast. He stopped, climbed out, and looked at the ground. He was definitely following a set of tracks. He pressed the horn again and again. He peeled off in a rain of snow. Every other minute he leaned on his horn.

  The snow was coming down harder, almost in sheets, the wind furious and wicked, the visibility at zero minus. He blew the horn again. I’m coming, Birch. I’m coming. From somewhere off to his left he thought he heard a return blast. He blew the horn again and waited, his ears straining to hear any sound other than the howling wind. He heard it then, the faint sound of a matching horn. He swerved the snow machine and headed in what he thought was the direction of the sound he’d just heard. He tapped the horn again and again, then switched on the light. When he saw a flicker of light in the distance, he almost jumped out of his skin. He no longer felt the cold or the numbness. He pressed the horn for a full minute. The return blast of sound was closer, a tenth of a mile if that far. He flicked the light on and off as he tapped the horn again, two long blasts and one short one. He was closer now, the light ahead more visible, the sound of the horn sharper.

  The sound of the double engines ahead roared in his eardrums as he brought his machine to a stop. “Birch!”

  “Sage! Jesus, is it really you, Sage! How the hell did you get here? Christ, I can’t believe this!”

  “That about sums up my feeling, but it’s me, frozen balls and all. I take it you haven’t had any luck.”

  “Diddly.”

  “I got separated from Metaxas and Ruby and the guys he brought with him. I found the snowmobiles by accident. At one point they were behind me. I’ve never heard of a storm like this much less been in one. We can catch up on the bullshit stuff later. Should we fan out or stick together? This stuff ain’t lettin’ up at all. I don’t think I have any skin left on my face.”

  “We have to stick together and hope Metaxas and the others find the snowmobiles like you did. I’m afraid to go too far. We brought extra gas, but under these conditions we don’t know how long it will last.”

  “I brought two cans. Birch, can Sunny survive this? I’ve tried not to think about it since leaving the lodge. I thought
it was you. All my instincts said it was you who was in trouble. I didn’t have a clue that it was Sunny and Harry. I thought you were in trouble.”

  “Take a good look at me, Sage. I am in trouble. Libby and I’ve been looking for Sunny for almost three hours. We’re down to the wire here, gas-wise, and I can’t see two inches in front of my face. She’s smart, but she isn’t in good physical shape. Neither is Harry. I’m not really hopeful. If the goddamn snow would just let up, we might have a fighting chance. I won’t give up if that’s your next question.”

  “I’m here. I was traveling blind. You saw my light and heard my horn. Maybe if we keep doing that, she’ll hear us. The same goes for Metaxas and Ruby. If you have a better idea, I’d like to hear it.”

  “Let’s try to think like Sunny. She would have been cautious. Harry more so. That leads me to believe they headed in a straight line thinking they’d follow their tracks back when they had enough. I think they would have planned on about thirty minutes to ride like the wind and then another thirty to get back. Do you see anything wrong with what I just said?”

  “One little thing. One of their snowmobiles ran out of gas and the other one didn’t have a full tank. There is no place to hole up around here. The snow is drifting as fast as it falls. I don’t think they took extra gas. They wouldn’t think they needed it. They could huddle together for body warmth, but they’re both so damn skinny I doubt they have an extra ounce of fat between them. I do think they took some stuff from the supply closet, but I don’t know what. They’re the ones who lit the first lantern in the barn. Libby and I lit the rest of them. We at least know they were thinking.”

  “Now we have to worry about Ruby and Metaxas.”

  “They’ll be fine. Picture Metaxas in your mind’s eye. Do you think for one minute he’d let anything, and I include this pissy-assed storm as he would call it, interfere with his plans? I don’t think so. He’ll protect Ruby with his life. How far do you think this is from the lodge? Do you see them getting this far?”

  “Three, maybe four miles. No. That’s why we stopped. That’s how we heard you. We were trying to decide if we should head back. We did stop from time to time and veered off for about a quarter of a mile each way. We didn’t want to lose sight of our original tracks. They’re probably frozen to death somewhere, Sage.”

  “I don’t want to hear that, Birch. I didn’t come all this way and almost get killed to hear you talk like that. We’re just blowing smoke. Let’s head back before the tracks fill in. Ten minutes and we’ll stop. We’ll flash our lights and blow all three horns. Every ten minutes, Birch. You okay with that?”

  “Okay, I’ll take the lead, Libby behind me. You bring up the rear.”

  Two long, endless hours passed. Birch tapped his horn and brought his machine to a stop. “I have a quarter of a tank of gas left. Let’s blast the horns for thirty seconds. Lights on for ten seconds and then off for ten seconds. Libby and I will have to head back to the barn to refuel. You’ll have to come with us. We can’t afford to lose you, too. Metaxas should have found us by now. Or else he’s out of gas the way we are. The other possibility is he didn’t find the snowmobiles the way you did. Okay, horns and lights.”

  “I thought I heard something. Did you hear something, Birch?”

  Libby and Birch both shook their heads. Sage felt his shoulders slump. “I’m not imagining it, I think I heard something. Let’s try it again.”

  “There. What was that sound? It came from the left.”

  “It’s a snowmobile,” Birch shouted. “It’s a whole line of them.”

  “It’s Metaxas and Ruby,” Sage cried. His shoulders straightened immediately.

  The line of machines growled and snarled as they came to a grinding halt. Metaxas’s voice was the roar of a lion. “Any luck?”

  “None. We’re almost out of gas. We’re about four miles from the lodge. We were going to head back to gas up.”

  “We’ll follow you. We’re almost out, too. Lead the way, son.”

  “Wait a minute. If Birch is here, with Libby, who are we looking for?” Ruby shouted.

  Sage shouted in return, “Sunny and Harry. They’ve been out here since around two this morning.”

  “Oh my God!”

  “Don’t you go bawling on me now, Ruby. We’ll find her. I give you my word. You okay with my word, sweet baby?”

  “Yes. Yes, I’m okay with it, Metaxas.”

  Sage jerked his hand forward, a signal for Birch to lead the way back to the barn.

  It was nine hours to the minute since Sunny and Harry had careened out of the barn to play in the snow.

  Nine hours of gale-force winds, heavy snow, and single-digit temperatures.

  Fanny knocked on the kitchen door. It felt strange to be knocking on the door of her own house.

  “Fanny! What’s wrong? Has something happened to Sage? What are you doing here? Tell me the truth.”

  “Iris, nothing’s wrong. I came to visit. Billie and Bess went home. I just wanted to be in familiar surroundings. Marcus woke up this morning.”

  “Fanny, how wonderful! I’m so happy for you. I prayed every single night. The kids did, too. I know Sage did, too. I knew he’d come out of it okay. I just made coffee. Would you like some?”

  “Silly girl. I’d love some. Marcus is . . . they said . . . what they said was . . . I don’t know if I believe them or not . . . but they said he has brain damage. They said his life as he knew it is over. It’s like he’s an eleven-year-old. He didn’t know me or John. I want to cry, but the tears won’t come. There is so much I don’t understand. When I make a mistake the world grinds to a halt. How are you, honey? You look a little peaked to me.”

  “It’s a lot of things, Fanny. It’s not my pregnancy. I feel physically fine. Mentally I’m a basket case. I’m truly sorry I went off on you, Fanny. Things got out of hand. I guess I let them get to that point. I should have confronted Sage. Instead I decided to be a martyr. Suspicion is so deadly. Part of me, the good part, knows Sage would never betray me. The other part of me, the bad part, says men are men and some men get caught up in things they can’t handle. Birch could handle something like that but not Sage. I don’t know how I know this. It’s a feeling, okay.”

  “Where did this come from, Iris? Sage was deliriously happy about your pregnancy. Does this have anything to do with Jeff?”

  “Yes. Fanny, I sank so low I followed Sage and spied on him. Then I had Ruby follow him and spy on him. I hate myself for doing that. But, to answer your question, Sage had the card key to Room 719.”

  “How do you know that, Iris?”

  “I saw it. He was in the garage one evening for a long time. He acted strange when he came in. That night he threw his suit on the chair and I went through it to check his pockets because I was going to town the next day and would drop off the cleaning. Then Sage brings it back at the end of the week. The card was in his pocket. I left it there. The next morning I pretended to be asleep and I watched him take it out and put it inside his jacket. He didn’t go to work that day. I was so devastated. No offense, Fanny, but everyone in this family knows what Room 719 was used for. I thought of it as like father, like son. I’m so sorry I didn’t have more faith in Sage. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to him. All I’ve been doing is watching the weather channel. That storm is absolutely horrendous. I’m worried sick.”

  Fanny thought about the obscene pictures in her purse. Instinctively, she clasped it tighter in her lap. “Iris, look at me. Your husband, my son, did not have an affair with his brother’s wife. I want you to believe that.”

  “Sage said he didn’t like Celia from the moment he set eyes on her. She spooked him that day at the airport, and then he said she was evil. He sounded so sincere. He even hired a private detective to look into her background. I don’t know if he got a report back or not. Please don’t tell anyone I told you that. Birch would never understand something like that.”

  “I won’t tell anyone. Tell me something, Iris.
Now that the kids are here, does Sage still sleep soundly?”

  “If you mean can I still bang a metal pan with a metal spoon in his ear, yes. He barely wakes up when the alarm goes off.”

  “Birch is the same way. Nothing wakes those two. Do you ever push him out of bed or make him roll over, that kind of thing?”

  “I pushed him out of bed one night and he slept the rest of the night on the floor. He was snoring so loud I couldn’t stand it. I asked John Noble about it once, and he said lots of people are sound sleepers. He said it wasn’t anything to worry about. Why do you ask?”

  “It’s one of those things mothers like to know,” Fanny said lightly.

  “Is there anything I can do for you, Fanny?”

  “I wish there was. You did your share helping Billie out. I’m having a hard time with that. She’s seeing a shrink today. That’s the first step. We’ll take it one day at a time. Recognizing and dealing with it up front is the second step. I feel confident my daughter will get a handle on it.”

  “Oh, Fanny, I know she will. I’ll help in any way I can. I think we should talk about Celia, Fanny.”

  “What good will that do?”

  “She’s going to cause trouble. I can understand Birch getting carried away with her. She’s so beautiful she takes my breath away. That stupendous figure of hers is to die for. I hope Ruby didn’t make a mistake by hiring her.”

  “I hope so, too. I just adore Ruby. She fits in like she was meant to be in this family.”

  “She belongs, Fanny. She’s one of us. She tried so hard not to step on toes in the beginning. We all went to her with our problems because . . . because you were doing other things, and we didn’t t want to intrude. She made it clear from the beginning that she was a temporary stand-in for you. She bought a ten-million-dollar plane for Birch and Sage. Can you believe that?”

  “Ruby’s like that. She’s a wonderful friend. Ash loved her in the end. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I think she feels the same way. You’re right. She belongs to this family. She earned her place.”