“It shows,” the mother said. “Come with me. I brought a cooler with water and juice packs. We have a few minutes before the adventures of weeding start.” Olivia was grateful for the drink. Summer in Boston was hot and humid.
“Miss Livias, alls the tomatoes are gone,” one little girl yelled from across the garden. Olivia looked up and smiled.
“I guess break time is over. Thanks for the drink.” She went back to her charges and spent the rest of the afternoon showing them how to weed. Even after they left, she stayed as other members of the garden came and went, tending the garden and harvesting vegetables for their families. Olivia worked until sunset, the honest work tiring her muscles and rejuvenating her soul. She walked out with a young couple just as the sun dipped behind the horizon.
“It was nice to meet you, Olivia. Are you sure you don’t want any of the carrots or lettuce we picked? You’re leaving empty-handed, and it looks like you put in a lot of work today.”
“Thanks, Lucinda,” Olivia replied. “Trust me, I’ve taken more than my fair share from the garden at other times, so I needed to give back today,” Olivia said sincerely. She thought about the joy the children had provided her and knew that her answer was the honest truth.
“Well okay. Are you going to South Station?” Kevin asked, naming the subway station closest to the garden. Olivia nodded. “We’ll walk with you.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Olivia said. She enjoyed meeting the young couple and hearing about their life together. Kevin insisted on waiting with her until she got onto her train, and then they waved good-bye. They were good people, Olivia thought, happy that her charity sponsored the community garden that helped provide for them. Moments like these made her realize it was worth putting up with the Paul and Kathy Stevenses of the world.
By the time she got on the subway line closer to downtown Boston, near AHC headquarters, she noticed people avoiding the seats next to her. She looked down and saw all the dirt on herself and chuckled. When she looked over at the window to see her reflection, she saw that dirt was smeared all over her face. She really looked like one of the homeless people AHC tried to help. She was going to have to shower in her office before changing clothes.
When she got off on her stop, people stepped back to let her off first, not wanting to brush up against her. She had a quick flashback to her childhood, but she shoved it aside and walked with her head high. It was two blocks to her building. AHC took up two floors of the high-rise building. She took pride in that. Olivia was blessed. While working on her MBA a few years back, she had come up with the idea for American Humanity Connection. She had been so excited about the vision, Olivia had shared it with her foster parents, Butch and Betty Hutchins. They in turn had told her foster brothers Sam Booth and Chance Reynolds. Chance, CFO for a world-renowned investment firm at the time, had loved the idea. By the time she completed her dissertation, he and Olivia had started the charity.
That was seven years ago. Later, when Chance had cashed out of his job with a golden parachute, he threw money and time at the AHC project, leaving her to head the organization. The trajectory of the charity skyrocketed, and Olivia found herself working seventy hours a week, doing something she loved, helping people and employing over a hundred people. It was a dream come true.
Still smiling about the accomplishments of AHC, she didn’t notice the two men in suits rushing through the lobby toward her, as she got out her key to open the glass door. One big man shoved through the door, sending Olivia crashing to the sidewalk, hitting her head hard on the pavement, the key flying out of her hand.
“Damn it, Burt! Nobody was supposed to see us,” the second man said. Olivia looked up through blurry eyes, unable to focus or get up.
The man named Burt looked down at her. “And nobody did see us. Look at it, it’s a nobody. Help me pick it up.” The two men each grabbed one of Olivia’s arms, yanking her up. She yelped in pain as one of her arms was pulled of its socket.
The smaller man looked up at the security camera above the door, “Careful, Burt! Let’s make this look like we’re taking her to a shelter, until we get out of sight. We’re businessmen. Remember? The boss doesn’t want us attracting any notice. We knocked over a homeless woman, now we’re taking her to a shelter, got it?” He started walking her between them down the street.
“Shelton, we copied Prescott’s hard drive like we were supposed to. The break-in was flawless. We can’t have any witnesses. We can’t take this to a shelter.” Burt shuddered in distaste.
Olivia realized just how much trouble she was in and started to struggle. She opened her mouth to yell, but the smaller man put his arm around her neck and squeezed. They continued forcing her down the block to the subway station, then turned the corner to an alley. Olivia knew this alley. It was where a lot of transients slept because of the grates that released heated air from the subway tunnels at night.
“No cameras here, Shelton. Let’s just break her neck,” the big guy named Burt said.
“What about them?” the man with his arm around her neck asked, indicating the motionless bodies huddled beneath tattered blankets.
“They just want to be left alone. Trust me, this place is perfect,” the Burt said. “So let’s break her neck.”
“Can’t do that. Check her for ID. We need to make sure she’s just a homeless person. After all, why was she trying to get into the AHC building?” Olivia cringed as Burt groped her, but he cringed just as much, so he didn’t find her pouch containing her ID.
“Nothing.”
“Good, now we need to make it look like a turf thing between homeless people. We’ll just beat her, and she’ll be dead by morning. Nobody’ll ask any questions. A broken neck will look suspicious and might cause the cops to start asking questions and the boss will ask us questions. We don’t want that, now do we, Burt?”
Shelton’s arm was still around her neck. Olivia couldn’t say a word. She was stunned. A beating? Dead by morning? That was when Burt’s fist hit her in the stomach, and she heaved forward, Shelton finally releasing her. She felt Shelton’s shoe as it kicked her in the ribs, then Burt’s foot connected with her hip. She screamed, and Shelton picked up her head and slammed it into the pavement. That was the last thing she remembered.
* * * *
“You’ve got to stick with us. Can you open your eyes?”
“I’m getting a pulse, but barely. Call ahead, she’s going to need surgery for all of this internal hemorrhaging.”
“Can you open your eyes?”
Hurts.
“Damn it, we’re losing her. I don’t think she’s going to make it.”
Don’t want to die, want more.
Chapter 2
“Nurse, I think she’s waking up.” Olivia thought she recognized that voice.
“Honey, I’m sure it’s just that eye flutter, we’ve talked about it before. Coma patients do that. We know you want her to wake up, but it’s been three weeks, and that’s a long time for someone to be in a coma.”
“Now, you listen to me, young lady! This was more than an eye flutter, she squeezed my hand. You go call the doctor. Olivia is waking up.”
Betty, the voice belonged to Betty, Olivia thought. She sounded angry and scared. Angry was okay, but she didn’t like to hear Betty scared. She remembered when Butch had been diagnosed with cancer, then Betty had been scared.
“Olivia Ann Prescott, you listen to me! I’ve had enough of this nonsense. You open your eyes right now!” Olivia opened her eyes to see what was scaring Betty, but she didn’t look scared, she looked surprised. It was all very confusing. She had to close her eyes, because the light hurt her head.
“Keep your eyes open, Olivia,” Betty demanded.
“Light hurts, can’t,” Olivia whispered. God her throat hurt.
“Oh, my baby.” Olivia felt Betty’s arm wrap around her, her face pressed into her neck, and then she felt Betty’s tears dripping into her hair. Olivia tried to lift her arm to comfort her, b
ut she couldn’t. It was at that moment that she realized she couldn’t really move, and she hurt all over.
“Betty, what?” It was all she could manage to say, but Betty seemed to understand.
“You were beaten, you almost died, and you’ve been in a coma.” God bless Betty, she always knew to give it to her fast and straight.
“Permanent?” Olivia managed to ask.
“Are you asking if there is permanent damage, honey?” Olivia gave a slight nod, and pain shot through her head.
“They think everything physical is okay. Your internal organs were pretty badly damaged, and you required multiple surgeries, but they think they fixed everything. You lost one ovary, but you will still be able to have children.” Olivia opened her eyes despite the pain. Betty had shut the blinds and turned down the lights, so it wasn’t as bad.
“Promise? Children? Promise?”
“Yes, baby, I promise.” Tears rolled down Betty’s cheeks.
“What else?” Olivia watched as her foster mother’s eyes cut away from her, then focused back on her.
“Brain damage. They’re worried about brain damage. There was no way to know until you woke up and they could run tests. I’d say this conversation indicates you’re fine, but there was a lot of trauma to your head, honey.”
“Thank you.” At Betty’s perplexed expression, and considering the specter of brain damage, Olivia took the time to work her sore throat and explain. “Thank you for telling me everything.” Olivia had to take a long pause and swallow a couple of times before she could continue. “I couldn’t handle not knowing the truth.” Olivia gave her a wobbly smile.
“Olivia, we made a pact when you were six years old, that no matter how bad it was, I would tell you the truth. You made me cross my heart and do a spit handshake. I will never go back on that promise.” Olivia burst into tears as the doctor entered the room.
* * * *
A week later they were ready to release her. Betty hadn’t left. She had booked a hotel close by the hospital and had been staying there since learning of Olivia’s injuries. Now Olivia was going to be released and was insisting on going home to her condominium in Boston. It was a high-rise with concierge service. Olivia had already hired a nursing service to be with her at night, as recommended by the doctor, and this way she could still have people from AHC come over to her place during the day and conduct meetings. The doctor said that was against his recommendations. He said that she really needed at least a month of rest to totally recuperate. Work was the last thing she should be doing. He explained that with the broken ribs she suffered, she should not be sitting up at a computer. With the internal injuries, she should still lie down at least a half hour every two hours for the next three weeks. He also said that for her head injury the last thing she should be doing was working on a computer for the next six weeks. Additionally, he recommended at least two naps each day.
Betty used her best mother voice to get Olivia to fall into line, but neither the doctor nor Betty seemed to be able to talk sense into Olivia. The day that Olivia was due to be released, she received a new visitor at the hospital, her foster brother Chance Reynolds.
“Olivia, I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” He scooped her up in his arms and gave her a big hug, careful not to put too much pressure on her torso.
“That’s not true! I hear you were here for a week and a half, along with your family,” Olivia corrected him.
“Yeah, but not to see you. I was just here to make sure AHC was running properly, since you decided to flake on us,” he teased. “God, girl, you look good.”
“Chance, you’ve been Skyping with me damn near every day. You know what I look like. I’m doing fine,” Olivia insisted.
“Yeah, well, Betty just told me you shouldn’t have been on the computer,” Chance admonished.
“I think they mean spreadsheets and e-mail, not Skype.”
“Shit, Olivia, did you even bother to ask, or did you just make an assumption?”
“Not you, too! Look, Chance, I’m a big girl. You, more than anyone, know what I’m capable of. You know my background. I can take care of this. So back off, I’ve got it handled! Where is that damn nurse with my wheelchair? Adam should be waiting for me out front.”
“Actually, he’s not. Adam is not taking you to your condo,” Chance informed her.
“What the hell are you talking about, Chance? I already told Betty I’m not going home with her.” Olivia looked over Chance’s shoulder, making sure Betty wasn’t around, but she lowered her voice anyway. “Betty and Butch aren’t as young as they used to be! They don’t need a thirty-something foster baby convalescing in their home. I’ve hired a nurse, I’m covered,” she assured him.
“I totally agree with you.”
“Good, then where is Adam?” Olivia asked.
“He’s at the office, where he has worked with the system administrator to turn off all of your passwords. Currently, all of your e-mails have been forwarded to me and him, so we’ve been handling all of your duties since you’ve been out of commission. It’s been a headache and a half. I’ve told Adam to hire two full-time assistants. The reason your passwords were cut off today is simple. I don’t want you to be able to access anything, on any of the servers. You, my dear, don’t get to work. Your idea of part-time work is against doctor’s orders and won’t be tolerated. You’re cut off. If you disagree, I’ll bar you from the Atlanta project, even when the doctor declares you fit for duty again.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she breathed.
“Try me.”
“That still doesn’t explain why Adam isn’t here to take me to my condo.”
“Simple, you’re coming home with me.” Chance grinned.
“No, I’m not.” The man is out of his mind.
“I’ve built a guest cottage since you were there last. You’ll love it,” he said, still grinning.
“When did you do that?” she asked suspiciously.
“Construction began four weeks ago.” The man was out of his mind.
“You have a new baby,” Olivia countered.
“We need a babysitter,” Chance answered.
“That’s just so you can have wild, three-way sex,” she said, referring to his unconventional polyamorous marriage.
“Wild, three-way sex is the glue that keeps a marriage together.”
“I can’t possibly come to your house,” she objected again, but she felt herself weakening.
“Olivia, we’re family. It’s not just me who wants you there, it’s Sam and Josie, too. You mean the world to us, and we worry.” He brought her into his arms again, and Olivia felt a rock lifting from her chest. The idea of going home with Chance sounded much better than going back to her condo to be cared for by some stranger.
“Just so long as I know that I’m not imposing,” she qualified.
“You’ll go down for naps with Lissa, and then when you both wake up, you’ll be stuck babysitting. So no, no imposition at all,” he assured her.
“Okay, it’s a deal.” He hugged her again, and Olivia found herself clinging to him.
“So now that it’s settled, can I come in now?” Betty asked.
“Yes, Mama Betty, I have our chick coming home.” Chance chuckled.
“Thank God.” Betty came over and kissed Olivia on the cheek. “I’m positive Fate Harbor is just what you need, honey,” Betty said.
Chapter 3
Rick picked up the rag-tag bunch from SeaTac airport. They could barely put one foot in front of the other. They’d been in Montana for the last ten days, fighting a twenty-thousand-acre fire. Dane and Eric had ended up on the south side, which was upwind, while Ian and Joshua had been in the thick of it on the north, which was downwind. Two men had lost their lives near them. On Wednesday, the people of Fate Harbor had worried it had been Ian and Joshua, until Eric had gotten word to them that the pair were still alive.
Rick and Bob were volunteer firefighters with just a year’s experience.
They had remained at home to tend to the more “routine emergencies,” while the other men, with between six and ten years on the job, were often called for big forest fires out of state. Dane and Eric were both smoke jumpers, while Ian and Joshua had backgrounds in arson investigation because of their law enforcement backgrounds.
“How was everything at home?” Eric asked Rick. Eric was the fire chief at Fate Harbor.
“Quiet,” Rick said succinctly.
“Good,” Eric said tiredly. “We could have taken a shuttle, but I appreciate the ride.”
“Jace loaned me his Suburban,” Rick said, referring to a mutual friend. “I’m giving you each curbside service to your homes.”
After fifteen minutes of silence, Rick turned on a classic rock station and finished the two-hour drive to Fate Harbor. He periodically looked in the back seats and saw that two of the men had fallen asleep, while the other two had that far-off stare that told him they were reliving their experiences in Montana.
Rick wasn’t sure if he was ever going to be ready to tackle the kind of forest fires that these men fought regularly. Men actually died.
“We’re here,” Rick said as he stopped in front of the house the Johansen brothers shared. Eric roused himself from his musings and pushed his brother Dane awake.
“What?” Dane asked.
“We’re here,” Eric repeated. Dane yawned and crawled out of the Suburban, going to the back to retrieve their duffels. “Thanks for the ride, Rick,” Eric said tiredly. Rick watched as both made their way into the house.
“Who’s next?” he asked Ian and Joshua.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ian answered. Rick aimed for the house that was more like a cabin on the outskirts of town. Ian seemed to like the privacy. Rick noticed that Ian leaned forward with his hands clasped as they drove down the long private drive to his home. Before the vehicle was even stopped, Ian was up and beginning to slide open the side door. Joshua pulled the duffel from the back and threw it to his friend.
Protecting Olivia [Fate Harbor 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2
