Southern Romantic-Suspense Boxed Set (Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel Book 0)

by Carmen DeSousa

  “No, Jaynee! Don’t you dare! Don’t you do this to me again, dammit! How much longer, Caycee?”

  Wiping the tears from her eyes, Caycee glanced at the GPS. “Five minutes at this pace. Can’t you go faster, Corey?” she screamed.

  “I’m pushing the pedal to the floor,” Corey retorted.

  Jaynee was quiet in Jordan’s arms, and he searched for a pulse. “NO!”

  Repositioning Jaynee so she was on the seat and he was above her, he found his mark directly below her breastbone and started chest compressions. Caycee continued to sob from the front seat and he wanted to scream at her to stop, but he kept his rhythm steady. As long as he didn’t stop, the heart would be okay for twenty minutes or more. He wouldn’t give up. Jaynee wouldn’t give up. She was strong-willed.

  “Call the hospital again, Caycee!” Jordan ordered. “Tell them her heart stopped and we need someone outside waiting.”

  Caycee did as instructed, but because of her crying, she had to explain several times.

  Finally, Jordan saw the lights and signs directing them to the ER. Corey hadn’t slowed a fraction as he rounded the corner, nearly coming up on two wheels.

  The crash cart was there, and Jordan didn’t wait for the vehicle to stop before swinging open the door, lifting Jaynee out. The men reached for her, but Jordan bounded through them, resting her on the gurney.

  “Go!” he shouted as more doctors and nurses poured through the doors. “We’re both cops. She has three gunshot wounds in her back. She stopped breathing a few minutes ago, but I’ve kept chest compressions going.”

  Jordan watched helplessly as they wheeled his life into one of the waiting ER rooms and closed the sliding glass doors behind them. Caycee was on his heels, still whimpering.

  “Why did she do it? Why would she throw herself in front of me?” Caycee moaned.

  “Because she’s Jaynee,” Jordan answered simply. His head fell into his hands, and he felt himself shrink to the floor. “Because she’s the most amazing, loving woman in the world, and no one appreciates her, no one understands what she does for all of us.” Caycee fell down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. “Please don’t, Caycee. I’m trying not to blame you, but please just go away and leave me with my wife.”

  Caycee retracted her arms, but didn’t leave. “I love her too, Jordan. She’s all I have. I have no family, no friends. She is a part of me, the very best part of me.”

  Jordan ignored her. He didn’t care what she felt. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t entered their lives. If she hadn’t been so self-centered to leave in the first place. His eyes shot open. He felt nothing. No spark, no electricity, nothing when Caycee had touched him.

  “What?” she asked frantically.

  “I felt nothing when you touched me. Jaynee’s gone. She’s gone!” Standing, he careened toward the room. A sliding glass door separated him from his wife. The emergency staff hadn’t given up yet, though, or they would have come out. There was still a chance.

  The doors opened minutes later and all was quiet. Jordan shook his head as the tears fell noiselessly down his face. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be true. God wouldn’t allow this to happen. Not like this. They were supposed to grow old together, have tons of grandchildren, and retire happily. Their love story couldn’t end like this.

  The medical crew left the room single file, the final physician pausing at the door. “We’re sorry. We did everything we could.”

  Again, Jordan just shook his head. Corey had just made it to his side, wearing one of his shirts, and Caycee stepped up on his other side. Jordan crossed over the threshold that separated the corridor from the cold antiseptic-scented room. Jaynee was on the bed, as she’d been so many years earlier. She’d survived last time with a gunshot wound to the head. No one had thought she would survive, and yet, she’d come back to him.

  “Jaynee,” he sobbed uncontrollably, shaking his head back and forth, looking to the heavens for an answer. “Why? I don’t understand. Why like this? She has young children who need her.” Jordan struggled to get a grip, but he couldn’t make sense of it all. It didn’t seem possible. He held her hand in his, pressing it to his lips, it was still warm. His legs gave way and he fell to his knees. He couldn’t handle this. He couldn’t lose Jaynee. How would he live? How would he subsist even one day without her?

  Corey lifted him up against his side, leading him to a chair. But Jordan pushed back, declining to sit, refusing comfort. He didn’t want comfort from anyone but his wife. Only Jaynee could subdue him, love him. What would he become without her tender and thoughtfulness soothing his very nature? They rounded each other perfectly. How would he live even a day without hearing her voice, touching her face? He wouldn’t be able to handle life … he’d — he grabbed the hand as it touched his shoulder, whipping around and drawing up in a fighter’s stance.

  Caycee drew back her hand, stepping back reflexively. “Jordan,” she whispered. “May I have a minute with Jaynee alone?”

  Jordan loosened his position, terrified at the hatred that suddenly filled his core. “You’ve done all the damage you can. What difference does it matter now?” Corey’s eyes searched his, assessing his manner, no doubt. Corey didn’t understand where his hatred was coming from. What could Caycee have possibly done to elicit this response? “Go ahead,” he grumbled, not having the strength to fight for anything anymore. His life ended the moment Jaynee’s had. He’d live for his children, he knew, but … Without Jaynee … He dropped his head … Nothing would ever be the same.

  Caycee pushed by him, stepping into the room and pulling the door closed behind her. She drew the curtain back and Jordan was happy he couldn’t see her face. Her beautiful face with a beast inside. A beast who’d stolen his wife’s very soul. He needed to get out of here, run, flee the hospital, return to his children.

  His wife was gone and nothing could change that. All the love he had would evaporate with her. He knew he could never be happy again, but he would have to fake it every day of his life — for his children. Another wave of emotion rocked his body and he found himself on the ground again. This time, Corey let him plummet to his knees, but remained close.

  “I hate her,” Jordan spat. “This is all her fault. She did this. From the beginning, she wanted something different and caused this chain reaction, this unnatural occurrence.”

  Corey’s eyes widened. “Jordan, what are you talking about?”

  “Caycee. She shouldn’t exist. Jaynee is their soul; Jaynee is the one who should be alive, not Caycee.”

  “You’re scaring me. You aren’t making sense, man.”

  Jordan stood up suddenly. “Caycee shouldn’t exist! If Caycee is alive, then so is Jaynee. I can save her. They gave up too quickly.” He headed toward the door, but Corey obstructed his path.

  “No, Jordan! I won’t allow you to hurt Caycee. She did nothing wrong. Jaynee chose to throw herself in the line of fire to save her sister.”

  “Don’t you understand?” Jordan seethed. “They’re not sisters. Caycee is a part of Jaynee, the rebellious part, the part who shouldn’t exist. Jaynee’s forgiven for her past, she left her life. She doesn’t deserve to die for her past sins; she’s forgiven.” Jordan shoved Corey out of the way, pulling the door and curtain back with one hand. His other ready to extricate Corey again if needed.

  But it wasn’t necessary. Both men stood motionless in the doorway. Jaynee’s heart monitor sounded out a rhythm. Though fast, it was clearly a heartbeat. Caycee had disappeared, only her clothes laid out in a straight line beside Jaynee were visible.

  For the first time today, Jordan was thinking clearly. Moving quickly, he chose a bag marked personal belongings and stuffed Caycee’s items inside the bag. Then he pressed the call button.

  “Yes,” a bored voice came over the tiny speaker on the bed.

  “My wife is alive. I need a doctor immediately,” Jordan demanded. He put his hand on Jaynee’s forehead, pulling back her bangs to reve
al the tiny scar at her hairline. “My wife is alive,” he repeated, a cry of relief in his voice.

  Corey moved through the room in confusion. He searched under the bed and in the cabinet. Caycee was gone. But he hadn’t seen her leave. “Jordan, what’s going on? Where’s Caycee?”

  “Back where she belongs,” he answered simply. “Back where she belongs.” And Jordan felt the tiniest fraction of hope. God had provided them with a miracle.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Within seconds, the RN who’d been with Jaynee at her death came bursting through the doorway.

  The woman’s face revealed the shock of someone who’d never seen a miracle. She barked orders to the other medical staff. She pushed the call button again, spouting off instructions to ready the O.R.

  Jaynee was stable for the moment, but they still needed to operate to remove the bullets and suture any internal organs. Jordan beckoned Corey out of the hospital staff’s way. Corey’s expression exposed his utter confusion of the events that had just transpired. Jordan prayed with everything he had, then pulled out his phone and called Sissy; it was early, but she would answer.

  “Sissy,” Jordan blurted out as soon as she picked up. Her voice was groggy. “Start the prayer chain. We need everyone. Jaynee needs prayer; she’s going into O.R. right now. I need everyone.”

  “I’m on it!” Sissy wasted no time with apologies or questions. She hung up quickly so she could begin her circuit. Exactly what Jordan knew she would do, the reason he’d called her and not Rachael, or even his mother for that matter. He dialed another number and waited for the familiar voice to pick up. “Brian, it’s Jordan. Jaynee is in trouble. She’s been shot; I need your prayers, man.”

  “Will do. I’ll call my staff at the church right now. We have a prayer line setup. You okay?”

  “I will be when Jaynee comes through.”

  “I’m on it, Jordan. Everyone in Florida will be praying for her before I’m through. I’ll let you go.”

  “Thanks, man.” Jordan hung up and called Lorraine and John. They went to a different church and would get another chain going. He didn’t call Jaynee’s family yet. That would be a totally different conversation, and he wasn’t ready for that confrontation yet.

  Corey just stood beside him, barely uttering a breath. Jordan looked to him. “Do you pray?”

  “I’ll admit it has been a while, but I’m a believer, Jordan, and I have been praying. Please tell me what’s going on. Where’s Caycee?” Jordan noticed for the first time that there were tears in Corey’s eyes. He had forgotten in all the commotion that Corey had been in love with the other half of his wife, the half who shouldn’t have existed, but he didn’t know that.

  What Corey did know was that something wasn’t right. The woman he’d waited sixteen years to talk with, the woman he’d rescued, the woman who’d willingly taken his hand tonight had now vanished into thin air, and Jaynee had miraculously come back to life after her doing so. Jordan could see how that would be confusing.

  Jordan walked toward a small bench alongside the wall where they’d wheeled Jaynee. It would be hours and a nurse was sure to move them somewhere soon, but until then, he would stay as close as possible.

  Corey followed behind Jordan like a lost puppy, as he knew he would. How much should he tell him? How much would he believe? He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t witnessed the situation with his own eyes. Even up to the point of Caycee’s abduction, he had still been slightly skeptical. Something in the back of his mind had argued that his wife had gone insane … that she’d fabricated an alter ego, that the missing scar had been a trick of makeup. But seeing the two of them together had alleviated every doubt his mind had conjured up. Watching Caycee walk into that hospital room and disappear had strengthened his faith that anything was possible.

  “Jordan?” Corey’s eyes were pleading, desperate. “Where’s Caycee?”

  “I’m sorry, Corey. I truly am. I know you won’t believe me, and it’s a very long story, but Caycee is gone.”

  Corey’s eyes were bewildered, but still anxious. “I want to know. I need to understand what happened.”

  So he knew something wasn’t normal. He knew Caycee hadn’t just disappeared; that would help Jordan with his explanation.

  “First of all, let me begin by telling you I’m not crazy, and I really don’t care if you believe what I’m going to tell you, and I’ll deny it if you ever repeat it to anyone. The only reason I’m telling you is that I can see how much you loved Caycee and don’t want you to spend the rest of your life searching for her.” Jordan inhaled a deep breath, shaking his head at the insanity of it all. “Now, I don’t know the entire story, but I received the condensed version from Caycee and witnessed the miracle first hand as did you. I’ll do my best to keep this brief.”

  Jordan went on to explain the phenomenon, starting at the beginning how they’d met and the traumatic events. He detailed best he could how just a few weeks ago the women had found each other and decided to meet and the switch, which Corey already knew about. He told him how he’d discovered the switch, leaving out the personal details of the previous night and morning. From there, Corey had witnessed events firsthand.

  When Jordan finished, Corey jumped up, shaking his head. “So, one woman split in two and lived two entirely different lives with the same name, same birth date, and same social-security number. How do you expect me to believe that?”

  Jordan shrugged. “I don’t expect you to believe anything. I didn’t believe it until I saw both women side by side. You saw the evidence. They have the same name and social-security number, and I imagine if you lifted fingerprints at Caycee’s apartment and off her personal items and compared them to Jaynee’s, they’d be the same as well. As I said, I don’t care if you believe, and I’ll never utter a word about this again as long as I live. Caycee is gone, Jaynee is alive, and I just thought you should know.”

  Corey slumped against the wall as if stunned. He’d either have to accept the circumstances as Jordan explained them or he’d go looking for Caycee. Jordan waited while Corey seemed to deliberate the situation.

  Corey’s eyes finally turned back to Jordan. “So, she’s gone. Caycee is gone, or is that Caycee in there?” he ventured.

  “She’s my wife. Her name may be Caycee Jaynee, but she is Jaynee to me, and She Belongs to Me.” Jordan’s voice took on an edge that even he hadn’t heard in years. He’d had to deal with men who were in love with his wife in the past, and oddly enough, he’d become friends with one and remained friends with another. He wasn’t sure he wanted to repeat that pattern.

  Corey’s hands flew up in defense. “I didn’t mean that, Jordan. I wouldn’t dream of interfering with another man’s marriage. I just wondered if maybe they’d removed Jaynee, and somehow, Caycee’s in there with something other than a gunshot wound. I don’t know what I’m thinking. I’m simply trying to wrap my head around all of this. I’m trying to imagine that the woman I’ve loved for sixteen years has vanished from the face of the earth. It’s a little hard to swallow.”

  Jordan nodded appreciatively. “I’m sorry about that, and I’m grateful for everything, Corey. I don’t know that I would have found my wife if not for you.”

  Corey whooshed out a breath and rubbed his fist back and forth across his mouth. “I’m not sure what to do. I guess I’ll have to figure it out in the morning. But right now, I need to call the local police and file a report. I’m sure they’ll need a statement from you as well. And,” he hesitated, “I need to call Sheila. I should be the one to break the news about her husband.”

  “I’d offer to help, but I’m not leaving my wife’s side. Sorry,” Jordan said honestly.

  “I understand. I’ll be back later.” Corey squeezed Jordan on the shoulder. “I’ll continue to pray, Jordan. You’re good people. I’m glad to have met you.” And with that, Corey walked away, but not before Jordan witnessed the water in his eyes.

  For some reason, Corey had accep
ted his outrageous story, as there was no other rational explanation for the events, but Jordan knew he had to be in pain. How did one accept the fact that they would never be able to see the one they loved ever again? It was as though Caycee had died now instead of Jaynee. Though, there was some comfort in knowing that she really hadn’t died; she was a part of Jaynee.

  It made Jordan wonder. Would Jaynee be different? Would she be the same woman he’d known all these years? He’d fallen in love with her as Caycee Jaynee, but then she’d split after his proposal. What did that mean?

  Would the person who wakes up be Caycee, who lived in New York, or would she be Jaynee and want to come home with him? He hadn’t thought of the conundrum. Caycee might have fused back with Jaynee, but would she be Jaynee or Caycee when she woke up — if she woke up?

  ***

  The room was dark. The darkest room she’d ever been in. She tried to adjust her eyes to make out shapes, but there was nothing, nothing but bitter darkness. She heard talking, but she couldn’t make out all of her words; they were just muffled cries. It was so strange to hear her cry. In the last few weeks, she’d come to think of her as the tough half.

  But she’d been crying uncontrollably. She felt guilty and wanted to make amends, something about promising she wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, but Jaynee didn’t feel hurt, and she couldn’t hear Caycee anymore. All she heard were murmurs and beeping. The incessant, familiar beeping. She’d heard it before, eons ago, a faded memory.

  Where was Jordan? Hadn’t he rescued her? Why wasn’t he here now? The room was so miserable and cold that she longed to feel his arms around her. Maybe she’d only dreamt that Jordan had found her. Maybe she was still inside that damp, dark cabin that had been her prison for days. Had Ben forgotten her? No … it’d been Sheila … She couldn’t remember.

  She couldn’t think. A thick haze filled her head, making it hard to concentrate. She sifted through the events of the last week. Caycee had been with her, and they’d been waiting for Ben. Jordan had found her, she was certain of it. He was with another man, a cop, it looked like, but no one she’d recognized.