The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  “Pardon?”

  “It’s your turn. We’ll stay at your place for this week. I’ll go in early to get dressed for work and grab some stuff to bring back,” he said as he opened the passenger door for her. “We’ll stay at the condo next week.”

  “I suppose that’s as good a plan as any. Thanks, Sport. You get to win the next one.” Laurie slipped into the silver car.

  As they drove toward Bolingbrook, Ross finally asked the million dollar question. “Have you decided what you’re going to do about the Miller Foundation?”

  Laurie sighed and stared out the window. “Do you have that stupid paper my father sent with you?”

  “It’s in my briefcase in the trunk.”

  “I’ll sign the damn thing when we get home. At least my dad will be happy. I’m gonna need to help Andrew find someone to replace me at the clinic. Maybe I can steer some Foundation money his way when I get the reins.”

  There was hurt in her voice, but Ross didn’t know exactly what he could do to help her. This was a family matter, and he wasn’t at all sure how the Miller clan would to react to his hasty initiation into their ranks. His opinion probably wouldn’t be welcomed. Besides, he’d just side with Laurie and not even listen to her parents’ arguments. “Isn’t there anybody else who could take the job?”

  Laurie kept looking out the window. “Probably. But I promised my father. It’s Dad’s charity, and I’m his only child.” She suddenly stopped and turned to stare at Ross with wide eyes. “We haven’t told our families we got married. Or Deepika and Andrew. God, they’ll be mad.”

  “Yeah, I thought about that too. Sheila’s gonna be really pissed off. We probably should’ve called them all, but I wanted it to just be us for the first couple of days. Besides, you know what they say about what happens in Vegas.” When she didn’t laugh, Ross tried comfort instead of humor. He reached over to take her hand then rested their joined hands on her thigh. “We can tell everyone when we see them. You should probably call your parents when you get home. What time is it in Paris?”

  “Too early. I’ll call them later.” She paused for a moment of reflection. “Mama won’t be surprised.”

  “Seriously? I can’t believe she wouldn’t be at least a little surprised.”

  Laurie shook her head and the corner of her mouth lifted in a half-hearted grin. “I think she knew before she left. She told me her intuition gets a little stronger every year. She knew about the attack. I’ll bet she already knows we got married.”

  “Creepy.” Ross had to wonder for a moment exactly how much more powerful Laurie’s gifts would become and how that would affect their relationship.

  “Quit looking so worried.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her.

  “I can’t read you, remember?”

  That wasn’t a comforting notion when she seemed to be reading his mind at that moment.

  * * * *

  Deepika seemed to take the news well, if “well” meant dropping the dish she’d been pulling out of the dishwasher. “Are you out of your bloody mind?”

  “Ah, come on, Deepika,” Laurie said. “It’s not like I’m eighteen-years old. We’re not kids. We don’t have to date for years to know we belong together. Just because you and Andrew want to wait doesn’t mean Ross and I have to.”

  “We’re not talking about me and Andrew, are we?” Deepika shot a rather stern glower at Ross. Laurie knew he would be scowling back if he hadn’t promised to be on his best behavior. He stood aside and let Laurie and Deepika work through their differences.

  Laurie had hoped her friend would be more supportive, but then she realized exactly how she would react if she found herself in Deepika’s shoes. Although Deepika read of annoyance, she also nearly overflowed with genuine concern. “It’ll be fine. Ross and I love each other. We’ll make this work.”

  Deepika still cast a wary eye his direction. “Can you read him yet?”

  Laurie shook her head.

  “Well, the wanker better not be after your money.”

  “Hey. That was out of line,” Ross scolded as he pushed himself away from the wall he’d been leaning against. He strode over to Laurie’s side.

  “Both of you stop it,” Laurie demanded. “Ross, why don’t you take our stuff upstairs?” When he hesitated and sent an angry frown toward Deepika, Laurie resorted to begging. “Please? Just give us a minute alone. Okay?”

  “Fine,” he said as he grabbed their bags. At the bottom of the steps, Ross turned back to the women. “Look, Deepika, I don’t want us to get off on the wrong foot. I love Laurie. I don’t need her money. I just need her. I’ll draw up a prenup if that would make you happy. I don’t want a dime of the Miller money.”

  Laurie almost wept at his beautiful words. “See?” she asked her roommate. She was glad to see her friend look a little repentant. “See?”

  “I’m sorry, Laurie. I was just...surprised. It’s not like you to run away and do something as insane as getting married. Come on, I’ll make us some tea. We can talk.”

  * * * *

  Ross threw their bags on the unmade bed and frowned. The room looked exactly as it had before Laurie’s attack—clutter and all. While he knew she had to be pleased things were back to “normal,” he sure wasn’t. And the mess itself represented the least of his worries.

  There was so much of her everywhere. In each piece of furniture, in every article of clothing, in every knick-knack. Each pictures held its own story like a separate piece of the puzzle of Laurie’s life. The bedroom had obviously been her sanctuary. He suddenly realized his reticence at staying at her house hadn’t been entirely about travel time to Chicago. He didn’t belong here.

  Unpacking his bag, Ross opened a couple of dresser drawers and searched for a place to put his neatly folded clothes. He couldn’t find enough room anywhere. Part of the problem seemed to be that Laurie had a penchant for shoving her clean clothes into any place she could find space. There was no order, no organization. Ross wondered how she could possibly find anything in all the confusion. He slammed the drawers shut and walked to the closet.

  “Holy crap,” he exclaimed as a few items fell at his feet as soon as he opened the door. Compared to his walk-in closet with each shirt and suit crisply starched and hanging in neat, color-coordinated rows, everything in her closet had been literally thrown inside. Some shirts hung lopsided on bent hangers. Jeans and pants sat in piles on top of a mound of shoes on the closet floor. Out of habit, Ross began to hang up her clothes and try to sort them into some sort of pattern.

  “What are you doing?”

  He jumped at her overly loud question. “Hey, Laurie. I was just picking up.”

  “Please don’t.”

  Was she kidding? He frowned at her. “How can you find anything? This place is a disaster area.” He didn’t like the angry look on her face, so he tried to lighten the mood. “Someone should call FEMA. Maybe some of their workers can come. I mean, it looks like a hurricane blew through here. They wouldn’t know the difference.” She scowled at him. So much for humor.

  “If you need a place to put your things, I’ll make some room for you. But you don’t need to pick up my stuff. I like it exactly where it is.”

  “But—”

  “No.”

  “But—”

  “I mean it. This is my house and...” She suddenly stopped talking and closed her eyes. Her sigh floated through the tense air.

  Ross shook his head and added his sigh to hers. “Your house, huh? Boy, this married stuff isn’t gonna be easy, is it?”

  “I’m so sorry, Ross. I didn’t mean...”

  He shook his head again. Ross knew Laurie didn’t intend anything malicious, and he also knew she loved him. But two people who had lived alone for so long would have to make some definite adjustments. And some sacrifices. “I know you’re sorry, but you’re right. This is your house. You and Deepika live here. I don’t. Where exactly am I going to fit in here?” He breathed another sigh. “Where do I
fit into your life, Laurie?”

  She ran across the room and threw herself against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. “You’ll fit,” she insisted. “You will. You’ll fit just fine.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “God, I hope so.” She chuckled. “What?”

  “I know one place you fit perfectly.” She slipped her arms around his neck, pushed her fingers through his hair, and kissed him deeply. When she finally pulled away, she whispered, “We’ll make this work, Ross. I promise.”

  “Or die trying.”

  “Let’s clear some space for you,” Laurie said as she left his arms and walked over to the closet. She just stood and stared at her clothes and shoes for a few moments. “You know what?”

  Ross raised an eyebrow.

  “This place is a mess, isn’t it? How about we take some time to see if you can help me make some sense of it?”

  “Sure. But I don’t think I could make it look like my condo.”

  Laurie snorted a laugh. “God, I hope not. This place could never be that neat. Deepika and I just have too much...stuff.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “And what’s wrong with my condo?”

  She acted like she was at least trying to stop laughing. Ross tried to keep a rein on his irritation at her teasing. “Nothing. Really. It’s just so friggin’ clean. I was afraid to touch anything.”

  “That bad?”

  “Oh, yeah. Any obsessive-compulsive would feel right at home.”

  “Thanks a heap.”

  From the look on her face, Ross realized Laurie was having a moment of inspiration. “I’ll make you a deal,” she offered.

  He arched his eyebrow again.

  “You help me organize some of this clutter, and I’ll try to keep things picked up a little better.”

  Ross smiled at the fact she was willing to bend, so he offered a small sacrifice of his own. “And I’ll quit trying to be so anal retentive.”

  She smiled back, and the genuine love in her expression made him want to forget all about straightening the room.

  “Then, when we go to the condo, I’ll see what I can do to make it a little more...homey.”

  “You want to change my condo?”

  “Our condo,” Laurie corrected. “Quit scowling. I won’t ruin the place. Compromise. Remember?”

  “Deal. Now get over here and kiss your husband.”

  * * * *

  As Ross walked into the office, Sheila fell into Bruiser’s arms in a feigned swoon.

  “Not funny,” Ross scolded as he strode right by them.

  “How’s Laurie? Getting over her aches and pains? Did Las Vegas do the trick?” Sheila asked as she followed him into his inner sanctum with Bruiser close on her heels. “Did you make any money?”

  Ross gave Sheila an enormous smile, which he hoped threw her entirely off her game.

  “What?” she asked.

  He just kept grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  “Stop it,” she scolded. “You’re scaring me. If you’re not careful, your face’ll freeze like that and you won’t be able to frighten small children anymore. What about your girlfriend?”

  He couldn’t resist having the upper hand with his feisty assistant for once. “She’s not my girlfriend anymore.”

  “You guys broke up?” Sheila smacked the heel of her hand to her forehead. “You moron. I liked her. She was good for you. She was... If you broke up, why in the hell are you still smiling?”

  “Because.”

  Sheila gave him an exasperated sigh. “I hate it when you say that. Because why?”

  “Because she’s my wife.”

  “Your what?”

  “My wife.”

  “Your wife?” Her squeal was loud enough it could probably be heard by virtually everyone at O’Connor, LaGrange, Rowland and Associates. Ross figured the ever-efficient grapevine had already begun to greedily pass along the information.

  Bruiser appeared highly amused by the revelation. “How’d you manage to pull that off so quickly?”

  “You mean getting the wedding together or convincing her to marry me?” Ross asked.

  “Both,” Sheila interjected as she seemed to get herself back in hand.

  “Well, you knew we went to Vegas. The Bellagio had a couple of wedding chapels, and we just said, ‘What the hell?’” Ross explained as he set his briefcase on his desk and popped it open.

  Sheila scrunched up her nose and squinted her eyes as she seemed to think the whole thing over for a moment. She finally shook her head. “Nah. I know you better than that. You never do anything on the spur of the moment.”

  “Well, I did this time.” He reached into the briefcase and retrieved the gift Laurie had selected for Sheila. “Here. My wife picked this out for you for helping arrange the trip.”

  “Your wife. I’m not sure I can get used to that. Might take me awhile to wrap my mind around it.” Sheila took the box and ripped off the wrapping paper. Lifting the lid, she picked up the gold pin in the shape of a roulette wheel. “Holy cow. It’s gorgeous.” As she attached it to her green sweater, she said, “Nice bribe, but I’m still not convinced you didn’t plan to get married before you left. And I still want a raise.”

  “Honest. We didn’t plan it,” Ross assured as Sheila grabbed his left hand and stared at the gold band he now wore as if she had just seen it.

  She looked properly befuddled. “Wow. You actually let go for once. You really love her, don’t you?”

  Ross nodded.

  Bruiser chuckled and slapped Ross on the back. “Careful. Once they’ve got their claws in you, you’re toast. Sheila leads me around by the ring she put through my nose. Not meanin’ to change the subject, but you ready for a report on that Richards guy?”

  Sheila excused herself to go back to the enormous pile of work on her desk while Bruiser settled himself in one of the client chairs. Ross took off his suit jacket and hung it in the small closet before sitting in his chair. “So what exactly is going on?” he asked the detective.

  “You know, that guy’s a scary little twitch.” Bruiser pulled a packet of pictures out of his pocket and tossed them across the desk. “Seems to enjoy hangin’ around watchin’ Doc’s house and her clinic.”

  Ross shuffled through the photos and pulled out one showing Alex walking into Laurie’s clinic. He held it for Bruiser to see. “When did you take this one?”

  “That was right before she got hurt. Same day, I think.”

  “How long was he there?”

  Bruiser smiled and asked with an amused tone to his voice, “Do I detect a note of jealousy there, Kennedy?”

  Ross gave the private investigator an irritated scowl. “How long was he there, Bruiser?”

  Bruiser took a small steno book out of his jacket pocket and flipped through a few pages. “That day? Only about fifteen minutes. Not enough time to do any damage.” He snorted a small laugh. “Well, not long enough to do any fun damage. Left the place in a big enough huff. I wondered if he was a pissed off patient.”

  “Is he still hanging around?” Ross asked as he continued to shuffle through the stack of pictures.

  “I lost him.”

  Ross glanced up at Bruiser. “You lost him? When?”

  Bruiser shrugged. “Sometime Saturday.” Ross gave him an annoyed glare, and Bruiser held his hands up in defense. “I know, I know. Not my usual precision work. But Sheila and her family had plans, and I figured with Doc out of town with you, she was safe enough. He slipped away pretty quick, so I went with Sheila instead of followin’ him.”

  “It’s okay, Bruiser. You’re entitled to a life. And it’s not like we know for sure he’s the one who hurt Laurie.”

  “Yeah, but I’d bet my best boots on it. Shit, the guy’s wrong on a whole lotta levels. Sheila says he gives her the willies, and you know how good her instincts are. Do you want me to pick him up? Maybe have a long talk with him?”

  Ross almost smiled at the notion of Bru
iser taking a chunk out of Alex Richards. “I’m sure you’d be very...persuasive. But, no, not yet. I want to know what his game is first. What did you find out about his background?”

  Bruiser flipped through a few more pages of his book. “Born in Chicago. Father killed in a car accident right after he was born. Mother was an alcoholic. Disappeared when Alex was seven. Mostly raised by a lunatic of a grandpa who died in an old folk’s home several years back. Now get this. The crazy grandpa did some hard time for manslaughter. He took out some old gangster. I haven’t got all the details on it yet, but I’m still diggin’.”

  Ross sat for a moment and absorbed the information. The news of the gangster’s murder sent a red flag soaring in Ross’s mind, but he couldn’t figure out exactly why it bothered him so much. “What’s his connection to Laurie?” he finally asked.

  “Doc? You know, I’m not real sure. Since you didn’t want me to grill her, I haven’t had much to go on.”

  “But he spends his time just watching her house and the clinic?”

  Bruiser nodded. “I told you, he’s a scary little twitch. He disappears every now and then, and even I can’t find him. But he always comes back to wherever Doc is. It’s like he can sniff her out better than a bloodhound. I’ll catch his trail again and keep an eye on Doc since she’s back.” He flipped his notebook closed and shoved it back in his pocket. “Can I talk to her now? It might clear things up if I could ask her some questions.”

  Ross nodded. “But there’s no need to scare her. She’s got enough to deal with. Keep it casual. And you check in on her a couple of times during the day. I’ll be with her at night. Thanks a bunch, Bruiser. Keep me informed.”

  * * * *

  Laurie walked Miguel to the exit. He kept turning back to ask, “You’re sure you’ll be here, Dr. Miller?”

  “Yes, Miguel. I’ll be here for a little while longer. I’m sorry I was gone, but I told you I was hurt. I’m better now. I’ll be here for your next appointment. And we’re going to find someone else you can see.”

  “When?”