by Kathryn Shay
“Grandpa!” Kassie screamed. “I gotta go with Grandpa.”
O’Roarke looked over. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, there isn’t room in the rescue truck.” He caught Vanessa’s gaze. “Can you bring her to Memorial?”
“Of course.”
Carrying Chase on the backboard, the men and one woman hurried away. Crying, Kassie turned into Vanessa. She held the girl while she sobbed. “Let it all out, honey.”
Dane approached them. “We’re going to need a statement from Kassie.”
“Of course. But could you meet us at the hospital and ask her there? She’s inconsolable now.”
“Whatever you say, Madam Mayor.”
Her arm tight around Kassie, they made their way to the car. She eased Kassie onto the front seat and buckled her in.
Then she went around the other side and got in.
Together, the two females who loved Chase Talbot began the drive to Rockford Memorial.
Chapter 22
* * *
Joe swore vilely as he rolled over in bed and groped for his phone on the nightstand. “Santori.”
“Joey, Ben Cordaro here.”
Immediately, he came awake and sat up. “Ben, who’s hurt?”
“Chief Talbot. He’s been shot near the shoulder and chest joint. Long story and we still don’t know all the details. We’re activating the emergency call list. Battalion Chiefs are phoning officers. Contact your group so they don’t hear about it on the television or their devices. It’s going to hit the news any minute.”
“How’s the chief?”
“The mayor said he was going into surgery. Look, I have others to call. Are you all right?”
“Sure. Let me know what happens.”
Joe sat up in bed. His head pounded and his mouth tasted like shit. He checked the clock. Two a.m. He’d passed out about midnight. After he’d talked to Holly.
Holly. Oh, shit.
“Stop,” he told himself. “Call the group.”
After he got in touch with everybody, he showered and dressed. Refusing to rehash in his mind what he’d done yesterday, he made himself coffee. His stomach roiled as he paced the kitchen. Man, he hoped the chief didn’t die. He waited a half hour then looked for his keys. Now he remembered. Wally had dropped him and Cilla off here. He picked up the phone to call an Uber. He’d go to the hospital and check on the chief.
* * *
Vanessa bit the inside of her mouth to keep the emotion back. Kassie, who again clung to her, needed someone strong, and apparently she was the one. They’d put ice on Kassie’s bruised face, and now sat together as firefighters piled into the waiting room.
It wasn’t long before Dane approached them. “Vanessa.”
“Dane.”
“Can I talk to her now?”
“Let’s see.” She kissed Kassie’s head. “Kass, the police need some information.”
Since Chase had gone into surgery an hour ago, Kassie had cried during the twenty minutes on ice compress, but seemed to have calmed. “’Kay.” She sat up, but grasped onto Vanessa’s hand.
“I’m Dane Corrigan, the police chief.” She saw Dane’s jaw tighten when he got a look at her red eyes and discolored cheek. “Can you tell us what happened tonight? Start from when you left your house.”
“I-I...” She bit her lip. “I went outside and hid in the bushes so I could hear what my...my moth...that woman said to Grandpa. She...she wanted money for him to keep me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“She said Grandpa had already paid her ten thousand dollars. I got mad that he didn’t tell me about her coming here. I...left.”
“Where did you go?”
“Down the street. Next thing I knew, a truck pulled up and she got out. She asked me to go with her, that I misunderstood what happened and she’d tell me the truth. So I went.”
“What’d she tell you?”
“Nothing in the car. She said we had to get back to her house before we could talk.” Now Kassie’s face reddened even more. “I was so stupid. When we got to that dumpy trailer, she didn’t talk. The guy—Randall—dragged me to the bathroom and locked me in. There was a latch on the outside of the door, not just on the inside.”
“Did you stay in there the whole time?”
“No.” Her eyes filled. “A while later, he unlocked the door. I saw behind him that she was asleep on the bed. He looked at me funny, then said I was pretty and he wanted...a piece.”
“Oh, God.” Vanessa tightened her grip on Kassie’s hand.
“Did he touch you?” Dane asked, his voice gravelly.
“He hit me when I said no. I was stupid not to lock the door from the inside, but while they were in the bedroom, I got the shower head off and banged him over the head with it. The noise woke up my mother. They had a big fight and he left on his motorcycle.”
Dane sighed. “Good girl, Kassie. What happened next?”
“She pushed me back into the bathroom and locked the door again. Then I remembered to lock it from the inside.”
“Is that all?”
“Until I heard the commotion. And my mother screaming. It got quiet, though, then Grandpa was there talking to me all calm, like he always does. He said to come out.” Tears welled in her eyes. “He came for me and got hurt.” She looked over at Vanessa. “Is he gonna be okay?”
Don’t give false hope. “I think the doctor has to answer that, Kassie.”
“When’s he coming out to talk to us?”
“As soon as he finishes the surgery.”
“That firefighter at the scene said the bullet went right through him.”
“I know, Kass. But it did some damage.”
Dane stood. Vanessa saw concern in his eyes. Chase could die from his wounds, they both knew.
And so they waited. Vanessa kept up a front for the firefighters and police who were there, trying to be careful that she showed only the right amount of concern as the mayor. But it was hard. She recognized a lot of the members of the departments, but was surprised when Joe Santori came through the door. She wondered why. Were he and Chase close?
After a while, Kassie went limp in her arms. Gently she stretched the girl out as much as she could on the double vinyl seat. She placed a call to Chase’s sister Melinda, then settled in to wait.
After an excruciating two hours, the doctor came out. He went up to Ben Cordaro and the two of them approached Kassie and Vanessa. The man still wore scrubs, and spatters of blood dotted his chest. Chase’s blood. Oh, God.
“Dr. Franklin, this is Mayor Jordan.” He pointed to Kass. “That’s Kassie Talbot, Chase’s granddaughter.”
Kassie roused and sat up again. “Is it over? Is he dead?”
“No, he’s not dead,” Franklin said quickly. “He survived the surgery. No vital organs or arteries were hit. But he lost a lot of blood. We have to wait until he wakes up to see how he is.”
Vanessa knew there was an if in there. If he woke up. But she clung to the good news. “Kassie, did you hear that?”
“He didn’t die.”
“And we have to have faith that he’ll wake up.”
“More waiting.”
“Yeah, more waiting.”
* * *
Holly awoke with a start. She’d been dreaming about Joe. And they were fighting. She glanced at the clock. Five. Hell, she’d only gotten a few hours of sleep. Laying back, she remembered what happened.
Would you have slept with her?
I don’t know. I thought you were with Greg.
Her throat got tight. To stem the emotion, she whipped off the blanket and got out of bed. After hitting the bathroom, she went out to the kitchen and switched on the Keurig. Then she sat down at the table and saw the note to herself that she’d written last night. She reread it.
The intense, intimate lovemaking of the morning...the dustup about volunteering...the stupid fight over her going to his volleyball game...he called, she didn’t answer...he texted, she didn’t answe
r...
She stared at the list of mistakes they’d both made. They could have gotten over everything if he hadn’t been with Cilla...but now being with him was out of the question. Disgusted, she picked up the paper, ripped it in half and threw it in the garbage.
Do what you’d normally do today. She’d read the newspaper online. Booting up the computer she’d left on the kitchen table, she waited. Her gaze traveled to Joe’s deck which she could see from here. Maybe she should look in the paper’s real estate section for another place to live.
When the computer was ready, she clicked into the Rockford Sentinel’s online news.
A big photo of the police flanking a woman in flex cuffs. A picture of firefighters carrying someone on a stretcher. And...oh, my God, her mother being held back by a police officer. There was a second shot of her mother holding a crying child in her arms.
The caption: A kidnapping, an arrest, the fire chief shot and the mayor involved in the thick of it.
Holly’s heartbeat escalated as she read the story. The details were incredible. Where was her mother now? Holly bolted up and found her phone on the nightstand. She punched in her mother’s number. A few rings, then, “Vanessa Jordan.”
“Mom, it’s Holly. I saw the paper online. Are you all right?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Where are you?”
“At Memorial Hospital.”
“The fire chief got hurt.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
Should she tell her mom about the headline in the paper? Not yet. “Is he...the employee you care about?”
“Yes.”
“Hold on, then. I’ll be right there.”
* * *
By five o’clock, Chase still hadn’t woken up, and many of the firefighters cleared out to go to their shifts. Vanessa noticed Ben Cordaro, Dylan O’Roarke, Joe Santori and a handful of others stayed. Kassie had fallen asleep again on the double seat after Vanessa had gotten a pillow and a blanket from a nurse.
“Madam Mayor?”
Vanessa looked up. “Ben.”
“That’s Chase’s granddaughter, right?”
“Yes. I went to the scene when I knew who was involved, and someone had to bring Kassie here.”
He nodded to the girl. “How’s she doing?”
“Not well. You know her father died, and she hadn’t seen her mother in years. This, on top of her lingering grief about Scott’s death, is overwhelming.”
“I’m sorry. Chase has two girls, right?”
“The other’s home with his sister. I called her, told her what happened, but Colette was asleep so she decided she wouldn’t wake her.” Vanessa checked her watch. “But we’ll have to deal with that soon.” Too late, she realized she used we. Included herself in the family. But then again, Ben knew they’d been together at the conference hotel, so what did it matter?
“Mom?”
Vanessa turned. Holly had come up to her in the waiting room. “Hi, honey.” They hugged. When they drew back, she introduced Holly to Ben. “You didn’t have to come here.”
“Of course I did.” She looked at Kassie. “How’s his granddaughter?”
“Shaken, she...”
Holly held up her hand. “I already know what happened.”
“How?”
“I was about to tell you,” Ben said.
“Tell me what?”
“The events of the night hit the news, Mom.”
Ben held up his phone. “It’s online. If there’s anything I can do to help you, Madam Mayor, let me know.”
When he left, she and Holly took chairs across from Kassie. Holly got out her phone. Vanessa gasped as she saw the headline. “Oh, Lord. I wasn’t thinking about publicity when I went to Chase’s house to help him through this.”
“You care about him, don’t you?”
She looked at her daughter. “I’m in love with him, Holly.” She gestured to the phone. “This publicity is going to be a mess.”
“Did you consider that when you went to his house?”
“No, and you know what? The hell with it all. I’m not giving him up, anyway. We’ll deal with everything when he wakes up.”
“So it’s that serious between you two?”
“Yes.”
Gently, Holly grasped her hand. “Then we have to have faith that he’ll recover.”
He had to. Vanessa couldn’t imagine the worst. She wouldn’t! As Holly said, she’d have faith.
* * *
Joe stared over at the two women holding hands by the sleeping girl. He’d been shocked when Holly walked into the waiting room. He didn’t know why the mayor was here with the girl or why her daughter had come to the hospital. Then again, who the hell knew why the mayor did anything!
Even without a lot of sleep, she looked lovely in a purple sweat suit, sneakers and a headband holding all that gorgeous hair back. Shit, shit, shit. He couldn’t believe how badly he’d blown their relationship. If they hadn’t fought...if she’d answered the phone or texts...if he hadn’t jumped to conclusions about Rossi...if he hadn’t had a lot to drink... He sure knew how to make a mess of things.
Ben Cordaro rejoined him and the others. Joe said, “I can’t believe the mayor is this close with the chief and his family. Word has it they fought like cats and dogs for years.”
Dylan, who’d also come to the hospital, chuckled. “How can you not believe it? Look at me and Beth. Delaney and Reed. We were all adversaries who fell in love.”
Joe sat back some. “In love? Do you think they are?”
“Look at her with his granddaughter. And she seems overwrought. Who’s the girl with her?”
“Her daughter,” Joe put in. “She must have seen the news and come in.”
Again, a doctor entered the waiting room. “Is that the chief’s doctor?”
“Yeah.” Ben’s voice was grave.
Joe watched the scene. The doctor spoke to both women. The mayor clapped her hands over her mouth...and wow, began to cry. Holly slid her arm around Vanessa’s shoulders. Oh, no, had the chief died?
* * *
Holly hadn’t seen Joe until he and two firefighters approached them after the doctor left. One of the men asked, “What happened?”
Her mom pulled herself together. Holly had seen her break down only once before this—when their family found out about her affair. Shakily, she said, “He’s okay. He woke up minutes ago.”
Ben blew out a heavy breath. “Thank the Lord.”
The others uttered words of celebration as well.
“Is there anything we can do for you and Kassie, Vanessa?”
“No, Ben, thanks. Dr. Franklin told us Kassie can go in. I was about to wake her up. He said someone should go with her. Would you like to?”
“No, you go. She obviously leans on you. We’ll get coffee. Come on guys, I’m buying.”
Without speaking to her, Joe left with the others. It was hard to see him. She’d been so focused on the chief, she hadn’t let herself consider what happened last night. This morning he looked like he had a kicker of a hangover.
She heard behind her, “Kassie, wake up.”
Kassie came awake slowly. She frowned when she saw Vanessa. “Your grandfather’s going to be all right. Want to go see him?”
She stood and her eyes teared. “Yeah, I want to go see him. You have to come with me.”
“All right, honey.”
Holly sat back down while a nurse accompanied them into the recovery area. She breathed a sigh of relief and thought of how gentle and kind her mother was with the girl. Instead of being hurt by the connection, Holly was glad her mom hadn’t lost that part of herself.
“Holly?”
She looked up. Joe stood there holding out a cup. “I brought you some coffee. Black.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I sit down?”
She nodded.
For a minute, neither talked. They quietly sipped their drinks. Finally, Joe said, “I’m sorry abo
ut yesterday and last night, Holly.”
“All right. I accept your apology. And let me say I’m sorry for my part in it. Not answering your calls or texts.”
“Where does this leave us?”
Damn him. Even with bloodshot eyes, a growth of beard and his complexion a little gray, he looked wonderful to her. “You know where, Joe. When you said you didn’t know if you would have slept with Cilla, that ended things.”
“We’re ending our relationship because of something I might have done?”
“I don’t want to be involved with a man who might sleep with another woman if we have a fight.”
“I told you I thought you were with Rossi. You said you were going to see him after the art show.”
“I didn’t go.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. I went to see my mother instead. To talk about you and our future.”
His eyes flamed like the fires he fought. “You’re kidding, right? You didn’t break it off with Rossi because we had a fight? What were you thinking, that you’d string him along until you decided about me? This was after the incredible night we spent in bed.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Yeah, well maybe it wasn’t like you thought it was with Cilla, either.” He stood and stalked away from her.
* * *
Chase had been burned badly once, and the pain in his shoulder now equaled that torture. The area throbbed. His head pounded like a jackhammer. And he was sore in every muscle and fiber of his body. But his condition didn’t matter once his granddaughter, with Vanessa holding her hand, walked through the door. Kassie raced to the side of the bed. And halted abruptly.
“You can hug me, honey, this is my good side.”
Leaning over, she lay her head on his arm. When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry you got hurt, Grandpa. I shouldn’t have run away.”
“We’ll deal with that later.” Though he was incredibly sore, he moved a few inches to the left. “Slide up here with me.” When she did, he cuddled her close. Kassie practically melted into his side.
And started sobbing.
He looked at Vanessa in panic.
“She needs to get it out,” Vanessa whispered. “We were all trying to be brave out there in the waiting room.”
