by Denise Wells
I use the motion of the car to try throwing myself against either her or the door, whichever will give me the most traction.
She’s going to kill us both if she doesn’t stop the car. I think if I angle myself just right, I think I can get the door open and throw myself out. I can’t worry about Helen right now.
The car starts to fishtail to the left, giving me enough momentum to get my door open. The heat is immense, the roar of the fire near deafening.
I barely hear Helen scream, “No!”
What I do hear clearly is the shot, seconds before I feel the bullet enter my thigh. Or maybe it just feels like it takes that long to hit me. I curl into a fetal position and roll myself out the door. I hit the ground hard and look up to see where she is. Just in time to watch as she careens straight into the wall of fire at the crest of the hill. It’s like the flames opened its massive mouth giving her access, then closed and immediately swallowed her back up.
I wait for the car to back up and reverse down the hill, not quite believing what I’ve just seen.
But it doesn’t. And the fire is approaching fast. I try to stand, but with my leg shot, and no use of my hands, I can’t. With no other option, I shut my eyes and start to barrel roll down the big hill.
Chapter 43
Remi
“What the—” Lexie exclaims.
“Lexie.” Trevor practically breathes her name in reverence and has yet to let go of her arms.
“Of all the elevators, in all the hotels…” Kat murmurs to me.
“Trevor, thank God. I forgot you were here. Do you have a car?” I ask.
He finally looks away from Lexie at Kat and I. Shock registering on his face. “My God, Remi. What happened to you? You were just fine a bit ago.”
“You forgot he was here?” Kat asks.
“What…” Lexie starts.
“Trevor!” I say sternly. “Focus, do you have a car?”
“Yeah, I have a rental. I was going to have my car shipped, but I sold it figuring I’d buy a new one when I got—”
“Don’t mean to be rude, but no one cares about your plans. Where’s your car?”
“In the parking garage,” he says hazily, still looking at Lexie.
“What are we waiting for?” Kat says, pulling Lexie and Trevor by the hands back into the elevator.
The motion seems to snap Trevor out of his Lexie induced fog. “Is that why you didn’t meet me at the bar, Remi? Because you got hurt? What happened?”
“Remi’s boyfriend, Chance, has this crazy ex-girlfriend, Helen, who held Remi hostage and tortured her. And now she’s kidnapped Chance and we need to rescue him because I can’t get through to 9-1-1. Wait, you were meeting Remi at the bar?”
Trevor ducks his head shyly and I punch the button for the parking garage repeatedly. Willing the elevator car to go faster.
The elevator doors open. “Great,” I say. “Let’s go.” I grab Kat’s hand and head toward the rows of cars. I turn back toward Lexie and Trevor, who haven’t moved from the elevator. “Hey! Let’s go.” I snap my fingers to get their attention.
I don’t like this feeling of being so on edge. I just need to know that Chance is okay. That he doesn’t really want Helen. That he still wants us to give it a try. That’s all I ask, is for a try. And that he’s okay. Please be okay.
We reach Trevor’s car, a large SUV. Kat and I get in the back, leaving the front passenger seat for Lexie. She looks at us questioningly.
“You have to navigate, remember?”
“I’m on it,” she says.
She gives Trevor the starting directions and we head out.
Right into bumper to bumper traffic at a stand-still.
“Fuck! Kat, I can’t do this. I can’t. I’m not meant for this. This is exactly why I don’t do relationships,” I whisper.
“Because of traffic?” Kat asks.
I laugh.
“Yes, and because traffic prevents a girl from saving her guy from his ex-psychopath-girlfriend.”
“Good point,” she says.
We finally reach a breaking point in the traffic and are able to move at about forty mph. Which feels amazing compared to the stop and go. Lexie continues giving Trevor directions.
“We’re almost there, Remi!” she says.
My heart stops. Literally. I have no idea what we’ll find when we get there. Did she kill him? Did he kill her? Are they both alive and back together? Am I stupid for even going after him?
Stop it, Remi!
Trevor stops the car in front of a vacant lot.
“Why are we stopping?” I ask.
“We’re here,” Lexie says. “This is where he is.”
“There’s nothing here, Lex,” I say, a feeling of dread weighing me down.
“Call him,” she says.
I dial his number hesitantly. We roll down the windows and wait. Kat opens her door and gets out, returning a moment later with Chance’s phone.
Tears escape my eyes again.
“He’s not here,” I whisper, a sob catching in my throat. “Oh my God, Kat. He’s not here.”
“It’s okay, Rem. He’s a big, tough, alpha asshole. Some off-her-rocker wackadoo isn’t going to get the best of him.”
Her words reassure me. A bit. Chance is big and tough, and probably an alpha asshole as well. But he was tied up, and Helen had a gun. And he went with her willingly. But he has a gun.
“Does he have his gun?” I ask Kat.
She shakes her head.
“He just wanted to get to you, Remi. We never thought something like this would happen,” Lexie says.
“We’re never going to find him.” I feel weighed down.
“Okay, you said he was going to the place where his first date with this girl was right?” Trevor says.
I nod my head.
“But you don’t know where that is?”
I shake my head.
“Maybe he gave you some kind of clue? Something he said?” Trevor urges.
“Of course he did. He’s really smart. Okay, we can figure this out,” Lexie says.
“Figure what out? How?” I ask.
“We go back through the conversation. Pick it apart. There must have been something. Remember how Chance practically said where they were going? And Helen interrupted him. We just need to figure out what he would have said had he said it.” Lexie has a way of making even the most challenging of things seem easy.
Like now.
I have to admit, it’s kind of inspiring.
“Well, they said something about a park, right?” I ask.
“And a picnic,” Lexie adds.
“Didn’t Chance also say something about Brighton County?” Kat asks.
“His parents live in Brighton County,” I say.
“Do you think she took him to his parents’?” Lexie asks.
“No, they don’t like her. She wouldn’t go there. Plus that’s not where they would have had a date?” I ask.
“Right.” Lexie nods her head absently.
“Maybe he said something that he thought you would take as a clue. Was there anything he said that seemed odd or unusual?” Trevor asks.
“Everything at times,” Kat says. I backhand her on the shoulder.
“He did!” Lexie says. “He said something else kind of weird that reminded me of something else that I thought was weird.”
“That clears it up, Lex. Thanks,” Kat says.
“What did it remind you of, Lex?” Trevor asks. He takes her hand and runs his thumbs over it in what I imagine to be a soothing motion.
Lexie closes her eyes for a moment. “I think it was a movie, maybe. It triggered something odd at the time. I remember thinking it was out of character for him.”
“You’re right,” Kat says. “He did say something weird. That he was over something? Or going over something?”
“Getting over something?” I’m ashamed I don’t remember more of what he said.
“No, it was more like s
omewhere,” Lexie says.
“Somewhere ovah dare,” Kat says in an unidentifiable accent. “Actually, I think he said somewhere over the.”
“What is somewhere over the?” I ask, my voice rising. I’m getting increasingly frustrated the longer we sit here.
“I don’t know,” Kat says. “But he also said there was no rain. Wow, I am just pulling shit out of my ass here. It’s like chemo-brain in reverse.”
“Somewhere over the, and no rain,” Trevor says.
Lexie shrugs her shoulders. “Somewhere over the rainbow?”
“There is a park on the other side of Brighton County called Rainbow Park,” Trevor says.
“Do you think that’s what he meant?” I ask.
Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t get your hopes up.
“It’s as good a clue as any,” Trevor says.
“Crikey,” Kat says. “We just solved the mother fucking mystery, Scooby.”
“Let’s go, Trevor,” I say.
He speeds off in the direction of the park. And my anxiety ramps up once again.
Will he be okay that we came after him? Did he really mean the somewhere comment to be a clue? He doesn’t want Helen. He couldn’t. That would be stupid. Right?
“Are we doing the right thing?” I ask.
Lexie turns around to face us. “You said you love him.”
I nod.
“Then there’s no question,” she says. “He needs us, we help him.”
“What if he doesn’t want our help?” I ask.
“If he didn’t want our help, he wouldn’t have given us the clue,” Lexie says.
“I have to agree with Lexie,” Trevor says. “He wouldn’t have a reason to hint at where he was going unless he wanted you to be there.”
I feel my resolve kick back in. Trevor is right.
“Sorry I’m such a fucking pussy,” I say.
“Happens to the best of us,” Kat says, pulling me in for a one-armed hug.
“Kat,” Lexie says. “Have you heard from Brad?’
“No,” Kat sighs. “But that’s normal in situations like this. It could be as long as forty-eight hours before he’s able to take a break or reach out to let me know he’s okay.”
“That’s got to be tough,” Trevor says.
“It is,” Kat says. “I mean, I’m kind of used to it, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
“Not to be an asshole,” I say.
“Asshole,” Kat says.
“BUT, can we get back to how we’re going to rescue Chance once we get to Rainbow Park? IF he’s there.”
“We’ve got about four minutes to figure it out,” Trevor says right before traffic comes to a total stand-still. Again. “Or longer.”
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“I think it’s the fires,” Trevor says. “They aren’t letting anyone through.”
“So, maybe Chance and Helen are stuck in traffic too?” I ask.
“It’s possible,” Trevor says. “But if I remember correctly, Rainbow Park is just to the east of us.”
“Like right now?” I ask.
“I think so, yes,” he says.
“How far?” I ask.
“Maybe half a mile—”
I’ve got the car door open and am climbing out before he can even finish his sentence.
“Remi, wait!” Kat yells.
“I’m coming too!” Lexie cries.
“Well, shit, I’m not letting you out of my sight now,” I hear Trevor say. I turn in his direction in time to see him pull his car off the road, passenger doors still open and climb out.
I head out toward the direction of the park. I can see the smoke in the distance, closer than I feel comfortable with. But I’ve got my entourage with me.
Somehow, that makes me invincible.
Chapter 44
Remi
I break into a run. Well, as much of a run as I can in my Ugg boots with a million tiny cuts all over my body. Relief floods through me once I reach the clearing of the park.
Except it’s empty.
There’s no one here.
I cry out and sink to my knees. I can’t do this. I’m not cut out for it. The ups and downs emotionally. Knowing and not knowing.
Kat appears beside me. “Remi, are you okay? Did you fall?”
“They aren’t here, Kat. Look, no one is here. This is hopeless. We have nothing to go on. We don’t even know if we’re in the right place. We don’t even know if he wants us here.”
“Look,” Kat says, kneeling down next to me. “That man drove all the way here for a grand gesture. That grand gesture being to prove to you that he wants you. And I gotta tell you, beautiful girl, I may love you to death, but you are no peach when it comes to relationships. So, if that guy has seen what you have to offer, and still wants you, you better hop on that train before it leaves the station.”
Somehow, that makes me feel better. I smile at her gratefully.
Trevor and Lexie arrive, slightly out of breath.
“Do you see them?” Lexie asks.
I shake my head.
“Don’t worry. There’s a road that runs along the perimeter of the park,” Trevor says. “Maybe they went that way.” He leads us in the direction of the road and we walk at a brisk pace.
The quiet of the park freaks me out. We can hear the crackling of the fire, but no cars, no kids playing, no music, no sports; nothing else to convey that this area is a popular family entertainment spot. My feet hurt from running on the uneven ground and my pants keep snagging on my bandages.
I want to cry.
Again.
“This is ridiculous,” I say. “Why are we even doing this? I can’t anymore. I hurt. I’m bleeding. I’m tired. They clearly aren’t here, we got the clues wrong. Maybe they weren’t even clues at all. Maybe he wanted to go with her.”
Lexie stops and grabs me by the shoulders, forcing me to face her. “Look, you admitted not even an hour ago that you are in love with this man. He came up here to tell you the same. He was taken away from you, at gunpoint, with his hands tied. But before he left he gave us clues. Multiple clues. So don’t you dare stand here and ask why we are doing this or whether he wanted to go with her—”
An explosion sounds from atop the hill to the east of us, drawing our attention.
“Fires don’t just blow up,” Trevor says. “Something just happened over there.”
“Do you think it’s Chance?” I look at my friends.
Lexie returns my gaze. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go find out!”
We head in the direction of the explosion.
And the fire.
The closer we get, the more anxious I feel.
I just want to find Chance.
He has to be here.
I break into a run, rocks digging into the soles of my shoes. The uneven terrain causing my ankles to twist about. My gaze sweeps back and forth across the road. I feel like I’m in a nightmare, where the road just stretches longer and longer, the destination getting farther and farther away. I’m going nowhere, finding nothing. I can’t breathe. My eyes hurt from the smoke. My muscles are screaming, and I can feel the blood running down my legs.
It serves me right. This is what I get for opening myself up and trying to find love. It doesn’t work. Not for me. I was better off before.
So stupid, Remi.
Something rolls into the road.
A tree? Is that an animal?
“Oh God,” Kat says. “Is that—”
“That’s a body,” Trevor says.
It’s Chance. It has to be.
I run faster, but it still takes forever to reach him. My lungs burn, my eyes are watering. The fire is so close. I just want to get to Chance. I need to get to Chance.
He’s not moving.
Oh God, please don’t be dead.
Please.
I’m so sorry.
I just want to try this with him one more time.
I stumble, nearly
falling to my knees, I crawl the last few feet toward him.
“Chance, baby, are you okay?” I palm his face, trying to get him to respond. He’s covered in dirt and blood. His beautiful face cut and starting to bruise. His eyes remain shut.
“Oh God, Kat, he’s not responding. He’s hurt! We have to help him.”
Trevor uses a pocket knife to cut the twine binding Chance’s wrists and then looks him over. “He’s been shot. We need to stop the bleeding.”
“I’m trying to get through to 9-1-1,” Lexie says.
Chance’s wrist wounds are filled with blood, dirt, and rocks. Trevor takes off his dress shirt and cuts off the sleeves, wrapping one around each of Chance’s wrists. Then he uses the rest of his shirt to tie around the gunshot wound in his thigh.
“Chance, please wake up, baby, please. I need you. Don’t leave me. Please. Oh God. I’m so sorry. I’m such an asshole.” Tears pour down my face. Real tears that make me sob.
Chance opens his eyes slightly. “This you not crying, beautiful?”
I half laugh, half sob and throw myself over him. He flops an arm over my back and attempts to hug me.
“Don’t go, baby, please. Don’t go. We have so much to do together, still.”
I hear him whisper, “Date questions,” but I can see in his face when he slips back out of consciousness.
“I got through!” Lexie cries. “An ambulance is on the way.”
“We’ve got to get out of here and closer to the edge of the park,” Trevor says. “Ladies, do you think we can carry him?”
“I can help,” Kat says.
“That’s good, Kat, ‘cause sorry to say but you and I are closest in height, so you’re going to get the brunt of it with me. Lexie, Remi, let’s get him up and drape his arms around Kat and my shoulders. Then you two can assist in supporting him by helping to hold him in place.”
It’s a struggle to get him up and draped around Kat and Trevor’s shoulders. I know it has to hurt. Each time we grab his wrists for traction, we dig into the wounds even more. Dragging him down the road is near impossible. With each passing second, I feel him drifting farther and farther away.
The sound of sirens in the distance is a welcome relief. I just wish I knew if they were fire trucks on their way to the fires, or an ambulance on its way to save him.
