A Time to Live (9 page)

Michael’s heart lurched.
“Nikki,” he called, his voice strained. “Wake up! You’ve got to stay awake.”

She didn’t move.

“No, Nikki, don’t do this to me.” His arms tightened around her.

Michael heard the sound of another four wheel drive churning along the edge of the ravine.
His stomach coiled. Were Taylor and his goons returning to finish what they started? Two sets of headlights approached and Michael scowled. Usually they all piled into Taylor’s Jeep.

The vehicles stopped at the edge of the ravine.
People carrying flashlights emerged. “Miss Matthews?” A voice boomed.

Michael’s scowl deepened, that didn’t sound like Taylor.

“Sheriff,” another voice said. “Over here, I found shell casings.”

Fear blazed a mindless path through Michael’s body and his heart slammed against his ribs.
How did the sheriff know to look for Nikki? Michael dismissed the thought as he stared down at the unconscious, injured woman in his arms. If they found him like this it would start all over again. He would be blamed for something he had not done.

Michael searched the dark forest around him.
He could leave Nikki here and fade into the woods. As long as they didn’t see him, they couldn’t blame him for this. But how could he return her to the freezing snow? It was dark and the storm grew worse. What if the sheriff didn’t find Nikki in time and she died? Michael would never be able to live with himself.

His jaw was so tight it ached
, but Michael took a deep breath. “Down here, sheriff!”

Flashlights spun toward him, shining in his face, blinding him.

“Freeze, Roumare! Put Miss Matthews down.”

Michael winced as the sheriff and his deputies leveled their guns at him.
“I can’t, sheriff, she’s too cold. If I put her back in the snow the hypothermia will kill her.”

“I said put her down!”

“John,” Doc Blackthorn’s voice rang out. “Michael is right.”

Michael breathed a sigh of relief, he hadn’t realized Doc was there.
The man was one of his few friends on Shadow Mountain.

“Doc,” the sheriff snapped.
“I’ve got to follow procedure here.”

“Listen,” Michael barked.
“Nikki is injured and far too cold. The longer we stand here the worse it will get. About one hundred feet to your left the ravine levels out.”

The sheriff snapped a curse.
“Start walking, Roumare, but do anything stupid and you’re a dead man.”

Michael gritted his teeth
, but moved toward the opening of the ravine. Two deputies shadowed him along the edge, while the sheriff, Doc, and the others climbed into their vehicles and drove to the end. Moments later, Doc threw open the back of his customized Suburban and pulled out a stretcher. He rushed to Michael. “Is anything broken?”

“Not that I could find,” Michael said and quickly related Nikki’s injuries.
He eased her onto the stretcher. The sheriff and one of his deputies grabbed Michael’s arms and twisted them behind his back. Cold, hard handcuffs clamped around his wrists.

“You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Nicole Matthews.
You have the right to remain silent....”

Michael squeezed his eyes shut as the sheriff’s voice droned in his ears.
Not again,
his thoughts screamed.
I didn’t do anything.
He had counted on a woman telling the truth once before and had known only betrayal. The sheriff and the legal system would push Nikki to the breaking point and she would believe the lies. The horror would happen all over again.

Slowly, Michael lifted his head and stared at Nikki’s blood spattered face.
Only one thing truly mattered. “Please let her be all right,” he whispered.

Nikki managed to pry open her eyes, her head throbbing in time to the beating of her heart.
Something covered her mouth and nose, and she felt warm, moist air. She blinked furiously and a stark room came into focus with an IV next to her.

A hospital.

Terror and rage cut through her. She sat up, dizziness assailing her, and tore off the oxygen mask.

“Hold on there,” a voice said.

Nikki blinked again and saw a man with gray hair standing next to her. “You’re safe now, Miss Matthews,” he said with a gentle expression. “I’m Doc Blackthorn. You’re at my emergency care center.”

“What...what happened?
Where’s Michael?”

Doctor Blackthorn’s expression hardened slightly.
“You had a close call, Miss Matthews. You need to lie down and rest.”

Her lip curled.
No doctors, no hospitals. She refused to return to that agony. Her head ached mercilessly. Nikki reached up and touched the large lump.

“You hit your head,” Blackthorn said.
“I had to stitch it up but it’s only a mild concussion. Your knee and ankle are badly sprained and you had a slight case of hypothermia, but considering the fall you took, you are very lucky.”

She took a breath to reply when a knock sounded and the door opened.
The sheriff entered. “I’m sorry, Doc, but I have to get her statement.”

Blackthorn sighed, his features hardening even more.
“Don’t upset her, John. She’s been through enough as it is.”

The sheriff pulled out a note pad.
“Miss Matthews, can you tell me what happened this afternoon?”

“I sure can,” she snapped.
“Taylor and his gang tried to kill me.”

The sheriff looked up sharply, his eyes wide.
He quickly recovered his composure. “Now, Miss Matthews, I realize you were terribly frightened by what happened. But I assure you Roumare is in jail. He can no longer harm you.”

Shock and terror careened through her.
“Michael...is in jail?” she whispered.

“Yes, attempted murder.
We will take steps to protect you. You do not have to fear telling us the truth.”

Fury replaced shock.
“You idiots!” she screeched. “Michael saved my life. Taylor tried to kill me, not Michael. And you put him in jail?” Her chest tightened and she battled the coughing fit. If Blackthorn knew about her cancer the misery would start all over again. She spotted her jacket in the corner along with Michael’s and her throat tightened. Nikki cast a pleading look at Blackthorn. “Give me my jacket, please.”

He hesitated then handed it to her.

She pulled out her inhaler and two blasts soothed her aching lungs.

Blackthorn scowled. “Asthma?”

“Yes,” she lied.

“Now, Miss Matthews,” the sheriff said. “We have a witness who stated he saw Roumare threatening you with a shotgun next to the ravine.”

“No,” Nikki said, her voice laced with fury.
Slowly, clearly, she explained everything as it happened. “If Michael had done this, do you think he would have tried to help me?”

“It was very possible he was trying to finish what he started and hide your body.”

Nikki’s vision turned dark again, her head aching terribly. Why didn’t the sheriff want to believe her?

“Miss Matthews,” he said gently.
“You have a head injury and took a nasty fall. Perhaps you are not remembering everything clearly.”

Her head spun.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she had hallucinated Michael trying to help her. Maybe the man hovering outside her window really was Michael and all of this was just some sort of crazy ruse. Everyone had warned her to stay away from him, they had to have a reason.

Yet her doubts did not agree with her heart.
She wished her head would stop hurting so she could think straight. Nikki rubbed her eyes, her blurred vision focusing on the second jacket on the chair and her heart lurched. Her confusion was unfounded.

“If Michael was trying to kill me, why did he give me his jacket to keep me warm?” She pointed.

The sheriff stared at the jacket, mute.

Gotcha,
Nikki thought. “Did you find a gun, sheriff?”

“Not yet
—”

“Good Lord, if you caught him trying to finish me off then he didn’t have time to hide the gun.”

“We...uh....”

“Taylor tried to kill me.
”

The sheriff scowled.
“If you couldn’t see faces, how do you know it was Taylor?”

“Who else would be shooting at wolves?”

“And you are certain it was more than one man?”

“Of that, I’m positive.”

“Were you able to see what kind of vehicle they drove?”

“No.”
Desperately, she searched her memories for any clues. “Is your witness one of Taylor’s goons?”

His silence was the only answer she needed.
“Someone else tried to kill me - probably the same witness who is trying to blame Michael, figuring I’ll be too scared to tell the truth.”

Movement caught her eye and her gaze locked on Blackthorn.
He folded his arms across his chest, watching the sheriff, and seemingly trying to fight down a smile. “She’s got a point, John. Several of them as a matter of fact.”

“Michael saved my life, sheriff.
There is no reason for him to be in jail.”

“We are still conducting an investigation.
He’s already been charged.”

“I will not press charges,” she growled.

“The D.A. will press charges on behalf of the people, pending our investigation.”

Nikki clenched her fists, her mind working furiously.
“Has his bail been set?”

“Yes.”

Her gaze locked on Blackthorn. “Take me home, now.”

“Miss Matthews, I
—”

“Now!”

****

Michael sat on the small bunk and stared morosely at the bars surrounding him.
The jailhouse was tiny, with three cells overlooking the main office and front door. Shadow Mountain was still stuck in the 1800’s with an old fashioned jail - one Michael had experienced before.

Geena Barnes, a deputy in charge of processing, sat at her desk completing piles of paperwork.

Michael had given his statement to the sheriff, but of course, was not believed. Now, according to the ancient clock on the jailhouse wall, it was five in the morning. He had not slept all night and the sheriff refused to tell him what had happened with Nikki.

He closed his eyes, his heart in agony.

The door flew open, smacking against the wall.

Michael flinched and blinked.
Nikki stood in the doorway.

Geena blinked in surprise.
“May...may I help you?”

“Where is he?” Nikki growled.
Her gaze swept the room and locked on his. Her anger faded, replaced with agonizing grief.

Michael’s heart rattled in his chest.
Her face was much too pale and her eyes glazed. Why was she here?

“Miss...uh....” Geena stammered.

Nikki rounded on her. She dug in her jeans pocket and pulled out a huge, rumpled wad of cash, slamming it on the desk. “Here’s Michael’s bail, in full. Release him now.”

Michael’s jaw went slack.
He lurched to his feet and put his hands on the bars.

“His...bail?”

“Yes,
his
bail. Get him out, now!”

“Okay,” Geena nearly wailed.
“Just sign here.” She shoved a clipboard toward Nikki, who hastily scrawled a signature.

“Um...receipt?”

“Definitely.”

Geena quickly wrote out a receipt and handed the paperwork to Nikki, then pulled out a heavy ring of keys.

Michael’s heart slammed against his ribs and he fought to drag in a breath. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Geena walked toward him, her eyes wide with confusion, as if she couldn’t understand where this tiny wildcat had come from. The keys jangled and the lock turned. Geena opened the cell door and stepped back. “You’re free to go, Mister Roumare. I have your personal belongings at my desk.”

Free?
his thoughts screamed. He stepped out of the cell, staring at Nikki in shock. Geena handed him a paper sack with his wallet, keys and watch. He signed for it and his gaze returned to Nikki.

She stood before him shaking, but every time she looked at him, her anger faded.
Nikki turned and limped out the door.

Michael stepped outside, closing the door behind him and inhaled the crisp morning air.
Abruptly, Nikki spun and threw her arms around him.

“Oh, Michael, I am so sorry.”

Shock assailed him again and he decided he had to be dreaming the whole thing. But his arms closed tightly around Nikki. He buried his face in her silky hair, feeling her trembling against him. An exquisite heat roared through his body and he savored it. “Thank God, you’re all right,” he whispered hoarsely.