Freefall (Santa Cruz Skydivers Book 1) (26 page)

“I told you to stay away from her, you mother fucker,” yelled my attacker as he shoulder charged me like a linebacker, lifting me by the waist and pile-driving me into the thin drywall, my back no doubt leaving an indentation as it slammed hard.

Fury ignited in my gut as my need to release burned. Reaching over his body, I grabbed my attacker in a lock around his torso, pinned him low with my body weight, and brought up my knee, connecting with his nose with a bone-crunching crack. He howled and his arms dropped from around my waist, no doubt grabbing at his shattered nose. I pushed him away and let go with a flurry of upper cuts. Rage flowed through me and I channeled my anger and despair into my fists. I couldn’t control what was happening in Andi’s bedroom, but I could damn straight control this situation.

My attacker stayed low, moaning, doubled over in pain. My hands were hurting from the skin on skin contact and my eye swelled. Ignoring the throbbing in my face and hands, I wiped away the blood running down my face with the back of my hand. It too was covered in blood. My unknown assailant’s or mine, I didn’t know or care. All I knew was I had to finish this. Bringing my fists to my face, I took a Muay Thai fighter’s stance, balancing my body weight on my left front foot and lifted my right back leg, preparing to administer a low flying roundhouse kick to the side of his head. Before my toes were even off the ground, someone yelled and tackled me side-on, blindsiding me. We both fell to the ground, me swinging punches, hitting air, the other guy cursing.

“Haven’t you caused enough damage to our family?” yelled the other guy in my ear as he fought hard to keep me pinned to the ground.

The room was alive with people yelling, at each other and me. Instincts kicked in. I had to get free. I bucked and kicked out at the guy pinning me on the ground. Two other reinforcements soon joined in, helping to roll me over so I was face-first in the carpet. For extra measure, they also grabbed the back of my head and pushed the side of my face into the carpet while a knee dug into my back. Someone had been watching way too many reruns of
COPS
. With my arms pinned behind my back and Mr. Blindside-tackle-king kneeling next to my head, glaring at me, anyone would think I had just shot the President with the amount of force they were using to restrain me. As my eyes came into focus and my anger cleared, I realized the guy in front of was Bobby. Andi’s brother.

“Levi, pull your shit together,” Bobby yelled at me again, his face inches from mine. “Andi needs us. All of us.”

At the mention of Andi’s name, all fight instantly left my body, replaced by anguish. What was my fucking problem? The girl I loved was being resussed in the room next to me, and all I could do was act like a street thug. I hadn’t learned anything from my past mistakes.

“Fuck, Bobby. Get them off me.” I struggled to get up, but the two other guys kept me pinned down. “Andi! I need to be with her. Is she going to be all right?”

My mind started replaying the moments of her lying lifeless on the floor while I gave her CPR. “Bobby, get them off me,” I repeated once again, pulling at my arms, but his henchmen refused to let me go.

“We can’t let you up. Not until you promise to get your shit together. We might only be paramedics, but we have full control of this situation until the cops arrive. Believe me, I have every right to have you arrested right now. But I don’t want to do that.”

“Look, I’ve calmed down. You can let me up. And who the fuck just attacked me?”

“It was me, you mother fucker,” said my attacker.

Bobby’s paramedic henchmen allowed me to turn my head to the direction of my attacker, who was sitting in the corner chair dressed in a Santa Cruz Police Department uniform, holding his nose as blood dripped from his hands onto the floor.

“Tony!” I slammed my own head on the ground. There was no mistaking I’d broken his nose. Shattered may be a better word. He hated me and this was just more fuel to add to his fire. The accelerant he needed to get me charged. Assaulting a cop. That had to be five to ten at least.

“Let him up, Bobby, so I can smash his face in,” Tony growled at his brother.

“Cut it out. Both of you,” Bobby yelled. “Finish this later. You can punch the absolute shit of out of each other for all I care. Right now, though, the paramedics need to get Andi out of here and to hospital. She needs medical attention.”

“Let me up, I promise I won’t do anything,” I pleaded.

“Let him up,” Tony said at the same time. “He’ll keep.”

Bobby stood and his coworkers let me go. Immediately, I jumped up and tried to go to her room, but Bobby caught my arm. “No. I can’t let you back in there. They’re trying to revive her. They won’t even let me in there.”

His face was pure torture. I knew what he was feeling.

“Is she...?” I couldn’t say it.

He shook his head emphatically. “No! They won’t give up.”

I ran my hands through my hair and started pacing the room. Time went in slow motion. The paramedics who had pinned me down attempted to look at Tony’s nose, but he pushed them away.

“Don’t worry about me. Go help my sister.”

They looked at Bobby, unsure of what to do. A cop should always have medical attention first and foremost. I think it was some code they had to follow. Bobby nodded at them to go, so they left, leaving me alone with the two brothers who I knew, without a doubt, hated my guts. Bobby stepped around me, eyeballing me the entire time, and went to stand by the doorway of the sitting room. He positioned himself so he could look down the short hallway into Andi’s room and watch while his colleagues tried to revive his sister.

Tony remained sitting in the chair, in shock. Blood continued to drip from his nose onto the carpet. Lili emerged from the kitchen with an ice pack and knelt down next to him, placed her hand on his knee, and spoke softly to him, positioning the ice pack on the bridge of his nose. She wiped the smeared blood off his face. He shut his eyes and his shoulders dropped. For a moment, he let his guard drop, and I caught a glimpse of the real him. It was short-lived. Opening his eyes, he caught me watching. Glaring at me, he pushed away Lili and stood, balling his fists by his sides, looking like he was ready to confront me.

Before Tony could even take a step toward me, Bobby turned and yelled at us.

“They’ve got her heartbeat.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Levi

Nervously, I paced the floor, back and forth, and back again. I was sure that after two solid hours of pacing, I had worn a path into the white-tiled floor. I felt useless. Andi was in emergency surgery having her stomach pumped and God knew what else, yet here I was, in the admissions area in the ER, forbidden to see her. Only approved family and friends were allowed admittance to the floor where Andi was. There was no way I would be able to go up there. I already tried.

As I tracked my way past the admissions counter for about the two hundredth time since arriving, Mike hurried through with Andi’s parents toward the elevator. Grief was etched into their faces. They didn’t see me, which was a good thing. I figured her whole family must hate me right now considering how it was my fault she was up there. It was a moot point really. No one could hate me more than myself right now. Fuck, I may as well have given her the tablets and poured the vodka down her throat myself.

I waited until her family had disappeared into the elevator before I recommenced my pacing. I turned, ready for another lap, and was met by a male member of the nursing staff.

“Excuse me, sir.” He was standing right in my path, leaving me no other choice than to stop. Behind him stood a hulk dressed in a hospital security uniform.

I groaned. What now? Not entirely sure the hulk could even understand English, I directed my comments to the nurse through clenched teeth. “I’m not here to cause any problems, okay? I just need to be here, for her.”

The nurse responded with pure professionalism. “I’m sorry, sir. I empathize with you, but we’ve been instructed by the family of Miss LaRosa to request that you leave the facility immediately.”

No doubt they had told them I was violent, and given my face and hands were still busted open from the fight with Tony, I couldn’t disagree. While I had wiped most of the blood clean from my skin, I must have resembled a fighter straight from Las Vegas fight night.

I sighed, defeated. I already knew the outcome. “I’m not hurting anyone by just being here. Please have some compassion.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but this is not open for dispute. You can either leave quietly, or you leave our way.”

Hulk took a step forward and crossed his arms, his Herculean-sized biceps bulging. He meant business, leaving me with no question as to what “their way” would entail.

“Looks like I don’t really have a choice, do I?” Not wanting to cause a scene, I turned around, deviating from my well-trodden path, and headed towards the exit doors. The hulk followed me as I left the building, even watching as I climbed on my bike and rode away.

They thought they’d won. I’d give them this round, but not the championship title. I’d be back. I was a fighter in the true sense of the word, and even though it disgusted me, I was also a James. We always came out on top. No matter what the cost, I was going to win this fight. I knew what I had to do, but first there were two people I had to see—one to clear my name, the other get me access to Andi.

I steered my bike to the highway, lucky I had the crotch rocket. I had a long ride ahead. My destination...Los Angeles.

****

“Mary, I need to see him. This is urgent.” I was begging. I hated begging.

Queen Secretary Bitch looked me up and down with her steely blue eyes and picked up the phone on the reception desk. “Mr. James, your son is here to see you.” She nodded and listened to my father on the other end of the line, then hung up the phone, smiling tightly. “He said he doesn’t have a son. And if you don’t remove yourself from this vicinity immediately, he will have you arrested.”

I slammed my fist down hard on the desk, knocking a cup holder of pens and loose paper pages flying. “This is bullshit. My girlfriend died today, and I had to watch her be brought back to life. She’s in surgery and I have no fucking clue if she is going to live or die. Her family hates me, and for all I know, she does too, all because of that asshole in there. So, Mary, cut me some slack. I’m begging you. Let me in to see him... I need his help.”

I choked as my anger subsided into grief. I couldn’t hold it together any longer and lost my shit well and truly, falling to my hands and knees. Tears streamed down my face, blinding me. Years of pent-up raw emotion flowed from my body like an uncontrolled dam release. I cried for my mother and her demons, I cried for Andi and our stolen moments. I had failed them both in their hour of need.

A firm hand clamped down hard on my shoulder. My final chance at help was gone. The asshole had actually turned me in to security.

“Son, come with me.”

The familiar voice of my father shocked me. I looked up into his green eyes. His face, for the first time ever, looked remorseful. Or was it pity? He held out a hand, helping me to my feet. Surely this had to be a trick.

“Let’s go to my office and talk.”

Like a lost soul, I followed him and reminded myself I had no choice but to submit to his demands. If it meant Andi’s survival, I would do whatever necessary to make it happen, even if that meant bending over, and figuratively speaking, letting him fuck me over.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Levi

“I need your help.” Sitting across from my father, I stared him down and waited for the belittling sermon that usually followed. “I’ll do anything you want. Move back to LA, or take over the paper in Santa Cruz...”

He held his hand up. “Levi. Stop. Groveling doesn’t become you. You need to shut up and let me talk. If I may?”

He looked at me, waiting for my approval. I was confused. Derek James never waited for anyone. Cautiously, I nodded at him to continue.

“You know, I thought I’d never see you again, and yet here you are. Your hatred for me seeping from your pores, begging and delivering promises you won’t keep. Why should I help you again? What makes this time so different?”

I gritted my teeth. “I’m not doing this for myself, that’s why this is different. I’ll do whatever is necessary to get Andi the help she needs.” I flexed my bruised, cut hands discreetly in my lap, reining in my anger. “You think this is easy for me? I never wanted to see you again. You’re responsible for my mother’s death, and now my girlfriend is lying in a coma because of what you did. But you have something I need. Money…and power to make things happen. And as much as it kills me to say it, I need you to save Andi’s life for me. I’m here as a sacrifice—my life for hers. I figured it’s a fair trade.”

“You talk about me like I’m the devil. You’re my son, my only living flesh and blood. Despite what you may believe, I have only ever wanted what was best for you, although I admit my methods of showing you affection may have been somewhat misguided. But, I’m not a fool. I didn’t get where I am in life by continually giving handouts to the next sob story. I don’t appreciate being used, by anyone, even my child. If I give you what you want, then this time, it’s a signed contract. You come to work for me in Australia. Give up the skydiving crap and work for James Publishing. Start from the ground up. When I say jump, you say how high.”

He stood, taking a break from his speech, walked to a small bar stocked with hard liquor, poured himself a glass of neat whiskey, threw it straight down, and refilled it before sitting back down opposite me. He leaned back into his high-backed leather chair and looked at me over the top of his whiskey glass. “So, what do you say? How willing are you to actually save this little girlfriend of yours?”

The ball was now in my court. As much as I hated the thought of being under his control, I had to suck it up. It was Andi’s life. I gritted my teeth. “I’ll do it.”

My father downed the remaining liquid in his glass. “Now, tell me what I can do help your girlfriend.”

****

James Publishing’s private jet came to a stop on the edge of the tarmac at the Santa Cruz airport. The aircraft doors opened to reveal a waiting limousine ready to chauffeur us directly to the hospital. I snuck a discreet sideways glance at my father and Taylor as they disembarked ahead of me. Since I signed his little work contract, he’d been treating me like a father would treat a son. All for the benefit of the board, of course. Our little agreement was secret, between us and his lawyer. My criminal past had been taken care of. Press releases had gone out across the globe, heralding the heir to the throne, and company stocks had risen. Derek was on cloud fucking nine.

He may have won, but just because I’d literally signed my life over, there was no way in hell I was about to do the dutiful son to his doting father routine. Really, he needn’t have bothered with the cloak and dagger act, and the stupid work contract. I didn’t care what happened to me anymore, or my future. As long as Derek and Taylor both kept their promises to me and helped Andi, then I would be their beck-and-call bitch for the rest of eternity.

“Levi, are you coming?” Taylor turned halfway down the stairs, looking me up and down. Her fake accent was like nails on a chalkboard. I cringed but smiled, reminding myself that I needed her recently anointed crown of the Children’s Hospital Patron to get me uninterrupted access to Andi.

I nodded at her, and with an outstretched hand, indicated she continue down the stairs, then followed her and Derek to the limousine. Once inside, they both made themselves comfortable on the luxury leather seats and poured themselves drinks from the mini bar on board. Taylor opened her smartphone and began texting while Derek opened a newspaper with a flick and began skimming articles. They both looked accustomed to the life of luxury, like they owned the world. I wished I had my Harley instead of being cooped up in this leather and metal extravagance.

As we commenced our journey to the hospital, the limousine passed the skydive plane and clubhouse, evoking a feeling of loss deep in my gut. I missed jumping and the adrenaline, but not nearly as much as I missed Andi. Hopefully after the meeting with the hospital board of directors and Andi’s family this morning, she would get the best specialists in the country and her own private room for her treatment. Until then, I would remain by her side, at least until she had recovered. And as per my agreement with Derek, I’d be shipped back to Sydney to embark on my new career.

Derek folded the newspaper in half and threw it on the leather seat next to him. Removing his cell phone from his suit jacket, he dialed a number and began talking almost immediately, barking down instructions. For once, I was glad of his efficiency.

“Mary, you were supposed to call. We have landed and are en route to the hospital. What’s the situation? Has the family agreed to meet with us yet?” He waited, looking at me, nodding his head as he listened to Mary’s reply. He allowed himself a genuine smile, and directed it at me. “I’m sure he’s very appreciative.”

He disconnected the phone and slid it back in his pocket. Taylor shut off her cell and looked at Derek, both of us not so patiently waiting to hear the results of the conversation.

“Well?” I asked him. “What’s the news? Are they coming to the meeting?”

“Yes. The family will join us at our meeting. I’m sure once they hear our proposal to privatize her entire hospital stay and fund her recovery, they will agree to the terms and conditions.”

“And not only that, when the hospital receives the sizable donation from James Publishing, there is no way you will be denied access to her,” Taylor said, smirking. “Derek, is the media going to be present?”

Of course the media had to be involved. I snapped at her. “Don’t include Andi and her family in your little media circus. That’s the worst thing you could do.”

She rolled her eyes at me. Overdramatic as usual. “This isn’t my first rodeo, cowboy. I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry, I won’t involve your girlfriend and her family.”

Derek spoke, breaking up our childlike spat. “Taylor, a media conference is planned immediately after our board meeting.”

“Can you both fill me in on what’s happening? I seemed to have missed the memo on the media involvement.” This was not how this was supposed to play out.

Taylor rolled her eyes again. “Derek, may I?”

Already bored with the conversation, my father, who absentmindedly nodded his head, picked the paper again and commenced reading.

Taylor leaned forward in her seat. “LJ, it’s like this. You need the power of the hospital behind you, and the only way these people talk business is when money is involved. Derek has agreed to fund a new wing in the children’s ward, and with my celebrity and exposure, you’ll get exactly what you want—the best treatment available, and access to Andi.”

“Taylor, I’m not an imbecile. I know how this shit works, so please stop talking to me like I’m a three-year-old.” No matter what she said or did for me, I would always despise her.

“The media is to sweeten the deal. It’s got nothing to do her and her overdose,” she snapped at me. “You asked me for a favor, and this is how you talk to me. You’re lucky I’m here, Levi.” Sat back in the seat and examined her fingernails.

“This is retribution, not a favor. You are here for one thing only. To explain to her family how you lied about us being back together, and confess how you spoke to Andi, causing her to break up with me and then overdose. Not to come here and set yourself up for more media whoring. This is so typical of you, Taylor.”

My father dropped the paper enough to peer at us over the top, raising his eyebrows. “I’m sure that is your intention first and foremost. To talk privately with the family. Isn’t it, Taylor?” Derek asked her.

“I wasn’t the only person involved in the paper article, you know.” She looked at Derek.

“No, you weren’t, Taylor, but Levi and I have discussed that and came to our own agreement. If you expect James Publishing to finance your next movie, then you had best tell the LaRosa family and the media the truth.”

She battered her fake eyelashes. “Of course, Derek. It’s all free publicity anyway.”

It was right about now I was glad to have the old asshole and his bank account on my side. However, it didn’t change my opinion of him one bit. The three of us sat in silence for the remainder of the trip to the hospital. Derek reading the paper, Taylor on her phone, and me just wishing I could get the fuck out of this car.

As soon as the limousine pulled to stop at the main entrance of the hospital, I jumped ship. Waiting to greet us was the Chairman of the Hospital Board of Directors and behind him, the hulk. I raised my eyebrows in a smug greeting.
Guess who’s back for round two?
He dropped eyes in defeat, unable to look at me.

That was easy. Now for the challenge of Andi’s family. Most importantly, Tony and me, head to head. This one, I couldn’t wait for.