Shattered Rules (16 page)

H
e thought about how little information he’d discovered during his time with Kelly. They hadn't learned anything new in days. “Shit.”All he’d turned up were dead ends. Useless anger burned in his gut. If he couldn't get more information how was he going to protect Kelly?

***

The intruder parked the pickup truck in the same place he had parked the SUV last night.

H
is hands itched. He scratched them hard enough to leave deep red lines in his skin. Pain was better than itching. Restlessness stirred in his veins. Hunger for the kill grew in him. Starved, he couldn't wait much longer to feed.

If it was up to him he
’d kill the guy, grab the girl and have done with it. But it wasn't his job to decide what to do. His job was to follow orders. That's why he was the best, he never overtly questioned orders. He just carried them out. When the time came to act, he would. But because this was his final job before retiring and returning to his homeland, he was finding it hard to wait.

***

Johnny Vega’s stomach growled. He sat in the dining room of the penthouse suite waiting for his room service breakfast order to arrive. Barefoot and still in his in his maroon silk pajamas he put his elbows on the glass table and cursed his chef for getting sick. He had enough trouble and now he couldn't even get a decent meal. His head throbbed, too much liquor last night.
Damn Kelly.

When she took the
flash drive, she put him in a hell of a spot. Mr. Yi was breathing down his neck waiting for delivery of the drive. If Johnny didn't get it back soon, his ass was going to be in a ringer. His men had better find her or he'd make sure their ass was in that ringer along with his.

He recalled the day he met
her. A college student, she’d seemed so sweet, innocent but hot, damned hot. Not only that, he liked her. With women that didn’t happen. He used them and when he grew tired of them through them out. For the first time in his adult life he cared about a woman. He trusted her, even thought of marrying the bitch.

He groaned.
Not since the death of his mother had he felt loss. Without Kelly there was a cold void of loneness in him and he didn't know how to fill it. He remembered how she looked, how she smiled, how she moved. He could almost feel the softness of her skin and smell her sweet vanilla scent. “Bitch.” His need for her grew.

He’d
avoided relationships but she’d blindsided him, caught him off guard and he’d let her see a secret part of him no one except his dead mother had seen. He’d nurtured Kelly, cared for her and loved her. She rewarded him by stealing the guidance system.

If she
’d been in the room even though he knew it would be like killing a part of himself, he’d have murdered her with his bare hands.

***

The morning light hurt Kelly’s eyes. She turned away from the bedroom window. Her head throbbed. It served her right for drinking so much wine last night.

When she thought of her behavior, the flush of embarrassment burned her cheeks.
She moaned as much for her foolish actions as for her aching head. When was she going to get it through her dense brain that no matter how much she loved him and no matter how kind he was to her, Brick didn't want her?

C
oming on to him, she must have seemed pathetic. If only she could do last evening over. All she’d wanted was a night to remember. Well, now she had one.
Fool.

She
returned from the bathroom carrying a glass of water, set the tumbler on the bedside table and reached for an aspirin bottle. The telephone rang. As she rushed to answer it the glass of water fell off the nightstand.

“
Damn! Hello.”

“
Ms. Shaw?”

“
Yes.”

“
This is Mrs. Page from Truckee Forest Hospital. Officer Mullins said you wanted to know when Miss Owen was awake.”

“
Yes.”

“
She woke early this morning.”

“
Could I see her?”

“
Well, you’d have to check at the nurse’s station, with the accident and all. But since the officer said it was okay with him if you wanted to visit her for a few minutes I guess it would be okay.”

“
Could I come this afternoon?”

“
Anytime before eight o’clock tonight.”

“
I'll be there and Mrs. Page, thank you for calling.”

“
You're welcome dear.”

With a bath towel, she soaked up the spilled water. Then she quickly dressed in blue jeans, powder blue T-shirt and
her white running shoes.

R
elieved to know Amanda was awake, she sighed. Visiting hours might be until eight tonight, she wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Amanda could slide back into a coma before she had a chance to talk to her.

She took a
deep breath to give her the courage to go and find Brick. Would he mention her stupid behavior from last night?

He
stood in the great room looking out the window to the lake. “Hi,” he said, barely looking in her direction when she entered the room.

“
Hi yourself,” she said. Completely conscious of his masculinity, she strained to control her desire to touch him. She steeled herself, waiting for him to make some remark about last night. She let out her breath when she realized she was holding it.

H
e didn't say anything else, didn’t even ask how she was feeling. Grateful, she stood next to him and gazed out the window. “Amanda's awake. I'd like to go see her as soon as I can.”

“
No problem.” He faced her. “Get some breakfast and then we can go.”

H
is voice was controlled and distant, speaking to her as if she was a stranger.

Disappointment spiraled in her.

Chapter Twenty-one

Truckee Forest Hospital a seventy-five bed general hospital was housed in a modern nondescript two-story building.

She hadn’t been in a hospital since the death of her mother. The thought of entering the medical center caused her stomach to retch.

Though her father had died instantly in a train derailment, her mother had survived, lingering for days in the hospital.
She’d stayed at her mother's bedside until her mom had succumbed to her injuries. The feelings of hopelessness she’d experienced on the day of her mother's death returned.

Her
hands tingled. Slowly she pulled open the heavy glass door and walked into the hospital lobby. Amanda was the only one who had information that could help her get out of her situation. She had to talk to her before it was too late.

Brick followed her into the
medical center.

The clean white lobby was devoid of the usual hospital odors and was about as welcoming as a
ny medical building could manage. A gift shop stood near the front lobby. Even though she was in a hurry to see Amanda, she entered the shop.

With
a bouquet of mixed flowers, a card and two fashion magazines she paid the clerk. She refused Brick’s offer to pay and insisted on using her credit card. She wasn't about to be more beholden to him than she was already.

The volunteer at the information desk told them Ms. Owen was on the second floor, east wing. They were to stop at the nursing station
and ask for her room number.

On the second floor, the
walls were painted mustard yellow and smells of various chemical and human substances wafted out of the patient rooms as they walked by the open doorways. Swallowing hard, she ignored it.

Brick wore a stoic expression a
s he moved quickly toward the nursing station. She watched him. Was this the first time he'd been in a hospital since his recovery from injuries he received almost five years ago?

About half way down the hall, a twenty something woman, dressed in an aqua uniform, sat alone at the nursing station desk.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“
We’d like to see Amanda Owen,” Brick said.

When Amanda's name was mentioned, a shadowed look came over the young woman
’s face.

“
I don't know.” She consulted her papers.

“
Sorry, no visitors allowed.”

“
Oh. Thanks anyway.”

He pulled
Kelly with him as he left the nurse’s station.

She opened her mouth to
protest, but he gave her a quick shake of his head. They walked silently toward the exit.

“
I got her room number,” he whispered.

“
How?”

“
As the clerk ran her hand down the list of patient names, her finger stopped for half a second at a room number then continued down the page. Come on,” he said. “We’ll go see her.”

They
waited until the young woman at the desk turned her back to them and then they walked quietly back down the hall toward Amanda’s room.

“
Let's see if anyone’s standing guard,” he whispered. “I hope there’ll be an officer watching her room.”

The door was open and the sign next to the
door said, “Owen, No visitors.” But there was no police guard, no nurse.

“
So much for protection,” he said. “I know the California Highway Patrol, with the recent budget cuts, is short staffed, but I'd hoped the local police would’ve been brought in to help.”

He glanced around the quiet hallway.
“You go in. I'll stay here at the door.”

“
What do I say to her?”

“
Just say hello and give her a chance to talk. She was coming to see you. She must have had a good reason.”

***

The white walls of Amanda’s room were cold and uninviting. A mini blind did it's best to decorate the window. A ceiling fixture gave out light, but did nothing to heat the room.

Kelly
rubbed her arms for warmth.

The roommate
lay in the bed next to the window. She didn’t move and for a second Kelly thought she was unconscious.

Visions of
her mother lying lifeless in a hospital bed came unbidden to her. She swayed under the weight of the somber memories and steadied herself by holding on to the nearest wall.

S
he glanced at Amanda, but instead of seeing her, she saw a vision of her mother saying, “Be a good girl Kelly. Don't let me down.”

She
swallowed and covered her mouth to stifle an anguish cry. She’d let her mom down, she’d let her sister down, she’d let herself down. Now she’d even let poor Amanda down.

“Is someone there?”

“It’s Kelly.”

“
Hi Kell.”

Amanda's voice sounded surprisingly
strong compared to the way she looked. Her usually pretty face was unrecognizable, swollen eyes were almost closed and the skin around them was a deep purple. With a bandage on her nose and a splint on her arm, she looked small and as pale as the white sheets of the hospital bed.

“
I came to see how you’re doing.”

“
Okay I guess.”

“
I brought flowers and a couple of magazines.” She put the magazines on the bedside table, but with Amada’s eyes so swollen she probably would be able to read.

“
Thanks.”

“
You're welcome. Maybe I can find something to put these flowers in.”

There was a
green glass vase, the kind given out in florist shops, in a cupboard. She took it to the bathroom and filled it with water and put the vase of flowers on the windowsill. “There that's better.”

Amanda looked toward the window
and squinted.

Could she
even see the flowers?

“
Nobody ever gave me flowers before.”

Kelly gasped
. “Well, I'm glad I'm the first.” She tried to sound cheerful and managed an unfelt smile. She reached for Amanda's hand and gave it a light squeeze. To her surprise the woman held her hand for a moment before letting it go.

“
Is there someone I can call, a family member?”

“
No.”

The answer was so
firm and final. She didn’t say anymore on the subject.

An awkward silence followed.

“He tried to kill me,” Amanda finally said.

“
What!”

“
He wanted to murder me. It wasn't an accident. The driver drove right at me. His car pushed me off the road.”

“
Oh God!” It was so close to what had happened to her during the snowstorm, the night her Honda was almost run off Donner Summit.

“
I was coming to see you. You helped me get my car back and I wanted to help you.”

Amanda shifted her position in the bed
. She winced and took a slow breath before speaking again. “You took something from the men my boyfriend was working for. Those guy's said they were going to get it back, even if they had to kill you.”

“
Johnny Vega?”

“
No, some other dudes. There was this Asian guy. I think he’s a Korean dude. And some man from the government. My boyfriend was supposed to work for them, but he backed out. You met Norm. He doesn't scare easy. But these dudes scared him real bad.”

“
You mean someone from the U.S. Government is after me? Amanda, that doesn’t make sense.”

“
Norm said somebody in the U.S. government is out to get you. That's all I know. But I'm scared and you should be too.”

Ted
Simmons was from the government and he died protecting me. Amanda must have her facts wrong.

“
It’s hard to talk.” Her roommate moaned. “My mouth is so dry”

There was
a plastic pitcher on the bedside table. She poured a glass of water, then helped Amanda sit up and take a sip.

Amanda
lay back against the pillows. “Kell, whatever you took, give it back. It's not worth dying for. They'll kill you as sure as I'm sitting in this hospital bed.”

Kelly
gasped again.

“
I'm tired,” Amanda said as she slumped in the bed and closed her eyes.

“
I'll let you get some rest.”

“
You'll come and see me again?” Her eyes blinked open.

“
Of course, if you want me to.” She gazed at the bleak, sparsely decorated room and shivered. “Is there anything I can get you before I go?”

“
I can't watch TV. You have to pay for it and I don't have my purse. It must still be in my wrecked car.” Tears squeezed out from the woman’s puffy eyes, wetting her bruised skin and dripping down her gaunt cheeks. “I just have to sit here and look at nothing.”

H
ow could Amanda see anything with her eyes almost swollen shut? Still, Kelly’s heart squeezed. “Don't worry. I'll have them turn on the TV for you. You helped me. I'll help you.” She smiled.
What are credit cards for?
Later she‘d worry about paying the debt she was racking up.

“
Thanks Kell.”

“
No problem. I'll come back and see you soon.”

Just as a she was leaving
, a nurse entered the room.

“
What are you doing in here? Didn't you see there are no visitors?”

She
rushed out of the room without answering. As she left, she heard Amanda ask for something for pain.

Brick
was down the hall talking to Officer Mullins. She joined them.

“
The Doc said Miss Owens is in guarded condition,” the Officer said. “She’s got a broken arm, broken nose and a probable concussion. They’re watching for internal bleeding. She’s definitely going to require plastic surgery. But all and all, she's damn lucky to be alive.”

“
What happened on the highway?” Brick asked.

“
Hit and run. She doesn't remember too much about it. Can't tell us what kind of vehicle hit her, but something smacked her car so hard it sent her compact over the embankment. It should’ve dropped at least thirty or forty feet. But someone up there was watching out for the little lady.” He pointed upward. “She was above the tree line, hard to believe her auto found the only tree for miles on that embankment. The compact was wedged between the slope and a tree stump, preventing the car from going down the cliff.”

“I’ll be damned,” Brick said quietly.

“She's a little bit of a girl, but somehow she managed to get out of the car, crawl back up to the road and wave down a motorist. Good thing a car came by soon after the accident. The driver called 9ll and stayed with her until the ambulance picked her up. She's one lucky lady.”

“
And you have no idea who did it?”

“
Nope. She's the only witness, not much traffic on the road that time of day. And with that bump on her head, she can’t tell us much. We may never know exactly what happened.” Officer Mullins' eyes narrowed. “The doc said there’s a fifty-fifty chance she’ll remember.” He shook his head. “I'd like to get my hands on the jerk who did that to her.” He paused, then shrugged. “We can't solve them all. She's alive, that's what matters.”

“
Right,” Brick agreed. “Thanks for the info.”

“No problem.”
Officer Mullins walked down the hall toward Amanda's room.

On the way out of the hospital,
Kelly stopped at the information desk and asked that the TV be turned on in Amanda’s room.

Back in the
Volvo, she leaned against the leather seats and closed her eyes.

“
You okay?”

“
Seeing Amanda brought back all the memories of seeing my mom in the hospital just before she died.”

“
Memories can be cruel.” Brick touched her hand. “Let’s get back to the cabin.”

“Yeah.”
Kelly didn’t speak on the drive to the cabin glad in her emotional state she didn’t have to drive.

Back at
the cabin, she checked the answer machine. No message from Carrie. She dialed her sister’s cell phone again. No answer.

With the portable phone
still in her hand, she gravitated to the back deck. Lake Tahoe lapped serenely at the edge of her property and a cool breeze drifted off the water. She sat on a deck chair facing the water.

Brick joined her
, a can of Cola in his hand. He sat in the deck chair next to hers and stretched out his long legs. “Want a sip?”