13. Growing Pains
CHAPTER 13
Growing Pains
I sla crawled out of the car first. She moved as quickly as possible so that Levi could get out, too. No one thought the car was in danger of exploding, but she needed to know he was safe, that whoever was targeting her wasn’t going to hurt him. And the man refused to leave the car first.
Mitch and Marcus eased her to a standing position, and then a woman she hadn’t met before smiled at her. “Hi, Isla. I’m Doctor Lia Moreno. I’m a friend of Tansy’s, and I’d like to check you over.”
Isla nodded even as she turned back to check on Levi. He crawled out of the car, and his eyes met hers as he rose. Relief made her a little woozy, and she sat on the hill where Lia indicated.
Levi moved directly to her and took her hand. “Are you dizzy? Does anything feel worse after crawling? Where do things hurt?”
Lia laughed. “I think those are very good questions. Hi, Levi. I’m Lia Moreno, a doctor and a friend of everyone here. I’d like to check you both out.”
Levi nodded. “I’m fine. Make sure Isla is.”
Lia grinned. “Great. Now we’ve established that you’re both more worried about the other person than yourselves. Why don’t I quickly check you both, starting with Isla so Levi doesn’t get any growlier?”
Isla couldn’t help but laugh, and Levi’s eyes widened as he stared at the doctor. Then he rolled his eyes and sat beside Isla while the doctor checked them over and asked a ton of questions.
Lia smiled at them both when she was done. “I think you’re both very lucky. Car roll overs can cause lots of damage. Neither of you has a concussion, and your seat belts and air bags did their job. You’re going to have bruises, especially from the seat belts. Everything will probably ache for a few days, and headaches are to be expected. But you’re both okay and exceedingly lucky. If anything changes, I want you to call me immediately, day or night. I have an office in Phail, but I spend time at Midnight Lake. Either way, call me and I’m not far. Any questions?”
Isla shook her head. “Not at the moment. Thank you.”
Lia smiled. “You’re very welcome. And I’m serious about calling. Even if it’s simply to talk things through. Being in a rollover is traumatic enough. Hearing that it appears to be a targeted attack makes it worse. If you need help working through that trauma, let me know.”
Isla swallowed against the tears. “Thank you.”
Lia packed up her bag and moved to climb the hill behind them.
Isla leaned into Levi’s shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. “You doing okay?” His voice was for her ears only.
She shrugged. “We’re alive and okay.”
He nodded and kissed her hair. “And we’re going to stay that way. Both of us.”
She shivered at that. What if this person tried again? Was it Ed? The man had been a slime, but she couldn’t imagine him doing this. Crossing the country to sabotage a ladder and her car? Seemed ridiculous.
Levi squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I got sloppy and relaxed. I should have been investigating the ladder incident. I should have checked over your car. I should?—”
Isla turned and put her fingers over his lips. “Stop. This isn’t your fault. None of it. We’ve both talked about it, but the threat didn’t seem real enough.”
She glanced at the ruined car and back at him. “Now we know someone is actually a threat. But it wasn’t your job to fix it. You’ve been busy with your fields and planting. Helping with the demolition in town and working with Sean to fix up the farmhouse. Don’t you dare feel guilty.”
His eyes widened, and he kissed her fingers. “Does that go for you as well?”
She shrugged, but Levi cupped her jaw with his hand. “If it’s not my fault, it’s not yours, either. We can’t change the past, but we can change our focus now that we know this is a genuine threat. We’re going to dig more seriously.”
They’d done some internet searches, but not enough.
Isla nodded. She needed to keep Levi safe from whoever was after her. Her heart said there was no way it was her father, but maybe she should start there. If she could rule him out, she’d feel so much better. It was bad enough that he’d cut her out of his life without a backward glance, but she couldn’t image how much he would have to hate her to try to kill her.
Levi’s arms tightened around her. “It’s going to be okay, Isla. We’ve got a great team to help us, and we’ll figure this out.”
Marcus came over and squatted in front of them. “We are. We now have proof that there was sabotage on your car. That gives me more power to ask questions and track down answers. I’ve got Ed Pringle on the list, along with your father and cousin. Have you had any more thoughts on the matter?”
Did anyone else want to hurt her? That was a depressing thought. “No. I think I’m going to call my father when we’re back at the cottage. I’ve been working myself up to it over the last few days. Now I want to do it. I need to know he’s not behind this.”
Marcus watched her carefully and nodded slowly. “Okay. Why don’t you have Levi listen in? He’s good at observing, at seeing more than people want him to see. He’d also be there to give you some moral support.”
Would that make it more awkward or less? It would be demoralizing if her father didn’t remember her. Or disconnected the phone as quickly as he could.
She had to believe Levi would understand. She nodded and sighed. “What do I need to do about the car? Wait. Are the people in the other car okay? They didn’t get hurt or pushed off the road, did they?”
A look up the hill had her stomach dropping. They’d tumbled down a long way.
Marcus was quick to reassure her. “They’re fine. The driver could tell your car was out of control and pulled over to the side of the road to call for help. They stayed to direct us.”
“Who are they? Can I thank them?”
Marcus grinned. “It was a couple from over in Londonderry. They were in town to pick up a dog from Kimi. They’re waiting to make sure you’re both okay.”
Marcus stood. “I’ll need to take your statements. Why don’t we get someone to drive you home, and then I’ll drop by later to talk to you?”
Isla’s body was aching, and she wanted nothing more than to sink into a hot bubble bath, but she needed to face reality first.
As she rose, Levi helped her up. With him at her side, she knew she could face what came next.
L evi was worried that Isla was overwhelmed. Her eyes were wide, and while they weren’t shocky, they were wary and worried. It took more than an hour before they were able to leave the site of the crash.
Troy drove them home to Isla’s cottage and said he’d get Levi’s truck dropped off for them later. As Levi helped Isla from the truck, he looked at his buddy. “You have a few minutes to help me look over the buildings to ensure we’re good?”
Isla’s head whipped up to look at him, and she leaned into him as she looked around the property. “I didn’t think of that. I was thinking that soon we’d be home and safe. But home might not be safe after all.” Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back.
Levi wanted to go on the attack and eliminate any and all threats to Isla, but he also wanted to tuck her into his arms and hold her tight.
Hopper had realized they were outside and started barking up a storm. Happy barks, but strangers might not know that. Troy grinned at him. “I’m going to guess no one would be dumb enough to try to get inside with your dog standing guard like that.”
Isla smiled, but it faded quickly. “What if they try to hurt Hopper?”
“He’s fine, and we’ll make sure he stays that way. Let’s open up and let him out.”
Hopper bounded outside and licked them all before returning to Isla’s side and rubbing himself against her legs. She dropped to the porch and hugged the dog tightly.
Levi met Troy’s gaze over her head. His buddy was almost as worried about her as Levi. They had to get this asshole soon.
They locked the cabin back up and moved to check over the barn. None of the cameras had shown a disturbance, but they weren’t taking chances.
Isla’s greenhouse and the garden she’d planted were untouched. Back at the house, they trooped around the sides but found nothing.
Throughout their trip, Isla remained silent, and Hopper stuck to her side. She patted the dog and managed a few smiles, but Levi could see she was crashing. The adrenaline from the car rollover was disappearing. He needed to get her inside and alone.
He didn’t have to explain to Troy. “I’m going to take off and give you guys time to decompress. You’ve probably got a few hours before Marcus will be out.” He squeezed Isla’s shoulder. “You’re safe here, and we won’t stop until we find this guy. If you need anything, call.”
Then he was gone, and they were locked inside the cottage.
Isla kicked off her boots and headed to the kitchen before he’d undone his laces. Hopper followed on her heels. In the kitchen, Levi found her closing the curtains over the sink. The stove element was already lit under the kettle. Tea was one thing she turned to when she was stressed.
He turned away to start one of the other things. In the bathroom, he started the water in the tub. He reached under the sink to grab what he now knew was a bath bomb. This one was a rubber duck. When he tossed it in, the duck dissolved, and foam and bubbles filled the bath.
When he returned to the kitchen, she hadn’t moved and was staring at the curtains that now covered the window. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. For a long moment, he didn’t say a word, just held her. When the kettle whistled, he turned it off. Instead of filling her mug, he took her hand and led her to the bathroom.
Isla looked from the tub to him and threw her arms around his waist. “Thank you.”
“I figure it’ll help with the bumps and bruises and help you relax. Go ahead, and I’ll bring you some tea.”
But she grabbed his hand. “I have a better idea.”
“And what’s that?”
She smiled at him. “You have aches and bruises, too. Join me.”
In the tub? He didn’t think he’d taken a bath since he was six. But a tub of bubbles with a naked Isla? Didn’t sound like a bad idea.
Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face because Isla laughed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
But if something could put a smile on her face and a laugh in her voice, he was all in. She reached down and stopped the water.
When she straightened, he reached for her sweatshirt. “Let me.”
He slowly undressed her, checking for any injuries she might not have mentioned. The seat belt bruise was already obvious across her collarbone and between her breasts. “How bad does it hurt?”
She shrugged. “A bit, but I keep reminding myself how lucky we were.”
She was right, but he didn’t like to see her soft skin marred. The belt had also dug into her hip. By morning, the marks would be livid.
The bastard was going to pay.
Isla’s hands started working on his clothes, and soon, they were both naked. He stepped into the tub and offered her his hand to help her in.
When they both stood in the tub, he kissed her softly. “I’m glad we were so lucky, but I hate seeing you bruised.”
Her hands drifted over the marks on his skin, which weren’t as deep as hers. Must have been the way the car rolled.
“I feel the same. I’m so sorry you were hurt because of me.”
He lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “Not your fault. Nothing to feel guilty about. I’m glad I was with you. Please don’t blame yourself.”
Her eyes sparkled with tears. “I’m trying, but it’s kind of impossible.”
That made him grin. “You’re strong enough. You can do it. Now, how the hell do we both fit in this tub?”
As he’d hoped, she laughed. In only moments, he was sitting with his back against the tub, and Isla cradled in front of him. The heat of the water soothed their bodies, but the fact that she trusted him enough to be honest with him that warmed him the most.
So, they relaxed in the water, and he plotted his strategy.