18. Chapter 18
They were bouncing their way up the mountain, only about halfway up when Andrea said, “Hutch, stop!” The car came to a quick stop, and she hopped out of the car. Levi scrambled after her, drawing his gun when she did.
“What is it?”
“Something’s moving.” She pointed toward where she was looking but he didn’t see anything. “Melanie!” She yelled out.
“Andrea?” Came back much quieter. It was her. Then the place she had been pointing moved. They took off at the same time toward the trees. The security team was right behind them.
Levi made it to her first, Melanie stumbling just as he got his arms around her. She was covered in blood and grime but she was alive. “Thank god!” he said as he pulled her all the way into his arms.
“He was behind me for a while but I think he turned back,” Melanie said through her sobs and struggled breaths.
Andrea put a jacket belonging to one of the security guys around her shoulders and rubbed. “You’re safe now. Breathe.” The look she gave him said they needed to go.
“I’m going to pick you up, ok?” When she nodded, he stooped and grabbed her legs and held her against him. Her feet were bruised and cut. She had to have been running for miles.
“Put her in the car at the back so you can turn around easier,” Andrea said.
After he loaded her in the car, Melanie said, “He’s still out there.”
“I’ll take care of that. Levi and Caleb are going to take you to the hospital to get all fixed up.” The driver got in the car but Levi hesitated. “Go to the hospital,” she said, looking him in the eyes.
He closed the door. “I want to get this guy.”
She gave him a smile and put her hand on his chest. “Honey, if you only listen to one piece of advice I give you for the rest of your life, let it be this. Don’t let the woman you love suffer alone. Even if you can’t do anything for her, you be there for her.” Andrea had never steered him wrong before and he glanced through the window at Melanie who was leaning heavily against the other door. Everything in him said she was right. Killing Kenneth wasn’t the most important thing right now. Being with Melanie was.
“Be careful,” he said.
“Don’t worry, I’m not the one who needs protecting today.” Andrea pushed the door closed and turned back toward her people who were waiting on her. Her eyes said Kenneth was going to regret everything he had ever done when she found him. He could live with knowing she would set the world right again.
Caleb backed up and got the car headed back down the mountain without taking out any trees which was a miracle considering how narrow the roadway was. Melanie slid closer and grabbed his hand. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“I would never stop looking for you.” It was the truth. He hadn’t figured out anything. This whole rescue was Andrea, but he didn’t think she would mind him taking some credit. “You’re so amazing, Melanie. You practically rescued yourself. Be proud of that.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand. “I think I’m in shock or something. The pain isn’t that bad.”
It wouldn’t last, but he prayed it would long enough for them to get to the hospital.
Laying in the hospital bed in the emergency room there were so many noises and people moving around. It was easy to let her mind bounce around and keep track of them rather than focusing on her own pain and what had happened. As far as she was concerned, it was a damn miracle she had been close enough to the road to be seen. She had heard the cars coming for miles, but it had been impossible to make it all the way to the road. The last fifty yards were going to be her demise, or so she had thought. Luckily, they had seen her. She would get the details later. For now, she was content with knowing that even though no one would probably admit it to her, Andrea was about to or already had killed Kenneth. It was a satisfying feeling.
The doctor stepped through the gap in the curtain and pulled it all the way closed behind her. “Sorry I’ve kept you waiting,” Allie said with a soft smile. “We’ll move you to an actual room, as soon as they get one cleaned up.” She came closer to the bed and looked at the monitor. They knew each other in that way that they had crossed paths a few times. Andrea had introduced them once and Melanie wrote out some checks for her services, but that was about it. In this setting, she wouldn’t even know that it was Andrea’s sister if she didn’t have prior knowledge. Their features were so different. Eye color, hair color, even the tone of their skin. They must have favored their mothers more than their father. She didn’t know Alexander before he died, but it was a good guess considering the contrasts in the appearances.
“It’s fine. I was actually sort of glad to be out here in the open to see what was going on.”
“Well, there’s a lot to watch today.” Allie looked at her and then at the blanket covering her up. When she got here, thankfully she had been able to strip out of the muddy pajamas, but she hadn’t showered or anything. No doubt she looked like a wreck. “How’s the pain?”
“Getting worse.” There was no point in lying to her. To Levi earlier before she kicked him out of the ER was a different story. “I ran through the woods barefoot and in shorts.” Admitting what happened to her would help. “The lamp I smashed through the wall with cut my hand pretty good too.” She raised her left hand for her to see. “He hit me on the head with something last night, it’s still throbbing.”
Allie popped on a pair of gloves and then took the hand in her own. When she finished examining it, she carefully laid it on the bed. Then she moved up to look at the back of her head. “There’s a laceration, but it’s not open. We’ll clean it and maybe put some glue to hold it. I’d also like to do a CT just to make sure there’s nothing to worry about regarding your brain.”
“Ok.” That was good. She didn’t need a brain bleed or something to kill her because no one had bothered to check it.
“Can I see your legs and feet?”
“Yeah.” She started pulling the blanket to the side, but Allie stopped her and worked it up from the bottom and laid the weight of it in her lap.
“Ok,” she said softly and helped cover her back up. When their eyes locked, all she saw was compassion reflected back. “There’s no easy way to ask this.” She came up to the side of the bed again where they didn’t have to speak very loud. Allie was considerate, and that made it easier to talk to her. “Were you sexually assaulted?”
“No.” She shook her head, regretting it when it pulsed harder. “That part of my body feels fine, and I escaped maybe twenty minutes after I woke up fully clothed in the pajamas I was wearing when he took me.”
“Ok.” Allie pulled off her gloves and nodded. “Give me five minutes to get some supplies and a nurse to help me, then we’ll get you cleaned up and patched up. Do you have any questions for me or is there anything else you want to say?”
She glanced to the curtain and back to Allie. “No cops or anything right?”
“If you would like me to call them then I can, but no, no one will come in here to interview you or take your statement.” The look she had, said they both knew why. “I can have a social worker stop in after we’ve treated you if you want someone to talk to.”
“I’m good…I just didn’t want,” she couldn’t figure out how to phrase it without saying she didn’t want the cops to ask where she escaped from then get Andrea caught or something.
“I understand.” Allie gave her a small smile before she disappeared behind the curtain.
Melanie imagined she did know. Probably a lot better than anyone. Her sister was a mob boss. Of course she fucking knew what that meant. Not just a boss, but THE BOSS. Plus her father had been the boss. And her grandfather. Talk about someone that probably needed some counseling.
Levi was in the waiting room feeling angry because there was nothing he could do. The ER was exceptionally crowded when they arrived and they had asked him to wait here because he wasn’t family. That was a stupid rule. He hated that. Maybe he wasn’t her husband, but he cared about her. Shouldn’t that count?
He had charmed a nurse into letting him borrow their phone charger though. As soon as it had turned back on he sent a text to Andrea saying he had power again and to call him. Nothing yet though. So he was stuck waiting. The same way he had been waiting for sixteen hours before they found her. He liked to think he was a patient man, but his patience was running low.
It had already been three hours when Allie stepped through the door, looking around the room. They’d never officially met. He knew who she was, but he doubted she knew him. “Levi?” He stepped around a woman who had her legs out in the aisle and made his way to her. The way she looked him up and down then smiled made him nervous. She waved for him to follow her through a set of doors and out of earshot of the other people in the waiting room. “So you’re Levi, huh?”
“That’s me,” he said with a shrug. Not knowing how much she did or didn’t know about him, he just followed her lead. “How’s Melanie?”
“Sorry, can’t tell you that, but I can take you to her room now. She wants you there.” Right. Allie was the queen of confidentiality. Even her password on her work files was fifteen characters. It was the one thing he’d never been able to hack. Not that he’d tried of course. “You’re younger than I thought you would be,” she commented as they walked toward the elevators.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. My sister only told me about you once. She said that if something happened to her, then someone named Levi would probably contact me at some point. That I should trust you.” She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know why, but I had you pictured as some old dude.”
He watched her hit the nine button on the elevator. “Definitely not an old dude.”
“So why would you contact me?” When she tilted her head, he could feel the intensity of her gaze.
“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug, “Maybe you should ask her.” If she was going to be secretive, then so was he. They didn’t know each other. And obviously she didn’t know his connection to Andrea. In the elevator at a hospital wasn’t the place for that kind of discussion.
After rolling her eyes, she stepped off into the hallway first and pointed to the left. “Room 921. I’ve got to get back downstairs.”
“Thanks.” He felt her watching him the whole time he walked down the hall. Before he pushed the door open, he gave her a wave. Allie didn’t wave back. One day he would have an actual conversation with her, but not today.
Melanie was asleep. Her left foot was wrapped up with gauze all around it and some sort of metal brace on top of the wrappings. The right foot and leg were also wrapped up. A blanket covered her thighs and torso. On top, her left hand was covered in some sort of bandage, but her right hand was uninjured and hanging off the bed. He knew he should just sit down and let her sleep. Something in him couldn’t resist, he moved over and grabbed her hand.
Maybe they were sort of dating, maybe they weren’t. With the way things had been for the past couple of weeks, there was no way to classify it. It was more like they hooked up when she wanted to and other times he was just bringing her food and telling her not to go anywhere. Nothing about that screamed romantic to him. He could’ve done better.
Letting someone like her go wasn’t an option. If what she wanted after this was to be swept off her feet with big gestures and promises of their future then he would make it happen. But he knew she didn’t put stock in the same things others did. Melanie liked stability and order. He could be those things too. They could be those things for each other. At least he could try.
Her squeezing his hand made him look at her face. “Hey, how you doing?”
“Allie gave me the good stuff. I can’t be held responsible for what I say.” She smiled up at him and pulled on his hand.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a wink. If she was feeling good and high, then no way was he going to bring her back down to reality. “So pretty lady who can’t be held responsible for what she says, tell me, is there anything I can do for you?” Her eyes closed for a long minute before she opened them again. It was probably best just to let her sleep. He just wanted to hear her voice for a while longer.
“You look sad,” she finally said. “Don’t be sad.”
“I’m sorry I let you down.” Even if she didn’t remember it when she woke up he needed to say that. He would tell her again and again. “I promised not to let you get hurt. I’m sorry.”
Shaking her head with a grimace, she whispered, “Come closer.” He leaned down where only six inches separated them. “Closer.” Two inches. This time she smiled and blinked faster. “Closer.” He could feel her breath on his lips in little puffs but did what she asked. “Kiss me, Levi.” When their lips brushed softly, she let go of his hand and put it on his cheek. “We need to do that again,” she said when he pulled back after another kiss.
It made him laugh. “I’ll kiss you all you want later. Just rest, cupcake.”
“I like cupcakes,” she mumbled.
“Me too.” He kissed her forehead before standing back up all the way. At least she didn’t hate his guts. For now. They would see when she came down off the high.
Her eyes were already closed when she murmured, “I’m a cupcake.”
Melanie woke up feeling like complete shit. She hadn’t even opened her eyes yet, but she could feel every single ache and scratch on her body. After taking a mental inventory, she blinked her eyes open against the sunlight coming from the window beside her. It took a minute to make everything focus. There was Scarlett standing at the end of the hospital bed holding a balloon. It read: “It’s a girl.” Something about it made her laugh before she could even speak.
“They were out of the sorry a psycho kidnapped you ones,” Scarlett said with a shrug and a smirk on her lips.
She didn’t really like her, but she did like Scarlett’s sense of humor sometimes. “This one’s better. Thanks.”
“No problem.” She tied the balloon to a vase on the windowsill and sat down in the chair by the bed. The vase was a recent addition. It had some beautiful flowers in it. Noticing where she was looking Scarlett said, “Those are from Andrea and Valerie. Want me to read you the card?”
More like she was a nosy bitch, but it would’ve been rude to say that. “Sure.”
She plucked the card off the holder and pulled it out of the envelope. “When I said take some time off, this isn’t what I meant. A. Don’t listen to her, take all the time you need. Val.” They both smiled when Scarlett held it up for her to see. It was actually in their writing which was sweet. “There’s a few others,” she said, pointing around the room.
For the first time, she looked all around to find four bouquets of flowers and one made of candy. “Wow.” She’d never been in a situation like this. It was really nice of people.
“Luna sent the one with the candy. I stole a Snickers while waiting for you to wake up.” Scarlett held up the empty wrapper before leaning back in the chair. Apparently she planned to stay for a while. “I always hate when people ask how I’m feeling after something happens, so I won’t ask you. Really, I’m just here to tell you about a news story.”
“Oh, yeah?” She turned to look at her in question.
“They found Kenneth’s body in the bay. The cops think he floated down the river and got hung up on the rocks in the bay before the tide could push him out to sea. Multiple gunshot wounds. Possible torture. No leads or suspects.” She looked out the window for a minute. “Detective Perkins has other priorities. He said it might be awhile before he can even start looking into it.”
The relief she felt in her chest at hearing that was immense. There had been no doubt in her mind that Andrea was going to kill him, but knowing it was actually done and over was good. She had been afraid he would get away before they could find him yesterday. “Did the news say anything about what he had been doing?” The last thing she needed was her name or picture plastered everywhere. Because her mom wasn’t here crying and yelling at her about how dangerous DeLaney was, she assumed that hadn’t happened yet.
“Apparently the apartment he had been subletting was completely empty when the cops checked it out.” So they had finally figured out where he had been hiding out. It was impressive. Scarlett looked her right in the eye. “Yesterday was a big news day. The old salt mill also burnt to the ground. By the time the fire department made it up the mountain, it was nothing but ashes.”
“Must have been a big fire.”
No one would ever know what happened to her there. All the pictures of her on the wall were gone. His apartment was empty. All the evidence was washed away in the bay.
“It was.” Scarlett slapped her hands on her legs and stood up. They shared a look of understanding and Melanie gave her a smile. All things considered, she appreciated Scarlett taking time out of her schedule to come and give her the details she wouldn’t have known how to ask for otherwise. “I think when you get out of here and can you know wear shoes again, we should have a drink. From what I hear, you and me have something in common.”
A peace offering? Maybe she had hit her head harder than she thought. “Oh?”
Scarlett laughed and plucked another piece of candy off the bouquet on her way to the door. Just before she pulled it open, she winked and said, “Vodka.”
The laugh she let out hurt but also felt really good. Scarlett was a strange woman, but she was a tough bitch. Having someone on her side like that couldn’t hurt. They would get that drink. For now, she needed pills. Hitting the nurse’s button on the bed, she laid her head down to think. Ken was dead. He could never do something like this again. Melanie had never really been glad someone was dead before so it felt wrong. In time, that would pass. For now, she just wanted to be glad she was alive.