Chapter 16
Nash didn’t like leavingLondyn for even a minute. And just when he needed to find someone, everyone was busy getting equipment in place. He’d only gone maybe thirty yards when his cell phone chirped, indicating an incoming text. He fished it from his pocket and glanced down to see the message was from Swede.
Look out for Alan Sarley, hired on with the film studio as maintenance. Dishonorable discharge from the Marines for spousal abuse even after mandatory anger management therapy.
Nash started to respond when his cell phone rang. The name on the screen was Dana Tyler. He answered, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Nash, I checked into the other women who auditioned for the lead role Londyn landed. Only one made the cut but was awarded the role of supporting actress instead of the lead.”
“Let me guess,” he said. “Julia Banes?”
“That’s the one,” Dana said. “I had my agent check into her background. She’s got a reputation for being hard to work with. A real diva.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Nash promised.
“Thanks.” Dana hesitated. “How’s my girl?”
“She’s getting ready for her next scene,” he said. “Gotta go.”
“Take care of her,” Dana said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Anxious to get someone to find a script, he ended the call.
As he pocketed his cell, he heard someone shout, “Look out!”
Nash looked up in time to see the heavy lighting fixture he was standing near teeter precariously and then topple in his direction.
The man who’d shouted rushed toward him.
“Don’t!” Nash yelled and dove for the man, knocking him backward. The metal fixture crashed down, pinning Nash and the man he’d shoved beneath its heavy frame.
For a moment, Nash’s vision blurred. He fought the darkness. He couldn’t pass out. He needed to get back to Londyn.
As Nash’s vision cleared, pain shot through his leg and shoulder. He tried to move. The weight of the equipment trapped him against the ground.
The man he’d shoved muttered a string of curses and then asked between gritted teeth, “You all right, man?”
“Can’t...move,” Nash said, the weight of the fixture smashing him into the dirt and making it hard to breathe. He pushed his hands against the ground and tried to push up.
“Hang on,” the other guy said. “Let me try. It’s only got my leg pinned.” The man grunted and cursed. “No use. We’re going to need a hand.” He raised his voice. “Hey! Help!”
A voice answered back, “Coming!” Soon, a man came running up. “Holy shit, Brody! Gonna need more than me. I’ll be right back.”
“Hurry,” Nash said into the dirt.
“Max’ll get help,” Brody said. “What’s your name?”
“Nash,” he replied.
“Nash, you the guy with our leading lady?” Brody asked.
“Yes,” he replied. “Need...to...get...back...”
“Here they come. They’ll get us out of here,” Brody said. “Just hang on.”
Nash struggled to get enough air in his lungs to keep from passing out. He counted the seconds, his gut telling him he needed to hurry.
He was up to one hundred seconds when Max returned with four other guys.
Four men positioned themselves on opposite sides of the structure and gripped the metal struts. The fifth man stood close to Nash.
“On three,” Max called out. “One...two...three!”
The men all lifted as one.
As soon as the weight was off him, Nash sucked in a deep breath. The man standing near him grabbed his arm and pulled him from beneath the metal.
Nash looked toward the other guy who’d been trapped beneath the wreckage.
Brody had dragged himself out from under the fixture.
By the time the four men had lowered the structure, others came running from all over.
“I called 911,” one man said. “They’re sending an ambulance.
Nash struggled to his hands and knees.
Someone laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, buddy, you should stay down until the paramedics get here. You could have some damage to your back.”
Nash shook his head. “Just help me up.” He had to get to her. As he searched the faces standing around, he didn’t find Julia’s. And he wasn’t sure what Alan Sarley looked like.
With each passing second, he was more and more convinced Londyn was in danger.
His heart raced, and his breathing became labored and not from the weight of the metal crushing him into the earth. A flashback of Waterson filled his memories, and he knew how that had ended.
He wouldn’t let that be how things went down this time. Not with Londyn. Not on his watch.
Londyn worriedabout what Julia and her giant-sized minion had done to Nash. She had to know. The man she’d tried to get rid of at first had proven himself to be a true hero. The kind of man most women could only dream of.
In the short time they’d been together, he’d managed not only to save her life twice, but he’d also gotten under her skin.
As she’d learned the hard way, when you loved someone, you held on as long as you could and loved them with every fiber of your being. Life could be fleeting. She had to treat every day like it could be her last. And she wanted to spend every one of them with that annoying man who’d insisted on protecting her when she’d believed she could take care of herself.
“What did you do to Nash?” she asked, praying they’d been bluffing when they’d said he wouldn’t be coming to her rescue.
“Let’s just say we knocked his lights out,” Julia said, her lips curling in a feral smile. “We wouldn’t have had to if you’d just gone into your trailer when you were supposed to.”
“So, you set the charges and tampered with the props?”
“Alan, here, loves to make a big splash. You’re all about the drama, aren’t you, my love?”
Alan slipped an arm around Julia’s waist without replying.
Londyn’s eyes narrowed. “Which one of you poisoned my horse with amphetamines?”
Julia practically purred. “You were the one who insisted on bringing your own animal to the game. I knew that if something happened to it, you’d get angry and leave. I was right—and from what I heard, you almost drowned getting her back.” The bitch tsked her tongue. “Such a shame your boyfriend was there to pull your ass out of the water. Again, this,” she waved her hand at the interior of the cabin, “wouldn’t be happening if you’d just die. What are you? A cat with nine lives?”
Londyn’s lips pulled back in a snarl. “You nearly killed my horse. I swore I’d find the person who did that and make him pay. And if you hurt Nash, I swear I’ll take you down.”
“Now then, that will be kind of hard to do if you’re not around.” Julia’s mouth formed a thin, hard line. “Enough talk. We don’t have much time.” She glanced at Alan and jerked her head toward Londyn. “You know what to do.”
With only one way out of the cabin, Londyn figured she couldn’t dodge her way out. More than likely, she’d have to fight her way out. If she could get past the muscle-bound asshat, she could easily take the bitch down.
“You know, we’d all have been happier if you’d just stayed on your little ranch in Montana. You’d be home with your horse, and I’d have the part I deserved in the first place.”
Alan took a step toward Londyn.
She tensed and waited until he got closer, putting a little distance between himself and Julia.
When he lunged for her, Londyn shot to the right, ducked around him and almost made it to Julia.
Alan swung around, grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her backward.
Londyn fought like a wild cat. She kicked, punched and even bit the man. But he was bigger, stronger and quickly subdued her by throwing her on the ground and crushing her with his body.
Julia produced a roll of duct tape and wrapped some around Londyn’s ankles. Once she had them secured, Alan leaned back, gripped both of Londyn’s wrists and pulled them behind her back.
Julia wrapped tape around them. She tore off a short piece and slapped it over Londyn’s mouth. She straightened and looked down her nose at Londyn as she lay on her side on the floor of the cabin.
“The charges are set?” Julia asked Alan.
He nodded.
“Let me hold the detonator while you move her to the center of the room.” She held out her hand.
Alan dug in his pocket and pulled out a small device. He handed it to Julia and then grabbed Londyn by the ankles and dragged her across the floor.
Londyn bunched her legs and tried to kick the man in the shins. He backed out of reach.
Julia stood behind the man with a crowbar in her hands. She raised it above Alan’s head and slammed it down with all the force of a lumberjack splitting wood.
When the iron bar hit Alan’s head, it made a loud cracking sound.
Alan crumpled to the floor and lay still.
“The man was great in bed but dumb as a rock. This way, I can tie up all the loose ends and get back to my trailer before anyone knows or can do anything about it.” She smiled and held the device up in her hand. “You really shouldn’t have taken the part. I had it before your mother interfered.” She slid the safety off the device and pressed the button. “Happy trails.”
A small explosion erupted beneath the cabin, shaking the floor beneath Londyn’s cheek.
Julia tossed the detonator onto the floor near Londyn, smiled and walked out the door.
Londyn tried to scream while the cabin door was open, but the tape over her mouth muffled her cries.
Smoke filtered through cracks in the floor beneath her.
Londyn’s heart raced. The explosion had to be the incendiary device set up for the cabin fire they were supposed to shoot later that day. Since the cabin was made of wood, it would be fuel for the fire and be consumed quickly.
Londyn had to get out of there or die of smoke inhalation or be burned alive in the flames.
She looked around the cabin for anything she could use to cut through the duct tape on her wrists. Her heart plummeted to the pit of her belly when she couldn’t find anything sharp enough to do the job. No jagged metal. No butcher knives. Nothing.
If she could get to the door, perhaps she could pull it open.
With her hands bound behind her back and her ankles locked together, she moved across the floor by rolling her entire body and inch-worming until she reached the door.
Once there, she tried reaching the doorknob with her feet. Her boots hindered her ability to turn the knob. She tried hooking her boots over the top and pulling them off, duct tape and all, but the binding was too tight, and the boots weren’t budging.
The smoke thickened quickly.
Londyn rolled onto her belly and planted her forehead against the floor. Trying to maintain her balance, she hiked her butt into the air and pulled her knees up beneath her and rose to a kneeling position. At this point, she was eye-level with the doorknob and no nearer to opening the door.
She’d be damned if she died staring at the door she couldn’t open. There had to be a way.
Londyn leaned her head against the door and rocked backward in an attempt to get on her feet.
She rocked back all right, lost her balance and fell onto her back, smacking her head against the floor.
No. No. No. I will not let that bitch win.
Flames ate through the floor near the rear of the little cabin. Though the smoke rose, it was quickly filling the ceiling space and edging closer to the floor where Londyn lay.
Now would be a good time for people to notice the cabin was on fire and come check to see if anyone, namely Londyn Tyler-Lovejoy, was inside.
Once they noticed the fire, they’d come running. Londyn just had to make enough noise to alert them to the fact there was someone trapped inside. She prayed for help while rolling close to the door. Keeping her head as close to the floor and breathable air as she could, she kicked the door.
Her grandfather had taught her the Morse code for SOS. What was it again?
She kicked three short taps, three long and three short.
Not that it made a difference. If they saw the fire and heard banging, surely they wouldn’t try to read the code before breaking down the door.
All she knew was to keep kicking and praying.
Please, Nash, be okay. Come save me one more time. Three’s a charm, right?
Nash foughtthe pain in his back and leg, forcing himself to stand upright. He moved his arms and legs. Though they hurt, they worked. He didn’t think anything was broken.
As he turned, he smelled smoke.
“Fire!” someone yelled.
Even before he saw it, he knew it would be...
The cabin.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Nash shuffled one foot at a time, his muscles resisting every step of the way. He felt like he was in one of his nightmares where he couldn’t run because his legs were bogged down in swamp mud.
The more he pushed himself, the faster he moved until he was sprinting toward the cabin. As he neared, he heard banging from within.
When he reached the cabin, the banging had stopped. He tried opening the door, but the knob wouldn’t turn. “Londyn!” he yelled.
Another softer bang sounded against the door and stopped.
“Move away from the door!” he yelled.
Nash backed a step away, cocked his leg and kicked as hard as he could.
The door frame made a splitting sound but held.
He kicked it again, and the door opened halfway, bumping into something on the floor.
Smoke poured out, hitting Nash in the face and burning his eyes.
He ducked low and pushed against the door, moving whatever was blocking it until he could see inside.
The lump blocking the door was a body.
Nash’s heart leaped into his throat.
He dove through the door, immediately blinded by the smoke. Feeling along the floor, he found her, grabbed her arm and pulled her through the door.
Once he had her out of the building, he scooped her up in his arms. He carried her away from the burning building and the smoke billowing from inside before he laid her on the ground and gently removed the tape covering her mouth.
Immediately, she started coughing.
Nash helped her sit up. He dug out his pocketknife and sliced through the tape wrapped around her wrists and ankles and then pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he said, burying his face in her smoky hair. “I’m so sorry.”
In between fits of coughing, she said what sounded like, “Three’s a charm.”
He wasn’t sure what that meant and didn’t really care. She was alive.
When she could stop coughing long enough, she pointed to the cabin. “Did they get...Alan...out?”
“They did,” a voice said behind Nash.
Nash turned to find the director, Steven Haynes.
“We didn’t get him out in time.”
Londyn shook her head. “He was dead... before the smoke.”
Haynes frowned. “How?”
“Julia hit him...” Londyn burst into another coughing fit before she could finish with, “crowbar.”
“Julia did this?” Haynes shook his head.
“Don’t let her...get away...with murder.” Londyn coughed again and leaned against Nash’s shoulder.
Haynes face hardened. “We’ll take care of it. And just so you know, we’re putting production on hold until you’re well enough to come back to work.”
Londyn gave the director a weak smile. “Thanks.”
Haynes stared down at her. “I didn’t hire you because of your mother. I hired you because you were exactly who we needed to portray Lana. So, hurry back. We can’t do this movie without you.”
Within fifteen minutes, an ambulance arrived. The paramedics got Londyn on oxygen and stabilized her until a rescue flight arrived to take her to the hospital in Bozeman.
Nash stayed with her, insisting on accompanying her on the helicopter. He almost started a fight in the ER when they refused to let him go back with her because he wasn’t a relative.
One call from Hank Patterson, and he was immediately allowed to go back with Londyn. When they moved her to a private room to monitor her overnight, he was with her the entire time.
Haynes sent him a text to let him know Julia had been arrested for the murder of Alan Sarley and the attempted murder of Londyn.
Nash should have rested easier knowing the woman wouldn’t hurt Londyn ever again. But he didn’t sleep at all that night, plagued by an irrational feeling that if he closed his eyes, something awful would happen.
By sunrise, he was almost delirious with the exhaustion of the trauma to his body and his soul. He’d come so close to losing Londyn, making him realize that not only did he like her, but he had also fallen head over heels in love with her.
As daylight filled the room, Londyn stirred, opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
His heart melted. “Your smile just brightened my world.” His vision blurred as moisture filled his eyes.
Londyn frowned up at him. “Hey,” she said, her voice not much more than a gravelly whisper. “Did you think I was going to let that bitch get away with poisoning my horse?”
He laughed for the first time in what felt like forever. “No way in hell. When you make a promise, I can count on you to keep it.”
Londyn lifted her head off the pillow. “They did catch Julia, didn’t they?”
Nash nodded. “She was arrested for murder and attempted murder.”
Londyn laid back and closed her eyes. “Good. I can’t say that I’m sad she killed Alan. He set the explosives and sabotaged the props. But Julia was the one who poisoned Buttercup. I hope she rots to death in prison.”
A knock sounded on the door.
Sadie McClain peeked her head around the door. “May we come in? It’s okay if you’re not feeling up to it. We won’t bother you.”
“No, please, come in.” Londyn tried to sit up and push her hair out of her face. “I must look awful.”
Sadie crossed to the side of the bed, carrying a vase of pink and white carnations. “Oh, sweetie, don’t you worry about it. After what you’ve been through, it’s a miracle you survived. Hank told me you nearly drowned and almost died in a fire. I told him you should come to White Oak Ranch to let me take care of you while you recuperate.”
Londyn laughed. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have Sadie McClain waiting on me hand and foot.”
“Sorry, but she needs to be in her own home, surrounded by family who will take care of her.”
Nash turned to find Dana Tyler and Ben Standing Bear standing at the door to Londyn’s room.
“Mother?” Londyn looked around Hank and Sadie.
Dana walked around to the other side of the bed and took her daughter’s hand. “Hey, baby.”
“How did you get here so quickly?”
Dana tipped her head toward Nash. “Your young man called me when they admitted you to the hospital yesterday. Ben brought me over in his airplane today.” She shook her head. “Did you know he has his private pilot’s license?”
Londyn looked from her mother to Ben. “No, I didn’t.”
“Like I was saying,” Dana said. “You can recuperate at home on the ranch. I’ll be staying indefinitely if that’s all right by you.”
Londyn smiled at Hank and Sadie. “Thank you for the offer. Though I’d love to visit sometime, I’d really like to be home.” She turned to Nash. “As long as you come home with me.”
Nash’s heart swelled. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.” He looked around the room at Hank, Sadie and Dana. “I want to thank you all for having the confidence in me to provide protection for Londyn. Without this opportunity, I wouldn’t have met Londyn and found out what a strong, courageous and loyal woman she is. And beautiful.” He grinned. “Did I say beautiful?” His smile slid away. “But I can’t accept your money for this job. Because you see, I would do it for free and for the rest of my life.” He laughed.
Hank, Sadie and Dana all shook their heads.
“I’d pay ten times what we agreed on,” Dana said. “You saved my daughter’s life.”
“Three times a charm,” Londyn murmured.
Nash shot a glance toward Londyn. She’d said the same thing when she’d been half out of it after he’d pulled her out of the burning cabin.
Dana held up her hands and backed away. “I won’t let you refund my money.”
“You heard the client,” Hank said with a grin. “Your first assignment as a Brotherhood Protector was a success. If you don’t want to be paid, you can donate that amount.”
“I know of a woman’s shelter,” Sadie said. “They always need food, supplies and scholarships for women trying to get themselves out of abusive situations.”
“Donate it,” Nash said.
“Done,” Hank said.
“Hank,” Nash squeezed Londyn’s hand gently, “if you don’t want me to work for you anymore, I’ll understand.”
Hank chuckled. “Nash, you’re exactly the kind of person we want as a Brotherhood Protector. I don’t accept your resignation if that’s what you’re doing. After Miss Tyler-Lovejoy recuperates, we’ll have another assignment waiting for you.”
Nash nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
Sadie set the vase of flowers on a table. “Hank, we should go. I promised Chuck and Kate we’d be back early enough that they can hit Taco Tuesday at the Blue Moose Tavern. It’s their date night.” She smiled at Londyn. “I’m glad you’re going to be all right, and I know you’ll spring back in no time because that’s what badass women like you do. Hank and I can’t wait to see the movie when it comes out. We’ll be at the premiere to cheer you on. And, please, come see us.”
“Thank you so much for everything,” Londyn croaked, her voice fading by the end of the sentence.
Hank and Sadie left the hospital room.
Londyn’s mother leaned over and hugged her daughter. “I know I haven’t always been the best mother, but I’ve always loved you. It broke my heart to let you go live with your grandfather. I didn’t want you to move further away from me, but knowing you were happier and more in your element on the ranch made it an easier pill to swallow.” She straightened. “I hope you can forgive me someday for not telling you about your father.”
Londyn’s eyes filled with tears. “Already have,” she whispered.
Tears slipped down her mother’s cheeks. She hugged Londyn again and then stepped back.
Ben Standing Bear moved to the side of the bed and lifted Londyn’s hand. “We’ve all made mistakes in our lives and lost years because of them. We can’t make up those years, but I hope we can take advantage of those we have left. I want to get to know you, Londyn, as my daughter and as a friend.”
Londyn squeezed his hand, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
Nash could only imagine the emotion behind those tears. The years she’d missed knowing a father who’d been close by all along. He thought of how lucky he’d been to have a stepfather who cared enough to make him feel as much a part of his family as his own little girls.
Londyn’s mother and father left.
Londyn’s gaze followed them out the door. When it closed behind them, more tears slipped down her cheeks. She turned to Nash and held out her hand.
He went to her, took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. She held onto him with one hand and patted the bed with her other.
Careful not to disturb the IV, Nash laid on the bed beside her, slid his arm beneath her neck and molded her body to his.
“Stay with me?” she whispered.
He tightened his hold. “Now and forever, if you’ll have me.”
She closed her eyes and smiled. “Yes, please.”