Cross My Heart

Fourteen

Ty paced the hospital emergency waiting room. Though he was immediate family, the doctors needed time with his mother, who, thanks to the paramedics, had regained consciousness on the way to the hospital. In all likelihood she’d had a heart attack, at least according to Dr. Sanford but since the man was a psychiatrist, Ty wasn’t convinced. He needed to know his mother would be okay.

He rubbed his hands over his eyes and checked his watch. He figured Lilly would be here with Derek any minute, which would ease one of his concerns.

He glanced up in time to see Dr. Sanford walk out of the back room where they’d taken Ty’s mother. “What’s going on?”

“They’ve stabilized her,” the other man said, placing a hand on Ty’s shoulder. “She’s out of the woods but she needs to be admitted so they can monitor her.”

Ty nodded. “Can I see her?”

“In a little while,” he promised. “They aren’t letting me in, either, in case that’s bothering you.” The older man spoke with the understanding of someone older, someone with kids of his own.

Ty tried not to squirm or show his discomfort with the conversation. “I appreciate you saying that, but I’m glad you were with my mother when she…you know.”

Dr. Sanford nodded. “I’ll come out as soon as I have something to report.”

While the other man headed back through the double doors, Ty stepped outside into the cool fall air and opened his cell phone, turning it on. He’d tried to keep it on while inside but even with vibrate mode, a nurse had caught him and made him shut off the instrument.

He glanced down at his phone and realized Derek had called him more than once. He dialed the other man’s cell phone. “What’s up?” he asked as soon as Derek answered.

“The cops came by to question me. Seems Dumont called them and reported a stalker outside his home.” Derek paused, then said, “I think he’s got a friend on the inside because this guy’s stalling me.”

“You’re telling me you haven’t left for Lilly’s yet?”

“No, but I bet Dumont has.”

“I’m on my way.” Ty slammed the cell closed and headed inside to tell Dr. Sanford he’d be back, and to keep him informed by phone of his mother’s progress.

Then he sped toward his mother’s house where he’d left Lilly alone.

LACEY PACED the floor, periodically looking out the window for any sign of Derek’s car. Derek had promised Ty he’d be there in fifteen minutes. Almost twenty-five had passed since Ty left for the hospital which was only five minutes away. Uncle Marc’s place was ten minutes by car. Derek should have been here by now. Five more minutes and she’d grab the car keys on the kitchen counter and take Flo’s car to the hospital herself.

She tapped her foot against the floor, then unable to stand around and do nothing any longer, she called for Digger who hopped off the couch and ran to her, tail wagging.

“Come on, girl. You need to go into the kitchen.” Lacey walked toward the room where they’d set up gates, locked the dog in for her own safety, and snagged Flo’s car keys.

With a last pat on Digger’s head, Lacey grabbed her purse, opened the front door and came face-to-face with her uncle Marc. Fear rose in her throat and she tried to slam the door in his face but his foot stopped her.

“Go away.” She pushed the door again but he was stronger.

“Lilly, we need to talk. I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

She shook her head. “I’ve seen your definition of talking. Hit and run and arson. Thanks but no thanks.” Her heart rate sped up and she grew nauseous just looking at him.

“It wasn’t me.”

“Is there anyone else who wants my trust fund badly enough to put me in foster care to scare me so I’d come begging for you to help me and sign my birthright over to you? Is there someone else who’d inherit if I were dead?” She kicked uselessly at his foot which remained wedged in the door.

Where the hell was Derek?she wondered, panic racing around inside her.

He leaned his shoulder against the door frame. “Lilly, please, listen. It looks like I want you dead and I understand why you think I’m behind these things, but it isn’t me. I can explain. Just let me inside-”

“So you can kill me in the house and not on the street?”

He shook his head. “You always were a stubborn one,” he muttered. “Fine, we’ll talk here.”

Before he could say another word, a car screeched down the street. Her uncle turned, and a loud bang echoed around her, like the backfire of a car.

“What was-”

Her uncle jerked, falling backwards onto her, nearly knocking her over. “Uncle Marc?” she asked.

Then she saw the blood.

Lacey screamed and glanced up from her uncle’s body to the sight of the car door opening. She didn’t stop to see who was climbing out. Unable to shut herself safely in the house because her uncle’s prone body blocked the door, she scrambled over him and ran back inside.

Digger barked from inside the kitchen and Lacey ran in her direction, nearly tripping over the gate in her rush to get to the dog. At the edge of the kitchen was a door leading to the backyard. Just as she flung the door open and let Digger run out, she heard the sound of footsteps inside the house. Outside she’d be easy target practice but inside, she realized she had a chance.

Beyond the small alcove where her old bed used to be was a pantry door that Lacey used to use as a closet. It wasn’t a full walk-in, but it was large enough for her to crouch inside, and not be seen. In seconds, she was able to duck into the alcove, jump behind the couch and slip into the small closet.

Whether or not she was spotted remained to be seen.

She hated tiny, dark spaces because they reminded her of the old places she’d slept during her early days in New York City. The bugs, the rats, the awful smells. She shuddered, wrapped her arms around her knees and waited.

Loud knocks and thuds sounded outside the door. Whoever had shot her uncle was looking for her. Shaking, Lacey hugged her legs tighter. She brought her hand up to the locket around her neck, thought about the man who’d given it to her, and she prayed the guy outside wouldn’t think to look for her in here.

As she sat huddled in a ball, once again she was reminded of old times. This time she recalled her first real apartment in New York. The one with the broken lock. She’d drag her dresser in front of the door to keep the drunk next door from making good on his promise to join her at night. She’d sit huddled in bed, listening to him banging around his apartment. Only when he’d pass out and it grew silent, would she catch a few hours of sleep each night.

The same fear and nausea filled her now, only worse because instead of a drunk who made rude suggestions, outside was a man with a gun who wanted her dead. And she didn’t know why.

Footsteps sounded louder. He’d obviously left the kitchen and she realized he’d walked toward the couch that blocked her hiding spot.

Shaking, she held her breath as the footsteps grew closer.

Closer.

She waited for the door to creak open before she shut her eyes, kicked her feet out, hoping to come in painful contact with any part of his body, and let out a scream.

THE KICK to his shin took Ty off guard. He sucked in a sharp breath. “Lilly!” He called her name loudly.

She didn’t acknowledge him in any way. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, and she looked ready to barrel out of the closet and tackle him to the floor. His leg throbbed where she’d nailed him with her boot and he wasn’t about to take a hit to the stomach or the groin next.

“Lilly!” he said again, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her until she opened her eyes and focused. On him.

“Ty?Ty.Oh my God.” She threw herself into his arms, shaking and sobbing hysterically. “I thought you were him. When you opened the door, I thought you were him.”

“Shh.” He ran his hand down the back of her hair, his body trembling as badly as hers.

“Uncle Marc!” She pushed herself away from him and ran for the front door.

Ty grabbed her hand, yanking her back. “He’s alive. I checked him when I got here and the police and ambulance are on their way.”

“What about him? Where’d he go? The guy who shot Uncle Marc?” She visibly gagged at the recollection before steadying herself.

Ty exhaled a long breath. “Derek pulled up at the same time I did. The guy had just run out the back door. He probably heard us pull up, panicked and ran.”

“I don’t understand how you knew to come back.” She wiped the moisture off her face with her hands.

“Derek reached me on my cell phone at the hospital. Dumont called the police and reported a stalker. Obviously it was a ruse to get Derek waylaid so your uncle could come here to find you.”

Ty still recalled the panic he’d felt getting the call, but that was nothing compared to the gut-wrenching fear he’d experienced when he’d pulled up here and seen Dumont lying in a pool of blood, the front door wide open and Lilly nowhere to be found.

“He got away.” Derek walked in from the entry off the kitchen, breathing heavily. Frustration was etched all over his face. “The bastard went through the back bushes before I even got outside.”

“Where’s Digger?” Lilly asked, panic-stricken. “Where’s my dog?”

“Safely in the kitchen,” Derek promised her.

She slumped against Ty in relief.

“Did you get a look at the guy or his car?” Ty asked her.

She shook her head. “I never saw him at all. I think the car was a tan sedan of some sort. That’s all I saw before he shot Uncle Marc.”

Ty nodded. “I noticed the same color car parked in front of the neighbors’, but nothing more. Derek?”

“Same here.”

Ty’s frustration grew since they’d lost their last link to finding out who the guy was.

Lilly grabbed Ty’s hand suddenly and pulled him toward the front door.

Derek followed close behind.

She bent down beside her uncle who lay facedown with a bullet in his back. He didn’t move.

Ty checked the pulse in his neck once more. “Faint but he’s alive.”

Sirens blared, sounding closer by the second.

“Uncle Marc?” Lilly asked, leaning her face close to his.

Ty put his hand on her back which was damp from sweat and fear. “He’s unconscious.”

“Who shot you?” Lilly asked the old man. “Who wants you dead? Were you telling me the truth when you said you weren’t behind the attempts on my life? Were you?” She couldn’t help demanding answers to the questions that haunted her.

Ty lifted her away from the man just as the paramedics ran up the front lawn, cleared them away from the area and got to work.

Seconds later, the police followed. The paramedics moved Dumont into the ambulance and transported him to the same hospital where Ty’s mother had been admitted. Though he was anxious to get back to her, they sat through an hour of questioning in his mother’s family room. Lilly answered everything she could while Ty and Derek did their part to help. Finally, the officer ran out of things to ask, at least for the moment.

“We need to get back to the hospital,” Lilly finally said, still trembling.

The cop who’d been taking notes snapped his pad shut. “I’ll need you to come by and give official statements, but you can go now.”

“Those statements might not have been necessary if one of your men hadn’t stalled me, giving Dumont the chance to get to Lilly and get himself shot,” Derek muttered. “I’m licensed and he knew it the second I showed him my badge. He should have just let me go.”

The cop, a guy who knew both Ty and Derek, nodded in understanding. “We’ll look into what happened. I promise. In the meantime, I suggest you stick close to Lilly until we follow up any leads that come from the investigating team.” He gestured to the rest of the house, indicating the forensics team who were checking footprints, interviewing neighbors and checking on other possible leads.

Guilt rushed through Ty for leaving Lilly alone in the first place. But with his mother in the hospital and Derek on his way, the decision had seemed like a safe one at the time.

“She’s not leaving my sight again,” he said, reaching for her hand and pulling it tight against his side. “Right now I’m getting her out of here.” She didn’t need any more time in the house with the frightening memories.

“Derek, can you take the dog?” Lilly asked. “I don’t want to leave her here with all these strangers coming in and out.”

The house had been designated a crime scene, something that would worry his mother sick-so he didn’t plan on telling her just yet. When she was stronger, he’d fill her in on everything. And she would get stronger. She’d be fine. He had to believe that.

“Sure. I’m not on Dumont duty anymore.”

“Right. The cops have someone watching him at the hospital until whoever shot him has been caught,” Ty said.

“Who would want him dead?” Lilly asked. “And who’d come after me if not Uncle Marc?”

Ty shook his head. He’d been sorting through possibilities since hearing Lilly’s version of events. “He said he wasn’t behind the attempts and he knew who was?”

She nodded. “I was petrified and I wouldn’t let him into the house. But after he was shot, it actually seemed like he came to warn me, not hurt me.”

Ty rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. “Let’s get to the hospital and see how my mother’s doing. Maybe there’ll be news on your uncle by then, too.”

“And don’t worry about your dog,” Derek said, coming back into the room with Digger on her leash, trotting happily at the other man’s feet.

“Looks like you got yourself a new lady,” Ty said, laughing. He knew all too well how Digger attached herself to new people.

“She stinks,” Derek said with a frown. “Did you ever think of getting her breath mints? She licked my face when I was putting her leash on and I swear to God, I nearly passed out.”

Lilly grinned. “It’s part of her charm. Take good care of her and thanks again.”

They started for the door together, when Ty turned to Derek. “She likes to sleep with you,” he told the other man. “And she likes to be on top.”

“Swell,” he muttered.

And Lilly laughed for the first time in hours.

TY HAD CALLED Hunter about the incident at his mother’s. Hunter had called Molly, knowing she’d want to be there when Dumont was brought in. He’d promised to meet up with her as soon as his meeting was over. She’d told him not to rush, that she was fine.

And she was fine. At least fine as far as Molly’s life was concerned. As soon as she’d hung up with Hunter, Molly had called her mother.

“I really don’t do hospitals,” Francie had said.

Disgusted, Molly had slammed down the phone and driven straight to the hospital by herself.

Molly heard the distance in her mother’s voice. She’d sensed it for a while. Ever since the party, when Francie had discovered Lilly was alive and well and stood to inherit the trust fund that would have been Marc’s and by virtue of marriage, hers, as well.

Molly had hoped things would turn out differently this time, especially since her mother hadn’t yet ended things with Marc. But with her mother’s refusal to come to the hospital, Molly had to face the truth. Francie was merely biding her time, waiting until she had a lead on another eligible wealthy man or at least until she had an idea about where to find one. Knowing Francie, a cruise or a trip to Europe would be her next stop as she hunted for her next victim. She wouldn’t think twice about leaving Molly behind. In fact Molly would be lucky if she received a goodbye. After all, she’d been this route before.

So much for family. So much for a mother loving her daughter and realizing her past mistakes. So much for Francie having changed.

Molly stepped through the automatic hospital doors and strode up to the check-in desk. “I’m here to see Marc Dumont,” Molly said to the tired-looking woman sitting in front of her.

“Are you immediate family?”

Molly swallowed hard. “No.”

The woman glanced down at the papers on her desk. “Mr. Dumont is not allowed visitors just yet. Have a seat and we’ll let you know when you can see him.”

Molly nodded. “I see. Thank you.” She turned and headed for an empty chair in which to wait.

The longer she sat, the more uncomfortable she grew and she fidgeted, unable to remain still. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t related to Marc and probably never would be. But he’d been good to her in ways nobody else had been and she wanted to make certain he would be okay.

She tapped her foot. She drummed her fingers against the armrest. And she waited.

“Molly?”

She glanced up and saw Lacey and Ty standing in front of her. She rose to her feet. “I didn’t see you come in.”

“You were deep in thought,” Lacey said.

“Yeah. Not in a pleasant place, either. Are you okay? Hunter told me what happened. I can’t believe Marc was shot right in front of you. Why did he come to see you in the first place?” Molly asked, still missing major parts of the story.

Lacey shrugged. “We never got that far. Is there any news?”

“Not yet.”

“I need to go inside and see my mother,” Ty said.

“I’m coming.” She touched Molly’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Go. I’ll be fine.”

Lacey gave Molly a quick hug and walked off with Ty.

Molly sighed. Her gaze followed the retreating couple until they disappeared behind the emergency room doors, then she glanced around the busy room. Most people were here with someone else. A friend, a family member. Someone they loved. Not Molly.

As she waited for news on Marc, she realized something profound. She’d spent too much time defending the man and not enough time sorting through the truth, only to end up exactly where she feared she’d be when all was said and done.

Alone.

A place where she had always been and a place she knew she would be for a long time to come.

TY HELD ON TO Lilly’s hand as he walked into the room where his mother lay sleeping. Earlier today Lilly had needed him but now he needed her. As he pulled a chair up to his mother’s bedside, he was reminded of the last time he saw her this frail and sick.

He’d come home from college when she’d had her first heart attack and subsequent surgery and she’d lain sleeping in a sterile room much like this one, hooked up to machines similar to these. He’d taken one look at her and realized she was all he had in the world and he stood to lose her.

He felt the same way now. Because despite the fact that Lilly had returned, despite loving each other, there were no promises exchanged, no guarantees made to each other. He knew they’d take things one day at a time until this trust fund issue was solved, but after that? Who knew.

The only constant in his life had been the woman whose frail hand he clasped in his.

“Ty?” He glanced up.

Dr. Sanford walked over to him, another man he’d never seen before by his side. “Ty, this is Dr. Miller. He’s our newest cardiologist. He has some things he’d like to explain to you.”

Ty listened as the young doctor who was also a surgeon explained that an angiogram showed his mother needed immediate surgery to reopen arteries that had closed off. More technical terms followed but the next thing he knew, he was signing a consent form and his mother was being wheeled out of the room.

Lilly placed her hand on Ty’s shoulder. “She’s going to be okay. The doctor said so himself.”

He glanced up and into her comforting eyes. “Did he? I barely remember the conversation.”

She smiled. “That’s why I listened carefully to every word. The surgery shouldn’t take more than an hour and she’ll be brought in to recovery where you can see her.” Lilly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his. “Then you’ll see for yourself, okay?”

He covered her hand with his. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I felt the same way when you opened that closet door and found me. How did you know where I’d be?”

He leaned backwards, against her. “Because I showed you that hiding space myself and I couldn’t think of anyplace else you’d go that was safe.” And he’d refused to believe she was anything other than okay, despite her uncle’s bloody body lying at the front door.

Silence surrounded them until he couldn’t stand it another minute. He needed a distraction from waiting for the surgery to begin, let alone end.

He glanced at the clock. “We have time to kill. We should check on your uncle and see what, if anything, the police have found.”

Lilly straightened. “Now that sounds like a plan.”

Except the guard dog nurse at the desk had no new information on Dumont. Not even the fact that Lilly was a blood relative uncovered any more news. So, along with Molly, they settled in to wait.