Blown Away (4 page)

“Yeah?”

“Frank, Maggie and Cari…they’re all gone.”

“What do you mean, gone? As in they weren’t there when it happened?”

“No, Joe. They’re dead.”

There was a long moment of what was probably stunned silence, then Lance could hear Joe crying.

“It’s awful, Joe. I was the one who found them.”

“Oh, Lance…I’m so, so sorry,” Joe said. “I’ll get the first flight out and be there as soon as possible. Don’t worry. Whatever happens, we’ll get through this together, just like we did when Mom and Dad died.”

“Thanks, Joe. If I’m not home when you get here, I’ll be in Bordelaise. They need all the help they can get.”

“Take care of yourself,” Joe said. “You’re all I’ve got.”

The line went dead in Lance’s ear. He dropped his cell phone in his pocket, then swiped at the tears on his cheeks. There was still so much to be done before the world stopped spinning.

C
ari woke just as a nurse walked into her room.

“Good morning, Susan. My name is Tammy Bowen. I’ll be your nurse today. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Off and on,” Cari said.

Tammy frowned. “You should have asked for something to help you sleep. Rest is important to healing.”

“I’ll remember that,” Cari said. “Right now I need to go to the bathroom.” But when she started to sit up, the room started spinning. “Yikes,” she said, and grabbed the bed rails to keep from falling.

Tammy quickly moved to her side. “Careful, dear. Let me help you.”

Cari gratefully accepted the offer. By the time she came out, the nurse had a sink of warm water waiting for her to wash her face and hands.

The simple act turned out to be more difficult than Cari expected. Between the IV still in her arm and the
dizzy spells she kept having, she wound up with almost as much water on the front of her gown as on her face.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tammy said, as Cari brushed uselessly at the wet streaks on her gown. “I’ll get you a dry one after your bath.”

“Thank you,” Cari said. “I’m sorry to be so helpless.”

Tammy smiled as she helped Cari back to bed.

“Honey, if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here, remember?”

Cari managed to return the smile. “It’s just that I’m usually the one doing the helping.”

“So now you know how others feel who need help.” Tammy added, “What you need to do is quit worrying and concentrate on getting better.”

“You’re right,” Cari said. “Thank you.”

Tammy fussed with the sheets as Cari settled against the pillows. “Hang on, Susan. I’m going to raise the head of your bed a little bit. Your food will be coming soon.”

It was the name Susan that reminded Cari of what lay ahead, and with that realization came the pain.

Tammy noticed Cari’s change in mood as she turned on the television. “Do you need anything for pain? Doctor left orders. Don’t try to be brave and do without. It just slows down your healing.”

Cari knew the meds would make her sleepy, but in the grand scheme of things, she supposed sleeping was a better way to pass the time than being awake and crying, which made everything hurt worse.

“I guess,” Cari said.

At that point an aide entered, carrying a tray with Cari’s breakfast.

“Oh look, breakfast is here,” Tammy said with professional cheer. “Eat while it’s hot. I’ll be right back with your meds.”

Cari’s stomach lurched as she eyed the food. It certainly didn’t look like her mother’s cooking. And the moment she thought it, her vision blurred. Trying to focus on something besides the memory of her parents’ bodies amid the tornado debris, she reached for the button on the side of her bed and upped the volume on the TV. She scanned several channels until she found local news, then listened absently while poking at the food without eating it.

It wasn’t until she heard the word
Bordelaise
that she realized the story was a report on the aftermath of yesterday’s storm. She focused in on the video clip, immediately recognizing the town square—or what was left of it—then turning her attention to what the on-site reporter was saying.

“As of 7:00 a.m. this morning, there have been four confirmed deaths from yesterday’s tornado. Twenty-nine people have been hospitalized with injuries of varying severity, and one seven-year-old boy is still missing. Authorities have yet to confirm that his absence is due to the storm. The parents have been divorced for almost a year, and at this time, the
authorities have not been able to locate the father, which has led to suspicions of family abduction.

“The town itself has been devastated. Court was in session when the courthouse was hit. The nearby jail was also heavily damaged. Four prisoners who had been incarcerated there are still unaccounted for. As you can see from this clip, several farms in the surrounding area were also destroyed. This house, which was southeast of Bordelaise, was leveled, and all three occupants were killed.”

Cari shuddered. The footage they were showing from the air was of her home—or what was left of it. Seeing the devastation from this perspective was even more shocking. Part of the smokehouse roof was in the pasture on the far side of her car. She was heartsick, wondering if her parents’ bodies had been recovered when this footage had been shot.

Trying hard not to start weeping again, she reached for her orange juice and took a sip. Anything to shift her focus from the overwhelming need to cry. Then the door to her room opened and Mike Boudreaux walked in.

It wasn’t the first time she’d noticed how handsome he was, and how well he wore his clothes, which today happened to be khaki-colored slacks and a navy blue polo shirt. She would have guessed that, as a teenager, some might have called him too pretty for a boy. But age had lent a measure of character to his face, honing angles and tightening
muscles, and turning him into a very handsome man. Still, what he looked like was the last thing she needed to be thinking about.

Mike didn’t know what had preceded his arrival, but he didn’t need to look twice to see what was going on. Between the tears in Carolina’s eyes, the uneaten food on her tray and what she was watching on television, she was seconds away from a meltdown.

“Good morning,” he said, then leaned over the bed and turned off the TV. “How did you sleep? You aren’t eating your food, but on second thought, from the looks of your tray, smart move.”

Cari’s misery shifted to fury when the television screen went dark. How dare he come in and start directing her life? She didn’t answer to him. If she wanted to spend the day bawling, it was her right. She was the one who’d lost her whole family. She was the one trying to dodge a killer.

Mike saw the anger spreading over her face and knew hysterics had been averted when she picked up her fork and pointed it at him.

“Thank you so much for stopping by. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out,” she said.

It was all he could do not to grin. She was amazing. Carolina North might be down, but she was definitely not out. She might look like Susan, but she sure didn’t act like her. Susan had been a phenomenal assistant, but she never would have stood up to
him like this. He watched as Carolina stabbed her fork into the food and took a bite of what were most likely tasteless scrambled eggs, eating as if they were the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth just because he’d implied the food was inedible. She spread jelly on the soggy toast and then ate until it was gone, all the while ignoring his presence.

Satisfied that his ruse had worked, Mike watched her without comment. She might hate his guts, but for the moment, he would gladly bear the brunt of her anger. When she’d finished her meal, he decided to add a new topic.

“The doctor is releasing you today.”

The news was not unexpected, but at the same time, it was a little unsettling. Here, Cari felt safe. Once she was out on her own again, there were big decisions to make.

“Good,” she said.

“But he doesn’t recommend you stay on your own…at least not for the first week. I am issuing an invitation for you to come to my house. I know I ticked you off, but there was a reason behind it.” His voice softened. “I’m sorry I was so damn bossy, but do you still feel like crying?”

Cari eyed the man with new appreciation as it began to soak in why he’d been so pushy.

“No, I don’t. I guess I should say thank-you, both for your empathy and your offer.”

“So…will you accept?” Mike asked.

“At the risk of sounding unappreciative, I really don’t have a choice. This is the first time in my life that I’ve been so completely at the mercy of others. I
will
come stay with you, and I thank you for the offer.”

Mike thrust his hand forward.

“Truce?”

Cari clasped it carefully.

He nodded, satisfied that all was going according to plan. “I’m going down to the business office to settle your bill. When I come back we’ll—”

“Wait!” Cari said. “You don’t need to do that. I have money.”

Mike shook his head. “No. Carolina North had money. Susan has money, too, but I don’t think you’ve thought through the legal liabilities of your impersonation. You can’t spend Carolina’s money, because everyone thinks she’s dead, and right now you want them to go on thinking that. You can’t spend Susan’s money, because that would be theft, as well as fraud.”

Cari groaned. “I hadn’t thought of it from that standpoint.”

Mike gently touched the bandage on the side of her head. “That’s because you’ve got a monumental boo-boo on your thinker.”

“A boo-boo on my thinker?”

Mike grinned. “My nearest neighbors have a three-year-old. He’s one of my favorite people. I was borrowing some of his vocabulary to cheer you up.”

Cari wondered if he knew how sexy he looked
when he grinned, then ignored the thought. “Once again, I find myself thanking you for your generosity and compassion.”

“No biggie,” Mike said, and handed her a business card. “This has my cell number, in case I’m not here when the doctor makes his rounds and gives you your marching orders. Just call me. I’ll come pick you up.”

Cari took the card, then glanced up, studying the set of his jaw and the cut of his cheekbones. He looked like a man used to getting his way. Still, she was grateful.

“Thank you, Mike.”

“You’re welcome, tough stuff.”

Cari frowned. “Tough stuff?”

“I can’t call you Carolina, for obvious reasons, and I’m not going to call you Susan. I call it like I see it, and you, my lady, are tough with a capital
T
.”

Cari blinked. “Was that a compliment or a criticism?”

“In the business world, they call me a corporate shark, because I do what I have to do to make something feasible and profitable, even when it’s at others’ expense. I don’t feel guilty for it. I’m not responsible for the mess the company I’m buying is in. They got there all by themselves. I’m just saving them from financial ruin in a way that works for me, too. You’re doing what you have to do to keep yourself safe, and at the same time, you’re seeking justice for a man you don’t know, all at your own risk. In my book, that makes you damn tough…and quite a woman.”

Cari felt her face getting hot, and the look in his eyes made her nervous. “Thanks,” she said, and then quickly looked away.

Mike knew he’d said enough. “So…is there anything you need?”

“I don’t have any clean clothes. Susan’s suitcase was in her car, but I don’t know where that is.”

“They towed it. I’ve already gotten it out of the impound yard. It’s parked at my house, but I put the suitcase in my car, figuring it would come in handy, so I’ll bring you up a change of clothes. And since the key to her apartment was on her key ring, I’ll take you by her house after you’re released, so you can get some of her things.”

Cari shuddered, just thinking of going through Susan’s clothes.

Mike noticed her reaction, then winced. “I’m sorry. That was unfeeling of me, to assume you wouldn’t mind wearing Susan’s belongings. If you’ll write down your sizes, I’ll go get some new things for you myself.”

Tears welled once more, but Cari managed to maintain her emotions. “That’s not necessary. Susan wouldn’t care, and if the situation were reversed, she would wear mine.”

“Okay, but don’t hesitate to let me know if you change your mind.”

Cari squinted her eyes, as if judging him anew. “Thank you for understanding.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call,” he said, then left.

She shoved aside the tray table with the congealing leftovers, and then nestled down into her pillows as the door closed behind him. It felt as if Mike Boudreaux had taken all the energy in the room with him. Weary from too much thinking and too many meds, she closed her eyes.

Just to rest.

She was still asleep when the doctor came in on rounds.

After a whirlwind of orders she didn’t remember, she dressed in the clothes Mike had left at the nurses’ station. A short while later, she’d been properly discharged and was down in the lobby, sitting in a wheelchair with an orderly at her side, waiting for her ride.

Her head was throbbing. Every time she moved, something hurt. She was still waiting for her latest pain meds to kick in when she saw Mike drive up.

“There’s my ride,” she said, pointing to the gleaming black Cadillac just pulling under the breezeway. The orderly began pushing her toward the exit, but Cari’s gaze was fixed on the man striding purposefully toward the doors.

He must have run home, because he was dressed now in dark slacks and a white knit shirt. Besides the fact that he was undeniably stunning, he emanated power. Cari couldn’t help but wonder why Susan had never mentioned that.

“Ah…ready to go, I see,” Mike said, as the orderly pushed her wheelchair through the exit doors and up
to his car. “Easy does it,” he said gently, helping Cari out of the wheelchair and into the front seat, then proceeding to buckle her in as if she were a child.

“Thank you,” she said, as Mike leaned across her to fasten the seat belt.

At the sound of the click, she suddenly flinched.

He frowned. “Damn. Did I hurt you?”

“No. I’m just jumpy, I guess.”

“You’re allowed,” Mike said softly, but instead of pulling back, he gazed straight into her eyes. With less than a foot between them, he carefully eyed the bruises on her skin and the dark shadows under her eyes, and resisted the urge to kiss her.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said softly.

Cari’s gut knotted. He was so close she could have counted his eyelashes. Then she amended the thought. They were too thick to count. The last man she’d been this close to had been Lance, but that was when they’d still been intimate. The thought of Lance killed the surge of interest she’d just felt, as her mood shifted to anxiety.

Lance!

She couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he was doing now. Probably privately congratulating himself on the news of her death while playing the part of the grieving friend and ex-lover all over Bordelaise.

Mike gave her another quick glance, then closed the door and circled the car to slide in behind the wheel. “Are you okay?”