Crash Into Me (25 page)

"I
did like you from the moment I began talking to you that night after the art
show. You weren't like anyone I'd ever met. I wanted to try to be someone you
would want."

"And
what about all the possessive stuff? The feeding me. The bringing that couple
here for me to paint for you. All that business about you not wanting other men
to see me like you do? Was that all because of some faceless people wanting to
hurt me?"

He
shook his head slowly. "No. I've always been that way. I won't apologize
for that, Nina. You're the woman I love, so it's my responsibility to take care
of you. It's who I am."

I
looked down at the gorgeous diamond ring on my left hand and then back up at
him. "When did you love me, Tristan? When did you stop seeing me as
someone you could help or protect and really fall in love with me?"

I
let him kiss me tenderly, and he pressed his forehead to mine. "Don't do
this to us. I love you. You're everything to me, Nina. Don't do this."

I
heard all his words but could only focus on the ones he didn't say. I didn't
want to be someone's charity case, even one for someone I loved more than I'd
ever thought I could love a man.

Pulling
away, I backed up toward the door. "You've lied to me from the moment I
met you. How can I believe what you're saying now? How do I know the last six
months haven't been about making you feel less guilty for the awful thing your
father did to my family?"

In
a voice that almost tore me apart, he pleaded, "Nina, don't leave me. I
can't lose you."

I
couldn't answer him. I needed to get away from all the words he was saying and
all the emotions he was causing in me. I heard him call my name as I ran
through the house to the garage, unsure of where I was going but knowing that I
needed to go.

Four
cars sat parked in the garage, but the only choice was the BMW because I didn't
know how to drive a stick shift. I'd noticed Tristan kept the keys in the cubby
under the dash once and as I climbed into the car, I saw he hadn't changed his
habit, thankfully.

I
hurriedly started the car, turned the heat up high, and drove away as fast as I
could, shivering in the late fall weather in just my shorts and t-shirt. My
mind was racing faster than the car was tearing down the deserted dark road
that led away from the house. Everything I'd thought I'd found in Tristan had
been a lie. I'd let myself believe that a man like him would want to be with
someone like me just for being me.

What
a fool I'd been!

I
looked over at the passenger seat and rummaged through my bag for my cell
phone. A swipe of my finger across the screen showed me I still had no service.
Tossing the phone back onto the seat, I pressed my foot on the gas, taking the
car to sixty and then past seventy.

I
didn't know where I was going or how to get there. As much as I wanted to go to
Jordan's, it wasn't like there were parking lots or parking spaces all over Brooklyn and I didn't know where I'd park the car. The thought of driving around for hours
hoping to find someone going out in the middle of the night was definitely not
what I needed at that moment.

The
car was equipped with GPS, so at least I was able to find out how to get to my
sister's. Kim's house was further away, but I needed somewhere to go and hide
out while I tried to figure out what to do about Tristan. How could I ever
believe anything he said after what he'd done?

And
how could I ever love the son of the man who'd taken my father from me?

The
thought of life without him made me feel empty inside, and I finally let out
the emotions I'd been holding in. I sobbed uncontrollably as the car flew by
the trees and fields near Tristan's home, the tears blurring my vision in the
darkness. In one night, all that I'd had and loved had been ruined. My heart
felt like it did the night I found out my father had been murdered.

Empty
and numb.

I
wiped the tears from my eyes as even more continued to flow. A car headed
toward me flashed its high beams, startling me, and as I moved my hand from my
cheek to the steering wheel, it slipped off. The car jerked into the path of
the oncoming car, and I swerved to miss it, sending my car off the right side
of the road. Everything flew by so fast and I was airborne before I could do
anything to stop it.

And
then everything went dark...

Epilogue

Tristan

"Jenson,
find out where the BMW is headed. Now!" I ordered into the intercom as I
dressed to go after Nina.

"Yes,
sir. Immediately."

Pressing
on the intercom button again, I barked, "And Rogers, I want all her
favorites on the table when we get back."

"Should
I order flowers also?"

"Pink
roses. I want only the best and dozens of them. Do you understand?"

Rogers understood more than he let on with his simple answer of "Yes." I heard
the madness in my voice and knew he did too. He'd been with me long enough to
know there had never been anyone like Nina in my life. I couldn't lose her. I
couldn't let what my father had done ruin the best chance I'd ever had for
happiness.

"Sir,
she seems to be headed toward Pennsylvania," Jenson intoned over the
speaker.

Her
sister's outside Philly.
"Get my car out and ready for me to leave in
less than five minutes."

It
wouldn't be difficult to catch up to her. As fast as the BMW was, the Jag was
faster.

As
I thought about what I'd say to her, Rogers appeared in the hallway outside the
bedroom. "Tristan, may I ask what you plan to do once you find her?"

"Bring
her back, Rogers. She belongs here. With me."

Running
my hands through my hair, I checked out my look in the mirror and turned to see
him standing in my doorway with his arms crossed, as if he were silently
judging me. "What is the look you're giving me?"

"I
just have to wonder if it's not a better idea to let her go for the night.
Chasing her down on a dark road out here might not be your best move. Perhaps
she needs time to let everything you told her sink in."

I'd
known Rogers since I was a child and knew full well the concerned tone in his
voice was more for Nina than for me. My surrogate father, he'd warned me many
times since this all began that she'd run away when she found out. That she had
seemed to make him even more smug than he usually was.

"I
know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me that I should have told
her the truth in the beginning. Well, that wasn't an option. How exactly does a
person inform someone that his father killed her father and certain people in
his own company want her dead? I had to do it this way."

Rogers' frown deepened. "The problem is that she didn't realize this wasn't going to
last forever."

"Fuck
you. You don't know how I feel about her. I intend on this lasting forever, so
get out of my way so I can find her and bring her back where she belongs."

Storming
past him, I felt his hand grab onto my forearm. I stopped dead and stared him
down. "I'm not interested in a lecture right now, Rogers. The woman I love
is out there and I need to get her back."

He
nodded and released his hold on my arm. "Fine. But keep in mind that no
matter how much money you have, Tristan, it's not about that for her. I've
tried to tell you this all your life. There are some people you cannot buy.
She's not like the other women you've been with."

"Which
is exactly why I love her. Why are you making me the monster here? It was my
father and Taylor who had her father killed. I can't help it I fell for
her."

"Tristan,
sometimes it doesn't matter what you want to happen. For some, trust broken
cannot be mended."

"That's
fucking ridiculous. She loves me as much as I love her. I didn't kill her
father and once she realizes that I was only trying to protect her, she'll be
able to trust me again. Now stop giving me platitudes and make sure
everything's ready for her when she returns."

I
quickly got to the car and drove out of there remembering Jenson's details on
where she was headed. If she changed direction, he'd call me, so all I had to
do was drive like a bat out of hell and catch up with her.

The
memory of our first night together in this very car replayed in my mind making
me smile even as my gut churned in pure terror that what Rogers had said was
true. Never before had I wanted to be with a woman and not simply have it be a
fuck-her-and-forget-her thing. There was something about the way she never
pulled any punches that I loved from that first night. For the first time in my
life, a woman made me want something other than just a one night stand. She made
me want the rest of my life with her.

That
wasn't something I planned to let go without a fight.

Now
all I had to do was convince her that I wasn't the bastard she thought I was.

I
got the Jag up to near a hundred, letting the V-8 open up and slowing down only
on the dark curves, but for miles I couldn't see her. Somehow, I couldn't
picture Nina driving much faster than the speed limit, if her actions that
first night were any indication, so I should have been able to catch up to her.

Tapping
my Bluetooth to answer a call, I heard Jenson's voice in my ear. "She's on
Longtree Road, sir. You should be able to find her easily. I believe she's
stopped."

"Good!
Thanks, Jenson."

A
quick left and then a right and I was racing down Longtree, but I still had no
sign of her. I got ready to call Jenson to see if he'd gotten his directions
screwed up and my phone rang again.

"Hello?
Is this Tristan Stone?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes.
Who is this?"

"Sir,
my name is Jacob Nestle. I'm from the New York State Police. A car registered
to your name was in an accident tonight. A BMW, sir."

I
jammed my foot on the brake, and the Jag skidded to a dead stop. My hands were
shaking too much to hold onto the steering wheel. My mind went blank with
terror and I mumbled, "The woman driving the car...what happened?"

I
couldn't bring myself to ask how she was, dreading the words he might say.

"Sir,
she's been taken to Roseland Memorial Hospital with severe injuries."

The
man continued to say something, but I didn't hear him. Every part of my brain
shut off, except for the part that screamed for me to get to that hospital. I
had to see her.

I
stood in the doorway to Nina's hospital room where I'd remained for hours
watching each labored breath she took. Someone touched my arm and I looked down
to see Jordan standing there next to me.

"Tristan,
thank you for sending your car to get me. What happened?"

"It
was a car accident. That's all the police know so far. She rolled the
car."

Her
gaze moved over to Nina and I felt her hand squeeze my arm as the first sight
of her injuries settled into her brain. Both arms were bandaged because of cuts
and scrapes, tubes and wires seemed to be attached to everywhere on her body,
and her head was bloody from where she'd slammed into the windshield. Even
worse were the cuts and bruises on her face. She looked like someone had beaten
the hell out of her.

But
it was the internal injuries—the ones we couldn't see—that were worse. A
bruised spleen and kidney. Three broken ribs. And a head injury they couldn't
say how bad yet.

Jordan covered her mouth and made a noise that sounded like she was going to cry or be
sick. I knew that noise because I'd heard myself make it hours earlier when I'd
first entered Nina's room. And even now, I felt sick at the thought that she
was lying there hurt and unconscious.

"Is
she going to be okay?"

"The
doctor told me she'll recover, but they don't know how long she'll be in the
coma. She's hurt badly," I answered robotically, as I'd done on the phone
with Nina's sister.

As
she stood there looking at her friend, Jordan began to cry. "What was she
doing in the car alone? You never let her go anywhere alone, Tristan. Why
wasn't your driver there?"

I
didn't know how to answer her questions. I'd spent hours beating myself up over
the very same ones. Why didn't I stop her before she left? If I had, she
wouldn't be lying there in a hospital bed hooked up to machines to keep her
alive.

"I'm
going to get some coffee. I want to make sure someone's here with her all the
time, so I can get you some, if you like. I'll only be a few minutes."

Jordan grabbed my arm as I turned to leave. "Honey, are you going to be okay? You
sound exhausted. Get some sleep. You look like you need it."

Shaking
my head, I said quietly, "No. I can't sleep. It's better that I stay up. I
want to be up when she comes out of it."

"Okay.
Take your time and get some coffee." She smiled at me and added,
"Don't worry. She's going to be okay. Nina's tough."

I
tried to smile but my mouth couldn't do anything but stay in the frown it had
been in since hearing the officer say she'd been hurt. My body felt numb as I
went in search of a coffee machine or a cafeteria. My brain wasn't much better.
Nothing mattered but Nina recovering, but I couldn't do anything to make that
happen. No amount of money, nothing I could say would help her.

By
the time I returned, her sister had arrived. Shorter than Nina, she looked like
an older version of her. Looking at me strangely, she had no idea who I was as
I took my position in the doorway.

"Kim,
this is Tristan. He's Nina's boyfriend. Fiancé, I mean," Jordan said as she introduced us. "He's been here since right after it happened."

I
stuck out my hand to shake Kim's and mumbled my hello. I didn't want to talk or
socialize. I wasn't good with this kind of thing, and talking was only going to
lead to having to explain to her why I wasn't with her sister when the accident
occurred.

Kim
studied me like I was something foreign she'd never encountered before.
"It's nice to meet you. Nina told me just yesterday," she said
flatly, but I clearly heard disapproval in her voice.

The
two women talked about something I didn't care about. I didn't want to hear
about the last time Nina visited her sister or how Kim had been planning to
drive out to Brooklyn over the summer but never got the chance. I just wanted
to be left alone with Nina, to hold her hand and hope she heard me when I told
her how sorry I was and how I would make it all up to her.

Jordan seemed to read my mind and led Kim out into the hallway. I slowly crept over to the
hospital bed and reached out to touch Nina's brown hair that laid against the
stark white pillow. She didn't move when I ran my knuckle softly over her jaw.

I
took her hand in mine. It seemed so small as my fingers surrounded her entire
hand. "Nina, I'm so sorry, baby. If you can hear me, I love you. Don't
leave me."

All
I wanted was to see those soft blue eyes look up at me and to hear her say she
loved me. But she didn't move.

Bringing
her hand to my lips, I whispered, "Don't make me go on without you, baby.
Open your eyes and tell me you still love me."

Nina
laid in that hospital bed unconscious as I watched nurses do their best to keep
her comfortable. The doctors visited every day and seemed to feel the need to
constantly explain how it was normal for patients with head injuries to stay
unconscious and how her body simply needed time to heal. I didn't want to hear
any of their explanations. All I wanted to hear was that she'd be okay and
awake so I could tell her I loved her.

Jordan came every afternoon after school and sat next to Nina holding her hand and telling
her silly stories about their time in college. Kim left after the first day,
but I knew Jordan made sure to call her with updates every day.

After
eight days, her face showed what I knew she was thinking. I was thinking it
too. What if the doctors were wrong? What if she never came out of it?

Exhausted,
but afraid if I left Nina might wake up and I wouldn't be there, I sat slumped
in the chair next to her bed as Jordan joked with her about the first time they
met in college. My eyes slowly fell closed as the sound of her voice faded
away.

"Nina?
Honey, you're awake!"

My
eyes flew open and I saw Jordan leaning over Nina. She was awake! I leaped from
the uncomfortable chair I'd spent so many hours in and stood behind her. The
sweet eyes I loved were open and she was speaking.

"Jordan, what happened?" she whispered.

"There
was an accident, honey. But you're going to be okay now." Jordan began crying. "Oh, honey! We were so worried."

"Where's
my dad? You called him, right?"

Jordan turned to face me and shook her head before she turned back. "Nina, what do you
mean? Your father..."

I
moved around her and touched Nina's hand. "Baby, I'm so happy you're
back."

Nina
stared up at me with a vacant look and then looked at Jordan. "Where's my father?"

Nurses
swarmed around her to check her vital signs and I walked out to wait for the
doctor. Jordan joined me a few minutes later and neither of us said a word. We
didn't have to. We both knew something was very wrong.

By
the time the doctor pulled me aside an hour later to explain what Nina was
experiencing, I knew. All he did was confirm it.

"I've
examined her and it's good news. She doesn't remember some things, but she's going
to be fine. All her injuries are healing well, and I think she just needs some
time, Mr. Stone."

I
looked past him and saw her smiling and laughing with Jordan. "She seems to remember her friend, but she thinks her father is still alive.
He's been dead for four years," I explained to the doctor, hoping he could
help me understand what was happening with Nina.

"As
far as I can tell, she doesn't remember anything after right before his death.
She remembers her friend because she knew her before that."

The
doctor saved me from having to hear the painful words telling me she didn't
remember me. After everything we'd been through, she didn't even know who I
was.

"I
think if you give her time, she'll remember everything. Just give her some
time."