One Last Call (29 page)

This wasn’t how it was going to end for them. He’d finally gotten her back. She loved him and he loved her. That was worth fighting his way out of the near inferno and taking Sarah with him.

Josh reared back and smashed his shoulder against the door until it crashed open. He fell out onto the asphalt, sucking in gasps of gloriously clean air. He reached in and pulled Sarah out with him.

Alex Ross was barreling straight for them. “Is there anyone else in the building?”

Josh had trouble talking. His throat felt scorched. “Julie,” he rasped out. “Store room.”

Alex was on the move. He called out over his shoulder, “We need help! Get the EMTs over here.”

He glanced up just as Alex dove into a turbulent wall of smoke. Josh picked up Sarah, and with his last reserves of energy, picked her up and carried her as far away as his legs would take him. A medical guy tried to take Sarah, but Josh wasn’t about to let her go.

“Sir, we have to treat her.” Some young kid in a crisp white uniform, who didn’t look old enough to shave yet, held his hands out for Sarah.

“Treat her,” Josh swallowed against the dryness in his throat. “But I’m not lettin’ go.”

Josh made it to the rear of the ambulance before his legs gave out. He landed his ass hard on the asphalt and still managed to hold on to Sarah. He cradled her and pushed her smoky blonde tendrils off her face. “C’mon, Sarah. Wake up.” He rocked her. “Come on, this is no time to be sleepin’. C’mon, baby girl. Open your eyes.”

The EMT slipped an oxygen mask over Josh’s face. He tried to bat it away. It was no use. When the guy let go, Josh slipped it off and put it on Sarah. “Breathe.”

The baby-faced kid took her vitals. “Pulse is a little thready. Sir, we need to take her.”

Josh rocked her a little harder. “Sarah, I’m here. I’m not leavin’. You can’t leave either!”

Her eyes fluttered open. The clear plastic on the oxygen mask fogged up from her breath. Sarah’s brows furrowed. “Josh?”

“Right here, honey.” His vision was blurring. He wasn’t enough of a liar to say that the tears were from the smoke.

“Am I dead?” Her emerald green eyes glowed bright against her soot-streaked face.

“No, Heaven’s got enough angels. You’re stayin’ right here with me.”

She rasped out, “Good. Glad it’s your face,” and passed out again.

Josh loosened his hold so the man could take her. “I’m goin’ with her.”

The EMT eyed him warily. “Of course you are. You need medical attention too.”

He shook his head. “Sarah first.” There was too much adrenaline pumping through Josh for him to feel any pain.

Baby-face shook his head and set a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. My partner’s here. Plenty enough of us to go around.” He nodded toward another guy to help him.

They strapped Sarah onto a stretcher and pushed her into the back of the cab. Josh barely made it up and in the ambulance on his own steam, but he managed it. Now that his pulse rate was getting closer to normal, his right arm was starting to feel funny.

Josh watched the back door to the bar and caught sight of Alex, tricked out in all his firefighter gear, hoofing it out to the parking lot. Julie was in his arms, her shiny black hair matted and grimy from the smoke.
Thank God
. She was covered from head to toe in soot, yet conscious enough to have her arms wrapped around his neck. Josh hoped that was a sign that she would be okay. Alex carried her to another waiting ambulance while the rest of his men doused the flames taking over the bar. Josh was relieved they’d all made it out of there.

Poor Sarah. She was going to be devastated. She was so proud of her business and now it looked like The Suds and Spuds wasn’t going to be saved. With the way the fire was blazing, Josh didn’t think there would be anything left.

Someone would pay for doing this to her. After the obvious tampering with her car, the planted cameras, and the harassing texts, there was no doubt in his mind that the blaze had been set deliberately. Josh would find the person responsible, and God help the son of a bitch who tried to take his Sarah away from him.

As soon as he took a seat next to the stretcher, the medical techs slammed the doors and took off hell for leather. Josh watched and listened as the EMT checked Sarah’s vitals and called out stats into the radio hooked to his shoulder. She was still unconscious, yet he could see the telltale movement of her chest rising and falling with each breath, each puff of air a miracle in and of itself.

He grabbed her sooty fingers and held on with his own black-smeared hands. The mess of their clasped palms should have looked obscene next to the stark white of the stretcher sheet. At the moment, Josh had never seen anything more beautiful. Sarah was alive, and he hadn’t lost her. No matter what happened next, come Hell or high water, he’d never let her go.

SARAH
woke to the sight of Dr. Anthony hovering over her. Was she in the hospital? Did she have another accident? It had to be some crazy dream, images stuck in her subconscious from her mom insisting the doctor check her out.

“My underwear is clean. Go on and look.” Why was her throat sore?

Dr. Anthony typed something into a mini laptop. “I’m sure they were, but you’re not wearing them anymore.”

What kind of dream is this?

Sarah stared down at herself and found that she was in a hospital gown. She was about to lift the blanket and check out the underwear situation for herself before the doctor cleared his throat.

“No need. Trust me on that.” The doctor had kind eyes, a patient smile, and still no desire to see her panties.

“Is this a dream?” Why was her voice raspy like she’d been chain smoking? Sarah looked down at herself again. Plain, nondescript hospital gown and thin-weave, light blue blanket. Not exactly sexy. If she was going to sound like Jessica Rabbit, the least her subconscious could do was let her look like Jessica Rabbit.

Dr. Anthony set aside his computer. “No, Sarah. No dream. You’re at Madison Falls Medical Center. Do you remember what happened?”

Sarah turned her head to look up at the doctor and regretted the movement instantly. “My head hurts.”

Dr. Anthony nodded. “You took a knock to the skull. You have a minor concussion. Do you know where you are?”

“Madison Falls Medical Center.” She was a little off her game, not stupid.

“Do you remember being at work?”

Work? Something about that was important. Then it hit her. Work! “The fire! Julie! Is Julie okay?” Sarah tried to jump up without much luck. Her body felt too heavy.
Ow
.

Dr. Anthony’s expression never changed. “Miss Hanlin is in the next room over.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. Is she okay?”

“Oh, yes, of course. She’s recovering from a great deal of smoke inhalation, but her condition is stable. The fire chief, Alex Ross, is sitting with her.”

Sarah’s gaze flicked to the empty visitor’s chair. “Where’s my…”
Josh. Where is Josh? What happened to the rest of my family?

“Here!” Josh rushed in from the threshold, carrying a vaseful of assorted flowers. He looked a little worse for wear with his right arm in a sling and both of his hands bandaged. He stared accusingly at the doctor. “I knew I shouldn’t’ve gone to get the flowers. Why didn’t you tell me she was awake?”

“I just woke up, Josh.” It hurt less if she whispered. “Be nice.”

Dr. Anthony took Josh’s anger in stride. “I’m going to check on Miss Hanlin. I’ll be right back to finish up after you two have a few moments. Excuse me.” Josh gave the doctor a barely there nod when he left.

As soon as the door closed, he turned his attention to Sarah. “When was I not nice?” He set the flowers on the roll-around table next to the bed. “Okay, I might have been a little tense, but I’m always nice.” Josh sat on the side of the bed. “How you feelin’?”

“Okay.” Her voice was hoarse from the smoke. “Why do I smell bacon? It’s not me is it?” Sarah’s hands flew to her face and hair. “I don’t feel burned.”

Josh held up a paper bag. “You smell the BLT I brought up from the cafeteria. You got a little singed, but you’re nowhere near to bein’ bacon.”

That was a relief. “Where’s my mom?”

“Doc sent everyone to the cafeteria for a break. It was gettin’ crowded, and he had to check on you.” His lips firmed. “You weren’t supposed to be awake yet.”

“I’ve only been awake for a few minutes. Why are you mad?”

“I didn’t want you to be alone.”

“I wasn’t alone. The doctor was here.” Sarah bit her lip. “I thought I was dreaming. I offered to show him my clean underwear.”

“You what?”

“I guess I’m not wearing any.”

Josh stared down at the blanket covering her. “Tell me you didn’t show him anythin’.”

“No. He already knew.”

Sarah thought she heard him mutter, “Damned doctors.”

“What?”

“Nothin’.” His voice was a little raspy too. Mix that with the southern twang, and it was downright sexy.

“Your voice is sexy.”

“So is yours, sunshine, but take it easy on the talkin.’ You still need to heal.”

Sarah took in his bandages and the sling. “Looks like you need to heal too.” She tried swallowing against her dry throat. Josh poured some water into a plastic cup and pointed the straw at her lips.

“Drink.”

The water felt wonderful on her scorched throat. She sipped it all until it was gone. Josh poured another and handed it to her again. At least she didn’t feel like she’d swallowed sandpaper anymore. “What happened?”

“What do you remember?”

“Richard…”

“Richard was there?”

She nodded. “He wanted money.”

“That mother…”

“Hold on. Let me talk.”

Josh took hold of her hand despite the bandages covering his. “Go on.”

“Richard wanted the money in the safe. He had a gun.”

“Jesus…”

“Josh.”

“Sorry, go on.”

“He’d been hiding from men he owed money. He’s been borrowing money from his clients’ insurance policies. That’s why he was trying to win me back.” She took another blessedly cool sip of water. “Thought I’d give him the money he needed if I was his girlfriend.”

“How did the fire start?”

“Brandi showed up.” Sarah tried not to grip Josh’s hand too hard. “She’s crazy. She admitted to messing with my car. Richard told her to do it. I think she planted the cameras…sent the texts.” She held her hand to her forehead as she tried to remember. “Richard said there was a life insurance policy on me. He hit me with the gun so I would die in the fire. He was going to collect.”

“I’m gonna kill that sonofabitch, no-good bastard…”

“Did Seth get him?”

“No. No one has seen him or Brandi.”

“What about Grant?”

“I have some good news there. He had the laptop, but he wasn’t bein’ a perv. I guess he found a few of the files and didn’t want anythin’ incriminatin’ to get out about you. Grant cut the wires because he was afraid the videos of you in your bedroom would show up on the video monitor. I guess there were a few of you changing your clothes before the one of us…gettin’ all bunny with each other.”

Sarah cringed.

“Grant took it to Chris to get the hard drive erased.”

Sarah felt her face heat up. “How bad were they?”

“Don’t worry. They no longer exist. Chris took care of that.”

“How did they end up there?”

“It wasn’t the kid.”

“How would Brandi get to the laptop?”

“Do you think Kelly coulda had anythin’ to do with it?”

Sarah sipped more water and tried to clear her throat.
Ouch
. “Brandi said Richard was messing around with her. Maybe? I was thinking Brandi planted the cameras, but I don’t see her scheming with Kelly.”

“If she was sleepin’ with him, he coulda talked her in to keepin’ an eye on you.”

Sarah’s stomach twisted in a knot. “Yuck.”

“Seth wants to talk to you. I told him to let you recuperate a bit first.”

Sarah shook her head. “No. I want to talk to him. He needs to find Richard and Brandi. They did this. They tried to kill me…and my bar…” She’d been trying not to think about it. The numbness wore off, and tears sprang to her eyes. “It’s gone, isn’t it?”

Josh’s hand hovered over her cheek before letting it rest on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, darlin’. There was a lot of damage.”

Everything she’d worked her ass off for. Gone. She sniffled through the hot tears coursing down her cheeks. “I’ll rebuild.”

“’Course you will. Don’t worry ’bout that now. Let’s get you better.”

“How long do I have to stay here?” Sarah hated hospitals.

“Doc was thinkin’ overnight. It’s a toss-up on whether I gotta fight your mama on who gets to take you home.”

Home felt like a foreign word to her. “Can you get me out tonight?”

Josh looked tempted until he took in the IV line taped to her arm. “I’d love to run on out of here with you, but the doc is right this time. One more night isn’t gonna kill you.”

“One more night? How long have I been in here?”

“The fire was yesterday.”

“Richard and Brandi could be anywhere by now!”

“I’m gonna go downstairs and call Seth. He needs to know what’s goin’ on. Will you be all right for a few?” He scooted her water cup closer.

Sarah wasn’t feeling okay. She nodded anyway. “I’ll be fine. The sooner you talk to Seth, the sooner he can go after them.”

Josh leaned down and gave her a slow, sweet kiss on the lips. “I love you, Sarah. When I saw you layin’ there next to your desk…”

She pulled him down for another kiss. “I’m okay.” Sarah rested her cheek against his. “I love you too.”

He reluctantly stood and went for the door.

“Josh?”

He spun around, halfway out of the room. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“You think you can sneak me in a Diet Dr. Pepper?”

Lord, that sexy grin could melt the polar ice caps. “You got it. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Your family should be up soon too. Get some rest while you can.”

That wouldn’t be a problem. Her eyelids already felt like they’d been dipped in concrete. A little nap sounded wonderful. Sarah did a slow blink before giving in and falling asleep.