The Reckoning (29 page)

The orderly held out his hand and pointed to the waiting room down the hall. The only thing that stopped Mike from going back to the parking garage and killing the bastard was that
Elizabeth
needed him. The only thing that stopped him from knocking the orderlies on their collective asses was
Elizabeth
’s voice in his head, giving him hell for it.

Mike nodded, pissed off and scared. He walked to the waiting room. Unable to sit, he paced the floor anxiously waiting for any word on
Elizabeth
. Minutes passed before his sisters found him, each one looking ready to collapse on their feet.
Lydia
, the last to walk in, stopped Mike in his tracks. He advanced on her, grabbing her arms, and shook her. “Why didn’t you tell me this was going to happen?”

Thompson stepped between them and shoved Mike backwards. “Mike, man, it isn’t her fault. She didn’t do this.”

Mike turned his glare on his friend and pointed at
Lydia
. “She could have prevented it.”

Lydia
shook her head and held up her hands, palm out. “I didn’t know, honest.
Elizabeth
wasn’t supposed to push you out of the way. In my vision, you were stabbed in the arm. She was still in the SUV.”

Lydia
plopped down in a chair and put her head in her hands. “It’s all my fault; I should have never told her where it took place.”

Lydia
looked up, tears rolling down her face. “I’m so sorry, Mike; I didn’t know it was going to end like this.”

Mike put his arm around his new sister. He knew it wasn’t her fault. That he was looking for anyone but himself to blame.

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” He pulled her closer into his side. “I asked if you had mentioned where she was when this all played out. I should have just handcuffed her to the steering wheel, like I had planned. It just all happened too quick. First my phone was ringing, and then, the doctors were there. There wasn’t any time.”

The general walked in. “My daughter is smart detective; she has a plan for everything. She strategizes all of the possible outcomes and figures a way to avoid them before they even happen. How she managed to get stabbed is beyond me.”

Mike lowered his head and replayed the scene. He’d seen
Elizabeth
knock the doctor’s hand away from the knife’s target. “She saved my life. It should be me in there not her.”

The general grunted. “Sounds like my Lizzy.” He glanced over to the coffee pot. “You know
Elizabeth
had a bag packed, money stashed, and an escape route for when the professor showed up. She had no intention of staying until she met you and your sisters.” The general walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. He lifted the cup toward
Lydia
. “Even threatened to never forgive me if any harm came to the redhead.”

A doctor Mike had never seen before walked in holding a file. “She’s going to be fine. We gave her a few stitches and are monitoring her blood pressure. She was lucky, nothing vital was damaged.”

The general patted Mike on the back. “That wasn’t luck, son.”

Mike nodded and stepped toward the doctor. “When can I see her?”

The doctor opened the file and glanced up. “Are you Detective Mike Bennett?”

Mike nodded. “She wanted me to give this to you.” The doctor handed him a folded note and turned to leave. “I’ll send someone to come get you when she’s ready and gets settled in a room.”

Mike opened the note and laughed. Abby took it from his hands and read it out loud, “You better bring coffee with you and don’t even think of yelling at me. I love you.
Elizabeth
.”

Elizabeth
glanced around the kitchen and felt blessed. She’d come to love this family, and they’d come to love and care about her.
Elizabeth
glanced toward the man walking in her direction. This was the third dinner at Claire’s house, since leaving the hospital.

Mike leaned down and kissed her as he placed a cup of coffee in front of her. “You feeling okay, baby?”

Elizabeth
shifted in her seat. She hid her grimace behind the coffee cup. “I’m fine.”

The General, sitting across from her, tilted his head and gave
Elizabeth
a knowing look.
Elizabeth
glared at him daring him to contradict her. There was no way she’d miss Claire and Butch’s wedding. How the woman had managed to plan anything during everything that was going on impressed the hell out of her. After all was said and done, she’d get Claire’s help planning her and Mike’s wedding. Mike had spent every minute with her since she’d been stabbed. He’d even shown restraint and hadn’t yelled at her.

“A few stiches aren’t going to stop me from going to the wedding, Mike, so you can save your breath.”

Abby grinned. “Yep, she’s a Bennett all right.”

Lydia
pulled out a chair on the other side from
Elizabeth
and took her hand. “Everything will be fine at the wedding, I’ve seen it.”
Lydia
grinned. “I’ve even seen yours.”

Mike’s smile fell. “If you tell me I’m not the groom, I’ll throw your ass in jail right along with Winters’.”

Lydia
’s smile grew. “Don’t worry. She marries you.”
Lydia
took a sip of her coffee. “That doesn’t mean she can’t change her mind.”

Elizabeth
shifted in her seat again. Mike hadn’t missed the move and gave her a knowing look.

Thompson walked into the room and flipped his phone closed. “I just got an update. Winter’s has been taken to
Washington
, where they plan to lock him up for a long time. He didn’t give them anything when they interrogated him.”

Mike picked up his beer and took a swig. “They raided his place and found an address book and they’re still checking out all of their leads. My superiors are confident, that Winter’s was the head guy. They are still sorting through everything they found. We can only hope that the amount of the blue drug they found hidden in the basement of his house, indicates that there hasn’t been a mass distribution.”

Lydia
let out a sigh and smiled. That had been the first bit of good news she’d heard in a while. She didn’t see Winter’s,
Jennings
, whatever the hell his name was coming back, but she knew her visions were subject to change.  

“I want the complete file tomorrow.” Mike said as he pushed from his chair and held out his hand to
Elizabeth
. “It’s time to get you to bed, Doc.”

Elizabeth
wrapped her fingers around his hand and went willingly. The General walked them to the door. “
Elizabeth
, I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll check in on you again before I go.”

He leaned down and kissed her head. The General extended his hand toward Mike. “Welcome to the family, son.”

Elizabeth
glanced between the two men she loved and sighed, leaning into Mike. All was right in her world. Her only concern still lay with
Lydia
, but she’d keep it to herself for now. She’d never seen Mike so relaxed; there was no way she would take that from him.

****

Lydia
rolled over in the bed. She’d seen what was coming. She knew she’d be leaving today. Her only regret was leaving the family she’d found.
Lydia
went through the motions of the morning. The important day ahead for her siblings called to her. She hadn’t been expecting to be included in the wedding party. She’d have been happy just to be there to witness it, but they’d included her, just like they’d included
Elizabeth
.

Lydia
smiled. Her family was happy. They’d found their peace. She envied that and wondered if she would ever truly find her own.
Lydia
shook her head and mumbled, “Not today.’

Lydia
glanced at the clock. Running right on time, she descended the stairs with her gown in hand, draping it over the railing as she walked toward the kitchen. She was going to need coffee and lots of it to get  through the day.

She pushed through the doors and noticed she was the last one to arrive. Even Thompson was already there. A feast fit for kings had been laid out on the table. Her new family all ambled around in the kitchen.
Elizabeth
turned toward her. “I thought I was going to have to come upstairs and wake you up.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Mike walked over to
Elizabeth
and put his arm around her waist. He glanced down at her as she looked up at him.
Lydia
could feel the pure love emanating from them. They were going to have a happy life; she could feel it in her bones. All of her sisters and brother had found love. The one thing in life that had eluded her for as long as she could remember.

Loving meant the possibility of a pain that could destroy her, like it had done with Billy. She wasn’t going to fall into that trap again; for her own sanity.
Elizabeth
reached for her hand. “Is everything okay?”

Lydia
put a smile on her face, on that didn’t match what she was feeling inside. “It will be.”

The day went just as she’d seen it; the wedding went off without a hitch, with no threats against her newfound sisters.

Lydia
sat at the table at the reception, leaning back in her chair. Her family surrounding her, and then there was Thompson. Not officially family, but enough of a friend of her brother and brothers-in-law that she wasn’t going to complain.
Lydia
glanced around. People from the town were all talking, smiling, and dancing. Feeling a part of something bigger than herself for once in her life was something she would miss.

Mike’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. He cleared his throat. “We’ve set a date.” He leaned over and kissed
Elizabeth
. “New Year’s Eve, a midnight wedding.”

Claire set her glass of champagne down. “That doesn’t give us much time.” She turned toward
Elizabeth
. “We need to start planning as soon as I get back from my honeymoon.”

Elizabeth
grinned. “I was hoping you would say that.”

Abby raised her brow. “Three months should be plenty of time.”

Claire turned her scowl on her little sister. “We’re going to be lucky to get everything done.”

Butch lifted his hand and rubbed Claire’s back. “Relax, angel. All of your sisters will help.”

Lydia
didn’t have the heart to tell them she wouldn’t be a part of the planning, so she didn’t say anything at all about helping, but she would leave her contribution just the same. A last bit of advice they were going to need. “You’re going to need a dress with an empire waist.”

Everyone at the table turned toward her. All wedding planning ceased. Mike sat back in his chair, obvious he didn’t care what she wore as long as he was the one she was walking down the aisle to meet.

“Why is that?”
Elizabeth
asked.

“You’re going to be showing by then.”

Elizabeth
’s hand went to her belly as she swung her gaze to Mike. His mouth hung open, and for once in his life, no words escaped his lips.
Elizabeth
turned her gaze back to
Lydia
.

“Are you sure?”

Lydia
nodded. Before she could expand on the topic,
Elizabeth
’s father approached the table. She’d been waiting for this all night.

###

If you enjoyed my story, please leave a comment on Amazo
n.

If you would like to sign up for my newsletters about upcoming releases, please go to
www.kateallenton.com
.

Enjoy an excerpt from the next book in the Bennett Sister
’
s
Saga
,

Redemption

Lydia’s Story

Coming Soon

Chapter 1

General Lister pushed from the table at the reception, leaned over and placed a kiss on his daughter,
Elizabeth
’s head.
Elizabeth
sat looking starry eyed at the table full of her new friends and fiancé. She was getting her happily ever after. “It’s time for me to go, Lizzy.” The general patted his soon to be son in law on the back. “Take good care of my girl.”