Unintentional (25 page)

Mattie rushes into the waiting area a few minutes later. “Good, you’re alone. I need to talk to you about something.” She sits down next to me and looks around the lobby to make sure no one is close enough to hear. “Cade, I have a huge favor to ask you. It’s really big, so if you don’t want to do it, I’ll understand.”

“Mattie, you can ask me anything. I’ll do whatever you need if
it helps.”

“It will help me, yes. But this is for Jeremy.”

Now I’m curious. How can I possibly help Jeremy?

“You remember how jealous Jeremy was of you after the shooting?”

“How could I forget? He punched me, remember?”

Mattie smiles. “Yeah, sorry about that.” She looks uncomfortable for a moment. “Jeremy and I, we’re so connected. He always is one step behind me, watching my back. He’s a little overprotective of Colton and I. You’ve probably noticed.”

I smile and nod. I have noticed, but it isn’t anything too extreme. Jeremy loves his family, and he keeps them close.

Mattie lowers her voice. “He still thinks you pine away for me.” She blushes and looks down.

“Mattie, look at me.”

She looks up, eyes shyly searching my face.

“It’s okay if he thinks that. He loves you so much, he can’t imagine anyone else not feeling the same. You and I both know our feelings have shifted into friendship. You’re a great friend, and I hope
we can always have that.”

“I’m going to test that friendship now. Cade, they are going to try to take Jeremy out of the induced coma tomorrow. The swelling in his brain is starting to subside. He’ll likely regain consciousness for a few minutes at a time. I know Jeremy. The first thing he’s going to ask is if I’m okay.”

“I get that. Of course he’s going to ask.” I can’t figure out where this is going.

“I want you to be there.”

“No problem.”

“He’s going to ask something else. I want to prepare you for it.”

“Yeah?”

“Jeremy and I have had talks about this kind of thing. What would happen if one of us, you know, well – I can’t say it.” She bursts out in tears.

I try to soothe her the best I can. “Jeremy is going to pull through this. He loves you and Colton so much. Mattie, don’t give up hope. He’s strong.”

“He is strong, isn’t he? Cade, I want to give him peace of mind
if things don’t work out.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s going to ask you to take care of me. He really likes you. Most of all, he respects you. He’s given me permission—this is so awkward for me to say, but—he said, if something were to happen to him, he wouldn’t mind if I married you.” She said the last sentence so quickly, I almost missed it.

“He actually gave his okay? Wow, he really does love you.”

“What do you mean?”

“For Jeremy, the control freak – sorry, but for someone as possessive as Jeremy to want you to have happiness, even with his jealous feelings for me, says a lot.”

“It does. I was really surprised. I tried to tell him you’d moved on, but he’d always shake his head and say he never would.” She smiles at the memory.

“I know. I’ve never seen anyone so much in love, Mattie. You are both very lucky.”

Tears start to form in her eyes. “We are lucky. Cade, there’s something else I haven’t told you.” She pauses. “I’m pregnant.”

My eyes widen with surprise. It must be early, because I would have never guessed.

“Jeremy knows, but I haven’t told anyone else. I’m around eight weeks along.”

“That’s great news. How are you feeling? This has to be putting a lot of stress on your body.”

“I know. I’m going to head home and try to get a little rest. Colton needs me right now, and I need to take care of myself. But first, the huge favor I need to ask.”

“Really, Mattie, I’ll do anything if it helps.”

“Jeremy is going to be feeling very scared for me, Colton, and the new baby. I know him. He’s going to want to make sure we’re all taken care of.”

Finally, it sinks in. She wants me to tell Jeremy I’ll take care of his family.

“Mattie, that’s no problem. I can tell him I’ll take care of you and the kids. I know he’s going to be all right, but until he recovers, it would probably make him feel better if he knows you’ll be taken care of.”

“That’s not all. He might ask you to marry me and be the
substitute father for his children. It might happen, so I just want you to be prepared.”

I’m shocked. “You don’t seriously think he’d ask me that?”

“My wellbeing and happiness are going to be the first thing he’s going to think about when he wakes up. If he thinks there’s even a small chance he won’t make it…” She blinks back tears and continues.

“He won’t want me to live my life alone, especially now that I’m pregnant. It’s going to be even more important to him. I think he might panic a little. I want him to have peace of mind, Cade. Can you give him that? I know it’s a lot to ask you. I know how honest you
are, but I don’t want him to worry about me.”

It doesn’t take me long to answer. “Sure. I can do that. But after this is over, we’re going to need to sit down with Jeremy and drill it into his thick skull that my feelings for you don’t go beyond friendship.”

“Deal.” She wipes her tears away. “Thanks, Cade. You don’t know how much this means to me.” She gets up but turns back to me. “By the way, I love Laurel. She’s perfect for you. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thanks, Mattie. People have always said ‘things happen for a reason’ and I never understood it. Now I do. I can’t imagine living my life without her.” I stop suddenly. Stupid, stupid.

Mattie’s face softens. “Don’t worry, Cade. I get it. I feel the same about Jeremy. You found your soul mate, and that makes me happy, no matter what happens. Can you do me a favor?”

“Another?” We laugh together.

“Yes. Can you pray?”

Now it’s my turn to wipe away tears. “Of course.”

Another hug and she heads back to the intensive care unit.

I head out to the chapel to have a chat with God.

Laurel

After a good night’s sleep and some food, I feel almost human again. Until I remember why I was hungry and sleep deprived in the first place. Jeremy. There hasn’t been a change in forty-eight hours. Cade and I spend our days sitting in the waiting room, hoping for good news. A few times, we’ve put on scrubs and have gone in to see him. Cade poses as Mattie’s brother, and I as his wife. I can’t help it, but I
enjoy this particular ruse. I don’t enjoy, however, seeing Jeremy with tubes, a respirator, and casts. It’s heartbreaking.

I’ve been so impressed with Mattie. She remains incredibly strong throughout this ordeal. I know she’s not sleeping much. It’s apparent with the dark smudges under her eyes. After she spends the entire day with Jeremy, she goes home to look after Colton. I’ve offered to babysit so she can get some rest, but, knowing Colton needs her, she always refuses.

It’s now day three, and we’re all getting a little antsy. I get up and pace around the room a little. Cade has his eyes closed with his head leaning back against the chair. Poor guy, he’s almost as exhausted as Mattie. Scott and Mica are playing cards on the table separating them. The days are long and tedious, and the nights are filled with tossing, turning, and almost non-existent sleep.

I look up as two men dressed in suits enter the waiting room.

They look around and ask, “Anyone here know a Cade Michaels?”

Cade’s head pops up as he looks at them with bleary eyes.

“That’s me,” he offers.

“We need to talk with you privately.”

“These are my friends. You can say whatever you want in front of them. Who are you?”

“I’m Detective Greg Hanson, and this is my partner, Chris Roberts. We’re investigating the crash involving Jeremy Harkins three days ago.”

“Okay. What would you like to know?”

Detective Roberts asks, “Is there a reason you disabled the air bags for the driver’s seat?”

Cade balks. “I didn’t disable the air bags. I heard from the doctors it didn’t deploy, I thought it just malfunctioned.”

They look at each other. Detective Hanson gives his partner a nod.

“There’s another issue. Forensics is still looking everything over, but it looks like the brake lines may have been tampered with.”

Cade sits up in his chair. “You mean there’s a possibility this was done on purpose?” His face reflects the shock he’s feeling.

“It’s looking that way. We also wanted to ask you about your relationship with Mr. Harkins’ wife..” Their gazes sweep over us. “Are you sure you don’t want to speak privately with us?”

“No. I don’t have anything to hide. What about my relationship
with Mattie?”

“Not to imply anything. We need to check everyone connected with this unfortunate occurrence. It’s our understanding you had a previous romantic relationship with Mrs. Harkins?”

“That was two years ago.” Cade looks back and forth between the two men.

I can tell he’s trying to keep his temper under control. His piercing eyes stare back at the detectives, challenging them.

“Right. Can you tell me why Mr. Harkins was driving your car?”

Now it’s time for me to answer. “It was my idea. We parked behind his car, and I tossed him the keys when he asked us to move it. Cade doesn’t like anyone driving his car, and I was trying to tease him. This is my fault.” I try to hold the tears back.

Cade takes my hand. “No, it’s not your fault. If someone did this on purpose, they were after either you or me.”

Detective Roberts asks, “Who was the last person to drive the car?”

“It was me,” I answer.

I see the two men look at each other.

“We’ll need to get your name for our records. Also, can you tell me if anyone would want to harm you?”

I’m shocked. “No, no…I don’t know anyone who is either angry at me or would like me harmed.” A brief memory flashes through my brain. The angry look on Rodney’s face when we signed Hard Reign. He wouldn’t resort to this, would he?

Detective Hanson looks closely at me. “Did you remember someone?”

“No, not really.” I shake my head, trying to dislodge the thought. It can’t be. No one would go to such lengths to try to sign a band.

“If you recall anything, we do need to know, even if it seems like a longshot.” They turn to Cade. “How about you, Mr. Michaels? Do you know anyone who would want to bring you harm?”

Cade shakes his head. “I can’t think of anyone. This is crazy. Are you sure about this?”

“Unfortunately, yes, it looks that way. We’re waiting for final confirmation, but it definitely looks like the car was tampered with. Also, it was most likely done at the residence on Mercer Island. The
brakes would have given out before Mr. Harkins made it to Queen Anne otherwise. His car hit the pole coming down the hill on Queen Anne Ave North, right after his visit to the bakery.”

“We were only at their house for maybe ten minutes before Jeremy left. Could someone tamper with the brakes and disable the air bags that quickly?” Cade asks.

“Yes, unfortunately. Both can be done in a few minutes. Whoever tampered with the car did their homework.”

Cade nods and looks over at me. He mouths, “Rodney?”

I shrug. I don’t know what to say or think.

“I have a longshot for you. There is someone who may want Laurel out of the way.”

I shake my head, but Cade is determined to proceed.

“His name is Rodney Ricci. His dad has a criminal record.

He’s in jail for embezzlement and attempted murder. Anyway, Rodney was quite upset last year when Laurel beat out his boss, who happens to be his cousin, for signing our band. I’ve never seen anyone so ready to explode without it actually happening. His legs were shaking and he kept clamping his hands into fists every few seconds.
We were lucky to get out before there was violence.”

This perks up both detectives. “We’ll need his full name and contact information. We’ll definitely want to question him.”

Kelly Ricci

“Rodney, can you please tell me why you’re pacing around? I’d also like to know why we’re still hanging around Seattle. I’m sure Cade and his band have already signed with Laurel. Sophie made it clear, so if you have information I don’t know about, I’d love to hear it.”

“I heard from my contact there might be a change, is all. I have the inside scoop. I told you I wasn’t worthless. You always think I’m incapable of doing my job. This will pay off. Just be patient, will you?” Rodney continues to pace the small area of our hotel room. He’s been as nervous as a caged lion since we arrived in Seattle ten days ago. I’m losing my patience with him and the situation.

“Rodney, this is costing us money every day we stay here. My dad wants me back in the next few days for a business meeting. Can you get more information from your source? We can’t stay here forever, you know.”

“I know!” he yells back. His eyes are scary-mad.

I back off and try to calm him down. “It’s okay, Rodney. I know this job has a lot of pressure. It doesn’t matter if we sign Hard Reign, really. There will be other bands.”

He’s still upset. “Not like this one, and you know it! This is our meal ticket! They’re going to be huge. Both our fathers will be disappointed if we blow this. We can’t fail, Kelly. We just can’t.” He slumps down on the chair next to the bed.

I’m relieved he seems to be a little calmer, but I’m still worried. He’s way too wrapped up in the outcome of this.

“Rodney, really, what’s going on? Why is this so important?”

He’s about to answer when he’s interrupted by a knock at the door. Rodney’s eyes grow large as he looks at me and then back to the entryway.

“Who could that be?” he asks while rubbing his palms on his jeans.

I ignore his question and open the door. Two official-looking men greet me. “Are you Kelly Ricci?” they ask.

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

“We’re detectives with the Seattle Police Department. I’m
Detective Chris Roberts and this is Detective Greg Hanson.” They shake my hand. They look over my shoulder at Rodney.

“Are you a Mr. Rodney Ricci?” they ask.

Rodney’s eyes dart around the room. He looks ready to bolt. “Yeah,” he answers simply. “We’d like to talk to both of you about an accident involving Jeremy Harkins. He’s good friends with Cade Michaels and Laurel Lawson. You know him?”