View Park, page 30
As his expression saddened, Haley felt a heavy pull in her stomach. “Before you tell me why what I’m giving up for you isn’t enough, you tell me what you’re giving up for me.”
He was giving her up.
For her and for himself, because as much as he wanted her, Sean knew the man he was and before he met her he had been proud of that man. Most importantly, he wanted that man back and he knew that could only happen if he accepted the man he wasn’t. He wasn’t a man who found a way to fit the drama into his life that was destined to be a constant. He wasn’t a man who could be selfish enough to keep a woman around just because he wanted her even though he knew it would only cause her pain. He wasn’t a man who was prepared to deal with a mother who would fight him every step of the way and never give up because her purpose was stronger than his.
“Haley.” He reached out, taking her hand in his. Looking into her eyes, the only thing Sean was sure of was that he was going to love her for a long, long time. “We need to talk.”
Standing outside the clinic, looking up at the flashing sign, Richard wrapped his arm around Leigh and she loved the idea that what felt good could outweigh what felt bad once again. It had been the other way for long enough.
“One more week,” she said. “Are we ready?”
“We’re more than ready.”
“I’m afraid.” She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest. “I don’t want anything to go wrong.”
“It won’t.” He rubbed her back reassuringly.
“As long as Leo is still out there anything can happen. He knows the first of December is the grand opening. After my car, I think—”
“The police are going to find him, Leigh. Even if they don’t by then, we’ll have a ton of security here. It’ll be okay. Let’s go.”
She was too exhausted to argue and she wanted to believe him anyway. “Will you come home with me?”
“I’m not staying at your house,” Richard said. “Stop asking.”
“Just until they catch him,” she pleaded.
Richard was typing in the alarm codes. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“It’ll just be easier.” She helped him push the heavy steel door closed. “Thursday is Thanksgiving dinner at my house, which you’re coming to anyways and Saturday is the fund-raiser, which is at my house as well. It’ll just be—”
Leigh was startled when Richard grabbed her arm and his finger came to her mouth. She looked at him for an answer, but he just shook his head and looked around.
“I thought I heard something,” he said.
Leigh looked around in the darkness. Most of the streetlights on this block were knocked out, something she was still battling City Hall to fix. “Let’s hurry, then.”
They rushed down the walkway toward the car, parked right in front, but a shadow loomed in front of them and Leo stepped out from behind a thick bush where the only light working was shining on him. He had a black left eye and a reddish-purple bruise that covered his entire right cheek. His lower lip was cut right up the middle.
Leigh screamed just as Richard pushed her behind him. He stared Leo down, but there was a look on Leo’s face that made it seem like this wasn’t happening.
“It’s okay,” Richard whispered to her. “Look, man, I know this whole thing has been a big mess for you, but we’re both men here. You’re taking this too far.”
Leo smiled at him like they were old buddies. “You’re right. We’re both men, but we both know I’m the better man and the better man always wins.”
Leigh slowly reached her hand into her purse, searching around for her cell phone. “The police are already looking for you, Leo. Don’t make this worse.”
“How could it get any worse?” he asked. “I have an arrest warrant out on me. I got kidnapped and beat up by some thugs who threatened to kill me for two days before leaving me for dead. I’ve been fired from my job and my parents wouldn’t let me in their house. My own mother told me she didn’t have a son anymore because I’ve harmed her reputation.”
“That isn’t Leigh’s fault,” Richard said. “She was trying to do what was right and she’s sorry you got hurt.”
“She can speak for herself, can’t she?” Leo looked behind Richard. “Can’t you, Leigh? Can’t you tell me why you destroyed my life after I came here to start over?”
Leigh’s finger slid across the back of her cell phone and she carefully wrapped her hand around it.
“There are cameras all over here,” Richard said. “They scan this whole walkway. Any movement is recorded, so if you think you’re going to get away with anything, you’re wrong.”
“I don’t expect to get away with anything.” He reached under his jacket, pulling out a gun. “I never did.”
Before she could react, Leigh’s entire body was tossed to the ground. She fell flat on her stomach and screamed when she heard the gunshot. Then another shot. She swung around just as Richard slumped to the ground. Barely able to breathe, she crawled to his motionless body and held his face in her trembling hands.
“Leigh?”
She looked up at Leo. The gun in his hand brought her back to reality. She felt almost numb to the fact that she was going to die because she just didn’t believe it. How could this happen?
“Leo.” She was barely audible. “Please.”
“Don’t worry, Leigh.” He lowered the gun. “I was gonna kill you, but then I thought that would just make you the victim. Everyone would feel sorry for you even though this is all your fault!”
She looked down, pressing her hand hard over the spot where Richard was bleeding most. She reached for Richard’s limp hand, placing it against the other wound. He was still breathing, she could feel him and she worried that Leo would try to finish him off.
Leo took a few steps closer. “I’m gonna let you live, Leigh. Live knowing this could have all been avoided if you’d given me a chance. He’s dead because of you; and so am I.”
Leo put his gun to his temple and the doctor inside of Leigh screamed out no as she jumped up and reached out to him; but the gun went off and he fell to the ground like a rag doll. Leigh wanted to be shocked, but she was a doctor and that wasn’t allowed. She went back to Richard, pressing on his larger wound with one hand as she scrambled to find her phone with the other.
“Leigh?” he whispered.
“Don’t talk, Richard.” She dialed 911, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to come at the gurgling sound he was making. Blood was trickling out of his mouth now.
“It’s going to be okay. I have to go back inside to get what you need. I’ll be right back.”
Carter pulled up to the Jackson’s modest Baldwin Hills home just as Avery stepped onto the porch. He was going to act casual for her benefit, but the truth was he was happy as hell. After their night together, Avery asked for some time to think about things and it worried him because he hadn’t intended to sleep with her that night. He only hoped that she hadn’t seen it as medicine for an angry woman to be taken only once. When she called him that morning, Carter knew there wasn’t anything to worry about. She wanted to take it slow, but wanted to see what would happen. He was going to let her take as long as she needed to figure out she belonged to him.
“Right on time.” Avery slid into the car. “I like that.”
“I’m just being good because it’s the beginning. After a while, I’ll be fifteen, twenty minutes late on average.”
“You do realize it’s November?” She lifted her hands to the air, gesturing at the lack of car top. “It’s freezing outside.”
“I’m not ready to give in to the season.” He started the car. “Unless you’re too weak for a little breeze.”
“Gun it.”
As he sped off, she settled into the seat, feeling much more comfortable than she expected to. Instead of nervous and uncertain, she was excited and hopeful. The pain of Alex’s betrayal was still with her and she knew it would be in some form for the rest of her life. She had loved him, but the finality that was forced on their relationship made her so relieved she was ashamed to share it with anyone. She felt selfish indulging in a man as incredible as Carter, but after all she’d been through, Avery wanted to be selfish for a while.
“Did you mention me?” he asked.
“No.” She reached across, placing her hand on his thigh. “Don’t take it personally. The whole truth about Alex is more than enough for them to take right now. I just want to keep my dad from killing him before he gets to Phoenix.”
The whole truth about Alex. That was something Carter was going to have to keep for himself. Living with lies wasn’t as impossible as people thought. He was living with other lies, holding onto secrets he would keep till his grave. Better men have done worse for less.
“I want to show you something.” He slowed down, turning onto the familiar street. He slid up to the curb and parked.
Avery looked around seeing nothing in particular. When she turned to Carter, the look on his face made her nervous. “What? What’s going on?”
“Remember when you came to my house for dinner?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?”
Carter laughed. “Of course you do, but what do you remember the most?”
“That’s easy.” She leaned into him. “When you told me about going to school and living in…”
He was happy, because she got it quicker than he expected and the only explanation for that was that she had listened and she cared.
“Which one?” she asked.
He pointed to her left and when she saw it, the house that Carter grew up in, a smile warmed her face. It was the biggest house on the block, lily white with black shutters and a hunter green door that curved into a half circle at the top. It looked like something off a painting and she felt incredibly touched that he would share it with her.
“What about that job, Avery?” Carter asked.
She turned back to him with a shrug of her shoulders. “It sounds good, but I don’t—”
“You’re afraid,” he said, “and you should be. Working for my father is no picnic, but I know you can do it. You know you can do it. Don’t let fear make your decisions for you.”
“It’s a white space for me,” she admitted. “It would be safer if I just—”
“Avery, my father gave me some advice once. He said life is for the living. If you don’t want to live it, then get the hell out of the way.”
This wasn’t helping her any. “I didn’t think he wanted you to start your own law firm.”
“Actually I was seven when he told me that.” He smiled when her eyes opened wide. “On my grandmother’s grave, I’m not lying. This is the man you’d be working with.”
She laughed, feeling closer to him than it made sense to feel. She couldn’t trust her emotions right now because of all she had been through, but Avery was confident she was going to fall in love with this man.
As soon as the elevator opened up, Janet and Steven lurched out and headed straight for the hospital desk. Michael and Kimberly were right behind with Haley taking a little time picking up the rear.
“Leigh Chase,” Steven said. “Where is she?”
The woman behind the counter looked down at her computer, shaking her head. “I don’t have that name.”
“She’s up here!” Janet gripped the edges of the desk, leaning forward. “She’s in surgery.”
The woman shrugged, punching various keys on the computer. “There’s no one by that name—”
“Listen to me!” Steven slammed his fist on the desk. “You find someone who knows where she is now or I’m going into every one of these rooms to find out for myself.”
“You can’t do that.” She backed down when Steven gave her the look of death. “I’ll see who I can find.”
“Where are you going?” Steven reached for Janet who was already heading down the hall. “Wait here, Janet.”
Janet could hardly breathe, trying to free herself from Steven’s grasp. “I can’t wait. Where is she? Sean said that—”
“She’s up here.” He wrapped his arm around her, turning to Michael. “Have you reached Carter?”
Michael reached for his cell phone. “I’ll try again.”
Steven placed his forehead against Janet’s and whispered words of assurance to her. She was losing it and he wasn’t far behind.
The evening had been ending innocent enough. With the exception of Haley raising hell over Sean dumping her throughout dinner, the boys had been put to sleep and everyone was relaxing for the evening. Steven had gone off to do some work, leaving Janet to deal with Haley when Maya rushed into his office. The look on her face cut his annoyance short as he grabbed the phone.
It was Sean calling to tell him that something had happened to Leigh. There was a shooting outside the clinic, Leo was dead, and she was on her way to L.A. General. Sean only knew what he heard over the police wire. She was being taken straight to surgery. Steven felt a sense of dread come over him as he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What had he caused to happen?
“Mr. and Mrs. Chase?” Sean cautiously approached them, not wanting to interrupt the intimate moment.
“Where is she?” Janet reached for him, taking his hand in hers. “You know?”
Sean glanced behind her, noticing the look of pure hatred and disgust on Haley’s face at the sight of him. He almost regretted that he had heard about Leigh’s situation, because this was the last thing he wanted. He had to call Steven even though he knew the entire family probably hated him now. His breakup with Haley had been one of the ugliest scenes he had ever experienced, and that was saying a lot for a homicide detective.
“She’s in six-forty,” he said, after Haley turned her back to him and walked away.
“Where is that?” Steven followed Sean’s eyes to Haley, not missing the scratch marks along the right side of his face that he had no doubt was his daughter’s work.
“It’s down the hall.” Sean held onto Janet who tried to pass him. “You don’t understand.”
“What?”
“She’s okay,” Sean said. “She wasn’t shot.”
“Oh, my God!” Janet fell back into Steven’s arms. “Thank you, Lord.”
“What happened?” Steven felt like he wanted to cry at the news. “Why is she in there?”
“Leo shot Richard and then himself.” Sean understood their confusion. “I don’t know why he didn’t shoot her. I’m not sure. She hasn’t talked to anyone yet. She’s in there with Richard. They’re letting her stay because she’s a doctor.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Janet asked.
“I don’t know,” Sean said. “There was a lot of blood.”
Janet turned to Steven, burying her head in his chest. Leigh was all right. Her baby wasn’t going to die. She was relieved but still in pain just from the thought of it. “I want to see her, Steven.”
“I’ll make that happen.” Steven turned back to Michael. “She’s okay. Tell Haley.”
Michael nodded, looking back at his little sister who was sitting on a bench down the hallway. “Carter isn’t answering his cell. I think he’s with Avery.”
“Excuse me?” Sean asked, but Michael barely acknowledged him.
“What’s that about?” Kimberly asked her husband.
Michael looked at her, unsure of what to say. “He’s with her now.”
“How did that happen so quickly?” she asked, remembering Avery’s vow of lifelong commitment to Alex less than two weeks ago.
“Not now, Kimberly.” He pecked her on the cheek and headed for Haley. He wasn’t going to be able to tell Kimberly the truth. This was something he promised Carter he would hold onto.
Sean absorbed the look Michael gave him when he approached him and Haley. He knew Michael would rather punch him, but the situation put a lot in perspective. What was a breakup compared to murder? To Michael it was probably nothing, but Sean could see his brotherly instinct and knew under better circumstances this might have been taken outside.
“Get the hell away from me.” Haley couldn’t believe he had the nerve to approach her, looking at her as if he gave a damn. She could barely control the hatred inside of her at the sight of him.
Sean didn’t know what to say. He still loved her so much and he hated himself right now for hurting her the way he had. She went ballistic when he told her it wasn’t going to work. She didn’t believe him at first and from out of nowhere he came up with a reason that she seemed to buy. His attraction to her was due to the excitement of the situation they were in. The danger and the savior syndrome had gotten the best of him and now that it was over, he just didn’t want to go forward. Now that it was over, all he could think of was how he wasn’t willing to make the changes necessary to make something unworkable work.
After attacking him so aggressively he had to physically push her away, Haley went through a litany of threats as she tore up his apartment. He wanted to try to calm her down, but she tossed a lit candle on his sofa and he was too busy trying to put out the fire to notice she had left. He drank himself to sleep that night, wondering how he could have thrown away a woman who made him feel the way Haley did. There was no explaining it, but it was done and he had to live with it. That would only be possible if he could stay away from her, but that wasn’t working so far.
“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Michael said.
“I just wanted to see if you were okay.” He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away.
“You’d love it if I wasn’t, wouldn’t you?” She wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of knowing she’d cried herself to sleep that night.
There wasn’t going to be any more crying. She made the stupid mistake of falling in love and learned her lesson the hard way. As far as this bastard standing in front of her, his lesson was just beginning.
