Beauty and the Beast (37 page)

If he could find Nefertiti, he’d make love to her wherever and whenever she wanted. The thought of their lovemaking at the creek came to him.
That’s it!
He hopped up and ran out of the room.

What had she said…
He tore down the hallway to the back stairwell. At the creek he’d been so hot he could hardly comprehend what she’d said. He’d just called security and told them to stay away from the creek, but she was still embarrassed.
How about we move out of this jungle into the huts?
she’d asked.

Nefertiti wanted to scratch Roy’s eyes out, but unfortunately, her body was still sluggish. She just prayed Bruce understood what she was telling him.

He held the glass to her lips. “Drink up.”

She lay back in bed. “Whew, that was good.”

“But you didn’t…” He shook his head. “Shit!” He slammed the glass on the nightstand and stormed out of the room.

Nefertiti couldn’t help but rejoice silently at his reaction. She stretched her arm across her body for the glass. It felt like sixteen pounds instead of sixteen ounces of liquid. She struggled to pour a little on the front of her shirt, then poured the rest under the spread on the wall side of the bed. She would have poured it on the floor, but she was afraid he might check there.

Roy rushed from his rental to the cabin with a nine millimeter he’d procured a few days ago. He hadn’t planned on using the gun, but bought it just in case. Poisoning was easy, but shooting… A chill went down his spine.
I don’t have a choice.

He stared at the gun. The trigger was nothing out of the ordinary, but pulling it…
I don’t have a choice.
Bruce and Nefertiti had ruined his family, and now it was time to destroy theirs. He marched about the living area with a renewed hate.
This is all their fault. Why couldn’t she just drink the apple juice?
He was livid that they were making him actually pull the trigger.

“Woy!”

He held the gun behind his back and entered the bedroom. “I need you to try and sit up.”

She tugged on the front of her shirt. “I messssssed.” She held the glass out.

“That’s all right.”
Finally, something’s going right.
“It looks like you drank most of it.” He took the glass with one hand and kept the other behind his back. He only saw one spot on the front of her shirt. “Wow, you were thirsty.”

She lay back. “My tummy hurts.”

“Get some rest and the pain will go away.” Elated his plan would work, he hummed as he left her room. He made sure there were no signs of his presence, turned off the lights, then headed out the door for his rental car. He had a plane to catch.

As he stepped across the threshold, a large beast leapt out of the darkness toward him. Terrorized, he automatically pulled the gun up and shot before he realized the beast wasn’t a beast at all, but Bruce.

“How the—?” Roy stopped abruptly when Bruce fell onto the wood porch. “Oh shit, oh shit!” Panic gripped him. “What the hell were you thinking jumping out like that?” He couldn’t make his hands stop shaking. “Why did you make me shoot you?”

Bruce moaned and curled into a ball.

Roy bent over to examine Bruce closer. “How am I going to cover this up? It’ll look like a double murder instead of a suicide.” He hated Bruce even more for putting him in this situation. “Everything would have worked out fine if you ha—” A crashing pain just about split Roy’s head in two. Red filled his mind’s eye, then was replaced by darkness.

“Oh my God, Bruce!” Nefertiti stepped over Roy, tossed the cast iron skillet to the side and knelt to Bruce. “Oh, God, please let it not be as bad as it looks.” The waist of his shirt was soaked with blood. She pushed her worry and fear to the side as best she could. This was no time to have a breakdown.

Tears fell as she gently lifted his arm from his waist so she could get a better view of the damage.

“Get his gun, baby…”

She didn’t care about the gun. After the way she’d walloped Roy, she knew he wouldn’t be a danger to anyone for a long time and then some. But to make Bruce happy, she retrieved the gun.

“I’m too drugged to drive,” she mumbled as she searched Bruce’s waistband for his cell phone, which was covered in blood. “I’ve got to stop this bleeding. Bruce! Talk to me!” He didn’t answer. When she’d heard the shot, an adrenaline surge had pushed her out of bed and into the action, but the effects were quickly wearing off. She scrolled through to Silas’s number.

“Bruce has been shot!” She was afraid to move Bruce. He’d fainted soon after telling her to get the gun. “I’ve got to stop the bleeding.”

“What? Nefertiti? Nefertiti, is that you?”

“You have to send the ambulance to the cabins across the creek. Bruce has been shot.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Let me get this straight,” Nathan raged as he paced about the hospital waiting room. “My baby was missing, and you didn’t think I needed to be informed immediately!” He thumped himself in the chest. “I am not some sort of mental invalid.”

Victoria and May shot knowing glances at each other, then each took one of Nathan’s arms. “Calm yourself,” May cooed. “There’s no sense in getting yourself all riled up.”

Nefertiti watched from a lounge chair in the corner of the room. The tan imitation leather and antiseptic smell did nothing to help comfort her. She didn’t have the energy to help calm Nathan. She didn’t think he needed calming anyway. The reason he’d boiled over last time was because he’d bottled up his feelings.

“That son-of-a-bitch drugged my baby girl and shot my boy, and you expect me to calm down.” He jerked his arm away and stalked toward the window. “Someone puh-leez tell me he’s in this hospital.”

“This is exactly why we didn’t tell you, Nathan.” May slowly approached him. “You’re just getting over a bad spell.”

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Wait until I get my hands around Roy’s neck.”

“Nathan!”

“What?” he snapped.

Nefertiti did her best to tune out her folks. As long as her father was venting, everything would be fine. She closed her hospital gown tighter, as if the light material would hold out the cold of the room and chair. Eyes closed, she prayed for Bruce. To see him bleeding to death was yet another thing her “better off” eyes could have done without. She was afraid to leave his side, so had taken off her shirt and used it to apply pressure to his abdominal wound in hopes of stopping the blood.

By the time Silas arrived, she’d smeared blood on her face from wiping her tears away. Thinking back, she didn’t know why she didn’t just allow them to fall. Silas had a time pulling her away from Bruce, but he’d managed. She held out her hands. Dried blood was under her nails and in the crevices of her amber and diamond floral ring.

“Stop this now, Nathan. You’re upsetting the baby.” May rushed to Nefertiti and embraced her. “It’s all right, sweetie.” She rocked her gently. “Everything will be all right.”

“I can’t lose him, Mama.” Nefertiti choked on the thought. “I can’t.”

Nathan knelt in front of her. “Oh no, baby.” He stroked her hair behind her ear. “Bruce is a strong man. He’ll pull through. You have to believe.”

Victoria nodded. “Listen to your father. Bruce will make it through this.”

Alexis walked into the room, rolling her sleeve over a piece of cotton taped to her forearm. “Victoria, they’re ready for you.” She looked up and saw the family around Nefertiti. “I hope all of this crying and moaning isn’t over Bruce. That boy’s as mean as a snake, he ain’t going nowhere.” She shook her head as she approached. “Why do you all still have this child dressed in a hospital gown and bloody pants?” She held her hand out. “Come on, Nefertiti, these folks act like they can’t think straight.”

Laughter filled Nefertiti’s heart and spilled over. She sprang from the lounge and hugged Alexis. “You are nuttier than homemade peanut butter, but I love you to death, Auntie Alexis.”

The rest of the family released much of their anxiety as they joined in the laughter.

“I love you, too, Nefertiti. I even love that jerk of a son of mine.”

Things calmed and Nefertiti released Alexis. “I can’t leave until I hear word about Bruce. Why don’t you take Mama out with you while Auntie Vic gives blood?”

Alexis crossed her arms over her chest. “What about Bruce’s role model, Nathan? You need to stay away from Bruce. You’re a bad influence on him.”

Nathan sat on the loveseat. “Nefertiti, come over here before some of that woman’s crazy rubs off on you.”