Tessa's Treasures (11 page)

Mason’s shoulders slumped. “It was a screw up.” He leaned back in his chair, but his relaxed stance didn’t fool Lucas. The tension in his jaw and the way he kept rotating the kinks out of his neck told the story.

“One of our patrolmen has been out on disability. Returned to work this morning. He strolls into my office first thing, holding the picture of Phillips I passed around earlier this week. Tells me he had a drink with the bastard two nights ago at a bar on the outskirts of town.”

Lucas vaulted out of his seat like he’d been propelled by an explosive. “Holy shit. I knew the scum would come after her. What bar? Did anyone talk to the bartender?”

“I sent a couple of guys out there right away. Bartender says this guy popped up about a week ago. Been in a couple times since. Except for his conversation with our man, he didn’t notice him talk to anyone else.”

Lucas paced in front of the desk, and then walked to the window, stood with his back to the room, hands on his hips. He had to get back to Tessa as soon as possible. There was no telling what Phillips had in mind but it sure as hell didn’t include a loving reunion with his ex-wife.

Lucas turned and eyed Mason. “You’re the Chief of Police. What do you plan to do?”

The man’s face was gray, his forehead lined with tension. “We have people checking every motel between Duncan and Lawton. Also flashing Phillips’ picture at convenience stores and fast food places. I want you to stick to Tessa like a second skin.”

Lucas snorted. “Like you have to tell me that.”

“You have it bad, buddy.” Mason smiled for the first time since Lucas arrived. Then his smiled faded. “We’ll get him, Lucas. I won’t let him get his filthy hands on my sister again.”

“Damn right.” He headed to the door, and then stopped with his hand on the knob. “You better make sure you find him before I do.”

****

Her life had turned into a nightmare. Smoke poured from the windows at the back of the store. Tessa yanked the key ring out of her pocket, and shoved a brass key into the front door. When she flung it open, everything seemed fine, but smoke billowed out from under the door to the back. The doll! It was on the top shelf in the kitchen. She had to get it, or she’d be cursed for all eternity.

In the distance sirens wailed. Thank God someone had the presence of mind to call the fire department. She put her palm to the kitchen door, felt some heat, but not as bad as she’d expected. Tessa hesitated, not sure about entering, when her gaze landed on the journal under the counter. Her eyes burned and she struggled to breathe. Smoke rolled out from under the door, throwing the room into a gray haze. She snatched the journal as two firemen strode through the front door.

“Get out of here, lady.”

Tears ran down her face and with every breath she took in more smoke. “I have to get my doll from the back room.”

“You have to get what?” With all the equipment and the heavy mask covering his face it wasn’t likely he heard her.

“My doll! There’s a doll in the back room, in a box on the top shelf. I have to get it.” The scream she tried for came out a croak. She coughed and instantly regretted the huge drag of air she inhaled.

The fireman turned to a third man who’d just entered. “Get her out of here.”

The man placed his hand on her forearm. “Come on, ma’am you need to leave so we can work on putting the fire out.”

Her lungs burned. Every breath was labored and she could no longer talk. Her throat was raw and her eyes stung, tears flowing down her cheeks.

As soon as she was outside she inhaled deeply, but a paramedic shoved an oxygen mask on her anyway. She continued to suck in deep breaths. “Come with me, we need to check you over.”

Disoriented, she allowed herself to be led to the EMSA truck. She was hustled inside, a blood pressure cuff wrapped around her arm. She lifted the oxygen mask. “I need to get my doll.”

The paramedic gently pushed the mask back into place. “Whatever you need from your store you can get when the firemen are done. Now lie back and let us check you over. You took in quite a bit of smoke.”

“You don’t understand.” The mask muffled her cry. No one paid attention as they continued to work.

“Tessa!” Lucas came into view at the back of the truck. “Goddammit, what the hell happened this time?”

She raised the mask again. “Lucas, you have to get the doll.”

“Doll? The damn doll again?” He climbed in alongside her, ignoring the paramedic’s dirty look.

She wheezed and coughed, trying to get the words out. “Yes, the doll. Go get the doll.”

“Ma’am, you have to keep the mask on.” The paramedic replaced it firmly on her nose and mouth. He glared at Lucas, lips in a thin line. “Sir, please refrain from talking to her, she needs the oxygen.”

“Sorry.” Lucas took Tessa’s hand. “Honey, whatever you need from the store, we can get later. Now you need to do what the paramedics say. You need to relax.”

“We can give her something to calm her. Are you her husband?” A female paramedic pulled out a needle and pushed it into a small vial.

“No.” He rubbed his forehead. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Ma’am, we’re going to give you something to relax you.” She swabbed alcohol on Tessa’s arm and plunged the needle in. The prick stung for a minute, and then her muscles relaxed.

“Go get the doll.”

Did she say that or think it? Hard to tell. She floated for a little while. Lucas blurred in and out of her vision. When he spoke his mouth moved like he was under water. She giggled. The medics continued to poke and prod. Something important slipped in and out of her mind. Unable to put her finger exactly on what bothered her, she pushed it aside. The back door of the EMSA truck slammed shut and a siren wailed as they pulled away. Lucas still held her hand. Warm and strong. Like him. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a minute, she’d remember what was so important.

Chapter Nine

Dean grinned as he chomped on his gum, leaning against the brick wall across the street from Tessa’s store, arms and ankles crossed in relaxation. The bitch came out of the store coughing her head off, tears running down her sweet little face.
Wait till I get a hold of that sweet little face.

He frowned as the Jeep pulled curbside and the black-haired dude hopped out, looking all concerned. The bastard made a beeline for the EMSA truck and crawled inside.
Are they gonna fuck right there in front of the paramedics?

It was time to make his move. Game over. You lose. He was taking a big chance hanging around this shithole. The private jet he’d hired and his new home in Colombia beckoned. He pushed himself off the wall and strolled away from the chaos.
Soon, little Tessa, real soon.

****

Lucas pulled to the curb in front of
Tessa’s Treasures.
From the street, the outside of the store looked fine. He got out and took a slow walk around the side of the building, surveying the blackened bricks and blown out windows. He used the key she’d given him and entered through the front door. Smoke still lingered in the air, stinging his eyes and nostrils. The front end of the store looked untouched, the smell in the air the only evidence of a fire.

Firefighters had removed the door between the store and kitchen. He shook his head. It appeared it had been removed with an ax. He carefully climbed over debris and waved his hand in front of his face at the stronger smell. His throat grew scratchy.

He winced at the mess in the kitchen. He tried the light switch, but it was out. Everything had been drenched with water, from the small table tucked in the corner to the old Formica counter tops and shelves. Fire had blackened the back and side walls. Maybe he’d get someone in to clean and paint before Tessa saw it. Until the origin of the fire had been determined however, nothing could be moved, except the box the fire department had authorized him to retrieve.

The damn doll again. He cursed the day he laid eyes on the thing. Tessa begged him to retrieve it and bring it to her in the hospital. She’d given him information on where it was stored, and the only reason he agreed was to calm her down. The knot that had started when he found her in the ambulance had taken up permanent residence in his gut.

After the shot in the ambulance had worn off, Tessa started raving about the damn doll and some curse on it. The resident on duty wanted to keep her for a couple days, for observation. Outside her hospital room door, the doctor told Lucas she was walking a fine line right now. The stress of her accidents, the amount of smoke she’d inhaled and her ramblings about the doll convinced him she needed some medically induced rest. Although he had no legal standing, Lucas agreed.

A high metal rack sat on the common wall between the kitchen and the store. Office supplies and cleaning products filled the lower two shelves. Wet soot covered everything in the room. Near the very top he spotted the box Tessa described.

He snapped on the rubber gloves he’d brought, then searched and found a step ladder. After shoving two boxes aside, he pulled the one with the doll down. He opened the lid. Ugly little sucker, but Tessa was convinced the doll had caused all her problems. Something about her having betrayed the doll. As much as he’d grown to hate the stupid thing, it was the excuse he’d use to see her again, so it couldn’t be all bad.

She’d been lucky. If she hadn’t been at the coffee shop when the fire broke out, she could have been seriously injured. If the fire had been set, she could have been knocked unconscious or even killed before the arsonist left.

His jaw tightened. Truth be known, he viewed her hospital stay as a blessing. Maybe rest and medication would restore her. In the meantime, with her safely tucked out of harm’s way, he could help Mason search for Dean.

****

Lucas quietly entered the hospital room. In the dim light, the outline of Tessa’s sleeping form appeared small, like a child. Lucas quietly approached, and slid the box he carried under the bed. She seemed fragile and tired. Dark circles ringed her eyes. Her prominent cheekbones were more pronounced. At least she looked peaceful. His gut twisted every time he noted her haunted eyes. Sleep and something other than those damn vegetables would help restore her strength. If he were the doc, he’d prescribe a good blood red steak.

She stirred, then opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as her brow furrowed and her vision adjusted to the room. When she met his gaze, her face softened. “Hi.”

He bent and kissed her lightly on the lips. “How do you feel, honey?”

“Tired. So tired.” The sheets rustled as she shifted to face him. “Did you get the doll?”

“Yes, I did. It’s under your bed.”

A small sigh escaped her lips. “And the journal?”

He dragged a chair over and sat. “I got it from the EMSA truck. They had it at the fire department. I put it in the box with the doll, so it’s all taken care of.”

She closed her eyes and settled on her back. “Thank you.”

He pressed her small hand between his palms, rubbing her soft skin with his thumb. “Tessa?”

She moved her head to the side, watched him through half closed eyelids. “What?”

He squeezed her hand. “I need for you to wake up.”

She opened her eyes wider and smiled at him. “I’m awake.”

Now that the time had come, the words stuck in his throat like a wad of cotton. In fact this probably wasn’t the best time, but he’d grown tired of waiting. He wanted—heck he needed with all his being—the right to protect her, make decisions in her best interests when she couldn’t.

“I love you, Tessa Jordan. God forgive me, but all the years I was married, I never forgot you. That’s one reason I stayed away from Duncan so long. I didn’t want to have to see you and know you belonged to someone else, as I did.” He stopped, suddenly unable to catch his breath.

One lone tear slid down her cheek. “Oh, Lucas.”

“I’m asking you to marry me. I know my timing sucks, but with the way things have been lately, no time seems to be good.” His heart pounded so hard, the nurse at the desk in the hall must have heard it.

“I can’t marry you, Lucas.” Another tear slid down her cheek. “I’m afraid.”

“Afraid of what? Not me, I hope.” His chest tightened at her words. With the thumping of his heart and the pain in his chest, either he was madly in love with this woman, or having a heart attack.

She turned away, toward the large window filling one wall. She slid her hand out from under his. “I swore when I left Dean I would never get involved with another man. After a while, I realized it was the law enforcement type that terrified me. Dean’s friends were a lot like him. Oh, I don’t know if they beat their wives, but their attitudes scared me.” She turned back. “Can you understand that?”

“I would never, ever raise a hand to a woman. I would think you know that about me.” He took her hand again. She didn’t resist.

One delicate finger came up to wipe the tears from her face. “Men are so quick to use their fists, it scares me.”

“Sweetheart, all I know is I love you. I have for a long, long time. Seeing you again after all these years forced me to admit the reason my marriage to Patty was so cold. I didn’t—heck, I couldn’t—love her the way a husband should love his wife. I guess she felt it, and decided to find comfort elsewhere. That guilt I have to carry around forever.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the soft palm. “I would cut off my right arm before I would raise a hand to you. A real man doesn’t prove his strength by hitting his wife or children. He uses it to protect them.”

Tessa’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “I’m so tired. This medication makes everything fuzzy. I made such a terrible decision once before, I can’t give you an answer now.” More tears filled her eyes, dribbled over.

“God, it kills me to see you cry.” He used his knuckle to wipe away the tears.

“Lucas, I don’t want to be afraid. I’m sick of being scared.” She squeezed his hand, her voice a mere whisper. “Please, help me.”

His heart shattered. If he could, he’d wrap her in a cocoon of love and never let anything bad touch her. “I have a suggestion. Times are different now then twenty-five years ago. Once you’re released from the hospital, if you’re willing, we can move the rest of your stuff into my house and we’ll live together until you’re convinced I would never hurt you. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m in this for the long haul, marriage or no marriage.”