Page 64 of Their Stormy Reunion

“Can you find my cell phone?” I begged the teen.

“Sure thing.”

I turned to the woman who looked to be about my age. “Can you help me sit up?”

“I’m in nursing school. You need to stay right where you are until you’re examined.” She was very kind, but she was pissing me off. Michael’s bio dad had just tried to kill me, and I wanted to call Michael. Now there was something to go on, unlike the notes and the snakes. There would be video of this.

The man would be going down!

The kid came back and handed me my shattered cell phone and I burst into tears.

Chapter Nineteen

This time when I got to the hospital, Fallon wasn’t in the ICU, barely breathing. Instead, she was waiting in the lobby for me, holding her coat around her, a bandage on her forehead and her arm in a sling.

I saw red.

As soon as she saw me, she grinned. “We’ve got him! There’s video of him trying to run me down. He’s going to end up going to prison again, this time for attempted murder!”

I carefully wrapped her in my arms and breathed in her fresh, sunny scent. Only this time it was marred by disinfectant and the smell of blood.

“Did you hear me? It’s over.”

“I heard you, Fallon.” I whispered into her hair. I’d relayed the information she’d given to me to Roan as soon as she’d called me. I was on the way to the hospital thirty seconds after her call. Unfortunately, Roan had called me fifteen minutes before arriving at the hospital saying that the cops had already found the van abandoned, and it was stolen. But they would be checking it for prints. I didn’t have a lot of hope.

Roan also told me that the cameras at the airport showed someone wearing a beanie and a medical face mask driving the van, so there was no hope of visual identification. Roan was still waiting to hear whether Sid was found at his apartment. Again, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope. My guess was that he would show up with some bullshit alibi that would be impossible to disprove. Or worse yet, just never return to his apartment at all.

“Let’s get you home. You’re shivering,” I said to Fallon.

“I need to get my SUV,” she protested. “It’s over at the airport parking lot.”

“I’ll have Zarek and one of the other guys at the firehouse take care of it. I want to get you home first.”

“Can you take me to a phone store, first? My phone was destroyed, and I need to replace it. I’m supposed to be at a meeting in Chicago the day after tomorrow, but I might skip it if Eddie and Vanessa are up to speed, but first I have to check in with them.”

“Are you sure you’re up for a trip to the store?”

“I have to be.”

I picked up her scuffed-up briefcase and carry-on, then put my arm around her and escorted her out to my truck. We went to the phone store in Pigeon Forge and got her set up, then I took her back to my house. She didn’t want to worry her folks more by letting them see her with her arm in a sling. I agreed. I knew Bob had just returned home four days ago from another dose of chemotherapy, so having him and Isla worry all over again for Fallon’s safety wouldn’t be a good thing.

“You’re not saying much,” Fallon said when I got her settled onto my couch with a mug of hot chocolate.

“I don’t know what I more I can say, except how thankful I am for that kid who saved your life.” I started a pot of coffee brewing for myself.

“Come sit next to me,” Fallon coaxed.

“As soon as I have my cup of coffee,” I promised.

I saw her start to get up off the couch and rushed over. “Fallon, for the love of all things that are holy, I’m begging you, stay seated. First, he almost killed you with the snakes, and today he almost ran you over. You’re injured, and all I want to do is take care of you.”

That wasn’t all I wanted to do, but I wasn’t going to tell her that part.

“I’m fine,” she protested.

I sucked in a deep breath through my nose. “I know you are, Baby.” I got up and picked up her purse from where she’d left it, near my front door. “Here you go. Why don’t you make those phone calls you said you needed to make when you got home.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” She grinned. “Thanks for reminding me.”