Breathless (20 page)

21

 

Matthew flinched at the boom of the gun in the small room.

Warren stood motionless for what seemed an eternity. The knife slid from his hand, and his body folded over into a pile on the floor. The odor of gunpowder drifted in the air. On the other side of Warren sat Lydia, leaning against the fireplace. The Beretta in her grip. Her hands shook as tears flowed from her eyes.

Matthew crawled to her.

“It's all right. It's over.” He removed the gun from her trembling hands.

“I didn't mean to,” she cried. “I just wanted him to stop.”

“I know. You had no choice.” Matthew kissed the side of her face and brought her into his chest.

 

****

 

Lydia sat stunned. Her mind couldn't fathom what happened. Did she kill Warren? Or was it all just a bad dream? The proof stood all around her. Deputies, paramedics, and Riley whisked in and out as her body trembled in Matthew's strong arms.

She sat up and looked at him. Blood covered his clothes. A white bandage surrounded his left hand. But the color had returned to his face. He was alive.

“Are you sure you're all right?” Her voice sounded hollow through the ringing in her ears. The gun blast inside the room had been louder than expected.

“I will be.” He ran his hand through her hair. “I'm sorry about everything.”

She nodded and leaned into him.

Riley walked over and knelt down. He took her hand in his. “I'm sorry. We found all types of pictures that Warren had manipulated on his computer. If we'd found them sooner, we might have been able to stop this. I'm just glad you're both all right.”

Lydia fought the tears climbing through her system. How could this not be a dream?

“Sheryl's on her way, and an air ambulance is coming for you. We need to get that gunshot looked at.” He patted Matthew's good shoulder.

Once outside, the cool fresh air slammed into Lydia. It was a stark contrast to the cabin.

Minutes later, the helicopter lifted up, taking Matthew to Chattanooga, the closest trauma center. Blonde hair caught Lydia's attention, and tears flowed when Sheryl raced from the police car. She took Lydia in her arms and held her while Lydia sobbed.

 

****

 

Matthew twisted and turned, trying to get comfortable. He hated hospital beds. They were too stiff.

“How're you doing?” Riley placed his hat on a side chair upon entering.

“I'll be fine once I get out of here,” he said. “How's Lydia?”

“Physically, she's fine. Emotionally, she's still on edge, but I guess that's to be expected.” Riley pulled a chair up. “She should be back pretty soon.”

Back? Had she been there and he not known it? When the nurse woke him to take his vitals, the room was empty.

“She insisted on driving your dad home to get some rest, then she was stopping by her house for a quick shower and to change her clothes.”

Matthew hadn't realized anyone had been there the night before. He'd slept once they gave him the pain medication after surgery to sew up his injured shoulder. Matthew licked his dry lips.

“During our search of the cabin, we found a journal Warren kept. He wrote about people who had done him wrong, whether real or imagined. Sheryl was on his hit list for pushing you and Lydia together, his stepfather for firing him, which in his mind would make Lydia feel less of him. He also put those cuts and bruises on himself.” Riley hesitated. “It was a pretty elaborate scheme. He planned to kidnap Lydia figuring no one would suspect him because he had moved across the country.”

“He was a sick man.” Matthew sighed.

“Justin never liked Warren. He never gave a reason, and he was too sick at the time for me to push for an answer. Now I wish I had.”

“Warren was in love with her. I saw it, maybe Justin did too. I just never thought he'd do anything to hurt her,” Matthew said.

“We also found this.” Riley pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

Matthew recognized Lydia's handwriting. Just what he needed, a Dear John letter. His heart collapsed.

“It's only a copy,” Riley said. “The original's at the station. I thought you'd like to see it. If you need anything, you let me know.”

Matthew nodded and watched Riley leave. He then opened the folded note. The paper was thin and cool in his fingers. Tears welled as he read the words.

Matthew:

No matter what happens, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for everything that has occurred between us. I used every conceivable excuse not to fall in love with you, but it didn't work. I do love you. I also forgive you for Charlie. He was so far gone by the time you met him. I wish he'd had someone like you for a friend when he was a teen. Things might have turned out different. If I never see you again, I want you to know how much I care about you. I'll always love y—

Matthew took in the words, letting them fill his body. He tucked the note beneath his pillow so it would be near for him to read it again, and again, and again. A knock on the door drew his attention away.

“Come in.”

Matthew had hoped for Lydia. Instead, James Newman, III walked in.

“Matthew, how are you holding up?” James wore a smirk that said he'd put a knife in Matthew's back if he wasn't lying on it.

“I'm doing well. Doctor says the bullet missed all the vital stuff.”

“Good. Good.” James nodded and glanced at the ground. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news with everything else you've gone through, but the committee is meeting later today about your position. After finding out about you and Charlie, I'm not sure there's a chance you'll keep the job.”

“That's their decision.” Matthew wanted to knock the gloat from James's eyes.

“You really should have told us.”

“Told you what? I killed some young kid by mistake. I had no way of knowing Charlie came from here. Besides, it was common knowledge on my record. I never hid anything.”

“I know. It's just hard with Lydia and her family having so much influence in the church. I can only imagine what her father would say if he found out the minister we hired killed his son.”

Matthew winced at his words.

“I know exactly what he'd say.”

James spun to find Lydia standing behind him, her hands on her hips.

 

****

 

Lydia was ready to throw this man from a window. She didn't care if they were on the sixth floor. “My father would say that God obviously brought him here for a reason. And if the people on the committee are too stupid to see how important he is to this community, they don't deserve him.”

James coughed, his jowls a shade of red. “I'm not too sure about that. A father's love is a strong thing.”

“Would you like to call him? I just spoke to him about it this morning. He plans to be at that meeting this afternoon to express his wishes.” She walked up and took Matthew's hand in hers. “If you think you're going to throw Matthew out of that church, you'll have to fight me and mine to do it. And like you said, with the influence my family has, I don't think that'll be an easy job.”

James stood open-mouthed. She'd actually left him speechless. Not an easy task when dealing with a politician.

“Now, if there's nothing further, I suggest you leave.” Lydia gave the best stern look she could. It would have been easier if the heat from Matthew's touch wasn't interfering. “I have some important things to discuss with Matthew.”

James said nothing further as he turned and marched out the door.

Matthew gave Lydia's hand a squeeze. “I guess I'm not the only ornery one around here.”

“I have my moments.” She sat on the side of the bed. “So how are you feeling?”

“Wonderful now. How about you?” He reached up and touched the bruise on the side of her face. The color had gone from red the day before to purple.

“I'll be okay. I'm still having a hard time reconciling my feelings about Warren. We were such close friends.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Sheryl and I discussed having a small ceremony for him.”

“If you want, I'll officiate. Overall, I liked the man.”

“I think that would be nice.” Warmth filled her. She pushed hair from Matthew's forehead. “I had no idea Warren had those feelings.”

“He hid it well.” Matthew took her hand in his. “He had everyone fooled, maybe even himself.”

“I should have known he was sick. We were supposed to be friends.”

“He gave off the persona of a decent guy.” Matthew kissed the palm of her hand.

“I took your dad home. He insisted on staying the night, but he was looking pretty tired this morning. I was afraid he'd make himself sick.” She grinned. “I think your sister's trying to make me fat. She had a large breakfast waiting when we got there.”

“That's Brenda. Always enough to feed an army. Thank you for taking care of my dad.”

“I told him you'd call him when you woke up.”

Matthew nodded.

“I was afraid I'd never see you again.” Her hand now rested on the side of his face. He was in need of a shave, but she didn't mind the rough whiskers against her skin. “I thought you might die or freeze to death out there in the woods.”

“But I didn't.” Matthew pulled something from beneath his pillow. “Riley found your letter.”

She wiped a tear that had slid from his eye. Her stomach bounced at what his reaction might be. Was it too soon for her to let him know?

“I was afraid I'd die without being able to tell you how much you mean to me.”

Matthew combed his hand through her hair. “Your family might not be too happy about the fact I shot Charlie.”

“My parents came to grips with it years ago. They knew about it before you were hired, yet they still thought you were the man for the job.”

“Did you mean what you said about being in love with me?” He flipped open the note.

“Yes. I do love you. Even if you don't feel the same, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you coming into my life. I know we've only known each other for a short time, but…”

He placed a finger over her lips. “I love you, too.” He put his hand in her hair, brought her to him, and kissed her. “I'm ready to face anything that comes our way, especially with you at my side.”

“I'll be there every step of the way.”

 

 

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