Scarlet Fever - Hill Country 2 (30 page)

Parking in the shade, Scarlet rolled down the window to enjoy the cool fall breeze.
 
Then quickly rolled it up when she realized how cool it actually was.
 
Scooting her car seat all the way back, she shut her eyes and let the events of the day wash over her.
 
As soon as she was still, pain knifed through her like the point of a sword.
 
She regretted the turmoil of her childhood and the misunderstandings that she had with her father.
 
She missed Alex, or at least she missed what she had thought they had together.
 
Even today, he had been so sweet and so attentive.
 
How could this all be a lie?

Fumbling in her purse, she found her cell phone.
 
This would have to go back to Alex also; she couldn’t afford to keep it.
 
She hesitated to turn it on, if he called, she didn’t know if she could talk to him.
 
Not yet.
 
And there was very little juice left in the battery.
 
Without a charger, it wouldn’t last much longer.
 
But she turned it on, because he had asked her to keep it with her and to keep it on.
 
Immediately, the cell phone went off.
 
Picking it up, she checked the number.
 
It wasn’t Alex.
 
It was the doctor.
 
Crap!

“Hello?”

“Scarlet?
 
This is Doc Gibbs.”

“Yes sir?”
 
She had already talked to him once today.
 
She knew that she was getting worse.
 
And there wasn’t damn thing that she could do about it.
 
What more could he say now?

“Scarlet, the cross match has come back.
 
The transplant is a go.
 
I need for you to come in first thing in the morning.
 
You, my dear girl, are about to get yourself a brand new kidney and a new lease on life.”

“What?
 
I don’t understand.
 
I’m not getting a transplant.
 
Are you sure that you called the right person?”
 
This was cruel.

“I know who I’m talking to.
 
Your husband is an approved donor.
 
He passed the tests with flying colors.”
 
Emotion slammed into Scarlet’s chest like a wrecker ball.

“Alex wants to give me a kidney?”

“He’s already paid for the transplant.
 
Insurance wouldn’t cover it; he sat down in front of me and wrote out a check to pay for the entire thing.
 
That man worships the ground you walk on.”

Scarlet almost lost consciousness.
 
Alex did love her.
 
There was no other explanation.
 
One did not fork out $375,000 on a joke.
 
“I’ll have to get back to you doctor.
 
I need to talk to my husband first.
 
Have you called him?”

“He’s not answering his phone.
 
I presumed that you two were together.”

“We soon will be.
 
We soon will be.”
 
She capped up her water and turned the key in the engine.
 
It was time to go home.

************************

“Shit!
 
Shit!
 
Shit!”
 
Alex wanted to punch a hall in the wall.
 
He didn’t have a clue where to look for her.
 
He had tried her cell phone a dozen times, but she had it turned off. For the last hour or so, he had driven to the nearby towns and checked every hotel and motel.
 
Nothing.
 
Where in the hell could she be?
 
She was sick.
 
She was sad and she was lonely.
 
And by God, she was his.
 
And if he didn’t find her soon, he would lose his mind.

“Ethan!
 
Ethan!”
 
He knew that the love birds were getting a head start on their honeymoon, but damn it, this was an emergency!!
 
“Bobby!
 
Bobby!”
 
Alex was bringing down the roof.

************************

 
Chaos reigned supreme at the county jail.
 
Rick LeBeau didn’t look dangerous, but madness brings with it a surprising strength.
 
One moment of inattention and LeBeau had taken the guard’s gun.
 
He let out a loud yell and started shooting.
 
Before he was through there was one dead and three wounded.
 
And he was gone.

************************

Scarlet started back toward the B&B.
 
This time, she would tell Alex what she was thinking and listen to his explanation.
 
She was ashamed that she had forgotten one undeniable truth.
 
She could trust Alex.
 
He wouldn’t lie to her.
 
He loved her.
 
She believed that with all of her heart.
 
Nobody would ever convince her otherwise again.
 

But taking his kidney.

That was another matter altogether.
 

But that he wanted to give it her; had paid for the transplant.
 
That was more than enough proof for Scarlet that she was loved.
 
She was loved above all others.
 

Breaking every speed record known to man, Scarlet headed home.

************************

 
Alex threw his cell phone against the wall.
 
If he couldn’t call Scarlet with it, it was a useless piece of crap.
 
The phone in the office rang and Alex sprinted for it, hoping against hope that it was his sweetheart.
 
He never made it to the phone.
 
From out of nowhere, a cold piece of steel stopped him in his tracks.
 
The end of a gun barrel was being held securely to his right temple.
 
“I’ve killed one man today, Stewart.
 
It wouldn’t bother me a bit to make it two.”

“You piece of shit!
 
You don’t know what your lies have done.”
 
Fear wasn’t even in Alex’s vocabulary.
 
The only reason he hesitated at all was because he wanted to live to make things right with Scarlet.

“I know exactly what I’ve done.
 
And I’ve come to finish the job.
 
Where is she?”
 
He pushed the gun into Alex’s skull.
 
Alex never flinched.
 

“She’s not here, you idiot.
 
And if she was, do you really think that I’d let you have her?”
 
Alex glanced around, looking for anything that he could use to bash this monster’s head in.

“Look, I’ll get out of your life.
 
I can live without your crappy job.
 
But I want the church mouse.
 
I want my sister.
 
We’ve got a lot of time to make up for.
 
If you’ll turn her over to me, I’ll let you live.”
 
Alex’s blood ran cold.
 
This man was truly crazy.
 
And he wanted Scarlet.
 
There wasn’t a doubt in Alex’s mind that Rick would kill Scarlet at the first opportunity.

“Over my dead body, LeBeau.”
 
Alex’s words were said with the truest conviction that Scarlet had ever heard.

************************

Scarlet had slipped in the front door, anxious to find her husband.
 
Words of apology were on her lips, she never should have doubted him.
 
He had never given her any reason to doubt, it had all been lies – lies perpetuated by a conniving maniac.
 
Before she could call out his name, she heard a familiar voice.
 
Rick LeBeau.
 
Easing down the hall, she walked into the office area and saw a sight that made her blood run cold.
 
LeBeau held a gun to Alex’s head and from what he was saying, she was the only one that could save him.
 

“I’m here, Rick.
 
You can let him go.”
 
At that moment, everything fell into place for Scarlet.
 
She understood why Alex would be willing to give her his kidney.
 
She understood why her friends’ brother had never given a second thought to saving his sister’s life. Scarlet understood how much she was loved.
 
For she loved him just as deeply.
 
“I’ll gladly take his place.
 
I love him.
 
Just let him go.”

“No, Scarlet.”
 
Alex was in anguish.
 
“No.”

As Scarlet stood, every cell of her body was primed and ready to take Alex’s place.

“Easy, Scarlet.
 
I‘m right behind you.”
 
Ethan’s whispered voice was the most welcome sound that she had ever heard.
 
“Wait until I tell you, then walk forward, slowly.
 
Bobby is going to come up behind LeBeau and when he turns Alex loose, our football player will take him out before he even knows what hit him.
 
Are you with me?”

“Absolutely,” she deadpanned.

“Please, Scarlet.
 
Baby, just turn around and walk away.
 
I’ll deal with this maniac.”
 
Alex was at the end of his rope.
 
To his horror, she began to move forward.
 
He watched her sweet eyes as they locked onto his.
 
Alex was prepared to elbow backwards into LeBeau’s body as hard as he could and then try and twist around to wrench the gun from his grasp.
 
He had to do something before the bastard got his hands on Scarlet.

Before, he could do anything; there was a blur of activity.
 
Rick grabbed for Scarlet.
 
Alex reacted, but his brothers came out of nowhere.
 
Bobby flew through the air and landed squarely on top of the smaller man.
 
Ethan grabbed the gun and Alex grabbed Scarlet.
 
”Don’t you
ever, ever, ever
put yourself in danger like that again.”
 
He wasn’t shouting, he was talking so low that only she could hear.
 
He wasn’t holding her harshly, or roughly, he was holding her like she was made of spun glass.

Fitting herself to him, she answered.
 
“How?
 
Like you’re ready to put yourself in danger to give me a kidney?”
 
Realizing that she was back in his arms, he relaxed and just held her, searching for the words to say that he knew she needed to hear.

 
“So, you heard about that did you?”
 
His lips weren’t still.
 
He kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her throat – assuring himself that she was whole and unharmed.

 
“Yeah, I got a phone call from the doctor just a few minutes ago.
 
I was coming to talk to you about it.
 
When I walked in and saw that monster was holding a gun to your head, I nearly went crazy.
 
There is nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I know.
 
I have it in writing, in my pocket, and I’m holding you to it.”
 
His eyes locked with hers, he was not accepting ‘no’ for an answer.
 
“I want to hear you say ‘yes’ to several questions I have to ask.
 
Let me tell you the questions and you can practice saying yes.
 
Scarlet, do you love me?
 
Scarlet, will you love me forever?
 
Scarlet, will you allow me to save your life?
 
Please?”

At his whispered pleas, she smiled.
 
“Maybe we can compromise.
 
Maybe we can work something out.
 
I’ll admit that seeing you in danger with LeBeau’s gun to your head and realizing that I could save you, I understand better now how you feel about the transplant.”