Chapter Twenty

 

The week had been busy, but successful. We worked day and night to finish the preparations for the cook-off in Kate and Gideon’s absence. They had to stay over in Honolulu Tuesday night when the doctors needed more time to decide about Hope’s leg. In the end, they found a small AVM, almost too minor to worry about, but since Hope is young they decided to try embolizing the one feeder shunt. Using a coil, they occluded the area giving her problems, and now they wait. The doctors told Kate and Gideon they would normally do surgery a few days after occluding it, but because it was miniscule, the occlusion may be all they need to do. They go back in three days to have it checked again, but Hope is already limping less and sleeping better. While the doctors were happy to catch the AVM early, they also agreed with Kate. The pain she’s experiencing isn’t from the AVM, but from growing pains. When there are port wine stains on the extremities, fast growth of any long bone can cause the skin to stretch. When the skin stretches, so does the birthmark, and it can cause the sensation of pins and needles or bee stings. With the help of the medication and ice, Hope is more comfortable and Kate is more relaxed, until she catches sight of me.

Once they returned from Honolulu I spent three days preparing the daycare for its true purpose. The shelves were finished in the infant room, so I filled them with supplies, and the few toys we had. Once the weekend was over we would be closing the current center for a day while we transferred toys and equipment to this center to reopen. It would be a small inconvenience for families for a day, but once their children arrived in the new center they’d forget all about it. The space is open, fresh, clean, bright, and has a view of the beach from the side windows. Construction was started on the new playground on Monday, as it appears Gideon’s reputation precedes him and they pushed the permits through quickly. After a few minor changes to the design, which I approved, he had his building permit in a week rather than a month. We were well on our way to not only having a beautiful, safe place for our employees’ children, but to starting a new program for guests as well. We would be the only resort with such an amenity, and while others will likely follow suit, we’ll still be the first.

I haven’t received any more packages from Jarrett, which could mean nothing, it could mean he’s tired of the game, or it could mean he’s still stalking me and waiting to strike. I’m protected to the hilt between Cassy watching my every move and the three panic buttons I wear at all times. A part of me wishes he would strike out at me. We need to get him off the street and into prison. Niko’s friend hasn’t been able to locate him after he got off the plane, but we do know he hasn’t flown anywhere since he got to Honolulu, at least not commercially. I’m not letting it bother me and I’m not going to miss the Great Hawaiian Cook-Off because of him. I promised Sawyer I’d be his right-hand woman. I’m great at handing things to people and staying out of the way, which is what he needs today. I’m loving being part of the events Kupid’s Arrow hosts, and I’m looking forward to next week when the hula competition is here. The event will wrap up on Saturday night, leaving Sunday, Valentine’s Day, for us lovers to enjoy. I refuse to give Jarrett any power. If he shows up, we’ll deal with him, together.

“How do I look?” I asked, turning left then right in front of Sawyer.

He grabbed me unexpectedly and kissed me hard, his lips pushing my teeth into my lips causing pain. He kissed away the sting and rubbed himself against me. I was surprised to feel his excitement on such a busy day.

“I had no idea seeing you in a chef’s coat and hat would turn me on, but I’m instantly hard,” he moaned into my ear. “As far as I’m concerned the hat and coat need to go home with you.”

I tossed my head back and laughed, picturing myself strutting around the apartment wearing nothing but the hat. “It’s a deal. Now, what do you need help with?”

He glanced around the room, and the numerous carts loaded with food and equipment stood at the ready. “My sanity?” he asked, but I shook my head.

“Sorry, nothing I can do there. I can wipe the sweat of competition from your brow. I can pass the sauce, and I can taste test, but you’re on your own with the sanity part.”

He laughed and gave me a fast peck. “I’ll have to settle for all of the above then. I don’t want you pushing any of these carts, so leave it to the busboys. Where’s Cassy?”

“She’s waiting at the bar for me to find out what’s going on,” I answered.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” he said sexily. “I’m about to win the cook-off with the most beautiful sous chef in all of Hawaii. To celebrate my victory, I’ll let said sous chef marinate my meat tonight.”

I punched him and laughed hysterically. “You’re so bad!” I whispered to avoid anyone overhearing me. “I can’t believe you said that.”

He leaned down and kissed my lips once. “It’s what you do to me. I’m heading out to the canopy. Grab Cassy and meet me there. We’re the booth closest to the judges table.”

He grabbed a towel and threw it over his shoulder while I saluted him. “Good luck, Chef Veggie Bear,” I said, straight-faced.

He snorted with laughter and returned the salute. “Let’s win this.”

 

 

I wrapped my lips around the tines of the fork and pulled the meat off, chewing thoughtfully. It was my fourth taste test of the day and we were nearing perfection. Chef Veggie Bear was going up against Chef Stick in the Mud from a resort on Oahu, and the place was filled to capacity with spectators. In a few minutes, the chefs would have to bring their hopefully award-winning concoctions to the judges’ table where it would be passed to spectators to vote.

“It needs something,” I said, swallowing. “How long do we have?”

He looked at his watch. “About half an hour, but we can’t do much now. It’s basically done.”

I nodded. “I was thinking it needs a touch more sweetness. Do you have any pineapple juice?”

“To what end?” he asked, wiping his hands on his now extremely dirty towel.

“I would put heated, thickened pineapple juice in a bottle and give each sample a squirt before it leaves the booth. Spicy with a final touch of tangy sweetness. Let’s try it!”

He gave me the palms up. “I don’t have any pineapple juice here. We used it all.”

I grabbed my crutches, thankful the burn on my hand had healed and I could use both of them again. The brace was helping though and I could walk straighter, faster, and longer when I wore it. “I’ll run and get it. Cassy will come with me.”

“We don’t have long,” he warned me.

I held up my hand all five fingers splayed out. “Start your final portioning and when I get back we’ll taste test it before we put it on all the samples.”

“Maybe I should send one of my guys,” he said nervously, looking out over the crowd. “There are a lot of people here.”

I laughed. “There are, which is why I’m not worried. Besides I really need to use the restroom.”

He smiled like a know it all. “I told you not to drink so much.”

“Hey, it’s hot out here. I’ll be right back. Do you have juice already made up?” I asked, spinning back to him.

“In the cooler. There’s a silver food pan filled with squirt bottles. Grab the whole thing since we may need several. Have Cassy carry it.”

I gave him the thumbs up and motioned for Cassy to follow me. She jumped up and jogged to me. “Where are we going?” she asked, watching her flank as we lurched toward the kitchen entrance.

“I have to use the restroom and grab some juice for Sawyer. We have to hurry though, he’s running out of time.”

Cassy grabbed the door and pulled it open before I plowed into it. The kitchen was across from the bathrooms, and I stopped motioning toward the kitchen. “Grab the juice for me. It’s in the cooler in a square, silver food pan marked pineapple juice. Take the whole thing and meet me here.”

She looked over both shoulders. “I’m not supposed to leave you.”

I pushed her toward the bar. “I’ll be in a locked stall and won’t leave until you open the door and call out to me. Go!”

She took off for the kitchen and I took off for the bathroom before it was too late. I locked myself in and sat, finishing the job as fast as possible so I could be ready when she came back. I was pulling my panties up when the door opened. “Ready?” she called.

“Cassy?” I asked and she laughed.

“Yeah, it’s me. I’m standing here with the door open holding pineapple juice. Let’s roll.”

Convinced she wasn’t being coerced into drawing me out, I left the safety of the stall, stopped and washed, then followed her back down the hall to the kitchen exit. “Under four minutes,” I said laughing as we burst through the door.

Since I couldn’t carry anything, she kept hold of the juice in one arm while I crutched ahead of her. “Almost there,” I called, my head swiveling back to speak, but she was nowhere to be seen. There was a crowd of people behind me, but Cassy was lost in it. “Maybe she’s working her way to the side,” I said, crutching forward again, but I ran into someone. “Oops, sorry,” I said, glancing up at the person in front of me.

My blood ran cold and my thumb went to the panic button on my crutch. He had a gun pointed at my gut. “Don’t push it. You push it and you’re dead. I’ll be gone before anyone even knows I was here.”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, the crowd of people swallowing us as he kept the gun pointed at me. “I was nothing but nice to you. I cleared you of all responsibility of our child and let you go on with your life. You’ve killed our baby, you don’t need to kill me, too.”

He laughed and it sounded a lot like how I pictured the evil Mr. Hyde would sound. “I’m killing you to make a point to women everywhere who decide they’re going to trap a guy into staying with them by getting pregnant, because they’re too pathetic to keep a guy interested for longer than a few weeks. I’ve never slept with a colder fish in my life,” he hissed.

“Did the thought ever cross your mind I was a cold fish because you were a piss poor lover?” I hissed, and his hand snaked out, punching me in the face. I didn’t hear my nose crack, but my cheek was instantly on fire.

“Watch your mouth, you little bitch,” he spat. “I’m bigger, stronger, and tougher than you will ever be. I made sure of it. I was going to kill you in my house that night. I had the gun to your head and was ready to pull the trigger. Then I had a thought. You know how much I love to hunt. I’ve had a ton of fun the past months hunting you down like prey. Stalking you was a bigger turn on than what you ever gave me in the bedroom. Did you like my poems? I wrote them especially for you.”

I was jostled in the shoulder by a guy with a big hat and I used the opportunity to bend over and push the panic button on my brace. It was a silent one, put there for this specific situation. If he had a gun on me, the noise would surely cause him to shoot. At least now they could track me, as long as it worked.

He motioned with the gun for me to walk sideways toward the back of the building. I didn’t want to end up in a secluded location with him. It would be a death sentence for sure. I had to stall him. I had been gone too long, and I’d been calling out to Sawyer the whole time. He was looking for me, I could feel it. If the tracker was working, they should have a lock on my location already. I took a few more steps and purposefully fell to the ground, being careful of my crutches. I didn’t need broken arms, too.

He kicked me with the toe of his ever-present cowboy boot, the sharp point digging into my already bad hip. “Get up, you stupid cripple or I’ll shoot you right here.”

“Like hell you will,” came a voice. I saw Jarrett’s surprised face and then he arched his back, the gun spitting a bullet as sand blew in every direction. He fell forward on his face and a chef’s knife stuck out of his back.

Sawyer stood in shock as cops, EMT’s, Niko, and Gideon ran into the area. He was shaking, his hands in his hair until his eyes landed on me. Whatever he was thinking left his mind and he ran to me, scooping me up off the ground. “I need a medic!” he screamed, running away from the melee of people crushing around Jarrett. He was awake and howling, which told me he would live to see another day.

“What hurts, baby?” he asked, laying me in the sand and checking me over.

“My hip,” I said through clenched teeth. “He kicked me in my bad hip.”

He unstrapped the brace and I cried out in agony. “Leave it on,” I said, grabbing at it. “It’s holding something together.”

He laid the strap back down and moved to my head, kissing my face and wiping my tears. “It’s over, sweetheart. He’s never going to bother you again.” He swiveled his head and screamed for help again. An EMT snapped his head up and grabbed a bag, running toward us. “I’m going to take care of you. Don’t worry about a thing,” he promised as the EMT slid into my space through the sand.

“Was she shot?”

Sawyer’s eyes got huge and he went back to my side, pulling my dress up. “She’s bleeding from her hip,” he said and I grabbed for him.

“He kicked me with his boot,” I said again, wanting to hold his hand.

“I know, Rose,” he said, but he stared at the EMT and whispered, “only one shot. Ricochet?”

“Possibly. Let’s get her to the hospital. That asshole can wait his turn,” the EMT said, swiveling his head to his walkie talkie clipped to his shoulder. “I need a stretcher on the east side of the building, now! Female patient, conscious, possible gunshot wound.”

Sawyer swam into my line of sight and he held my face, rubbing my cheeks. “Stay with us, Rose. Keep your eyes on me. I’m going to take care of you.”

I reached up and caressed his face with my hand. “You’re scared. I can see it in your eyes. I’m going to be okay. I won’t leave you now that I’ve found you,” I promised. Pain shot down my leg and I cried out, twisting my body to the right, but the EMT held me down.

“Don’t. Move,” he ordered me, as he strapped on some kind of girdle the other EMT brought with him. “Hold the backboard,” he said to Sawyer.

The pain in my hip shot through my leg again when they lifted me to the gurney, but I bit my lip, letting a tear fall, but holding in the sobs. “I’m going to be okay,” I chanted. “I’m going to be okay.”

Kate and Gideon ran over, their hands on my shoulder. “We’re following you to the hospital,” Kate assured me. “We’ll take care of you.”

I put on a brave face and a smile. “I’m okay. Take care of all of this. Nothing you can do at the hospital. I’ll be back before you get all these people cleared out.”

Gideon patted my shoulder. “I’m on my way now to confer with the judges. We’ll be there as soon as we can,” he promised.

Sawyer stood on the other side of me while the EMT’s loaded their bags. “Finish the competition, Kate,” he said. “My sous chefs have it almost ready and I don’t want to forfeit the taste test and disappoint those who came out. We can’t afford to lose the revenue. Please. Make an announcement the competition will go on.”

She smiled sadly, but patted my shoulder. “If that’s what you both want, I’ll do it.”

I glanced up at Sawyer and the way he gazed at me would have had me performing jumping jacks if I thought it would make him happy, even in as much pain as I was in. “Do it. Don’t let him win,” I whispered, as they loaded Jarrett up on a gurney too and ran with him to a waiting ambulance. Mine was idling a few feet away and the EMT’s started pushing me toward it. “Wait!” I screamed at them and Sawyer halted their forward motion. “Cassy, where’s Cassy? He hurt her!”

Sawyer laid his hand on my shoulder. “She’s okay. He hit her on the back of the head and knocked her out, but a spectator found her and took her to the medic tent. She was still clutching the pineapple juice.”

I burst out laughing at the image and nodded. “Tell her I’m sorry,” I said, letting go of his hand. “I didn’t want this to happen.”

“We gotta move,” the EMT yelled and everything moved in fast forward from that moment on.

Sawyer kept pace with the gurney and yelled over the sounds of the festival. “I’m coming with you. You can tell her yourself later.”

When we got to the ambulance and they loaded me into the track, the EMT held his hand on Sawyer’s chest. “No room in the rig. You’ll have to find a ride over,” he said. He jumped in the ambulance, slammed the doors, and hit the siren. I watched through the window as Sawyer stood in his white coat getting smaller and smaller, until he disappeared altogether. Once again, I realized I was alone.