CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The sound of Joel’s phone buzzing woke Vivi up from a sound sleep. “Wake up, your phone is buzzing.” Nothing. No response. Lifting her head, she peered over at him and realized he was dead to the world. Pushing her hand into his side, she tried again. “Joel, wake up.” That worked, because he jackknifed up and searched the room. “Your phone is going crazy.”
Wiping his hand down his face, he gazed at her and grinned. “A phone can’t go crazy.” Sliding the phone on, he answered, “McDade.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and searched for his boxers. “How bad is it?” Scooping them off the floor, he shoved them on and then picked up his jeans. “Okay, I’ll meet you down there.”
“What in the hell is going on?” Vivi almost shrieked.
He tugged his jeans on and threw a T-shirt over his head before answering. “Gideon was notified that there was a 911 call from Algiers this morning. Your clinic is on fire.”
Leaping out of the bed, she grabbed a pair of fresh panties and pulled them on. “Please tell me that no one was injured.”
“He doesn’t have any more details. He’s going to meet me down there.”
Pulling on a pair of sweats and throwing a T-shirt on, she faced him. “He’s going to meet us.”
“I don’t want you down there, Viv. I’ll call you and give you an update.”
“I’m going down there, and if you don’t want to drive me, then I’ll drive myself.” Striding into the bathroom, she quickly brushed her teeth and threw her hair up. When she came out, Joel was on his phone. Grabbing a sweatshirt, she was about to walk out when he grasped her arm.
“You are not going down there, and that is final,” he boomed.
Slipping her arm out of his grasp, she walked out of the room. Moving down the hall quickly, she responded to his ludicrous statement. “I have never taken orders, and I don’t plan on starting now. So calm yourself down and take a breath.”
He was hot on her heels, and she could feel his frustration. He was taking deep breaths, and his feet were stomping against the hardwood floors. “Do you want to take the truck, or should I drive?”
“Why are you being so unreasonable?” he growled.
Halting suddenly in front of the hallway mirror, she made him stop. “Turn around and look in the mirror. Do you see those two faces? Mine is the one that’s reasonable.” Turning on her heel, she grabbed her purse off the chair and slipped on her running shoes that were sitting by the back door. She heard him sputter, and she figured he was as mad as a tiger. “Get in the car, and we can fight all the way to the clinic.”
Before she could open the door, his big hand slammed against it, stopping her. Her head flew around, and she glared.
“You forgot to disengage the security system. I don’t think your neighbors want to hear the alarm at five in the morning.”
He pushed in the code, and before he moved away, she kissed his cheek. “Thanks, sweetie. You are always looking out for me, and I appreciate it.”
“Which is exactly why you should not be anywhere near the clinic.” Unlocking the truck, he held the door open for her and made sure she was buckled in before he jogged around to the other side.
Once he got in, Vivi started in. “It’s my clinic. And I need to be there.”
Mumbling to himself, he pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street. “I can’t have anything happen to you. Whoever instigated this might very well not be done. I can’t have you out there like a sitting duck.”
“I’m not a sitting duck. I have a big, bad SEAL protecting me. What more could a girl want?” Smiling faintly, she took his hand and held it. “I’m not a piece of china that you can put on a shelf and protect. So, please don’t try.”
“Why are you making this so hard on me? This goes against every instinct that I have. I’ve got to be fully operational when we get there, and I’m not going to be, because you’re my first concern.” Scowling, he drove onto the highway.
“I think you need some new instincts, then. I can watch out for myself, and we’re not in a combat situation, so there are going to be plenty of people there.”
“This is who I am, Viv. It’s not really going to change.”
“I can say the exact same thing, Joel.” What else was there to talk about? While she appreciated all of his heroic qualities, she didn’t find them easy to deal with. Staring out the window, she remembered something her mama had always told her and knew it applied to Joel. Some men are men and some men are boys. It wasn’t about maturity, or degrees of masculinity, or even appearance. It was about the way they took on the world. And, the way…the world took ahold of them. Joel took ahold of the world with both hands and barely paid attention to anything else. Which made him the best sort of man there was. But certainly not easy.
“This is probably the end of it, Joel. You can go home tomorrow and resume your regularly scheduled life. I appreciate all that you’ve done, but I don’t want to keep you here.”
“If you’re trying to get rid of me, then I’m going to make it as difficult and as horrible as I can. I think we’re amazing together. I’m not fighting it, Viv, and neither should you.” He squeezed her hand and sped down the highway. “The clinic is the least of our concerns.”
Staring out the window, she twirled her ponytail. He was right, of course, there was the little matter of the person who might still be after her and the possibility of pregnancy. Lord, have mercy, this day needed some coffee and crumb cake.
***
As they started to cross the bridge, Vivi’s heart began to beat faster. The idea that people wanted the clinic erased from the neighborhood was crushing. Maybe at some point it would all make sense, but right now it just felt incredibly sad. “Do you think there will be anything left of the building?”
“It’s hard to say, honey.”
“I hope there are no injuries. I didn’t even grab my bag. If the clinic is in ruins, then I’ll have nothing to treat the people with.”
“I have a fairly well-stocked medical kit in the back, but I want to you stay where I can see you.”
“I want to be a fairy princess with a purple horse. We don’t always get what we want. So don’t try and boss me.” Hearing him let out an exasperated breath told her that she was trying his last nerve. Well…that was too bad, because he’d already snapped hers with his dictatorial ways. “I feel the same way, Joel.”
“There is no such thing as a purple horse,” he retorted sharply.
“Which was the point of the story. I hope you dig deep and pull out your charm. Because I’m not enjoying the return of the growling bear. I understand that you’re worried about me, but I would like you to be a little nicer about it.” Slipping her hand out of his, she laid it on her lap.
“Please, don’t take your hand away.” Lifting her hand, he enveloped it in his and laid it on his lap. “We’re going to disagree a lot on how to approach things. That doesn’t mean that we should stop holding hands. In fact, that is exactly when we should hold on the tightest. We are two stubborn people with definite ideas about how to do things. It’s going to take some time for us to work it out.”
“I will try to take your concerns into consideration when you’re worried. But please tone down the growling, because I can’t hear you when you act that way.”
“Message received. I’m sorry that I snarled at you. I’ve spent too much time commanding the people that I’m surrounded by. I’ll make every effort to behave like a gentleman instead of a lieutenant commander.”
“Thank you.”
“See, Viv, we can work things out. It’s just going to take some time.”
“And chocolate. I can see that I’m going to be driven to eat a lot of it to deal with your domineering ways.”
Before he could respond, they both noticed the cloud of smoke hanging in the sky. It seemed to be in the exact spot where her clinic was located. “Oh, Joel. This is going to be bad.”
“Let’s just hope that no one was injured.” As they drove down the street, traffic was snarled in both directions. “Is there any way to go around this so that we can get closer?”
“When you get to the intersection, make a right. We’ll loop around and come up the street that runs parallel to the clinic.” Joel followed her directions and was able to navigate around the worst of it.
They found a place to park, and Joel called Gideon before they got out. “The call went to voice mail.” Turning toward her, he took both of her hands and made sure she was looking at him and listening. “When we step out of the truck, I want you to stick to my side like glue. Also, I want you to follow my directions without hesitation. I don’t know what’s out there, and I can’t have anything happen to you.”
“I understand, Joel. This is your wheelhouse, and I’ll follow your lead.” Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you for explaining it to me.”
“Anytime.” He released her hands, leaned forward, and pulled out a small box that was under the seat. He opened it and pulled out his weapon and slid it into the back of his pants. He pulled his T-shirt over it and pushed the box back under the seat. “If the neighborhood gangs are out, then we’re returning to this truck and going home. I will grab the guys and come down if there is anything left of the clinic. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir. Anytime, sir.” Giving him a salute, she turned to open the door. Before she could, he shook his head.
“Wait for me.” He jogged around the truck and quartered the surrounding area. Other than the sound of the firefighters, the place was eerily quiet. Opening Vivi’s door, he helped her down. He led her over to the sidewalk and kept her on the inside and his right hand free.
It was still dark because it wasn’t even six yet, and he heard the sounds of dogs barking in the distance.
As they approached the corner where the clinic was located, the deafening sound of something exploding filled the air. Before Vivi knew what was happening, Joel covered her body and pushed her down on the ground. The vibrations of the explosion rippled across her body as he instructed her to keep her head down. “This is bad,” she whispered quietly. As she pressed her face to the ground, she felt a pressure wave against her body and her senses went numb.
The smell of gasoline surrounded them as car alarms went off on the surrounding streets. Ash and debris filled the sky around them. “Either they soaked the building with gasoline or a propane tank blew,” Joel said into her ear. “You might be stunned from the explosion. Take a minute and let your body recover.”
Lifting his body slightly away, he ran his hands over her and checked her for injuries.
“Are you copping a feel in the middle of a disaster?” Vivi asked.
“I guess you must be fine, because you’re being sassy. I was making sure that you had no injuries. I threw you to the ground hard, and I want to make certain that you’re okay.”
Wiping her hair out of her face, she rolled up on her knees and studied the scene before her. The front wall of the clinic was blown off, and the blaze continued to rage. “It really is over.”
***
“It’s a good thing the front wall gave, because it absorbed the force and probably saved the surrounding buildings from further damage,” Joel stated.
As she watched the firefighters lift their hoses again, she felt an incredible amount of gratitude. Those men were putting their lives on the line to eliminate the threat to the neighborhood. “Do you think there will be any more explosions?”
“I’m guessing that was it. The explosion followed the path of least resistance. So unless there is another source of fuel, that should be the end.”
A black car screeched to a stop near them, and Vivi was once again shoved to the ground with Joel’s big body on top of her. Opening an eye, she saw that he had his gun drawn, and he was pointing it at the door of the car.
When the door flew open and Gideon emerged, Joel relaxed his position and helped her up. “Clear,” he said.
“Thanks for not shooting,” Gideon said. “I heard the place exploded on my radio on the way over.”
Joel stood and held out his hand for Vivi. Once she was standing, he held her tightly against the left side of his body. She now realized that he did that because he was right-handed and still held his weapon in his hand. “I guess they really didn’t want me here.”
Gideon stared at what remained of the clinic and shook his head. “I’d say you’re right. It will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals.”
“My guess is that they soaked the building with gasoline and then waited until it evaporated, becoming an explosive mixture with the air inside the building. Once they lit it up, it was only a matter of time for the blast to happen,” Joel stated.
“So you’ve seen it before?” Gideon inquired.
“It’s a poor man’s version of a bomb. I saw it more than a few times when were OCONUS.” Joel glanced down at Vivi and noticed that she was staring at the burning building. “How are you doing?”
“I have no idea.” Leaning into his side, she wrapped her arm around his waist. “I’m so grateful that we moved some things out yesterday. What a blessing.”
“I’m going to head over and talk to the fire chief and get an update. I suggest you all go home, and I’ll follow up with you tonight,” Gideon said, before he strode down the street.
“I can’t leave until the fire is completely out and I know where Mr. Stewart is. I’m sure his house has sustained damage, and I should take him over to Uncle Buck’s house until everything is settled.”
“Are you sure, Viv? There is nothing that we can do here.” Joel quartered the area again and saw that the streets were still relatively empty. The sky started to lighten as the sun slowly rose in the sky.
“I have to be here until the last ember is put out. I started this thing, and I have to see it finished.”
Tightening his hold, he nodded. “Understood. Do you own the building, or are you leasing it?”
“I own it.” When he kissed her head in response, she knew that resisting Joel McDade was futile. Under all his snarling and bossiness lay a heart that was warm and gooey. If he realized what she was thinking, he would probably object. The truth was that Joel had kindness as well as strength. And the events of the day had made her realize how much she appreciated that about him. “I don’t think the insurance company is going to be too excited about all this.”
“Once all the facts come to light, they’ll have no choice.” Joel watched Gideon move toward them with a phone glued to his ear. “I bet he has some news for us.”
Vivi watched his face and knew whatever he was going to tell them wasn’t going to be good news. “What is it?”
Sliding his phone into his pocket, he grimaced. “The fire chief told me that there was a message painted on the sidewalk in front of the parking lot. It read, Get Out and Don’t Come Back. It had the insignia for the Hot Block Crew under it.”
Joel turned to her and shook his head. “That was the crew that drew a gun on Dane. Ben hit the shooter in the leg to stop him.”
“The kid survived. I treated him in the clinic, that day. He didn’t sustain any long-term damage,” Vivi replied.
Gideon shrugged. “When Ben hit the kid, it was seen as a scratch, which is a fight. It would be unimaginable for them not to retaliate. They would lose credibility and respect with their peers if they didn’t respond. They call it get your issue. Which means you got what was coming to you. This is their way of answering the dispute.”
“But they started it. Stealing the prescription drugs, killing someone inside the clinic, leaving another person for dead, and threatening us. Joel, Dane, and Ben responded to their scratch,” Vivi almost shouted.
“And round and round it goes. Welcome to Gang Violence 101. No one ever stops. There is always something to react to. This is not a group of people who talk it out and make agreements. Your clinic got caught up in the middle of it, and we should be thankful that the body count was low,” Gideon said.
“This is what we call a shit show. There is no good ending,” Joel stated flatly. “The only good result is living to fight another day.”
Vivi stared at the fire that consumed the building where she had built her dream. Joel was right, this was a shit show. “Let’s find out where Mr. Stewart is. I want to make sure that he’s okay.”
“All right, honey.”
***
Vivi slowly entered her house and felt exhausted down to her bones. Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was five. They had left twelve hours ago, and she was starving.
Joel closed the back door and reset the alarm. “Do you want to eat or shower first?”
Vivi grabbed an apple and took a bite. “I’m going to shower first.”
“I’ll be up in a minute. I’m going to check in with the guys.”
“Okay.” Slipping off her shoes, she put them next to the door. Slowly, she made her way through the house and up the stairs. Looking around her beautiful home, she realized how lucky she was that it was only a building that got destroyed and not people.
As she entered the bedroom, she saw the sheets and blankets thrown off the bed. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they were sleeping peacefully in one another’s arms. Entering the bathroom, she peeled off her clothes and left them in a pile. They might not be salvageable because of all the smoke and debris they were covered in. Turning on the water, she waited until it got hot and then stepped inside. Standing under the showerhead, she let the water wash over her and breathed deeply for the first time all day. She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and started to drift off.
“Honey, don’t fall asleep in the shower.” Joel stepped in, pulled Vivi against his body, and held her face in his hands. “God, you’re pretty.”
Taking her mouth slowly at first, he brushed his lips against hers and pressed gently. Repeating the kiss several times, he swiftly had her under his spell.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Moving his mouth against her neck, he dragged his lips against her skin. “I haven’t done anything yet. Give me another minute and I will.”
Arching into his mouth, she let out a muffled cry. “For today, for standing by me.”
“Always.” Lifting her quickly, he pressed her back against the wall and grinned. “I thought some life-affirming sex might help.” Bending his knees, he pushed his powerful legs up and entered her swiftly.
Instantly, she was filled completely and stretched beyond what she was capable of. Somehow he managed to hit every single one of her nerves, and she almost hit the summit.
“I guess you like my idea,” he breathed against her neck.
Hearing the hoarse need in his voice and feeling the way his hands gripped her, like he was barely holding back, had her on the edge. Never before had she experienced someone taking over her senses the way he did.
Vivi wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his neck. Joel thrust into her, long steady strokes that wound her tighter and tighter.
“That’s it, Viv, don’t hold back. Take all of me.”
Feeling the grip of orgasm begin, she pulled him deeper and harder. “Oh…my…God.”
“Come for me, honey.”
Hearing his words made her fly apart. She called his name as her whole body clamped down, never wanting to let him go. His fingers curled against her waist, holding her still for his pounding thrusts. Moments later, he came fast and hard, growling her name.
The waves of pleasure took an eternity to dissipate, and Joel kept them still as they took long breaths together.
Their heartbeats slowed gradually, and he held her tightly as he pulled away from the wall. He took a step and sat down on the bench. The water continued to pour over their bodies as they remained silent and closely entwined.
Finally able to lift her head, she opened one eye and stared. “I need a large pizza and a glass of bourbon. I’m going to need some fuel to figure out why I let you in without a condom.”
Kissing her gently, he held her face. “Honey, you’re probably already pregnant. Just think of all the time, money, and pain I’m saving you. The old-fashioned way beats the hell out of modern science.”
“I can’t respond to what you just said, because my head is going to explode.”
“No rush, honey. Plenty of time to figure it all out.”
Resting her head against his shoulder, she wondered how she managed to lose her right mind so quickly.