Anna was about the last person Alyssa would have expected to see in Pinebrook. Ever. Anna was Vancouver through and through, not in the sense that she was from the city (she was actually from Edmonton), but in that she represented Alyssa’s life in Canada. Her other life, the life that she had come to think of as her real life, the one that had freed her from everything. The one she was jeopardizing by extending her stay in Louisiana and testing her boss’ patience.
She walked up to her friend, actually feeling the stunned expression on her own face. “Anna,” she said, and she couldn’t for the life of her infuse that greeting with enough enthusiasm. “What are you doing here?”
Anna stood. “I thought I’d come to see you—since you don’t seem to want to see us.” There was no malice behind Anna’s words, but in turn, her friend didn’t seem to be able to keep a hint of accusation out of her voice.
They embraced, and if anything, that hug was sincere.
“I’m sorry,” Anna mumbled as she pulled back. “I’m all sticky. It’s so hot here!”
Alyssa laughed. Her friend was wearing denim jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “You’re most definitely not dressed for it. I hope you have something lighter in that suitcase of yours.”
Anna cringed. “To be honest, I thought this was light,” she said, gesturing to her outfit.
“I’ll get you something you can wear,” Alyssa offered. “Then we’re going shopping. You can’t stay in Louisiana dressed like that.” She fumbled with her keys and went to open her front door. “You’re staying with me, yes?”
Anna hesitated. “I wouldn’t want to put you out. I can find a hotel.”
“Nonsense,” Alyssa said immediately, even though it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to have Anna around at this moment in time. Then again, the woman had hopped on a plane for her; the least she could do was offer her some hospitality. “Come in.”
Twenty minutes later, Anna was dressed in a pair of Alyssa’s denim shorts and a breezy linen tank top. For the second time that morning, Alyssa found herself sitting at a kitchen’s table with a friend. This time, however, she served iced tea.
It was awkward. There was really no other way to describe it. Alyssa didn’t know if Anna could feel it, because she was sure that most of the awkwardness came from her. The last thing she had ever wanted was for her new life in Vancouver and her old life in Pinebrook to cross paths. Pinebrook was too different, too rough and raw. Her friends in Canada wouldn’t understand. Alyssa had never even told Anna about Prince, and having her friend in her Louisiana kitchen right now was making her incredibly uncomfortable.
She cleared her throat nervously. “Anna, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the visit, but…what are you doing here?”
Anna stared at her with brown eyes that still glinted with a hint of accusation. “I just came back yesterday from Montreal. You know, from that conference you were supposed to attend.”
Alyssa sighed. She would not raise to the bait; she had enough on her plate without adding a fight with one of her best friends on top of everything else. “I know.”
Anna seemed a little put out that Alyssa wasn’t commenting on it, but she shrugged it off and continued, “So I go in to work yesterday morning, and it’s not long before I hear the buzz. Is it true you’d asked Derek for another two weeks?”
Alyssa cringed. “It’s true,” she admitted. “And before you say anything about how selfish I’m being, may I remind you that I have never taken any personal time before.” Okay, so maybe she was getting a little defensive. Then again, she felt she was entitled.
Anna raised her hands in a placating gesture. “I wasn’t going to call you selfish,” she said. “I realize why you did it. If I were you, I would be having trouble rejoining the outside world, too.”
You don’t know the half of it, Alyssa thought grimly. Aloud, she said, “But…?” she guessed.
“But,” Anna began carefully, “Derek is right, Alyssa. We’re swamped. I know it must not seem fair to you that he gave you an ultimatum, but we need you. No one wants to have someone else working in your place; you’re the best we have.”
Alyssa was flattered. Anna had been working at the veterinary clinic a lot longer than she had, and even though she wasn’t an associate, she was the next best thing. To hear her say that Alyssa was such an essential part of their staff was a huge compliment to say the least.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I never meant to cause problems; it’s just…I can’t come back right now.”
“Alyssa—”
“I’ll do my best to come back before the two weeks are up.”
Anna’s brown eyes flashed in annoyance. “What do you mean, ‘you’ll do your best’?”
“There’s stuff that I have to do here,” Alyssa said. “I don’t expect you to understand. But I can’t go until it’s resolved.”
“Damn it, Alyssa—”
“It’s not about my parents,” Alyssa finally snapped.
Anna blinked, confused. “Then, what is it about?”
Alyssa hesitated. How was she going to get out of this? “Don’t worry about it,” she finally dismissed. It sounded weak to her own ears, and predictably, Anna didn’t fall for it.
“Yes, I do worry about it,” Anna said, her voice hard. “Excuse me, but I worry about it very much. It’s not even about work. I came to see you to check on you, make sure you’re all right, and what I’m seeing hasn’t reassured me at all.”
Alyssa frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not all right, Alyssa. That much I know for sure.” Anna watched her intently. “Now, do you want to tell me just what the hell is going on?”
Alyssa swallowed hard. Anna’s penetrating stare and incessant third degree questions were starting to really take their toll. “I can’t,” she said quietly, looking away. “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t.”
The last thing Anna needed was to be exposed to the mess that Alyssa found herself in.
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”
Alyssa’s head snapped up. She all but glared at her friend. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Anna calmly took a sip of her iced tea. “It means I’m not going anywhere until you spill your beans.” Her already delicate features softened further. “I’m worried about you, Alyssa. I’m your friend; I just want to help you.”
Alyssa could feel her defenses cracking. Lynn had been and continued to be an incredible support system, but the fact that she was directly involved made her both closer and further away. What Alyssa needed, she realized now, was a friendly face who had nothing to do with Pinebrook and the Devil’s Fighters.
“If I tell you,” she began carefully, “you have to promise me you won’t repeat it to one soul. You may be tempted to tell Derek in order to make him understand that I’m not being insensitive with my requests of time off, but you can’t do that. Understood?”
Anna stared at her. “You’re scaring me a little.”
“Understood?” Alyssa repeated urgently.
After a moment, Anna nodded. “Understood,” she said. “I promise. Now, tell me. What’s going on?”
Alyssa felt compelled to warn her: “It’s a very long story.”
Anna shrugged. “I’ve got nowhere else to be.”
And so Alyssa told her. She told her everything. She told her about how her childhood friendship with Prince had morphed into something different and bigger as they grew up. She told her about how he was almost always over to her house, trying to escape an alcoholic father whose self-destructive way of life had driven his mother into an early grave. She told her about how their love had blossomed to the point that she had promised Prince he would get him out of Pinebrook, no matter what. She had told her about how she had put off going to college in order to give him the chance to raise enough money to leave with her, and about how that time had finally come when they were twenty-two years old.
Alyssa told Anna about how Prince had sprung the news on her the day before they were supposed to leave that he wasn’t going to New York with her, that he was becoming a member of the most ruthless motorcycle gang in the district. She told her about how her heart had broken then, and how she had asked him for an explanation, and how he had been unable to give her a decent one. She told her about how she had believed that his decision had been made because he wanted it that way, and how guilty she still felt about that. She told her about how she had left and lost sight of Prince for the next eight years.
Then Alyssa told Anna about how they had met again the day of her parents’ funeral, when he had come to look for her at Lynn’s diner where the post-ceremony reception was being held. She told her about how she had not wanted anything to do with him, and how he had knocked at her door with a wounded friend at his side in the middle of the night. She told Anna about how she had fixed Rick up and about what bad shape he was in.
And then she told Anna about the hardest part. She told her about Prince’s truth. She told her how he had been forced by circumstances to fight in the Devil’s Fighters’ illegal underground rings in order to pay off his father’s debt and save the man’s life. She told her about how he had never told Alyssa anything until now.
Then, she told her about the present. She told her about how they had reconnected and how powerful and all-consuming their passion was. She told her about how they had fallen back in love with each other, stronger and more furious than ever. She told her about how she could not abandon him again. And then Alyssa told Anna about how Prince had found a way, and how insane and dangerous and possibly suicidal that way was.
By the time she was done, Alyssa felt spent. It was a good kind of spent, the kind that comes over you when you finally let go of a weight that had been hopelessly crushing you. There were tears streaming down her face, but Alyssa did not care; she felt like she had earned those tears, and like she needed them.
Anna looked shocked. Eventually, she came back to herself enough that she found the coordination to rummage for a packet tissues in her purse that hung from the chair she was sitting on. She handed the packet to Alyssa, who took it gratefully and blew her nose loudly.
“Shit, Aly,” Anna said softly, her voice barely there. “It sounds like a story out of a romance novel.”
Alyssa laughed weakly, dabbing at her face with the Kleenex. “I wish it were,” she said, sniffing audibly. “Instead, it’s all horribly true.”
“It is horrible,” Anna echoed. “I don’t understand. Why isn’t anyone stopping these guys? What about the police?”
Alyssa smiled at her friend’s naivety. “Half of the police are on Benedict Lenday’s payroll.”
“Oh.” Anna’s face darkened further. “I understand now, you know?”
Alyssa looked at her hopefully. “You do?”
“I do. I mean, I can’t say I understand what it all must be and feel like,” Anna said. “But I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. I understand why you can’t come back.”
“I might,” Alyssa said, blowing her nose again. “The fight is in two days.” Prince had texted her the date earlier, and her stomach still cramped whenever she thought about how awfully close it was. “If all goes smoothly…” She shook her head, unable to even finish the sentence. “But it’s very unlikely. Even if he wins, chances are he’ll be hurt. I can’t just leave him.”
Anna nodded. “I get it,” she said again. “Listen, Aly, don’t worry about work, all right? I’ll talk to Derek, get you four weeks.”
Alyssa paled. “No!” she exclaimed, alarmed. “You can’t do that, Anna! You promised!”
“Calm down!” Anna said, reaching out to grasp her wrist. “I’m not going to tell him anything about what’s really happening.”
Alyssa watched her skeptically. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
“But then…how are you going to convince him?”
Anna smirked. “Don’t worry about it. Let me deal with Derek; you just focus on your man.” She hesitated. “By the way, any chance I can meet him?”
Alyssa laughed. God bless Anna and the merry glint in her brown eyes. “I think so.”
“Good.” Anna stood and patted her arm. “Now, don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll be here through the whole affair.”
Alyssa frowned. “Won’t Derek threaten to fire you, too?” She didn’t argue with her friend’s offer, however. She felt like she could use all the support she could get.
Anna winked. “I told you, you let me deal with Derek.” She grabbed her phone and disappeared out the back door.
Alyssa remained seated, feeling utterly devoid of energy. It felt good to let someone handle things for a change. Over the past two months, she had felt like she had been alone in the world. Even with Prince and Lynn, and sometimes Rick, by her side, she had felt like it was all up to her. It was refreshing to have one thing that she didn’t have to deal with personally.
The wait seemed to stretch on forever, but when Anna finally came back inside, the clock on the kitchen’s wall told Alyssa it had only been twenty minutes.
She sat up straighter. “Well?” she asked, trying to keep her trepidation out of her voice.
Anna smiled triumphantly. “Four weeks for you and three weeks for me,” she announced. “They’ll call in someone from the downtown clinic. Mind you, he wasn’t thrilled about it, and he’ll probably make us pay with night shifts for a lifetime once we’re back.”
“I don’t care,” Alyssa said, standing up and all but flying at her friend to hug her. “Thank you, Anna! You’re a lifesaver!”
Anna hugged her back fiercely and then pulled away. “Yeah, well. Let’s focus on saving your boy’s life, shall we?”
Alyssa smiled, even though the familiar dread came back to squeeze at her insides. “I hope we can.”
“Oh come, Alyssa, be positive,” Anna said. “What are medics for?” She winked again. “Now, how about grabbing a bite somewhere? I’m starved.”
Alyssa grinned. “I know just the place.”