Ali’s cell phone pinged, just as she started to doze off. She pulled it from the nightstand and checked the screen. A new e-mail? Calvin must have forgotten she was coming in late tomorrow. She opened the e-mail. A small smiley face grinned up at her. Sweet dreams was written beneath it. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She replied with good night and placed the phone back on the nightstand. Fluffing the pillow, she curled on her side.
Thoughts of Joe filled her mind. She couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like. It was weird spending time getting to know someone, starting to like someone, with no idea whether he was tall or short, if he had dark hair or light. Her mind tried to conjure an image to match the man. Nothing. Her eyes drifted closed.
Ali stretched and rolled over, opening one eye to see how much longer she could sleep before the alarm went off. Then the thought of going into court with Mark intruded and started her head throbbing. Her gaze landed on the clock. Six o’clock? Sunlight streamed across her bed, cocooning her in a blanket of warmth and she snuggled deeper into the covers, blocking out any thoughts of Mark and court. Wait a minute, something wasn’t right.
Six o’clock. Sunshine. Lots of sunshine.
She froze, and blood pounded frantically through her veins. Uh…oh. She shot up, her glare pinning the traitorous clock as if she could will the numbers to change. She scooped her cell phone off the nightstand. Eight o’clock? It couldn’t be.
She threw the covers back and jumped out of bed. Grabbing clothes off the back of a chair, she ran for the bathroom. There was no way she could make it to court in time. She looked into the mirror. Ugh…the woman who stared back was a mess. Her eyes were sunken into dark circles, her hair disheveled, and creases from sleeping covered one side of her face.
Whatever. No time to worry about it. She quickly splashed water on her face, brushed her teeth, applied some blush over the pattern on her cheek and wrapped her hair into a bun. Hopping, she climbed into her slacks as she charged for the door. Dear God, I’ll be late for my own divorce. Grabbing her purse and keys, she ran out with no further thought to her appearance.
She bypassed the elevator, no time to wait for that, and ran for the stairs. By the time she reached the street, she was breathing hard and sweating, and her hair had already begun to come loose. Great, this day just kept getting better and better. She sifted through her keys as she trotted toward the car and stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk but kept her footing.
“Hey…look out.”
Before she could lift her head, she was tackled from the side and shoved to the ground. Her head slammed into the pavement. Black spots swirled in front of her eyes. A heavy weight crushed her against the sidewalk. Before she could register what had happened, she was rolling. As she turned over, she caught sight of black metal and tires screeching past her head, close enough to envelope her in a blast of heat. She dropped her head to the ground and closed her eyes, while all thoughts of making it to the courthouse on time sped away with the retreating vehicle.
“Lady. Hey. Lady. Are you all right?”
“Ugh…” Ali opened her eyes.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you okay? Did you see that?”
She desperately wanted to tell him to stop the rapid-fire questioning. She needed quiet, needed to rest her head, needed to let her mind go blank. The pain and stress were too much. Her eyes drifted shut.
“Wake up. I don’t think you’re supposed to sleep after you bang your head.”
Her eyes fluttered open again, and she was face to face with a young man, no more than eighteen or nineteen. A scrape marred the side of his face, and she focused on that. He must be the one who saved her, and he’d been hurt.
“You okay?” It was as if her mouth was filled with cotton.
“I’m fine. Are you all right? I didn’t mean to smack your head.” His cheeks reddened as he extended a hand to ease her up.
Ali took the offered hand. He helped her sit and lean back against the side of the building. Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed hard, forcing it back down. She wanted to thank him but couldn’t get the words past the bile. Sirens pierced her brain.
“Are you two okay?” A woman’s voice this time, high-pitched and frantic, sent shards of pain shooting through the backs of Ali’s eyeballs. “I saw the whole thing. That guy tried to run you over. I called the police. Do you need an ambulance?”
Ali groaned. She pulled her knees to her chest, crossed her arms over them and lowered her pounding head. Please, everyone, be quiet. Give my head a chance to stop gonging.
“Miss? Are you hurt, miss?” A cop squatted down and placed his hand on her shoulder. When she lifted her head, she recognized his face immediately.
“Ah Jeez, Ali, are you OK?”
She didn’t know him well, but they’d met several times. His name escaped her at the moment, but she wasn’t surprised. Her mind was crowded with thoughts of who was trying to kill her. Had the note sender followed through on his threat? A sob welled in her chest, and she tried to stifle it. Across town, her marriage was being dissolved while here, in front of her home, her life had nearly been snuffed out. She exhaled a shaky breath and pushed her hair away from her face. A divorce and a drive-by all in one day, what were the freakin’ chances?
She only partially succeeded in holding back the tears. She was aware of the officer…Kenny…that was his name. Kenny was talking to someone, either on the radio or a cell phone, she couldn’t be sure which any more than she could make out what he was saying. Did it really matter? She decided not and lowered her head once more.
The next interruption came when Ron grabbed both of her arms. “Ali, what happened?”
Grr…Couldn’t these people see she just wanted to be left alone?
“Ali, answer me.”
“I’m all right, Ron. I don’t know what happened. It could have been an accident.” Did she really believe that? Who knew?
“Come on, honey. Let’s get you up.” A paramedic took one arm and Ron took the other. They led her to the ambulance and helped her sit on the back bumper.
“I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital.” All she wanted was to go back upstairs, crawl into bed and start the day over after a few more hours of sleep.
“Where is she?”
She winced. Her day just got better and better.
“Ali?” Mark shoved his way through the crowd of onlookers and shouldered the paramedic aside in his rush to get to her. “Oh, man, Ali.” He pulled her into his arms, and she surprised herself by reaching up to hug him back.
She sank into his embrace. Her mind went completely blank as she allowed herself the comfort he offered. Enveloped in Mark’s arms, she was absolutely certain nothing more could happen. No madman would reach her. She breathed in the earthy scent that always clung to him and inhaled it deep into her lungs as memories of his holding her flooded her system, threatening to drown her.
“Baby,” he breathed against her neck. Shivers of awareness skittered over her skin.
He pulled back and extended a shaky hand to smooth her hair back. Though she longed to be back in his arms, she allowed the examination she could tell he needed. “Come on.”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital, Mark.” She hoped he wouldn’t make her resort to begging. “It’s just a bump on the head. I’m fine.”
“You don’t have to go to the hospital. You’re coming home with me.”
“What?”
“You’re going to stay with me until we find the maniac who’s stalking you.”
“Mark.”
“Don’t argue with me.”
She bit her lower lip. Why was he being so insistent? Maybe he wanted her back. Could they work things out? Butterflies flittered through her stomach and up into her chest. The smile had almost reached her lips.
“As soon as we catch this idiot, you can go back home.”
She stilled. A heavy weight settled on her chest, crushing her with consuming grief and the all-too-familiar pain of rejection.
“I’m not staying with you.” She uttered the words quietly, barely a whisper, but he had no trouble hearing her.
“Don’t be stubborn, Ali. I’m not going to let some maniac kill my wife.”
How chivalrous of him. He didn’t love her, didn’t want her back, but he wouldn’t allow someone to kill her.
“Ex-wife.” Tears tracked down her cheeks, and she swiped them away with more force than necessary.
His hands clasped her elbows. “Don’t do this. I said you’re coming to stay with me. Why do you always have to give me such a hard time?”
She sucked in a breath and bit down on the inside of her cheek in an effort to stem the flow of words threatening to erupt. Too bad it didn’t work. “Gee, Mark,” she said, with deceptive sweetness. “Don’t you think it might get a little crowded with me, you, and Candi?” She spat the last word out with complete contempt, before turning toward Ron, effectively dismissing Mark.
Crap…why had she said that? Why couldn’t she control her bitterness? She loved him so much, yet every time she tried to control her outbursts, the words just came vomiting out. Her stomach lurched. Whether it was from the knock to the head, the thought of a lunatic trying to kill her or the argument with Mark, she had no idea. Nor did she care.
“I’m going home, Ron. If you need me, you know where I live. But not for a few hours, please. I need some time to myself.” She walked away without waiting for a response.
* * *
Mark’s teeth ground tight enough to lock his jaw as she walked away. He rubbed absently at his temples in an effort to ease the hammering in his brain. Why was she so stubborn? Couldn’t she see he was trying to help her? Couldn’t she tell he still loved her? Apparently, she didn’t care. Did she hate him so much she couldn’t accept his help, couldn’t stay with him for even a short time while they searched for the maniac who was stalking her? His eyes stayed glued to her retreating form until she entered the building, then he pinned Ron with a glare.
“What happened?” He pulled a roll of Tums from his pocket and popped four into his mouth.
“According to the witnesses, she was walking along the sidewalk,” Ron gestured in the direction she’d been headed, “when a black sedan sped onto the sidewalk and almost ran her down. A passerby yelled a warning before tackling her to the ground.” He pointed to the young man who was currently involved in an animated conversation with a patrol officer, gesturing wildly as he presumably recounted the events as they’d unfolded.
“So, it appears to have been intentional.” Mark used the heels of his hands to rub at his eyes, needing to relieve some of the tension that had settled there. “Son of a…”
“It looks that way.” Ron’s gaze caught and held Mark’s. They both knew there was always the possibility it had been an accident, but the chances were slim. It was just too much of a coincidence.
“She needs protection.”
“No kidding.” A brief flash of annoyance lit Ron’s eyes. There was no doubt he’d overheard their heated exchange. Ron was biting his tongue.
Mark appreciated the gesture, since they both knew she’d be safer at his house. If he could only get her to come home to the house they’d shared for most of their marriage.
Ron drew Mark’s attention back to the problem at hand. “Some of the guys have offered to take turns keeping an eye on her during their off hours.”
Mark blew out a breath. “Thanks. I’ll hire a security team right away, but I appreciate the help in the meantime.”
Intent on interrogating the man who saved her before thanking him, Mark started to walk away.
“By the way, what happened in court?”
Mark stopped, turned and studied his friend’s face. Only concern was etched there. “They postponed it when I got the call…thanks, Ron.”
Ron nodded before turning his attention elsewhere. Mark stared up at her window for just a minute. Was she looking out? With the sun reflecting off the glass, he couldn’t tell. Would she ever forgive him? He shook his head and went to question the witness, the feeling of helplessness weighing heavily on his shoulders.