Chasing Memories: The Forevermore Series, Book 2 (7 page)

Lucas nodded. “Sounds good. You can show me your preliminary concepts.”

Great. Just great.
She didn’t have any. She’d been too busy daydreaming.

India got out and he drove away. She strode to the elevator, stepped into the waiting car and hit the button for the second level. The doors closed. She used the time to develop a couple of basic layout options as the car ascended.

Reconfigure the bathroom. Enclose the commode. Spa tub. Separate shower.
The bell dinged indicating she’d arrived at her destination. India took a few strides, then stopped partway down the hall and did a double take.
Scaffolding? What the hell?
Who set it up and why? There’d been no work scheduled for this area. She glanced around. Drop cloths and paint cans littered the hall. Tools lay scattered everywhere. Did she select the wrong floor? She’d been engrossed in her thoughts and might have. Turning, she strode back to summon the elevator again.

A loud noise filled the air. India whirled. The scaffolding… Dear God, it started to fall. Buckets, cans and other debris crashed down. Pain lanced through her right shoulder. What the hell hit her? She crumpled to the floor. Hit the cement. Hard.

Chapter Ten

A knock at the office door had Lucas lifting his head from the computer screen. “Come in, Brett.”

Brett ambled over to the desk. “Is there anything else you need before I leave?”

“No, and thank you again for helping Amanda with the office move.”

“It’s no trouble. Lord knows you’ve been there for me over the years.”

Lucas didn’t know Brett when Brett had lost his brother in a horrific car accident at the end of his senior year of high school. They’d met the first year of college. Brett returned after Thanksgiving break shattered over the death of his mother. He could sympathize having suffered through similar experiences, and they’d become friends.

“I spoke with our sales group at home and blocked off use of one of the smaller meeting rooms for the next month, and Amanda has arranged to have movers transport the office equipment to us the day after tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, I should be back at the end of the week.”

“Good.”

“If there’s nothing more, I’m going to head out. My flight leaves in a couple of hours, and I need to grab a few things from my apartment before I head to the airport.”

Lucas nodded. “Give me a call in a few days and update me on how things are going.”

After Brett left, Lucas pulled out his cell phone and contacted Richard Davis. He hadn’t wanted to do it when India was with him earlier.
Speaking of India.
Where was she? She should have been back by now. He glanced down at his watch. It didn’t take thirty minutes to get a computer from her room, so where had she gone and when would she return?

“Davis, Grant and Bowen. How may I direct your call?” a female voice asked.

“Attorney Davis’s office, please.”

“One moment. Please hold while I transfer your call.”

The line clicked, and elevator music began to play. Lucas tapped a foot while he waited.

“Attorney Davis’s office, may I help you?”

“Hello. This is Lucas Morgan. I’d like to speak with Richard.”

“One moment, please. I’ll see if he’s available.”

More music, then a deep male voice boomed in his ear.

“Lucas, it’s good to hear from you. What can I do for you?”

“Can you give me the details regarding the sale of the Young building?”

“Evelyn sold the brownstone?”

Oh shit.
“She didn’t tell you?”

“No. I had no idea. When did this happen?”

“The closing occurred the morning of Evelyn’s accident.”

Richard let out a low whistle. “I didn’t know anything about it. If she sold the building, another attorney must have handled the transaction for her.”

If she sold the building?
Lucas drew in a sharp breath. “Are you sure, Richard? Maybe one of your associates handled things for her.”

“I’ll check, but I would have been made aware since Evelyn was my client.”

“Yes, please do.”

“Lucas, what is it you’re hoping to find?”

“Neither Amanda nor I knew about the sale. Someone has come forward and contends they own the building. I want to make sure his claim is legitimate and everything is in order.”

“Okay. Send me whatever information you have and I’ll see what I can find.”

“Thanks.” Lucas hung up the receiver. His head started to pound. He lifted his fingers and rubbed his temples.
Shit.
None of what Richard told him made any sense. Why would Grams use another attorney? Richard had been her lawyer, for both her personal and professional needs for years. Hell, Lucas used his legal services, too.

A commotion out in the hall pulled him from his thoughts. He rose from the brown leather chair and strode out to see what happened.

A workman paced down the long corridor toward him, heavy work boots thudding on the marble floor. He carried something in his arms. Not something. Someone. His stomach lurched. India’s limp, lifeless body.
Oh shit.
Lucas raced toward the man, heart pounding hard against his ribcage.
Please let her be okay, please let her be okay.
She didn’t move. “Did you call 911?”

India moaned. “Don’t need an ambulance.”

Alive. Thank God.
Lucas let out a sigh of relief. “What happened?”

The workman’s words tumbled out in broken English. “Don’t know. Elevator open. She stumble out. Start to fall. I catch.”

“I’m okay,” she mumbled.

His eyes raked over her. Cuts marred her beautiful face, her soft, smooth hands. Chunks of debris clung to her clothes and matted her hair. “Like hell you are. What happened to you?”

India groaned. “Scaffolding collapsed. Everything fell. Something hit me.”

Damn it.
“Here, give her to me.” He reached out both arms, and the workman handed India to him.

“You can put me down. I’m fine.”

“She’s bleeding bad.” The workman pointed to India’s right shoulder. “Might need stitches.”

Lucas glanced down. Crimson blood stained her torn yellow jacket, and judging by the growing discoloration, the bleeding hadn’t stopped. “I’ll get her to the hospital right away.”

“Don’t want to go. Not bad. Just need to clean cuts. I’ll lie down for a bit. I’ll be fine.”

He turned and strode with her to the door at the end of the hall, then exited the building. The driving rain, from earlier in the day, had tapered off to a light drizzle. He walked the short distance to the Z4. Levering open the passenger door, he gently placed her inside and buckled her in.

She stared up at him with dazed eyes. “Please, Lucas, just take me up to my room.”

“No way. Steel pipe, wood planking and God only knows what else fell on you. You could have internal injuries you’re not even aware of.” She needed to get checked out by a medical professional. “We’re going.”

*****

Lucas paced back and forth in a small space while the hustle and bustle of the emergency room at Jackson Memorial Hospital surrounded him. What the hell was taking so long? They’d taken India in to see the doctor over an hour ago.

His cell buzzed. He stopped walking, pulled the phone from its holder and checked the caller ID. Javier. He’d called him from the car to investigate what caused India’s accident and get back to him as quickly as possible. Lucas sat in one of the vacant chairs and connected the call. “What can you tell me?”

“It’s not good, Lucas. I found temporary scaffolding set up on the second floor.”

Lucas shuddered. “What the hell? Who gave the go-ahead for that? We designated it a construction-free zone. Jesus, we had guests in some of those rooms.”

“I don’t know. None of my guys knew anything about it. The entire crew was in the restaurant since they arrived at six o’clock this morning, working on the changes we talked about yesterday.”

His free hand tightened into a fist. “The scaffolding didn’t appear out of thin air. Someone had to put it there.”

“I know, but it wasn’t anyone from my crew.”

“Then who?” He blew out a breath. Someone screwed up and he damned well wanted to know who. India might have been killed if she’d been a few inches closer when the structure gave way. Bile roiled in his gut. He’d never have forgiven himself if that happened.

“I don’t know, but there’s something else you need to know.”

“What?” Lucas growled.

“Several of the support brackets that hold the metal poles together were cut.”

“Cut? As in a deliberate act of vandalism?”

“Yes. Someone
wanted
the scaffolding to fall.”

Who wanted to sabotage the hotel renovations? One of his competitors here on the strip? Did they pay one of Javier’s crewmen to cause trouble?

“Should I call the police?”

Lucas shook his head. “No. Not at this point.” He didn’t need the cops poking around while he had guests. “I’ll notify the regulatory commission and we’ll go from there.” In the meantime, he needed answers, and fast. A private investigator could make discreet inquiries without raising any red flags. He’d have Brett handle it.
No.
Brett wouldn’t return until the end of the week. He wouldn’t risk the safety of Acquati guests or his employees further by delaying. Richard Davis could give him a few names.

A thin, tall woman dressed in scrubs came toward him. The nurse who’d wheeled India back to the exam room. “Gotta go now. Call you later.” He disconnected the call, shoved the phone back into the holder clipped to his belt and gave his full attention to the woman now standing before him. “How is she?” He glanced at the name on her badge. “Ms. Preston.”

“She’s one lucky lady, all things considered. No internal injuries, but lots of cuts and bruises everywhere. Most of them, minor. We stitched up the gash in her right shoulder. She’ll be sore for a few days and will need plenty of rest. The doctor gave her a prescription for some painkillers. You’ll need to fill it before she gets the next dose.” The nurse glanced at her watch. “Which should be in about four hours.”

“I’ll take care of everything. When will she be ready to go?”

The nurse smiled. “She’s getting dressed now. She should be out in a few minutes. Why don’t you go get the car and bring it around to the entrance? We’ll bring her out when she’s ready.”

Five minutes later, Lucas pulled his convertible to the designated pickup area. The orderly wheeled India to the car. A nasty bruise covered her left cheekbone. They’d cut her right pant leg at the knee and wrapped her calf in gauze. And those were the injuries he could see. Who knew what lay beneath her torn jacket? His gut twisted. He’d get the bastard who’d done this to her.

Lucas got out and opened the passenger door, then helped her get settled. After buckling her in, he walked around to his own side and slid in. He glanced over at the passenger seat. “How are you doing?”
Stupid-ass question, Einstein.
Anyone could see she was hurt. Her dull eyes and the grim set of her mouth screamed pain.

Her eyes flickered closed. “I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

She wouldn’t get any rest at the hotel, and it might not be a safe place for her to stay. Not if Javier was right and someone had sabotaged the renovations. Maybe he should consider shutting down for a week, while the PI looked into things? He’d operated the hotel with a skeleton crew since the construction started. There’d been no need for a full staff with the reduced number of rooms available. He could well afford to give them a paid week off. Javier could add another shift if they didn’t have any guests to worry about. Minus whoever rigged the scaffolding, and he still believed one of Javier’s workers had to be responsible.

Lucas glanced over at India. Her head rested against the leather seatback, her eyes closed. The steady rise and fall of her chest indicated she’d drifted off, but even in sleep the pain remained etched on her beautiful face.

Least I can do is give her a comfortable place to stay while she recovers.
Decision made, he pulled out into traffic and headed south toward the Causeway.

A short time later, Lucas pulled the car into his assigned parking space at the high-rise condo in South Beach and cut the ignition.

India’s eyes fluttered open. She gazed at her surroundings. “Where are we?”

“At my home.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“This is where you’ll be staying, at least for a few days.”

She shook her head, then let out a soft groan. “Just take me back to my room at the Acquati. Please, I don’t want to argue with you.”

“No.”

“How come?”

“I’ve decided to close the hotel for a few days.”

“Why?” Her question came out as a throaty murmur.

Lucas sighed. “Your accident today. It wasn’t an accident. I spoke with Javier while you were in with the doctor. Someone cut the scaffolding brackets used to hold the structure together and rigged it to fall.”

“Someone tried to hurt me?” She gasped. “On purpose?”

“No. Not you specifically. I believe someone is trying to sabotage the renovations I’ve planned for the hotel.”

India stared at him eyes wide. “Sabotage?”

“Yes.”

“Like at the Young building,” she whispered.

Lucas frowned. “Something happened at the Young building?”

She nodded. “A wall collapsed.”

“When?” Evelyn never mentioned an accident occurred during the makeover.

“During the final stages of the remodel. That would have been a day or two before my car accident, although it might be longer.” She shook her head. “I’m just not sure. I didn’t even remember anything until you mentioned the trouble at your hotel.”

“Are you telling me it wasn’t an accident?”

“Exactly. Evelyn believed the same. There’d been temporary wood supports holding up the construction. They shifted and the wall came down. The only way for those supports to move is if the screws securing the support to the structure had been removed.”

Someone sabotaged the Young building and now the Acquati. No way could it be a coincidence.

“Did anyone get hurt?”

“A few cuts and bruises, but we managed to get out of the way before most of the heavy debris fell.”

A near miss.
Like what happened today.
“Who is ‘we’?”

“Evelyn and me.”

Two accidents, that hadn’t been accidents, and minor injuries that could have been a whole lot worse. Yet more things that didn’t add up. The sooner he hired a private eye, the better.