Play Fling (A Stupid Cupid Book) (33 page)

Three seconds after Jason spit the digits
out, Millie dialed. Gordon answered right away, thick-voiced like
he’d been crying. Great.

“Gordon, this is Millie, Brooke’s friend? I
need to get a hold of Elliott as soon as possible. Please tell me
you know where I can find him.” If this didn’t work, she’d be going
to the hospital. The mental ward.

“I’m here with him.” Was that a sniffle? She
didn’t want to know. She had enough on her plate and any more
heartbreak would send her over the edge she still felt all too
close to. “At the hospital,” Gordon said quietly.

The hospital? How in the world could she get
so lucky? Maybe AJ was right. Maybe all her mistakes weren’t
mistakes at all. “Which hospital?”

“Washoe Medical Center.”

“Listen, I can’t explain and I realize you
hardly know me but, can you keep Elliott there? I’m bringing Brooke
to him as we speak. She has to see him and...” she paused. The
cliché stuck in her throat, a lump of painful guilt. “It’s a matter
of life and death.”

“Brooke can see him. He isn’t going anywhere,
trust me. But I guarantee if he sees you, I won’t be responsible
for what happens. Neither will he.”

Ten minutes later, AJ pulled a sharp right,
sending Millie into the car door armrest and Brooke almost off of
her lap.

“Who taught you how to drive?” she
demanded.

“You did.”

She ignored his smart ass reply and focused
on getting Brooke back into a safe position. She’d managed the
center seat belt around her, but Brooke kept shifting on her own,
thanks to AJ’s antics.

“Not another love song,” Brooke said, eyes
still closed.

“Is she waking up?” Millie asked, eyes
riveted on Brooke. “I mean, can she wake up? What happens if she
wakes up?”

If Brooke woke up now, who knew what would
happen. Flying accusations? Some speed racer fast talking?

“No, Jason!” Brooke shouted and sat up. “Not
now!” She opened her eyes and glared at Millie.

Millie opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t
know where to begin. “Hi, there.”

“Where are we?” Brooke slurred.

“We are on our way to see Elliott,” Millie
said, fixing a smile on her face. “He is at Washoe Medical Center
and he wants to see you. So, AJ and I are taking you straight
there.”

Brooke narrowed her gaze. “What did you do to
me?” She jabbed her finger at Millie, her body swaying with the
car’s movements.

Truth time. “I made a mistake, Brooke. A huge
mistake. And now I’m trying to undo the damage.”

Brooke ran both hands through her hair,
sending Millie a flirty sidelong glance. Then she giggled. “You
did, Millie. You screwed up royally, didn’t you?”

What she had expected, Millie didn’t know,
but this didn’t come close. “Yep, I sure did. But, you’ll be okay.
I promise. Does your ankle hurt?”

“Mmmm-hmmm, but only a lot. Millie, I think
you’re right. I am a-okay, aren’t I?” Brooke lolled her head back
against the seat. “Oh, I hope the hospital beds are wide because,
Elliott and I are going to need a lot of room.”

Millie blanched. “Room?”

AJ chuckled from the front. “We’d better get
there soon,” he said. “She sounds like she’s about to peak. We
don’t have much time.”

“Peak?” Millie said, but could guess what AJ
meant.

“Peek-a-boo,” Brooke said, jutting her chest
forward. She laughed, clapping in short spurts.

Yep. Definitely peaking. AJ’s lust chemistry
spiked into the wine. She definitely had given her too much. Too
much, too little. What did it matter if the guy who was supposed to
be ravaging the daylights out of Brooke, couldn’t be found in
time?

Millie raggedly sighed. “How much time are we
talking here, AJ?”

“Thirty maybe forty minutes,” AJ said. “If
she doesn’t at least see Elliott, get an endorphin reaction from
his presence, she could crash. Hard. Serotonin levels plummet.
Electrolyte issues might present.”

Brooke peek-a-booed once more then poked
Millie in the ribs. Thirty minutes? Could this get any worse? “What
if she doesn’t get an endorphin reaction?”

“She will.”

She will? Millie needed more than AJ’s
confidence on this one. “What if she doesn’t? What if I can’t get
Elliott to see her?”

“At the least, she’ll be in a state of
extreme arousal through most of tomorrow and have one hell of a
hangover to deal with.” Worry crept through his even tone. “She’ll
be sick, and… I’ll be on my way.”

Right. Good motivation. They had to get
Elliott to Brooke. Short of kidnapping….

“Hangover shmangover. You’re no fun,” Brooke
said and poked Millie again.

Millie forced her smile. “I know. No
fun.”

Brooke splayed her legs upward, running her
hands over them. “Ouch!”

“Be careful,” Millie scolded. “Your ankle
could be broken.”

“I know! I tripped over that box.” Brooke
inhaled, her legs coming down. “Millie, Elliott wrote me the most
awful letter. Do you know what he thinks?”

Millie set her mouth into the smile. Here it
came. “No. What?”

Brooke scowled petulantly. “He thinks I don’t
love him. He thinks you will change my mind about him.”

Guilt tore through her. “Well, you’ll see him
shortly. You can tell him I was wrong.”

“I’ll see him?” Brooke perked up. “Really,
really?”

“Yes, really.” She didn’t want to laugh, damn
it. “Brooke, I need you to understand something. I was wrong. I
thought you were still in love with Jason. I went to Elliott’s
today and said things I regret and now I’m trying to make things
right.” There. She’d said it. All of it. Sweet, amazing relief
sagged through her. “He loves you, Brooke.”

“I know. I mean, I think I know. Can you
believe it? He’s so young! And I don’t even care! But am I really
going to see him?” Brooke dragged her hands through her hair. “I
feel like I’ll just die if I don’t see him soon.”

Millie gave Brooke an awkward pat on the
shoulder. What else could she do? How exactly does one comfort a
sexed up, formerly repressed best friend who should be screaming at
her instead of writhing around the back seat of her stupid cupid’s
car?

Fortunately, the hospital came into view
before Millie had to find an answer. AJ pulled into the Emergency
bay’s drive and parked at the double doors. Brooke gave a tiny
yelp.

“I thought we were going to see Elliott.”

“We are,” Millie tried her most soothing
tone, but her fists clenched, making her feel all the worse. What
kind of friend was she? “Elliott is here, Brooke.”

Fear edged Brooke’s features. Her lower lip
trembled. “Why is he here? What happened to him? Did you do
something to him, too?”

Millie couldn’t contain her groan. She didn’t
know why Elliott was here. Just that he was. He was here. Gordon
was here. But with Brooke flashing from sex kitten to wounded puppy
too fast to keep up, she couldn’t exactly explain. “No, of course
not. He’s fine. I wouldn’t hurt him. Promise.” In truth, he could
very well be hurt. She’d been so consumed with saving Brooke, she
hadn’t thought to ask. Nausea pitched through her. “Brooke, let’s
just get your ankle looked at, find Elliott and the two of you can
live happily ever after. How does that sound? Good?”

Tears popped out of Brooke’s eyes. She sucked
in her lower lip and nodded, but something shone where more tears
waited. Distrust. Millie didn’t blame her one bit. The taste of
dread sat in the back of her mouth as well.

Don’t let this be yet another mistake. What
kind of black luck would that make? Yes, Millie’d screwed up, had
the wrong guy, tried to ruin the right one’s life, but come on
angels! This had to work now! Elliott being at the hospital the
same time Brooke had to go to one had to count as something, didn’t
it? She was out of options if it didn’t. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

Even if Millie lost AJ, let Brooke find love.
Let Elliott be the one. Please.

AJ opened the car door and helped ease Brooke
out. Millie followed, redialing Gordon on Brooke’s cell phone,
praying for a break.

“Hello?”

Recognizing the deep voice was not Gordon’s,
Millie struck. “Elliott? Please don’t hang up. It’s Millie. Brooke
is at the ER bay. She needs to see you as soon as humanly
possible.”

The double doors whooshed closed after AJ
aided a limping Brooke. “Elliott?” Silence. “Hello?” Another pang
of guilt jabbed Millie in the chest. A rustle sounded on the other
end of the phone, but no reply. “Please.”

“I’m here,” Elliott said, quietly. “Is Brooke
okay?”

“Well, not exactly. She twisted her ankle and
to make up for things, I sort of gave her a kind of love potion.”
Why was she telling him so much? “Long story short, if she doesn’t
see you in the next ten minutes or so, I’ve been assured things
could get really ugly.” Silence. “So, if you could come on down to
the ER and give her a quick little kiss, maybe a nice hug….” Maybe
find a place to have sex?

“Are you telling me you drugged her? You are
a piece of work. Am I supposed to believe that? No wait. Don’t
answer. Part of me believes you are capable of drugging your best
friend. What did you give her? Ecstasy?”

His censure was the least of her concerns and
Millie was just plain thrilled to have him talking. “I think it’s a
lot like ecstasy. But stronger. And I don’t care if you believe me
or not. All I care about is Brooke seeing you, as in physically
laying eyes and hands on your person, and fast.”

The line went dead. Millie gasped, staring at
the phone. She redialed. Voicemail. She almost threw the phone and
screeched at the top of her lungs. Shit! She could slap
someone—hard—right in the face. This went beyond injustice. This
was outright hell. She might deserve this. But Brooke didn’t.

An ambulance careened out of the nearby bay,
sirens screaming. Millie knew she should go in, locate Brooke and
AJ. Brooke could be getting worse. AJ shouldn’t have to handle
this. Her mistakes. Again. Her mess. Again. Would the hospital even
know how to treat Brooke? Would they think she was on drugs and
call the police?

Brooke’s or not, she gripped the phone tight,
aiming at the ground, then it rang. She gaped, frozen for a moment.
“Unknown number” appeared. Damn it! Elliott shouldn’t be calling.
He should be
arriving
, sword drawn to save his damsel in
distress.

“Hello?”

The ER bay double doors whooshed. “There you
are.”

Millie glanced up. AJ. He was calling. They
both hung up.

“Tell me she’s okay. Tell me Elliott found
her.” For a moment, Millie fought just to breathe.

“Not yet.” AJ’s eyes were stormy and
unreadable. “She’s asking for you.”

“I can’t. I have to find Elliott.” She
couldn’t face Brooke. Not yet.

Scrambling, she found the front desk, leaving
AJ and Brooke in the waiting area. She asked the receptionist for
room numbers. She began at Gordon’s name, went to Elliott’s, then
as a last ditch effort, Elliott’s brothers’ names.

No luck.

“Jovovich. What was the last one again?
James?” The woman peered up past her glasses expectantly.

No. James was Elliott’s dad. Unless…. “Yes,
James Jovovich. What room please?”

“315.”

Guilt welling, she left Brooke and AJ and
found the nearest elevator.

She imagined Elliott in some dimly lit
hallway, arms crossed, nostrils flaring like a bull’s. He would see
her coming and charge. She rounded a corner, spotted the room and
then him, doing nearly what she’d imagined. Only his arms weren’t
crossed, they were angled above his head.

Fear ground through her. What if Elliott
wouldn’t listen? What if he didn’t come to Brooke? She came to a
stop in front of him and braced herself. “I owe you a gigantic
apology.”

His arms fell to his sides. His gaze pierced
hers. “Yes. You do.”

“I’m sorry for threatening your career, for
assuming the wrong thing about you. I really can’t expect you to
forgive me. I wouldn’t if I were you. But I am begging you to
please, go to Brooke, anyway. She needs you right now. She loves
you and you belong together.” She dragged in a shaky breath. “Don’t
let my mistakes ruin what you could have with her.”

Elliott looked away. No matter what he
decided, Millie’s assignment was over. She would never see Brooke
again after tonight. Raw realization took hold of her. Millie
swallowed, willing herself not to cry. Not now, not here in front
of him.

“I told her what I did, how I threatened
you.” Once Brooke sobered the information would sink in. “I’ve lost
her. But, Elliott, you haven’t. You don’t have to.” What more could
she say to convince him. “I’m so sorry.”

“I can’t go to her.” Rage and hurt burned in
his eyes. “I think you should leave now.”

Millie’s mouth fell open. But nothing came
out. A sob choked back any possible words. Elliott left her.

Chapter Twenty-six

Elliott shut the hospital room door as softly
as he could. His pulse pounded. His heart ached. He motioned for
Gordon to go. His cousin stretched and stood, the green vinyl seat
behind him slowly returning to its previous shape.

“If you don’t need anything else,” Gordon
whispered. “I’d better take off. I have court tomorrow
morning.”

Clicks and beeps filled the quiet. His father
rested, tubes in his nose and arms. He would be okay. The nurses,
the doctors, they all said so. The guard outside didn’t seem wary
of an escape, but then earlier the heavily bearded, armed man had
seemed nearly as worried as Elliott and his brothers. One more year
inside and his dad could be paroled, if his health didn’t fail him
first.

“Alright. Thanks for coming, Gordon.” Elliott
took the chair, wincing as it squeaked under him. “If Millie calls
again….”

Elliott’s dad stirred a little in the bed.
Tubes hung from his arms, chest and nose.