Second Chance (39 page)

There were things to be done, issues that had to be addressed. The doctors had said Hailey was fine physically, but they had urged her to make sure she received a thorough exam from her pediatrician. And the child psychologist would want to see her as well.

Once she was assured that Hailey was indeed fine, she would turn her attention to finding Cole and making sure he knew that she wanted to be a part of his life if he still wanted her.

She refused to allow herself to believe he didn’t. That would be a final break to her heart. One she would never recover from.

   Jenna looked out the window as Hannah played in the backyard. Her heart broke for the little girl who would soon lose her mother. It would be a devastating blow to her and to little Hailey … especially after what they’d gone through already this year.

She had no choice, though. It was time for it to end. She couldn’t put up with the inequality any longer. After years of being in the shadows, always receiving Keeley’s leavings, it was time for her to step up and take her rightful place.

She had hoped to avoid this. Had hoped Keeley would see how much she needed her friend. See how important Jenna was to her survival, to her happiness.

Jenna’s importance had always been predicated on what Keeley wanted and needed. And had Keeley appreciated that? Had she been grateful for the things Jenna had done for her, allowed her to have? Of course not. She had taken and taken until Jenna didn’t have anything left to give.

None of this had turned out the way it was supposed to. Keeley should have turned to Jenna for comfort and
strength. Taking her kids hadn’t created the emotionally needy Keeley that Jenna had expected. Instead, she had become self-sufficient and stronger. That emotional support Jenna had been primed to offer her friend had never really been needed.

And now, it had come full circle, but was so much worse than before. Keeley not only had both of her children back, she’d also fallen in love. Why was it that everything always worked out for Keeley? It was so damn unfair. And it had to stop.

It hurt Jenna deeply; she couldn’t deny that. She loved Keeley and would miss her tremendously. Hailey and Hannah would need her to stay strong for them. They were her daughters now. She would take care of them, mother and nurture them. She’d never allow something to happen to them the way Keeley had. She would be a good mother.

The townspeople would praise her for taking in two orphan girls. They’d tell their friends when she passed by, “Oh, that’s Jenna Banks, she took in Keeley Fairchild’s children after Keeley suddenly disappeared. She didn’t have to, you know … but that’s just the kind of person Jenna is.” People were finally going to realize how special she was. So much more special than Keeley.

The newspaper would run an article on her. Maybe the television stations would come and interview her the way they had Keeley when the girls first disappeared. Everyone would admire Jenna for her self-sacrifice and her loyalty to her missing-and-presumed-dead friend.

And then there was Cole. He had always been nice to her, always seemed interested in what she had to say. With Keeley out of the way, he would be able to see how special Jenna was. How much better she was for him than Keeley.

Which proved the point: life might not turn out the
way one plans, but sometimes, if one works very very hard, it can turn out even better.

Cole stared down at the notes he’d just scribbled. He’d gotten in last night and hadn’t been able to sleep. Knowing Keeley now had her children home with her should have given him the peace he’d searched for. For some reason, that feeling had only been temporary. Something was ripping at his insides. Wesley Tuttle was dead. There was no longer a threat to Keeley or her children. So why the hell did worry keep hammering at his brain? Something had been bothering him and he couldn’t get a grasp on what it was.

As soon as he walked in the door of his home, he grabbed a soda from the fridge and started writing. In his previous life, before LCR, he used to work out problems this way. He remembered that Jill used to tease him about his method.

He still missed her … would always miss her. She’d been a beautiful, special person. Had been a part of his life since he was a little boy, and he’d planned to spend the rest of his life with her. But that hadn’t been possible, and though a piece of his heart would never heal from her death, he knew she would want him to move on and be happy again. That happiness would only come with Keeley.

Whether she would give him another chance, he didn’t know. He would give her and her daughters a chance to bond again, and then he would go back and see if there could be a future for them.

He let his pen move across the paper without any plan on what he would write. And suddenly he wrote Jenna’s name. Snatches of conversation he’d had with Keeley
over the past few months passed through his mind; Cole jotted them down.

“Jenna and I used to run together. After her knee injury, she couldn’t run anymore. Her mother broke her kneecap. She wore a brace for years. By the time she could afford surgery, it was too late, the damage had been done.”

“Jenna knew about Stephen’s affairs and didn’t tell me.”

“Running has always been my panacea. Whenever I was at my lowest point, I could run and everything seemed just a little bit better. It made me happy.”

“I stopped competing in track because my mom died when I was running a race. Jenna was with her. I came home with a first-place medal and no mother.”

“Jenna’s always been there for me. At the most devastating times of my life, she’s been right at my side. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”

Cole shot out of his chair.

Jenna!

   Keeley pulled her car up in front of Jenna’s house. For some reason, her friend had decided to bring Hannah here. Which actually worked out better for everyone.

She had called Miranda and asked her to take care of Hailey while she picked up Hannah from Jenna’s. She wanted to tell Hannah that her sister was safe before she brought them together again. One psychologist had suggested that the shock of seeing each other so suddenly might have a negative effect and bring back memories they weren’t ready to deal with yet.

Twisting the doorknob, she was surprised when the door opened as if it hadn’t been closed all the way. Sticking her head in, she called out, “Jenna? Hannah?”

No answer.

Keeley went from room to room, puzzled at first and then becoming increasingly concerned. Every room was
pristine, organized and beautifully decorated. But still no Hannah or Jenna. That was odd. Jenna knew she was coming. She’d called her less than an hour ago and told her she was coming by to pick Hannah up. Where could they be?

On the second-floor landing, Keeley heard a soft sound from below. Running down the stairs, she called again, “Jenna?”

“In here.”

Keeley ran down the hallway. As she pushed the door open to the kitchen, shock jerked her to a stop. Jenna stood at the center of the kitchen behind the butcher-block counter. Hannah lay on the counter, her eyes closed. What chilled Keeley to the bone was the knife Jenna held against Hannah’s throat.

“My God, Jenna. What are you doing?”

Jenna’s brown eyes glittered with hatred as a sick smile spread across her face. “What I should have done years ago. You never deserved the good things that happened to you, Keeley. You never appreciated them. You gave me up … lived without me … did things without me.

“Every time I let you have something, you took it and never thanked me.” Tears filled her eyes and she wiped them away with the back of her hand, all the while keeping the knife at Hannah’s throat. “You even ran away and got married. You called me before you left, but it wasn’t the same. I didn’t get to be your maid of honor like we’d always planned.”

Keeley could barely register Jenna’s crazy words. All she could concentrate on was the butcher knife pressed against her daughter’s tender neck.

“Jenna, whatever I’ve done to you, however I’ve hurt you, I’m sorry. But don’t hurt Hannah because you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you, Keeley. I love you. You’re my best friend.”

“Then if we’re best friends, we should be able to talk things over.” She took a step forward. “Let’s sit down and talk it out.”

“Oh, we’ll do plenty of talking, and if you move any closer, your darling Hannah is going to bleed all over my nice clean kitchen. She’s asleep right now … she’ll just never wake up. Is that what you want?”

“No! Please … tell me what you want me to do.”

“I want you to drink from that cup on the counter in front of you.”

Keeley’s eyes darted to the cup at the edge of the counter and then back to the horrifying scene before her. “Why?”

“Because I said so, Keeley. From now on, I tell you what to do. You’ve had your way for too long. Now it’s my turn.”

“What’s in the cup?”

“Not poison, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

Keeley took a breath to steady herself. This was a woman she’d known most of her life. Had shared every secret and every sorrow with. That couldn’t have been a lie. Somewhere inside the crazed woman staring at her was still the young girl she’d giggled with and told all her secrets to.

Keeley placed her hands in front of her. They were shaking so badly, she didn’t know if she could hide what she was doing, but she had no choice. The watch Cole had given her and made her promise never to take off might be her only hope. Crossing one hand in front of the other, Keeley pressed the button Cole had showed her would reach him immediately. The button next to it was the mute button. If Jenna heard Cole answer, there was no telling what she might do.

She couldn’t hear him answer; she could only hope he would hear her.

Keeley raised her hands and walked slowly toward
her in a nonthreatening way. “Jenna, please listen to me. Whatever I’ve done to you, please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt Hannah.”

“I won’t as long as you do what I tell you to do. Now, drink what’s in the cup.”

“I—” Keeley choked back a cry when Jenna seemed to press the knife harder against Hannah’s neck.

“Don’t make me have to do it, Keeley. If I kill her, it’s your fault.”

Keeley picked up the cup in front of her. It was filled with a dark liquid. “If I do this, what happens to Hannah?”

“I’ll make sure she’s okay, her and Hailey. I love them, Keeley … just like they were my very own. That’s why I had two good families all picked out for them. They would have been happy … well cared for. Instead the bastard sold them to buyers who could pay more money. He didn’t die soon enough for me.”

Fury replaced the shock. “You hired Wesley to take them, didn’t you? And you killed him?”

She laughed. “Finally, after all this time, you figured it out. You know, you’re not nearly as smart as people think you are.”

“But why?”

“Drink!”

Her hands shaking, knowing she had no choice but to do what Jenna said if she wanted to keep Hannah safe, Keeley put the glass to her mouth.

“All of it, Keeley. If I see even a little remaining, I’ll cut one of Hannah’s ears off.”

Keeley took a sip, surprised it was her favorite herbal tea. It was tepid and she finished it quickly. Whatever had been in the drink would most likely disorient her soon. Could she get to Hannah before she passed out?

She set the glass down and took a step toward Jenna. The room wavered in front of her. Whatever had been
in the drink was faster acting than she anticipated. She blinked again and forced her eyes to focus enough to see that Jenna had moved away from Hannah and was no longer holding the knife to her neck.

Her vision tunneling toward darkness, Keeley flew across the room in the direction she thought Jenna was. Before she reached her, pain slammed into her head and she dropped to the floor.

Keeley woke to ink-black darkness. Her mind tried to comprehend where she was … what had happened. In a flash, she saw Jenna’s face, saw the knife pressed against Hannah’s throat. Dear God, it had been Jenna all along.

Where was Hannah? Had Jenna hurt her?

She tried to lift her head. Couldn’t move. And not only was her entire body frozen, she was enclosed in something. Her shoulders touched the sides of something. Where was she?

Was anyone here? She willed her mouth to open. Oh God, it was as frozen as the rest of her body. She screamed through her barely opened lips. The sound, eerie and inhuman, bounced off the walls of whatever held her.

An awful thought came to her, followed immediately by a flood of mind-numbing panic.
No … it couldn’t be
. Despite the silent scream of denial roaring through her head, Keeley knew she had to face the truth. She was inside a coffin.

Sheer terror gave her the impetus to lift her pounding head. When she did, she butted up against the satin lining, confirming the fear. Her heart felt as though it would explode from her chest. Breath panted from her; a roar in her ears told her she was going to pass out.

Stop it, Keeley. You can’t panic. You have two little girls depending upon you to be strong. Depending upon you to survive
.

The panic within her subsided. She had just gotten her children back; damned if she’d allow herself to be defeated like this.

Cole
.

Before she drank the liquid, she’d pressed the tiny button on the watch. Had she been able to reach him? She refused to believe she hadn’t gotten through. He’d said the phone could reach him anywhere. Was he still in Thailand? If so, he wouldn’t be able to reach her in time. But someone could. He was her only hope.

Concentrating as hard as she could, she willed her hand to move. Almost crying from the strain, she managed to raise her wrist. Jenna didn’t know about the watch. Cole had made her promise to tell no one. Her hand was stiff and uncooperative as her fingers crawled slowly across her stomach until she reached her other arm. She searched, feeling for her wrist. Yes, there was her watch. Her fingers stretched and felt around until they reached the tiny button. Now she could only hope. She held her breath. Praying he was there, Keeley forced her mouth open to speak.