Unexpected Encounter (Singleton) (2 page)

“Ohhh… That cold tone and look makes me so afraid.”

Although he said it, she didn’t buy it because of his mocking tone. Lila waited, holding him steady so he didn’t slide down.

“Can you, oh so strong, willowy woman, help this poor injured man up so he can regain his dignity by walking up the hill under his own steam.” He narrowed his eyes. “That’s the best you’re gonna get.”

Lila believed him and she shifted her hold then helped him. He didn’t say a word or make a pained sound, but she could see it hurt him by the clench of his jaw. It was then she saw the network of scars under his war paint on one side of his face. When he was on his feet, he let her go then took a step and wobbled. Lila went to catch him, but he pushed her hand away and righted himself then walked slowly upward holding onto his side. Lila matched him step for step.

“Stop hovering and grab the cat,” he growled.

“What cat—?” She stopped as she heard the meowing.

Lila glanced around then spotted a kitten cowering in the bush at the edge of the road.

“Never mind.” The man squatted down and sang softly.

Lila gaped, not sure what he was doing. The kitten slowly came toward them and when it was close, he put out his hand then waited. It came to him unhesitatingly, pressing against his fingers, purring.

“What are you, some kitty whisperer?” Lila couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Hardly. The kitten knows people and isn’t wild or it would have bolted. I’m just showing it kindness. I’m glad I didn’t hit her or him.” He scooped up the kitten then slowly rose. “That’s a lovely hair comb you have in your hair.”

“My hair comb.” She touched it then lowered her hand scowling. “We’re not gonna talk about my hair ornament. You can’t possibly want me to believe you noticed then swerved off the road to not hit the cat?” Lila asked.

“Believe what you want.” He rubbed long fingers along the head of the kitten softly. “Maybe I did have a death wish and decided to do an Evel Knievel and see if I could jump to the other road from here.”

Since the road in question was so far away, Lila didn’t believe him. She didn’t know what to make of the man. He was strange and somehow familiar, but she couldn’t place where she knew him from. The paint on his face made it difficult to identify him. Lila lowered her gaze, studying his frame for clues as to who he was. She paused to read his dark gold T-shirt, which had ‘
Ask
me. Come on, you know you want to’
written on it and there was a swirling design below. She lifted her gaze and the smile on the man’s face let her know he was waiting for her to ask.

“Nope. Not falling for asking.” Lila again went back to observing his muscular yet lanky frame.

His T-shirt stopped mid-thigh and he had on black jeans with sneakers. It gave her no clue as to who he was. She looked back at him and his eyebrow was lifted.

“Like what you see?”

She didn’t reply to that, instead said, “Let’s get up to the top. Help should be here any moment.”

He walked beside her. “Driscoll.”

“Huh?”

“My name is Driscoll, but people close to me call me Dris.”

“Oh… Lila,” she replied.

“Nice name. The meaning of it is night.” Driscoll studied her. “Fits you. When I think of night it always makes me think of something mysterious with many hidden facets.”

“Are you flirting with me? You just had an accident and hit your head.”

“Nope, not flirting, just having a conversation.” He lowered his lids. “If I was flirting, you’d know it.”

Lila opened her mouth then closed it—she wasn’t going to ask. She glanced at his shirt then at him and his lips twitched. They reached the top and Lila led the man to her Pilot.

“Take the cat.” The urgency in his tone made her do as he said without question.

“Tha—” His eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to his knees before falling to his side.

Lila tucked the kitten inside her shirt and prayed it didn’t scratch her. She knelt by him and patted his cheek.

“Driscoll.” She shifted him onto his back then leaned over him. “Driscoll!”

“God, let me die. Because your yelling at me is making my headache worse.” His gruff, raspy baritone again brought a tinge that she should know him.

“Fuck you.” She stroked his face, so relieved he was okay.

“I could say so many dirty things about you feeling me up while I’m too weak to reciprocate, but I’ll resist.” Driscoll opened his eyes. “But be warned, when I’m feeling better, look out.”

“Hush.” She kept stroking his face then lifted her fingers, frowning at the paint on them before shrugging and going back to touching him. “You talk too fucking much.”

“Do you always curse like a sailor?” Driscoll smiled. “Not that I mind. But coming from someone who looks like you do, it is interesting.”

“I don’t usually swear that much.” Lila scowled, because she had been. “I blame you. You bring it out in me. Why would it be interesting coming from someone who looks like me?”

“You have this innocent look to you.” Driscoll lifted his hand and touched the side of her cheek. “But in your eyes I see the mischief waiting to be unleashed.”

“Humph, innocent my ass. Don’t let this fool you.” She gestured to her face. “I’m far from innocent.”

“Do tell.”

“Nope.” She touched his cheek. “Are you nauseated?”

“A little.”

“You probably have a concussion,” Lila said.

“Are you a doctor?”

“Yes.” She didn’t clarify that she was a medical examiner. People tended to get squeamish when they found out what she did.

“My brother is a doctor.” Driscoll closed his eyes. “He’s gonna be hovering when he finds out I was in another car accident. At least this time no one will blame me.”

Lila frowned, not sure what he meant. “Explain.”

“I—” Driscoll passed out.

Lila checked his pulse and found it was still steady. She sat on the road beside him then a meow reminded her that the kitten was in her shirt. Taking it out, she lifted it and saw it was a tabby cat. It’d been so quiet and well behaved.

“I wonder if I should believe him that he was trying not to hit you.”

The kitten meowed then licked its lips. Lila pulled it close, petting it as she stared at the passed out man before her. The sound of sirens approaching made her rise. Lila greeted the first responders, knowing most of them although they weren’t from her precinct. From her work as Medical Examiner, she oversaw all the MEs throughout Singleton at all the precincts. When they had Driscoll strapped to the gurney, she left her keys with one of the officers then got in the back of the ambulance with him. She sat with the kitten in her lap as they headed to the hospital. Absently Lila listened as the driver and the one in the back with her conversed, but she didn’t really register what they said. She replayed what had transpired at the accident and after then, before she knew it, the doors to the back of the rig were opening. Lila got out and she smiled at the familiar face of the man coming toward her.

“Spencer.”

“Lila?” Spencer Jacobs stopped before her. “No one mentioned you were in an accident.”

“It wasn’t me. I witnessed it.” Lila stepped back as they pulled out the gurney. “D—”

“Dris,” Spencer said, shock then fear quickly coming over his face.

“For Christ sakes, get that look off your face,” Driscoll growled. “I’m not dying.”

Lila narrowed her eyes, again not having realized he was awake.

Driscoll lifted his hand. Spencer stepped to the gurney then gripped Dris’ hand and blew out a shaky breath.

“Okay.” Spencer cleared his throat. “You really need to stop getting into accidents.”

Lila edged closer at hearing that. Driscoll had mentioned that it wasn’t his first accident. Now it made her wonder if he had indeed been trying to kill himself by driving off the road.

“I’ll try my best. Get my cat from the lovely lady,” Driscoll said to Spencer before glancing at Lila. “We’ll be seeing each other again, soon.”

The promise in his voice made her warm. Lila handed over the kitten to Spencer then crossed her arms over her chest.

“Hopefully it won’t be with you driving off the road.”

“I hope not too.” Driscoll smiled.

The EMTs pushed Driscoll into the hospital. Spencer went to follow, but Lila grabbed his arm. He looked at her questioningly.

“He drove off the road deliberately,” Lila said in a soft tone. “He claimed it was because of trying to avoid hitting the kitten. But I’m not sure he wasn’t trying to kill himself. Since you know him, maybe you can find out the truth.”

Spencer stared at her then laughed hysterically. Lila frowned, not sure why he’d reacted like that.

Spencer wiped his eyes then shook his head. “Dris would never kill himself. And even if he was to try, he wouldn’t do it in a car.”

“He said something similar.” Lila tilted her head to the side, studying Spencer. “How would you even know what he would do? How do you know him?”

“I know him. Have all my life.” Spencer grinned. “He’s my brother. We’ll talk later. I need to go check on him and make some calls before people start finding out then all hell breaks loose.”

Shock filled Lila at his words. Spencer gently disentangled his arm from her grip then loped into the emergency room. She knew that Spencer had a brother and he’d said he’d introduce her. It had been supposed to happen over Thanksgiving, but at the last minute Lila had had to cancel, having had to cover for one of her employees whose wife had gone into labor early.

Lila followed behind him slowly then stopped just inside the emergency room. The bustling room had an organized chaos as the personnel went about their various jobs. She spotted Spencer coming from behind a closed curtain and he still had the kitten. Lila, knowing what she needed to do, made a call. As it rang, she made her way closer to the curtain Spencer had come from behind. She leaned against the wall near it.

“Hullo, Lila. Don’t tell me you are calling to cancel our plans for tomorrow,” her friend said.

“No, Aja, I need a favor.” She glanced at the curtain. “I’m downstairs in the emergency room. Can you come examine someone for me? I will fill you in when you get here.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in a few.” Aja disconnected the call.

Lila slid her phone into her pocket.

“Can you hang onto the kitten for Dris?” Spencer said to her right.

She glanced at him, nodding. “Sure.” She accepted the kitten and it snuggled into her, purring.

“I want to talk with you, but another emergency is coming in. Don’t leave before we catch up.”

“Okay.” Lila didn’t think he’d want to talk with her after Aja had proved what she thought—that his brother had indeed tried to hurt himself.

Spencer hurried away then out of the door again. Lila rested her head back on the wall, closing her eyes.

“Lila,” Aja called softly in a melodious voice.

She opened her eyes and smiled at one of her best friends. “Aja, thanks for coming.”

“Of course.” Doctor Aja Baker touched her on the shoulder. “What happened?”

Lila quickly explained about the accident and the pertinent parts of the conversation with Driscoll then what she suspected, as well as Spencer being his brother.

“So you think he’s a danger to himself. And Spencer won’t see it since he is his brother.” Aja had experienced the same thing many times in her profession as a psychologist. She shrugged. “It’s something I’ve seen many times before. Let me have a talk with him.”

“Thanks,” Lila said. “Oh, this is the kitten he said he was swerving to avoid.”

“I’m surprised they let you bring it here,” Aja said.

Lila frowned—she was right. No one had questioned the kitten and Spencer had been carrying it around.

“Let me take it with me. Possibly as a way to get him comfortable.”

She gave the kitten to Aja, who disappeared behind the curtain. Lila moved a little distance away, not wanting to overhear anything private they might discuss. She leaned again then waited. The sound of laughter made her straighten and frown, since she recognized it as Aja and it came from behind the curtain. When it subsided, she resumed her place, glancing at the curtain as every so often more laughter came. Lila wondered what he was telling her. She knew that Driscoll wouldn’t be able to fool Aja if he did need help and was hiding it. At the sound of the curtain opening, Lila straightened and waited for Aja. The smile on her face made Lila curious to find out what had happened in there.

Aja put one shoulder against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. There was a grin on her face.

“What happened?”

“I’m surprised you were able to think coherently when you saw him.”

“Who? Driscoll? Why?” Lila waited for her to answer. When the silence lengthened she poked at her shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You.” Aja laughed. “I can’t believe you didn’t recognize him.”

“He looked familiar but had paint all over his face and feathers in his hair.” Lila frowned. “I don’t care who he is. Did you find out if he needs help? Did he drive off the road to hurt himself?”