Wickingham Way (A Harbour Falls Mystery #3) (13 page)

Chapter Sixteen

W
as I dead?

Maybe, as I no longer felt any pain.

In fact, I felt nothing, nothing at all. No, check that, I was experiencing a kind of floating feeling. And I could obviously hear my own thoughts. But there seemed to be nothing else.

But, then…oh, wait.

I heard Adam calling my name. It sounded as if it was from afar at first, but then the voice grew louder. Adam sounded panicked, more upset than I’d ever heard him.

I tried to reply, but I couldn’t find my own voice to answer. Perhaps worse than having no voice, though, was having no sense of sight.

I tried to open my eyes to see what was going on, but nothing happened. I couldn’t even feel my eyelids. I felt nothing.

And then the strangest thing occurred…

Suddenly, it was as if every sense was not only returned to me, but that each one was significantly heightened.

It all started with my hearing.

Adam’s plea of, “Hang on, Maddy,” was not just a whisper at my ear. It was a resonating roar in my head. An ambulance siren wailed in the distance.
So loud,
I thought.

And then a car pulled up close to where I lay, the engine idled. Someone got out, and the door slammed shut. I heard a man’s voice; he asked Adam a few questions.

Wait
.

I knew that voice; it belonged to Stowe. So Stowe was here. But then he was gone again. Like, in the space of a heartbeat. Speaking of which, my heart, though faint and slow, was pumping.

Not dead yet,
I concluded.

Despite my sluggish heartbeats, my hearing remained acute, as did my other senses, most noticeably taste and smell.

I tasted blood in my mouth, coppery and thick. I smelled pavement and car exhaust. I tasted heartache that I might be leaving Adam. I tasted regret. But I also smelled Adam—spicy, masculine—and that soothed me.

Maybe I did have a chance. Maybe I’d make it.

I felt Adam touch me, and in my head, I breathed out, “I love you, Adam.”

“I love you, Maddy,” I heard him say back. “Hang in there, baby.”

Maybe I
had
said my words out loud? Why else would he reply?

I choked up. Not in reality, but in my mind.

And then I gasped in horror, because my sight was suddenly returned to me. And what I saw disturbed me.

I wasn’t looking up at Adam, as I should have been from my vantage point on the ground. No, I was looking
down
on the scene as Adam remained bent over my prone body.

And that could mean only one thing: I had died.

*

I wasn’t dead, of course. But I was seriously injured, hallucinating as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

One thing I knew for certain, though, was that I was still lying on the street. But then I felt something being slipped beneath me, a hard slab, a stretcher, no doubt. I was shifted and secured, and then lifted up and into an ambulance to be transported to the hospital.

Adam was at my side as two paramedics spoke in low voices as they worked on me. I felt Adam’s hand wrap around mine, warm and comforting. He asked one of the paramedics how I was doing.

“She has a fairly serious head injury, sir,” one paramedic replied.

“And a fractured shoulder,’ the other paramedic said, “numerous cuts and abrasions, too. But it’s the head injury that we’re most concerned with.”

That doesn’t sound good
, I thought as I drifted back to a state of unconsciousness.

I awoke some time later, groggy and in pain. Although my lids felt thick and heavy, I was able to open my eyes.

I was in a hospital room, and Adam was in a chair next to my bed.

I shifted, but the pain was so bad I couldn’t help but cry out.

Adam was up and leaning over me in an instant. “Maddy, Maddy, don’t move, okay?”

“Everything hurts so much,” I whimpered.

Adam touched my cheek lightly, and I said, “Well, that doesn’t hurt.”

“I know you’re in pain, Maddy,” Adam replied. “But the doctors won’t give you any pain meds until they get your CT scan results back. They need to make certain there’s no swelling of the brain.”

I tried to nod, but even that action caused discomfort.

“You should rest,” Adam said softly.

But I had to know something first. “Who hit me? Was it Ruslan? He was the person driving the car with the tinted windows, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, Maddy, it was Ruslan who hit you.” Adam lowered his voice and added, “But you don’t have to worry about him anymore. None of us do.”

I searched Adam’s eyes. “He’s dead?” I whispered.

Adam nodded slowly.

“Did you…”

“No,” he said, eliciting from me a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

I was glad Adam had not killed Ruslan.

I remembered hearing Stowe’s voice at the scene, so I ventured, “So, Stowe…”

Even though I trailed off, leaving my question unfinished, Adam knew what I was asking. And he replied, “Yes, Maddy. Stowe took care of Ruslan.”

“What happened?”

I didn’t want blow-by-blow details, but I was curious as to how everything had gone down.

Adam blew out a breath. “I was with you in the ambulance, so this is just what I’ve been told thus far.” He paused, shooting me a worried look.

“Go on,” I said.

“Ruslan wrecked a few streets away after he ran you down. I thought I heard a crash—that’s what I told Stowe when he stopped—but I wasn’t sure exactly where the accident had occurred. I was too worried about you at that point. I didn’t care about fucking Ruslan and his whereabouts.” Adam sighed. “Didn’t matter, though… Stowe found him.”

Adam didn’t have to say anything more.

Stowe had found and killed our tormentor. And being the consummate professional that he was, I was sure Stowe had disposed of all the evidence. Surely, once Stowe was finished, it would be as if Ruslan had never existed.

“So, it’s all over, then?” I asked Adam.

“Yeah, Maddy, it’s over. We’re safe now.”

I couldn’t help it; I began to cry. The weight lifting from my shoulders felt enormous. It seemed that at no time in my relationship with Adam had I ever felt truly safe. There was always something going on—always. Whether it was my fearing that Adam himself might turn out to be dangerous—like during the Harbour Falls Mystery—or the many other dangers I’d faced, there was always something to be dealt with. And true, I’d craved that brand of danger for so long. But now that I’d been touched by it—coming close to death, even—I was ready for more tranquil times.

Adam gathered me to him as best as he could without hurting me. “Maddy, Maddy…don’t cry, sweetheart.”

I tried to rein in my tears, but I needed to know one more thing. “Are all the secret and dangerous jobs done, Adam?” I choked out. “Can you promise me you’ll just work with boring, safe clients from now on?”

Adam leaned back. “Boring and safe?” He chuckled. “Now where would the fun be in that?”

He was teasing, trying to get me to laugh, but I needed his word. “It’s not funny, Adam. Please, promise me. I’m serious.”

Adam’s eyes were so blue, so clear. The burden had been lifted from him as well. “I promise, Maddy,” he quietly vowed. “No more projects like Wickingham Way.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, relieved.

With relief came tiredness. I was suddenly very sleepy. I knew trouble of some sort would probably always follow Adam. He was just too powerful of a man to live a life completely free from danger. But the prospect of just a tiny bit of danger I could live with. I expected it might even help keep things fresh and interesting.

So, yeah, I concluded life with Adam would never be boring. But at least with his promise, being around him would never again turn out to be potentially deadly.

Chapter Seventeen

M
y CT scans came back normal, and I was released from the hospital a few days later.

I had been very lucky, the doctors informed me. I was covered in bruises and had to wear a sling for my injured shoulder, but otherwise I was fine and I’d heal completely.

Adam picked me up at the hospital the afternoon I was released and drove me back to my Harbour Falls rental. He was unusually quiet, and when I asked him why, he gave me no good explanation.

A quiet Adam usually meant he was up to something. And sure enough, when I walked into the house I was greeted with a raucous chorus of, “Surprise!”

“Maddy, welcome home,” my dad said when things quieted down. He was smiling as he stood by the living room doorway.

“Oh my goodness,” I breathed out.

I was frozen in the entry area, truly surprised by our gathered friends and family.

Adam remained close behind me, his hand protectively situated at the small of my back. “Surprise party,” he whispered as he leaned in. “In case you haven’t figured it out,” he added with a chuckle.

My father had tears in his eyes as he stepped forward and gave me a careful half-hug. Nate and Helena were behind my dad, smiling.

“You’re back from the safe house,” I said to our friends when my dad stepped off to the side. “This is great!”

Helena rushed to me and hugged me as carefully as my father had. Everyone was being so cautious with me, I feel like I was made of glass. But I appreciated their concern. It was cute, especially Adam’s frown when Helena paid no heeds to his protests and insisted on being the one to help me to the living room sofa.

“Who else is here?” I asked as I sank down onto the floral-patterned cushions.

“Stowe and Erin are in the kitchen, and Max is supposed to stop by later,” Helena replied.

“How is Max?” I asked.

“He’s great, just about fully healed.”

Glancing around, I asked, “So, Stowe and Erin are in the…kitchen?”

I wasn’t sure if I’d heard Helena correctly before, but I supposed I had since she confirmed, “Yep, in the kitchen. They’ve been preparing food all morning.”

“You’re kidding.” I arched an eyebrow.

It was hard to imagine two assassins slaving away in the kitchen.

I started to laugh, and Helena said, “I know, right?”

We quieted, though, when Stowe, at that exact second, walked into the living room.

Stowe was dutifully carrying trays of fried chicken and baked beans, while Erin trailed behind. Her expression was nothing short of serious as she cradled various cold salads in her arms.

Once they noticed me on the sofa, and after setting the trays down on a long buffet table under the window, Stowe and Erin each took turns giving me hugs and welcoming me home.

“You don’t have to do that,” I said to Erin when she went back over to the table and began to prepare me a plate of food.

“Maddy, hush.” Erin waved her free hand my way. “This may be the only time I ever wait on you like this, so enjoy it.”

Probably true, since Erin didn’t strike me as the hostess type. But I had to say she and Stowe seemed to be reveling in the host and hostess roles today.

I gladly accepted the plate, which was overflowing with food, when Erin passed it to Stowe, who then handed it to me.

“There’s cake, too, Maddy,” Stowe said as he turned back toward the kitchen. “I’ll go grab it now. Erin did most of the work, but I did help with the frosting.”

Erin laughed and then tried to cover it up with a cough when Stowe appeared miffed.

Oh goodness.
I smiled at the thought of assassin-Stowe frosting a cake.

Apparently done with waitressing duties, Erin sat down next to me on the sofa. Helena, seated at my other side, nodded to her.

I glanced up at Adam, who was leaning against the doorjamb, taking it all in. He smiled, and mouthed, “Welcome home.”

I knew Adam had a hand in the surprise party, so I mouthed back, “Thank you.”

My dad and Nate, who’d just finished loading up their own plates with piles of food, gestured for Adam to follow them into the dining room as they walked past him. Adam shot me a final smile, then turned away and left with Dad and Nate.

Two seconds later, Stowe returned from the kitchen carrying the cake he’d help frost. After plopping it down on the coffee table—there was no more room on the buffet—Stowe excused himself and left to join the guys in the dining room.

“Guess they’ve had enough of us,” I joked, motioning toward the departing Stowe with my uninjured arm.

“Good,” Helena said as she bit into a piece of chicken. “More time for girl talk,” she added between more bites.

After all I’d been through, some lighthearted girl talk sounded good to me.

I began to cut a piece of the haphazardly frosted cake Stowe had placed on the table. But when I had a little trouble, Erin once again pitched in.

“Maddy,” she said as she cut a piece of cake and plated it. “You should have seen Stowe helping me prepare all of this. Oh my God, it was comical, especially when it was time to frost the cake.”

Despite the less-than-stellar frosting job, Helena eyed the piece of cake Erin had cut as she set it down in front of me.

“Oh my God, chocolate-on-chocolate,” Helena gushed. “I absolutely have to have some.”

“Someone sure is hungry,” I teased as Helena leaned over and cut a very large piece of cake for herself.

Helena licked at the chocolate frosting she’d gotten on her fingers. “I’m eating for two, Miss Maddy. Need I remind you?”

“Good point,” I replied.

Erin’s eyebrows rose as she directed her attention to Helena. “What? You’re pregnant?”

I’d forgotten that Erin hadn’t yet been told the good news. The day she’d walked in on us in the kitchen, after Helena had shared her happy news with me, the subject had been changed. And Helena wasn’t showing much at all, so her condition wasn’t blatantly obvious.

“Yep, I’m knocked up,” Helena confirmed, smiling. “Almost three months.”

I could tell it thrilled Helena to say those words. Adam had told me in confidence that Helena and Nate had tried for years to have children, but to no avail. They’d given up long ago, thinking it just wasn’t meant to be. And now… Well, I knew this baby meant the world to both of them.

“You look fantastic,” Erin said. “Any morning sickness?”

“A little at first, but, at the time, I thought I was just under the weather.”

I thought back to the day Helena had accompanied me to Willow Point, to when her stepfather had held us hostage in the old asylum basement. “Oh God, Helena, you were pregnant
then
?”

She knew I was referring to Willow Point, and she nodded solemnly. “I was, but I didn’t know until a week or so later.”

I shuddered, thinking of how close to harm we’d both come. And an unborn baby had been at risk as well. “Thank God Stowe got there when he did,” I said.

Helena quietly agreed.

I wasn’t sure if Erin knew all the details of the Willow Point incident, but when I asked her if she did, she said Stowe had filled her in on everything that had happened.

“That’s right,” I said. “Stowe was working with you even then, right?”

“He was.” Erin sighed. “And Maddy, I have to apologize again. I still feel bad for keeping so many things from Adam back then.”

I assured her that Adam had long ago forgiven her. Besides, Agent Lenehan had only been complying with government orders. It wasn’t like she had left Adam out of the loop for kicks.

“Everything worked out all right, anyway,” I added.

“Yeah,” Helena chimed in, “and you ended up with Stowe. How crazy is that?”

Erin nodded, her cheeks reddening a touch.

Helena must have noticed. She slyly stated, “Speaking of Stowe… You never did tell us what he’s into. You know, like sexually.”

Erin’s face grew as red as the highlights in her hair.

“Helena!” I kicked my friend’s foot. “That’s none of our business.”

“We talked about it before,” Helena protested.

“It’s okay,” Erin interjected. “I’m not going to go into specific details or anything, but I will say Stowe is very, uh, adventurous.”

“Adventurous in what way? Role playing, bondage?”

My eyes widened as I turned to Helena, shocked at her forwardness. Not to mention the fact she’d even thrown out those terms.

Role playing? Bondage?

“Something you’d like to share?” I asked Helena. “Does Nate have a secret kinky side?”

Helena shook her head and sighed wistfully. “No, not really, though I sometimes wish he did. I do read a lot, you know, so I’m well-aware of those things. And I have to say some of them sound fun.”

“They are,” Erin murmured dreamily.

Helena and I both turned to Erin, wide-eyed and ready to hear the dirt.

But Erin never had a chance to divulge Stowe’s kinky proclivities. Nate yelled from the dining room for Helena and the whole conversation was interrupted.

“I swear, that man,” Helena griped as she stood. “He has the worst timing.”

“We’ll continue this when you get back,” Erin promised.

However, once Helena was out of the room, my discussion with Erin turned to something more serious—the Wickingham Way project.

“So, it’s really all over,” I quietly inquired. “Ruslan is definitely dead.”

“He’s definitely dead, Maddy,” Erin assured me.

“Since everything’s over,” I continued, “I’m guessing you and Stowe will be leaving Harbour Falls soon.”

Erin sighed. “Yeah, pretty soon.”

I’d grown to like Agent Lenehan, and it saddened me to think she was leaving so soon. Hell, I’d even miss Stowe Hannigan. After all, he’d been a friend all along, even when I hadn’t thought so.

“Where will you and Stowe live?” I asked.

“Boston.”

That made perfect sense. Erin lived in Boston already, and now that Stowe was no longer part of the defunct criminal organization in Florida, he had no real home.

Since Adam’s sister’s wedding was coming up in another month, I threw out, “Maybe Adam and I can visit you and Stowe when we come down for Trina and Walker’s wedding in May.”

“That’d be nice,” Erin replied, smiling.

At that point, Helena returned, as did the guys. Sadly, our kinky sex talk had to be tabled for another day. But maybe that was for the best, as Erin didn’t seem entirely comfortable divulging Stowe’s kinky side. And she’d been interrupted twice, so maybe her telling us the details wasn’t meant to be. I made a decision to squelch my curiosity. Hell, I guessed I was finally learning to accept that I didn’t need to know everything about everyone. What a change for me from the autumn.

As the day wore into evening, everyone sat around, talking and laughing. It was good to have our friends gathered. Max showed up at seven, apologizing for having taken so long to arrive on the mainland.

“Sorry, I got tied up with those renovations,” I overheard him say to Adam.

The lighthouse,
I thought.

So much was changing. Renovations on the island, the Wickingham Way project coming to a close, Stowe and Erin leaving town, and last but not least, Helena and Nate expecting their first child.

And then there was me and Adam…

I knew we’d be heading back over to Fade Island soon, as the lease was up on the Victorian in two weeks. Mrs. Heider would be returning from Florida and reclaiming her property.

But that was fine with me. I was ready to return to the island, ready to move forward with Adam. After all, he still hadn’t proposed.

But I had a strong feeling that he was going to ask me to marry him very, very soon.