Zenith Rising
Zenith Rising
By
Leanne Davis
The Zenith Trilogy, Book 2
Copyright
Zenith Rising
By Leanne Davis
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2014 Leanne Davis
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,
and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events,
locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used
or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission
of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information:
mailto:[email protected]
Publishing History First Edition, 2014 Digital
Digital ISBN 9781311120359
The Zenith Trilogy, Book 2
Edited by Teri at The Editing Fairy
Cover Design by Steven Novak
Table of Contents
Dedication
To Julie Crosby
For all the fun times we had together growing up. For
all the years you let me follow you around and copy-cat you. I miss
you and wish you were closer in distance… but always can count on
when we do get to see each other it feels like our conversations
start right back up where they left off.
Acknowledgment
To Teri (theeditingfairy.com) for all your amazing
work on my novels. You are so talented and I value your eagle-eye
and input so much. Thank you!!
Other Titles by Leanne
Davis
The Seaclusion Series published through The Wild Rose
Press
Poison
Notorious
Due out in 2014
Secrets
Seclusion
Sister Series:
The Other Sister
The Good Sister
Due out in 2014
The Best Friend
The Zenith Trilogy
Zenith Falling (Book #1)
Zenith Rising (Book #2)
Zenith Fulfilled (Book #3)
Chapter One
Dr. Erica Heathersby walked down the hallway,
her black shoes squeaking on the vinyl floor. She stopped before
the hospital room door, and knocked before she stepped inside.
There were half a dozen people crowded in there, smiling, laughing,
chatting, all before her patient’s bed.
“Thank God, you’re here.”
Erica smiled at Joelle Lassiter’s strained
voice. Her relief to have reinforcements against her husband’s four
sisters, and numerous nieces was evident. Erica stepped towards her
bed.
“Let’s see how you’re doing.”
Erica checked Joelle and updated Joelle’s
chart. Everything was right on track. She came to the side of
Joelle’s bed, picked up her hand and squeezed it, as her friend
then, not just her doctor.
“The nurse paged me. She said things were
getting close. I agree.”
Joelle looked into Erica’s eyes, the strain,
the pain, and the panic were clear. Erica gently squeezed her hand
again. “Things look good. I’ll be here from now on out. You can
trust me.”
“Are things really okay?”
Erica turned. Behind her stood Nick Lassiter,
Joelle’s husband, and Erica’s former boyfriend. Not so long ago,
they were dating, before Nick met Joelle. After seeing Nick with
Joelle, however, Erica dumped Nick because there was no denying
what she witnessed: Nick was in love with Joelle. They managed to
remain friends because Erica and Joelle took to each other like
long lost sisters.
Nick was a well known, wealthy and powerful
CEO of his own corporation, while Joelle was married to a
struggling rock star when they met. Eventually, she left her
alcoholic, struggling musician husband and found her way to Nick.
Now they’d been married for almost two years, and Joelle was in
labor with their first child. A child Erica intended to
deliver.
“I’m sure. Things look great. Let’s check how
much progress you’ve made.”
Erica easily switched into doctor mode.
Straightening up, she waited patiently as the chatting sisters
hugged and kissed Nick before they left. Nick barely noticed them.
He was white and scared as he kept staring helplessly at Joelle.
She was as small a new mother as Erica had ever dealt with. At less
than five feet tall, even at nine months pregnant, she barely took
up half the width or length of the bed.
Erica slipped on gloves with a snap at her
wrists.
“Now you’re going to feel some pressure as I
check your dilation,” Erica said, before she examined Joelle. Nick
gripped Joelle’s hand. Joelle hardly moved, never so much as
whimpered, even as a contraction tightened her stomach. Erica felt
the tightening, and nodded. Things were progressing swiftly, but
not there yet.
“You’re at three. Are you ready for an
epidural?”
Joelle nodded, her eyes brightening at the
suggestion. Erica smiled. She got that response a lot. She stood
up, taking her gloves off.
There was a knock at the door. Nick went to
open it, and was shaking a man’s hand as he entered. Erica turned
toward Joelle’s chart to add an update, while ignoring the visitor
entering the room. Nick knew a lot of people, and also had a huge
family.
Erica finally noticed the visitor with a
start. He was bending over, kissing Joelle on the cheek. After
straightening to his considerable height, several inches over
Erica’s own five-foot nine, she saw he had broad shoulders that
tapered down to a slim waist, with straight, black hair, that fell
over his low brow, and accentuated the deep, darkness of his
chocolate brown eyes. His skin was a warm brown; he was at least
part Latino. He had a strong nose, wide mouth, and prominent,
deeply cut cheekbones. Erica’s mouth dropped open. She had to
consciously shut it. The guy was seriously hot. Erica looked down
quickly before he noticed her staring at him. He was young,
smoldering, and very hot. All of which were not her type. Still,
who could blame her for looking?
Mild curiosity sparked in Erica. Who was he?
She knew most of Nick’s family and associates from having dated him
for over a year. Joelle hardly ever had anyone come visit her. Her
family was out of the picture, and she was so shy and quiet, making
friends for Joelle came slowly. So who was this man who seemed so
friendly with both of them?
Erica snapped her pen closed, and put it in
the pocket of her white lab coat. She adjusted the rim of her
glasses, and waited for the stranger and Joelle to quit
talking.
“I’ll leave you to visit. I’ll check back
with you in while. I’m going to page the anesthesiologist.”
Joelle’s eyes grew weary again. She didn’t
like being in the hospital, and was even more scared about becoming
a new mother. “Are you working tonight?”
“I am now.”
“Because of me?”
“Of course, because of you.”
“What if it’s all night?”
“It’s not the first new baby that’s kept me
up at night. Relax, everything looks great. I promise you, I’ll be
the one to deliver your baby, no matter what.”
Erica smiled at the relief in Joelle’s face.
Joelle had no one else, and trusted very few.
The hot visitor watched their exchange, while
he grinned at her. She frowned. Kind of forward, wasn’t he?
“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t recognize me,”
her hot visitor said, as he looked right into her eyes.
She scoffed. “Recognize you? I’ve never seen
you before in my entire life.” Erica looked up at his dark eyes.
She was struck by how beautiful they were: big, dark, long-lashed.
Bedroom eyes. She felt a stab of surprising attraction in her gut.
Stabbing lust, and she quickly looked away. It annoyed the hell out
of her that the strange visitor seemed so amused by her.
“Erica, it’s Spencer. Spencer Mattox,” Joelle
said.
The name vaguely rang a bell. But Erica was
firm she’d never have forgotten a face like his.
“It’s Spike, Erica. My friend from
Zenith
. Rob’s best friend.”
Erica looked up blankly. Dumbfounded.
No
. This could not be Spike. It simply wasn’t. She knew
Spike. She could never forget Spike. She sometimes had nightmares
about Spike. Spike was a cartoonish figure, vampirish, scary,
gothic. Not this. Not like this man before her.
“I don’t think she believes you,” Spencer
said, smiling easily at Joelle.
Spike the tall, gaunt freak who wore his hair
in a sharp, lethal Mohawk points along his scalp. Spike had even
worn makeup at times, which only added to the fearsomeness of all
the dark clothes and big combat boots. A set of fangs was all Spike
needed to complete his look as a vampire.
“I’m going by Spencer these days, Doc.”
“You know who I am?”
“Of course, I know who you are. Joelle lived
with you. I’ve been to your condo.”
She didn’t like hearing that at all. “You’re
really Spike? I’ve met you before?”
“Yes. Only I go by Spencer now.”
She opened her mouth, then shut it. Then
shook her head. “I don’t know what to say. I couldn’t have
recognized you. When did you... quit being Spike?”
“Awhile ago.”
“How? Why?”
Spencer shrugged. “Decided I needed a job for
awhile. Time to quit messing around. Spike was that. Messing
around. Part of
Zenith
. Rob and I were having fun, now we’re
growing up.”
Zenith
was the band that Joelle’s
ex-husband, Rob, was lead singer of, while Spencer, then Spike,
played the keyboard. A drummer and guitarist rounded out the group,
that nearly destroyed Rob with addiction, and Joelle right along
with him. Rob and Spencer had split
Zenith
up about the time
Rob went to rehab and Joelle divorced him and married Nick.
“Spencer paid the bill for Rob’s rehab. He
also paid off debts Rob had with some shady loan sharks,” Joelle
added as if to explain why Spike suddenly looked so normal.
Spencer shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I
helped him out a bit. That however, required that I get a job. So I
had to quit being Spike. Besides, I was getting kinda sick of
it.”
Erica looked at the tall man standing before
her. Confused. How could she reconcile the Spike she knew with this
man here? It didn’t seem remotely possible. Spike stayed in touch
with Joelle after the divorce, and Joelle was living with Erica
before she and Nick got together. Spike had even visited her condo.
Still, this man
could not
be him. It was nearly impossible.
But the familiarity Joelle and Spencer shared spoke to their
long-term friendship. This man before her had to be Spike.
Erica left the room, so they could catch up.
She passed Nick’s family, milling in the waiting room. She paused
for a moment to reassure them, before checking in on another
patient who came in with early labor. Hours drifted by. Finally,
Erica was called by Joelle’s nurse. It was time. Erica walked
through the hospital to the elevator, where, stepping in, she
paused when she found Spencer already in there, holding a cup of
steaming coffee. He looked at her, running his dark eyes over her.
She wore blue scrubs, functional black shoes, and her hair was
drawn back. His cold eyes almost made her want to step back away
from him.