One More Day (2 page)

The arrow on her phone pointed to the left so she turned onto the next street. An ornate wrought iron sign spelled out:

 
HAVENSBROOKE
 

Ridley walked past towering houses with lush manicured lawns. Raina had been trying to convince her to move back to Virginia for ages and had claimed her new neighborhood was the perfect place for Ridley to launch her landscape design business now that she was done with school. As she turned onto her sister’s street, she gasped at the first sight of the house.
 

As girls, they’d always talked about what kind of houses they’d buy when they were rich and famous. It looked like her sister had managed to find a house that fit both their childhood dreams to perfection, a stately three-story red brick with wide Palladian windows along the front.

“You really did it, Ray.”
 

It made her sad that she hadn’t been here when her sister moved in. They’d always been there for each other during major milestones like this. Until recently.
 

Until David.

She knocked on the door and then rang the doorbell. It was completely quiet in the house. Raina had told her there were two security panels, but to use the one on the back so she could get the spare key. As she climbed the stairs to the back deck, she peered through the back window into the kitchen. There was a long, oak farmers table covered with a cheerful, red gingham tablecloth. It looked cozy and inviting.
 

She walked over to the deck chair farthest from the door and squeezed the edges of its cushion until she felt a hard lump.

“Gotcha.”

She unzipped the side of the cushion and rooted around until her fingers closed around the key. The alarm panel was mounted on the side of the door. She dropped her backpack on the deck and then punched in the security code. Three red lights flashed.

Access Denied.

“Okay. Let me try that again.” She wiped her hand on the leg of her jeans and carefully typed the numbers in again.
 

Access Denied.

“Crap. I know I’m typing this right.” She tugged her phone from her pocket and pulled up the email from her sister. It was possible she’d forgotten something. It had been a few months since she’d gotten the email.
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From: Raina Winters (
[email protected]
)

To: Ridley Wells (
[email protected]
)

Subject: Just in case
 

- - - - - -
 

Here’s my address:

1616 Crescent Drive
 

New Haven, Virginia 23665.

The security code is our birthday
 

(4 digits, the month and day).
 

You are always welcome.

xRaina

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The message had been pretty straightforward, so Raina must have forgotten to tell her one of the steps. Her sister hadn’t responded to any of her text messages and calls since she’d left two days ago.
 

Probably still mad at me
, she reasoned. Not that she could blame her. Their last argument had been one for the record books.

“I guess I’m on my own.”

She let out a breath and pulled out her cell phone again. It was getting close to lunch time. It was already pretty humid and she wasn’t even in direct sunlight. Her shirt clung to the damp skin between her breasts. She couldn’t wait to take a shower.

As soon as she figured out how to get in the house.

Maybe she was supposed to hit the Enter button or something afterward. She walked back to the security panel and typed the code followed by Enter.

Access Denied.

“Great.”

 
A door slammed next door and she shrank back out of sight as an older man came out on his back deck and walked around the yard. He looked over her way but didn’t seem to notice her. After a few minutes, he went back in his house.
 

“How do I always get myself into these situations?”
 

This was the kind of neighborhood where everyone looked like they belonged in a golf advertisement. Her rumpled tee shirt and well-worn jeans made her look like a reject from one of those Survivor-style reality programs. With her luck, her sister’s neighbors would call the police if she hung out too long, and she’d had enough of dealing with the police to last her a lifetime.

She looked back at the yard. The house directly behind was just as imposing but made of a beige brick. There was a wide patio on the back and a gorgeous little gazebo. Their yards were separated by a small creek.
 

Water.

 
The grass was spongy beneath her feet as she crossed the lawn. Half-convinced she was imagining the sight like a delirious desert traveler; she dropped to her knees and cupped her hands in the cool, clear water.
 

Multicolored fish darted beneath her hands as she scooped up handful after handful and rinsed her face. She’d been traveling with single-minded determination and hadn’t made many stops. A proper shower was going to feel like nirvana. Water dribbled down her chin and across the front of her shirt but she didn’t even care. Nothing had ever felt so good.

“Hey, what are you doing?”
 

She whipped around. Two little boys watched her curiously from a few feet away.

“My daddy said we’re having a cookout. That means I get hot dogs!” The older of the two boys spoke hurriedly, all his words running together in one large breath. The smaller boy just stood watching, his thumb bobbing up and down in his mouth as he sucked on it.

The oldest boy took a tentative step forward. He reached into his pocket and produced a ragged napkin, which he offered her with a hesitant smile.
 

She took it and used it to wipe the water from her face. “Thanks. A cookout sounds like fun. What’s your name?”

“It’s me. Chris.” He frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m…” A wave of nausea made her double over.
 

She took a few deep breaths. After two days of constant travel, she needed to rest and eat something that didn’t come wrapped in cellophane. She’d done her best to travel without leaving a trail but she was hardly a super spy. It was time to face reality. Whatever David had discovered had been enough to get him killed. If she didn’t want to be next, she had to get it together and fast.
 

She would try the security code one more time and if it didn’t work, she still had enough cash left to pay for a night at a hotel. It wasn’t ideal but it would do for now. It would keep her out of sight until she could get in touch with Raina.

“I’m fine…” She stood and the world spun crazily.
 

Tiny squiggly lines passed through her vision. God, it was hot.
Why was it so hot?
She dimly felt it when she hit the ground but didn’t feel any pain. The last thing she saw was two tiny faces peering down at her.

Then everything went gray.

JACKSON MOVED HIS chair further away from his friend. “I couldn’t resist! If we sit around talking about our feelings too long someone’s going to come and take my man card.”

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot you have an image to uphold. Mr. Big Shot Producer.” Matt started clapping. The other guys chimed in and chanted his name.
 

He shook his head and then took a mock bow. It didn’t bother him when they teased him about his sudden fame. They’d been with him since college when he was still using a closet as a makeshift recording studio. They’d earned the right to clown him a little.
 

“Daddy, daddy, Miss Raina ate the fish!” His youngest son, Jase, ran up and jumped in his lap. “She’s in the water!”

Jackson gazed down at his son affectionately. His sons were the best things that had ever happened to him and he knew his late wife had felt the same way. Cynthia had gotten pregnant their second year in college, derailing her plans to be a lawyer. She hadn’t agreed that getting married was the best option, but the idea of only seeing his child on weekends and holidays had left him cold. He’d done everything he could to convince her that he was worth taking a chance on.
 

Cynthia had finally agreed, after a lot of influence from her mother, and they’d been married in a civil ceremony at city hall as soon as the school year ended. They’d decided to have their second child shortly after the first so she wouldn’t have to interrupt her schooling again later with another pregnancy.

They’d had their issues in the beginning, both too young and headstrong to have any idea how to navigate marriage and parenthood. But in the end, no matter what problems they’d had, raising their sons right had been the one thing they’d always agreed on.
 

Not everyone believed in the old-fashioned methods, but he wanted his boys to grow up with memories like the ones he had; playing outside with his brothers, eating dinner together as a family each night and having respect for his elders. He intended to raise his kids the same way.
 

Even if he had to do it alone.

 
“Are you guys playing in Miss Raina’s yard while she’s out of town?”
 

Their newest neighbor, Raina, was a fashion model. She’d walked up one afternoon and introduced herself before inviting the boys to come see her fish. Jackson had been so stunned at first that he hadn’t even responded. Most women who looked like Raina weren’t overly fond of rambunctious, messy, little boys. This was something that Jackson had learned through experience over and over again in recent years.
 

Raina, however, actually seemed to enjoy their energy. Once he’d recovered enough to give his consent, she’d answered the boys’ million and one questions with aplomb as they walked to her yard. Most impressive of all, she didn’t even blink when Jase jumped in the pond fully dressed, splashing them all in the process.
 

It was no surprise to him that both of his boys had become instantly fascinated with her. They had a new story about “Miss Raina” every other day it seemed.
 

“Yeah, daddy. She ate the fish. Then she fell down.” Jase put his thumb in his mouth and bounced excitedly in his lap.

Matt leaned closer. “Did he say she fell down? Wait, here comes Chris.”

They watched as his oldest son, Christopher, came tearing across the yard. He skidded to a stop right in front of them.
 

“She won’t wake up!” He took a deep breath, his chest heaving after his mad dash across the yard. “Miss Raina’s hurt! She fell down and she won’t wake up!”
 

Jackson got up and the other guys followed. Raina’s yard wasn’t directly behind his, rather two yards over and separated by a small creek. As soon as he got to the end of his yard though, he could see the small figure slumped on the ground.
 

“Look!” He pointed toward Raina’s yard.

“There she is.” Matt vaulted over the creek and Jackson followed. He could hear the other guys behind him, and the kids shouting. By the time he reached Raina’s yard, Matt already had his fingers on her pulse.

“Her heartbeat is strong.” He looked over his shoulder at Jackson. “She doesn’t look like she’s having any trouble breathing, either. But we should definitely call for an ambulance. People don’t just pass out for no reason.” Matt was a sergeant in the Army and trained in first aid so Jackson was more than willing to trust his judgment.
 

Trent pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call 911.”

Jackson knelt down next to Matt. “Look at her arms,” he whispered.

Matt lifted her arm and pulled back her long sleeve to expose her skin. Bruises wrapped around her wrist, extending halfway up her arm.

“Is Miss Raina okay?” Chris’ voice wobbled.

He turned around. Usually the boys were right underneath him but even they could sense the gravity of the situation and were a few feet back, holding Nick’s hands. When he caught his brother’s eye, he was surprised to see that Nick looked deeply shaken.
 

“She’s okay. Maybe you should take the boys back to the house.”
 

Nick nodded mutely but didn’t move. It was odd to see his usually jovial brother so disturbed. Although, if he was honest, he was disturbed as well.
 

Violence wasn’t something they’d ever had to deal with. Seeing the effects on a woman he knew, even if it was only a casual acquaintance, made his stomach turn.

“Raina isn’t even supposed to be in town. She told me just a few days ago that she’d be gone for two weeks straight. She had a bunch of modeling jobs booked in Asia. She seemed really excited about—“

Matt held up a hand and he halted mid-speech. “She’s waking up.”

They all watched as Raina turned on her side and exhaled a long, slow breath. When her eyes opened, they darted around wildly. When she noticed Matt right next to her, she started scrabbling backward.

“Easy, it’s okay.” Matt backed away.

She got to her knees and blinked rapidly.
 

“Raina?”
 

She held up a hand as if the sunlight was too bright. He wondered if she could even see them.
 

“It’s Jackson. Are you okay?”

Her wide, brown eyes locked on his face. She stared at him for a minute, then glanced away before looking back. Then her lips curled up into a small smile.
 

His stomach dropped. The sensation was like falling while standing still.
 

Shock forced him to take a step back. He’d never had this reaction to Raina before, despite the fact that she was an extremely beautiful woman. When she was dressed impeccably and made up like she was going to a photo shoot, he’d only felt the general attraction that most red-blooded men feel around gorgeous women.