SEALed With Love (DiCarlo Brides book 2) (The DiCarlo Brides) (15 page)

Sage sat on the floor in front of her bed, her legs folded Indian style, a hand on each knee and imagined the air as it flowed in and out of her lungs with her breath. She had already showered and dressed, and was reveling in a few moments of meditation to start her day. Things had been crazy with the long hours of work and contact from her stalker that she hadn’t spent nearly enough time just letting the universe talk to her—not that she didn’t still get her precognition sometimes, but it wasn’t nearly as strong when she was in the moment as when she took time to just be still.

Birds twittered in the trees outside her room and she heard the sounds of her sisters’ voices in the great room below her.  In. Out. In her mind she saw Lana doubled over a toilet, puking. In. Out. There was a flash and Joel appeared in front of her, grief and tears in his eyes.

She blinked and stared at the colored crystals that hung in front of her window, fear slicing through her. Something bad was going to happen to someone Joel cared about. Would it be her?

Joel swore as he entered the report into the computer. He hated this program—surely a multi-billion-dollar company like DiCarlo Hotels could afford a more user-friendly software package. He glanced back at the video monitor to see how Sage was doing. She was finishing up a foot rub—reflexology treatment he reminded himself—and chatting with the guest.

He dragged his eyes back to the computer screen. She was fine; why was he obsessing? His danger meter was on overdrive.

The phone rang and he smiled in relief—he could use the distraction. “This is Joel.”

“Joel! This is Trudy Louder.” The woman’s voice was soft and she sniffled as she spoke.

“Trudy, it’s great to hear from you. Do you have a cold?” Trudy was married to one of his SEAL buddies, Wade. They had seen more action together than any other two members of their team, though Wade had continued working as a SEAL after Joel tore his ACL—ending his military career.

“It’s Wade. He was hurt on a mission. He’s bad, Joel.” She sobbed into the phone. “They’re not sure if he’s going to make it.”

Joel’s response was automatic. He stood, checking his gun, checking for his wallet as his mind raced to figure out how long it would take him to get to them. “Is he there with you, or are they flying you to join him?”

“He’s in California. I’m at the airport now. I’m just... Joel, I’ve never been so scared.”

“Of course you’re scared.” Joel was terrified he would lose his best friend. “I’m closer than you are. If I can get a flight soon, I’ll be waiting to meet you when yours arrives.” He glanced around the room and his eyes landed on the monitor, which showed Sage leaving the treatment room.

His heart sank. Sage. He couldn’t leave her there unprotected, but he had to go to the hospital. Joel thought about taking her with him, but they could be gone for days—a week if things didn’t go well—and he honestly didn’t think she’d go for it. He could really only push her so far before her stubborn streak kicked in.

Trudy was still speaking, “I knew you’d come. I’m glad. My parents won’t be able to meet me there until tomorrow and his parents are in Mexico.” She sniffed and her breath hitched. “I need you to be there. He needs you too.”

The refusal that had settled onto his tongue when he thought about Sage wouldn’t come now. “I have a couple of things I have to figure out. I’ll be there, hold on.” He wrote down the information for the hospital and for her flight. He’d have to try to book one for himself while he headed to Denver—an unlikely scenario since the twists and turns on the road made cell coverage spotty at best.

Joel snatched up his jacket and radioed to Mick, the other security guy on duty, that he was leaving early.

He caught up with Sage in the spa’s reception area while three of her staff stood at the counter talking. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Seeing her assistant in Sage’s office on a phone call, Joel took Sage by the arm and drew her toward the hallway.

“What’s wrong? Was there another email or something?” Sage asked.

“What? No. It’s nothing like that.” Joel waited for the door to shut between them and her employees, though it was only glass, so it didn’t give them as much privacy as he could wish. “I got a call from a friend’s wife, Trudy. My buddy Wade; he was hurt while on maneuvers. I have to go to the hospital. I can’t stay here when he’s hurt so bad.”

“Of course not.” Sage put a hand on his arm. “Is he going to be all right?”

“She didn’t know. We’re hoping. It’s just that I can’t leave you here.” He gripped her elbow, wanting her to understand how important this was. “Come with me.”

Sage blinked in response. “Joel, I can’t leave. I have too many things going on here. I have important meetings with corporate—they’re flying in tonight. And I already promised Wendy the next few days off for her sister’s wedding. I couldn’t possibly get enough coverage in the spa if we’re both gone.” Still, panic slid onto her face, as if she didn’t want him to leave her, either.

His divided loyalties were pulling at him from both sides and Joel felt trapped. “I can’t leave you unprotected.” This was impossible. She couldn’t stay here alone. Just having her at home every night with a security system, a gun in the nightstand, and five watchdog sisters nearly killed him—even though he was next door. Leaving her here while he left town pulled his stomach into tight, twisty knots.

She put her free hand on his cheek and met his gaze, steady as a rock. “I’m not alone. I’m surrounded by people. I’ll be fine. I promise to take extra precautions. You have to go to Wade. I’ll never be alone, not for a minute, okay?”

Her touch was soothing, she was soothing. Joel wished he could take her with him for that alone. He wanted to toss her over his shoulder and carry her out with him regardless. Instead, he decided he didn’t have a choice but to leave her—he couldn’t let Wade and Trudy down. A day or two away from her might be a good chance to strengthen his defenses. “Don’t be surprised if I call several times a day. Or if I have everyone stopping by to check on you. This feels like a bad idea.”

She smiled softly. “I’d come if I could, if only to ease your paranoid mind.”

“Hey, my paranoid mind is the only reason I’m still alive.”

“Good point.” She slid her hand from his cheek, down his neck to his shoulder, pulled him closer and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “I hope he recovers. Check on him, take care and come back soon, okay? I promise I’ll be careful.”

Her lips were like silk on his skin—the best thing that had ever touched him—and made him yearn for more. “I will. Stay safe.” He stared into her eyes. “Promise me.”

She smiled. “I promise. And I’m going to call Gina and have her book your flight and a rental car so you don’t have to worry about it. Which airport?” She released him and stepped back. He told her and she waved him along.

Joe took the hint, but before he got out of sight, he already had his phone out calling Vince to let him know what was going on and to ask for his help.

Sage returned to the spa and picked up an extension, dialing Lana’s office manager. “Yes, Gina, could you make a reservation for Joel? He has a family emergency and is headed for the airport already.” She gave the assistant the information she needed, then hung up, turning to her staff, who watched with avid interest. “Don’t any of you have appointments?”

“Mine’s running late,” Wendy said.

“I don’t have one for fifteen minutes,” Damon said.

“And I still need to clean my treatment room before the next one shows up,” Esther said, then slinked away.

“So, that was a touching scene. And you’re getting the boss’s assistant to make the reservations. That’s interesting. I didn’t know the wind blew that direction,” Wendy teased.

“You haven’t noticed the way Watts hangs around here, like a sad little puppy?” Damon asked as he stared at the spot from which Joel had just disappeared. “Where have you been?”

“It’s nothing. He was upset. That’s all.” Sage pulled up the schedule again as one of the treatment rooms opened and a woman came out wrapped in one of their trademark blue robes.

Wendy let out a little sigh and whispered, “I want all the gritty details. After my appointment.” She put on a big smile and approached the guest.

“You can save the gritty details for Wendy,” Damon said, though his expression said otherwise. “I don’t want them.”

“Yeah, well, there’s nothing to tell anyway. I’m just a job to him.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness completely out of her voice. “I gotta go talk to Rosemary about menus.” Sage picked up the folder she’d been looking over earlier, her mind already back to the grief and desperation she’d seen in Joel’s eyes—it mirrored what she’d seen that morning while she meditated. While she was sorry, so sorry that his friend was hurt, she was a little relived his grief wasn’t about her. “I shouldn’t be long.” She headed for the door.

In the hallway she ran into Mick. “How are you doing today?” he asked. “Joel mentioned he’d be out of town for a while and said I should keep an extra close eye on your department.” Amusement teased his wide mouth. “Does he think terrorists are going to target those who crave mud baths?”

“We don’t have mud baths,” she corrected him. “But aromatherapy—that’s another issue entirely. All kinds of infidels enjoy that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sage chuckled with him, though she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the dark-haired man. Something about the way he hung around the spa made her uneasy, though she tried not to show it. Wendy seemed to like him well enough. “Well, this is my stop,” she said as they approached the kitchen.

“I’ll swing by later, then.” He peeled off, heading toward the conference center.

She wasn’t sure if that was supposed to comfort her or not.

Sage wasn’t surprised to see Mick walk past several times that day, peering in the front doors or stopping in to talk for a few minutes. Nor were the impromptu visits from her brother, Blake and most of the sisters, unexpected. Vince and Cami stopping by to cart her off at six o’clock was another matter.

“Come to dinner with us,” Cami said. “We’re going to his parents’ place and Etta has been asking us to bring you with us sometime.”

Sage had met Vince’s mother when he invited Sage and Cami to join them for the local Fourth of July activities. Etta was a sweet woman, and Sage would like to see her again, but she didn’t think that had originally been in their plans for the night. “You don’t have to coddle me, you know. I’m not going to curl up and die because Joel had to take off for a couple of days.”

“We’re not coddling you.”