Bad Karma (11 page)

“
Excuse me?” He looked up, frowning at her now.

“
That’s the kind of shark you caught.”
Don’t blow it, Cass. Don’t flex your brains in front of Mister Hotness.
She ducked her head and then tossed her hair as she glanced back up at him. “I must have read that somewhere.”

He smiled again. “All I know is they taste great on the grill.”

“
Really?” She opened her eyes wide and gave him a flirtatious grin. She leaned over from the waist and pretended to examine the shark closer.

“
Careful,” he said. “It can still bite.”

She stepped back. “Those things are out in the water?”

He nodded. “Yeah, but don’t worry. You don’t taste that good.”

She shot him a glance. “How do you know?”

He looked back at her, flashing his wide, white-toothed grin. “To a shark. Humans don’t taste that good to them.”

“
Oh, I thought you were making a personal remark about me.” She had to fight to suppress the giggle struggling to erupt from her throat when she saw his face.
He can’t feel intimidated now. Must think I’m dumb as a box of rocks
.

He shook his head, dimples flashing. “Vacationing?”

“
Just moved here.”

He turned sharply. “Really? With your parents?”

“
No, why do you ask?”

The dark eyes roamed over her again. “You look very young to be out on your own.”

She sniffed. “Well, looks can be deceiving.”

The dimples quirked again. “Just how old are you?”

The voice screaming in her head shouted, ‘none of your darned business’, but the youngest Danforth daughter replied politely and truthfully, “I’m twenty.”

He grinned. “So old?”

“
Bite me!” She turned and began her run again, kicking her legs out like she had done when she was in high school track.

“
Hey! Slow down!”

Surprised, she slowed to a stop. Mister Hotness had chased after her. She glared up at him, her lower jaw jutting out.

“
Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that. Don’t get mad at me.” He reached out and put his hand on her arm.

Her eyes followed his muscular hand as he gave her arm a squeeze. “Watch the hand,” she enunciated carefully. “I have black belts in karate and tai kwan do. I can kick your ass all over this beach.”

“
Really?” He chuckled softly. “Let me start all over again. My name is Javier Rios. My friends call me Javi.” He held out his hand to her.

She eyed it suspiciously, then put her hand in his. “I’m Cassidy Danforth.”

“
I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said. “You’re just...young to be so old.” He held her hand between both of his.

She drew a deep breath and let it out all in a huff. “That’s a perfect description of me.”

“
Again, I apologize for insulting you. I didn’t mean it that way.” Javier’s eyes searched hers.

“
Apology accepted. I have to get ready for work now.”

He ignored the slight tug of her hand, holding her a little longer. “Where do you work, Cassidy?”

“
The Net. This is my first day.”

“
Waitressing?”

“
Delivering. I’ve really got to go.”

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, never taking his eyes off hers. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Cassidy Danforth.”

A herd of butterflies swirled up from her stomach. She grinned, in spite of her efforts to appear cool.

Slipping her fingers from his grasp, she turned and ran back toward their home. When she glanced back, he was still watching her.

~*~

The Emergency Room functioned more like a clinic for the people who didn’t have healthcare insurance.

Sky removed a dried pinto bean lodged inside a young boy’s nose; assisted in numerous pre-natal exams wherein the women presented in varying stages of pregnancy under no particular physician’s care; applied steri-strips to a laceration that was long but not deep, and took vital signs on an elderly gentleman who had apparently become overheated and thought he was having a heart attack.

This was all before lunch.

The Emergency Room doctor was a handsome man, only a couple of inches taller that Sky. He’d introduced himself as Doctor Marcos and asked her to call him Rick.

When she emerged from the exam room, Rick handed her a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup.

“
Thought you might need this.” He flashed a hopeful smile.

“
Thanks.” Sky wasn’t much on Styrofoam cups and made a mental note to bring a ceramic cup from home.

He watched her taste the coffee and winced when she made a face. “Sorry, I got it out of the machine.”

She smiled at him. “I appreciate the gesture.”

“
So, Skyler, tell me a little about yourself.” The doctor smiled ingratiatingly.

Sky steeled herself for a barrage of well-meaning questions. “Not much to tell.” She smiled at him. “How about you, Rick? Have you always lived here?”

“
No, my parents came to Miami from Cuba. They floated on a raft in open seas. I was born and educated in Florida and came to Texas when I was accepted here for my residency.”

“
And you moved to Port Isabel because?”

“
I have a condo on the Island right on the water. Look around. It’s gorgeous here and the weather is like Miami. I’m already acclimated to the heat and humidity and hurricanes.”

She grinned at him. “Yes, I guess you are.”

“
And, I love to fish and sail and play golf.”

“
That sounds like a full life.”

He winked at her. “Only one thing missing.”

Sky fought the urge to roll her eyes. “And what’s that?”

“
A family.”

She took a sip of the nasty coffee to keep from laughing. “I’m sure that you could find someone to marry you.”

“
That’s the problem. I don’t want to marry just anyone. I want to marry the one. The woman who will share my life and stand beside me through thick and thin.”

“
I see. Well, good luck in your search.”

“
How about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

“
Yes,” she answered quickly. “Practically engaged.”

“
Too bad for me. I would have enjoyed showing you the Island.”

I’ll just bet you would.
She had nothing against Rick and he was probably a nice man, but she’d had her fill of doctors thinking the nursing staff was their own personal harem.

The scream of a siren signaled the arrival of their next customer. She and Rick sprinted out to the ambulance bay, an orderly following close behind them with a gurney.

The EMTs threw open the back of the ambulance and brought out a man who had been injured in an automobile accident. Two Sheriff’s Department vehicles with lights flashing entered the bay behind the ambulance.

A tall man with dark hair and eyes got out of one of the cars, a grim set to his jaw. He slammed the door and approached the entrance to the emergency room. Another tall, broad shouldered Hispanic man with dark auburn hair got out of the other car.

Sky took information from the EMTs as the victim was being rolled into an examining area. The man had crossed the center line and crashed, head-on into another vehicle.

The two law enforcement officers had followed behind Sky and stood off to one side of the emergency room. They both looked grim, talking in low voices amongst themselves.

The doctor made a cursory examination, then washed his hands and approached the law men.

He shook hands with the taller one. “Sheriff Solis. How can I help you?”

Sky took the victim’s vital signs and waited for the doctor to complete his examination. As she leaned over the victim, the smell of alcohol roiled in her nostrils.

“
Skyler, come over and meet the sheriff and his deputy.” Rick was motioning her to his side.

Sky nodded to the orderly who was standing by and slipped off the latex gloves before washing her hands.

Rick was dwarfed by the two tall men who were each well over six feet tall. He introduced her to the sheriff, Rafael Solis and his deputy, Adriano Esquivel.

She shook hands with both men, feeling their speculative gaze probing her. “It’s good to meet you, gentlemen.”

Sheriff Solis' dark gaze held her. “This man caused a death on the highway. I want you to test his blood alcohol level.”

“
I smelled alcohol on him.” She smiled up at the frowning man. “I already called for a lab tech to draw blood. I’ll check that box too.”

The Sheriff heaved a sigh. He was very attractive, with finely chiseled features and a powerful physique. “Thank you.”

Rick put a proprietary hand on her shoulder. “Sky just moved here from Austin. She’s the new RN.”

“
Glad to have you in our community, Miss Danforth,” Sheriff Solis said. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you settle in.” When he smiled, Sky felt a flutter in her chest. He was incredibly handsome with a deep articulate voice. She felt a twinge of remorse when her eyes lit on the gold wedding band he wore.

She thanked him and asked for his contact information. He hesitated before reaching into the pocket of his shirt. He handed her his business card with a questioning expression on his face.

Without comment she slipped it in her pocket.

“
Your patient is under arrest,” Adriano said. “Call us when he’s awake.”

“
And let me know when the lab results are in.” The sheriff shook hands with her and with Rick before leaving.

She felt the power the sheriff exuded. Somehow, knowing that he was in charge made her feel a little safer.

~*~

CHAPTER SEVEN

Confession

Cassie had no trouble finding most of her delivery destinations. Her new friend, Sybil, had written little notes, directing her to the right area. The deliveries on the Island were easy. There was one main strip and another road with businesses that also ran parallel to the beach.

Sybil was right. The tips she’d gathered were much more than she would have made standing on her feet in a retail store all day.

Finding her way around Port Isabel wasn’t as easy. The town was built around the bay so the streets curved and meandered. But again, Sybil’s cheat sheet helped her get around.

The last delivery had PIFD written on the ticket. She looked at the note from Sybil.
Fire Station
. Cassie smiled, thinking she should have figured it out. She pulled up to the Fire Station in the peach and lime green car and walked into one of the big open bays. Two shiny red fire trucks were parked facing outward, ready to race to the next emergency.