Bluegrass Undercover (6 page)

“
You bitch,” Bonner moaned from the ground as he turned towards her. His face was so red Annie gasped. Sweat was pouring off his face. His shirt was damp. She watched in horror as he tried to stand up to grab her arm but fell face down onto the cool, tile floor. She saw a trickle of blood run out of his nose and pool on the floor.

“
You, kid... call 9-1-1! He’s had a heart attack. Tell them to send the heli.” She didn’t wait for the kid to pull out his cell before falling to her knees to help Cade turn Bonner over.

“
You sure it’s a heart attack?” Cade asked her as he felt for a pulse.

She focused her attention to finding the pulse. It was there but fading. His heart was struggling to work. He had stopped breathing, or it was so shallow she couldn’t detect it.

“
Yes. It’s a side effect of S2. We need to start CPR if he’s going to have a chance to live.” She waited for Cade to start the chest compressions before tilting back Bonner’s head, pinching his nose closed and breathing into his mouth.

They continued CPR while Lee stood frozen to the spot, cell phone still in hand. Annie could feel that Bonner’s skin had turned clammy. This was not good. She felt for his pulse again and felt it flutter. They needed to hold on a little longer. If they could keep him breathing, the doctors may be able to save him.

Annie was too afraid to check to see if he was breathing on his own or not. But the white tint to his skin with the shallow blue lines around his lips told her enough. Sweat rolled down her back as she bent to blow some more air into Bonner’s lungs.

“
Kid, go out front and meet the EMT’s. They should be here any minute.”

Lee finally moved from where he was rooted to the floor but still stood staring at Bonner’s unconscious body with a look of shocked disbelief.

“
Now, kid!” Annie snapped when he didn’t leave right away.

She heard his feet pound down the hall at the same time she heard the first sounds of the helicopter. They couldn’t get here fast enough. Cade had been doing chest compressions for almost ten minutes. He had to be exhausted, but he hadn’t said a word about it. He had counted and compressed, counted and compressed and had helped her keep Bonner alive.

“
Okay, we got the mask ready.” Annie and Cade stepped back as the EMT’s bagged Bonner. “What happened?”

“
Heart attack due to an overdose of steroids,” she answered.

“
Have you been doing CPR the whole time?”

“
Yes. He still had a slight pulse but shallow to no breathing.”

The EMT’s lifted Bonner onto the stretcher and hurried from the room while they issued orders into their radios. Lee had been standing by the door as the EMT’s had loaded Bonner onto the stretcher and had not moved even though his friend was no longer here.

“
You okay, Lee?” Cade asked as he put a hand on the shaken kid’s shoulder. Lee just nodded but didn’t say anything. “I’m going to follow Corey to the hospital. I’ll call his parents on the way. I don’t think Lee here should drive. Can you take him home?”

“
No problem. Call if you need anything.” She put her arm around Lee and felt the tiny shivers of shock rippling through him. “Come on, Lee. Let’s get you home.”

* * *

Cade lay down on his couch and closed his eyes. He was so emotionally drained that he barely heard
SportsCenter
on the television. He flung his arm over his eyes and tried to make his mind go blank. However, that was easier said than done. A red head was currently running laps up there, making it impossible to think of anything else.

There was a knocking at the door, and a part of Cade’s mind irrationally hoped it was Annie. It was that small part of his mind that propelled him to his feet and sent him racing to the door.

“
Don’t look so disappointed to see me, brother. It makes me think you were expecting someone else.” Miles Davies snapped his fingers and with a smirk said, “I know, you’re expecting that cute guidance counselor you have a thing for.” Miles may be the oldest of the Davies brothers, but that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve to have his ass whooped every now and then.

“
Don’t be such an ass. Where did you hear about Annie?” Cade asked as he headed back to the couch. His brother always did think he was so important. He held himself as if he were the President of the United States.

Where Marshall was always dressed in black, and Cade was usually in some form of athletic gear, Miles was never without a suit and tie. What made it worse was that when pushed, Miles was the most dangerous. He and Miles were doing a snatch and grab in the foothills of Afghanistan that turned out to be a trap. He got caught and had transmitted to Miles to get the hell out of there. Instead of leaving his brother behind, Miles took out each and every one of them in under twenty seconds. How? Cade would never know. Miles earned a little extra credit for saving his life, but that was only going to afford him so much when it came to teasing him about Annie.

“
Where do you think? The biggest gossip of us all – Marshall.” Miles laughed as all six feet, two inches of him sauntered in to the living room.

“
Jesus. Marshall needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.” Cade fell back onto his mahogany-colored, leather couch and tossed his feet onto the matching coffee table.

“
When, in all of your thirty years of life has he ever been able to keep his mouth shut?” Being a rhetorical question, since the answer was clearly never, Cade didn’t bother answering. “So, to hear Marshall tell it, you’re ready to get married and have kids. What’s the real story? Who is this woman?”

“
Marriage, no way! I don’t even like her. She’s infuriating. She thinks I’m a helpless idiot.” Cade rolled his eyes and picked up the beer he’d been drinking before Miles knocked at the door.

“
Sounds promising.” Cade didn’t need to look at his brother to know he was trying not to laugh.

“
Ha. She has stepped in front of Corey Bonner who was in a full steroid rage…twice! Supposedly it was to protect me. She told me I needed self-defense lessons. Me! Then she helped me save Bonner’s life, calm as can be.”

“
How is he doing?”

“
He’s stable. His heart has taken a beating though. He’s never going to be healthy again. The walls have thinned after using so much of the drug. His blood pressure was through the roof, but the doctors think he’ll be able to live a normal life after he detoxes and his system basically reboots. He’ll be on heart meds the rest of his live though.”

“
That’s tough for a kid. How did Annie keep her calm? Most women would be slightly hysterical coming upon a fight and then a kid collapsing like that.”

“
That’s just it. She’s never hysterical. Instead she thinks I’m the hysterical one? I don’t know what the school was like in Miami, but nothing fazes her. It just makes me crazy to prove myself to her, which is crazy in itself because she’s so infuriating!” Cade leaned his head back on the couch and cursed himself for not being able to just put Annie out of his mind.

“
Come on. Let’s go to the Café and have dinner. We can talk it out and develop a plan of action,” Miles said, standing up and buttoning up his sports coat.

“
One, you can’t develop a plan of action on handling Annie. She doesn’t fit into any plans. Two, Summer Ridell is bound to be working tonight and she had a huge crush on you.”

“
I was hoping you’d run interference so I could finally eat something without being hit on. Ever since she turned eighteen and graduated, she thinks she should be getting married and having a kid or two. What’s worse, she thinks she should be doing it with me!” Miles said with disgust. Miles did not cook and depended on Daisy and Violet to feed him when Mom’s frozen casseroles ran out.

“
You’re old enough to be her father!” Cade laughed. He enjoyed goading Miles. He really did.

“
I’m not that old. Damn, Cade, you can make thirty-four seem positively ancient. However, it’s too old for an innocent kid like her.”

“
Fine, I’ll go with you. I haven’t eaten at the Café for a while. You can tell me what corporations you’re taking apart for the better good of the little people like me.”

Annie couldn’t decide if she hated or loved the fact that a diner was so close. Hated the fact they didn’t deliver. Shoot, no one delivered. It was great when she wanted real food, but it was strange to have a ten minute conversation with the person taking your order when you just really wanted a chicken salad sandwich.

Over the past couple of days since her arrival in Keeneston she had been eating the most amazing home cooked meals. But tonight she thought she’d try the local cuisine. She grabbed some cash and took off down the street to the Café. It was a nice night. The stars were shining overhead, a slight breeze brought the smell of oats to her, and the full moon bathed the small downtown in a soft glow.

Bright light poured out of the large old windows of the Café onto the sidewalk, highlighting the mums that were planted in large barrels under the windows. Small bistro tables were set up outside on the nice warm night and filled with people who all smiled and said hello to her as she walked past them and into the Café.

Annie froze with one foot over the threshold when the packed restaurant fell silent. A breeze from all the heads turning at once caused her hair to flutter. Movement drew her eyes to go to a back table. Her eyes narrowed as a waitress, who was maybe just out of high school, was leaning her perky breasts in Cade’s face as she picked up his plate.

A man in a gorgeous pin striped suit who was slightly taller than Cade with dark brown hair and a handsome square jaw stood and walked over to her. She noticed Cade’s unhappy expression at the same time the waitress placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a little rub.

“
You must be Annie. Be easy on my brother, will you?” Tall, dark and handsome flashed a killer grin at her that almost had her forgetting about whoever this other brother was.

“
Wait, who are you? Who’s your brother and why should I go easy on him?” Tall, dark and handsome grinned again.“I’m Miles Davies. The brother to whom I am referring is Cade, and you should go easy on him because he’s a good guy. Have a nice night, Annie.”

“
How many brothers are there in that family?” she mumbled as she made her way to the cash register.

“
Five brothers and one sister.” Annie looked down at the stranger who had clearly been eavesdropping.

“
Um, thanks.” Wow. No wonder she kept tripping over them.

“
Hey.”

Annie pulled up short and checked out the man who had stepped in front of her. He was tallish, almost black hair slicked back, and did his suit sparkle? No, it must just have shine to it. “What are you doing walking into a place like this?” he asked.

“
Is that a trick question?” Well, the town did have a lot of handsome men. Too bad they weren’t all that bright.

“
You can sit with me if you’d like.” He gestured towards a small table in the back.

“
I’m just here to pick up my to-go dinner.”

“
Well, here I am. You can take a bite out of me anytime.” He raised a perfect eyebrow and gazed at her.

Annie couldn’t decide whether to laugh or to kick him in the balls. He reminded her of an old man who used to live near her apartment. He yelled obscenities at her that were in a way complimentary and made her day.

“
Okay. Let’s get out of here. I want you…now.” Annie deadpanned. She watched as his sleazy exterior cracked and he stared at her as if she had two heads. “Just kidding, hot shot, put your tongue back in your mouth.” She smiled at him and when he broke out into laughter, she joined him.

“
Henry Rooney at your service.”

“
No servicing of me tonight. I thought we covered that, Henry.” Henry laughed again and she had a feeling she had made a friend. “Annie Hill. It’s nice to meet you, Henry. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again soon.” Henry smiled and walked out the door.

Annie turned her attention to the table near the cash register where the waitress was still servicing Cade. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to them, “I hope I’m not interrupting,” she tapped her foot impatiently.

“
Oh! You must be Miss Hill. I’ll be out here in a jiffy with your dinner ma’am.” If she needed another reason to dislike the waitress, there it was.

“
Ma’am?”

“
Anyone over the age of twenty is a ma’am to her. Would you care to join me while you wait?” Cade stood up and walked around the table. He pulled out a chair and waited for her to take a seat.

“
Won’t your girlfriend get mad?”

“
Sorry to disappoint you, but I like women, not girls. You really don’t like me, do you?” Cade asked, his smile faltering slightly.