Sole Witness (28 page)

He slid his arms around her, enveloping her in a
huge bear hug, and squeezed as hard as he could.

More liquid gurgled up from her throat and ran down
her face.

Davis rolled over, bringing Lori’s body with him.
She slanted across him, her chest on his chest and her head lolling over his
shoulder.

He squeezed her one last time and a whole mess of
disgusting liquid gushed from her lungs. 

The sharpshooter frowned and army-crawled closer.
“Good sign. Try CPR again.”

Davis gulped in air and tilted Lori’s head with one
hand. He aligned his mouth with hers and breathed out, forcing air into her
lungs.

Nothing.

“Do it again,” the shooter urged. “Keep trying.”

Don’t worry. He’d never give up.

Davis sucked in more clean air and breathed into
Lori.

Saltwater shot from her throat and Davis almost
choked. He leaned his head to one side and spit.

The shooter recoiled. “Gross.”

Not gross. Another good sign.

Davis filled his lungs with air and turned back to
Lori, shoving as much oxygen from his lungs to hers as he could.

His prayers were answered.

She wheezed.

*          *          *

Someone was squeezing her.

Warm lips forced clean air into
her starving lungs.

Hot saltwater burbled from her
throat and gushed from her mouth.

Lori coughed.

The first choking cough set her
off in a series of hacking spasms until her lungs emptied themselves completely
of saltwater.

She was lying on a body.

A warm body.

A strong, familiar body.

Lori opened her eyes. Sand. She
tilted her head. Davis.

“Thank goodness it’s you,” she
whispered. The words came out barely audible and scratched her ruined throat.
“I was tired of fighting.”

He sat up and hauled her into his
lap, hugging her tightly.

“Not me,” he answered in a
strangled voice. “I was never going to stop fighting until I had you back with
me.”

Lori wrapped her arms around him.
“Thanks.”

“I must admit,” Davis said. “You
scared the hell out of me.”

He pulled backward a little and
took her face into his palms.

She stared back at him. Could he
see the love in her eyes?

Davis bent forward and peppered
her face with little kisses. Her forehead, her chin, her cheeks, her nose.

Lori giggled, which set her
coughing again. He sat her upright.

Over his shoulder, she caught
sight of a tall, muscular man with his ear pressed to the mouth of a lifeless
body.

“Is that…” she faltered.

Davis glanced over his shoulder
and nodded. “Yeah.”

As though he felt their eyes on
him, the burly man glanced over.

“Nice and dead,” he called out.

“Cripes.” Lori shivered. “I
killed someone.”

Davis forced her chin up with one
knuckle and looked her in the eyes.

“I’m glad you did. She deserved
it. It was her or you.”

Lori nodded, unsure how to feel.

“You’re all banged up.” Davis brushed
the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “You’re covered in cuts and bruises
and I think an elephant’s missing his ankle. What the hell happened here?”

“Well,” Lori began and stopped.

Everything had happened. Somehow
she’d found the strength to survive.

“I was in the living room when
she shot out the windows. Then I jumped out the back when the house blew up. I
must’ve busted my ankle in the fall. She shot at me, so I ran for the water. I
made it this far before she caught up and choked me. I almost drowned before I
turned the tables and… I guess… drowned
her
.”

“Wow,” Davis breathed. “You did
all that?”

Lori sniffled. “All in a day’s
work.”

“Then you can do anything.” Davis
kissed her on the lips.

She threw her arms around his
neck and held on tight.

“You got a regular Lara Croft in
your arms,” called the man in the water.

Lori laughed, the sound muffled
by Davis’s wet shirt.

Maybe so.

Bet she could even open her own talent agency.

Lori signed her name on the last
of the release forms.

Despite her claim that it was
unnecessary, the hospital attendant insisted he escort her to the exit in a
wheelchair.

Davis grinned down at her.

“Pink looks great on you. May I
be the first to sign your cast?”

“I’ll think about it,” she
answered, admiring the hot pink wrap covering her ankle. Too bad they hadn’t
had matching pink crutches. She was stuck with basic brown.

“Wait right here and I’ll pull
the car around,” he said and loped off to the parking lot.

Lori sat in the wheelchair,
hospital attendant by her side, and smiled.

A gentle breeze blew across her
face, bringing with it the scent of spring flowers and upcoming rain.

Boy it felt good to be alive.

Within moments, Davis parked under the overhang.

The hospital attendant helped her
into the passenger seat, stowed her new crutches into the backseat, and waved
goodbye.

Davis leaned over and kissed Lori
on the nose.

“You’re awful cheery for someone
whose house burned down today,” she teased.

He shrugged. “If I’ve got you,
I’ve got all I need.”

Lori sniffed.

Good answer.

“Where to first?” Davis looked at
her expectantly.

Family. Family came first. “She
may not be waiting with bated breath, but I really ought to let my mother know
I’m all right, just in case she saw the coverage on the news.”

“No problem.”

Davis swung the car onto the road
and headed down the highway.

Lori turned off the air
conditioner and rolled down the window in order to feel the wind in her hair.
Traffic snarled and horns beeped, but somehow the day seemed sunnier than ever.

When they pulled into her
mother’s drive, Davis retrieved Lori’s crutches from the back and helped her
out of the car.

Crutches firmly ensconced
underneath each armpit, she hopped up the walkway and rang the doorbell.

Mama swung open the door as if
she’d been standing there waiting. She stared for a long moment without making
a sound.

For once, the smell of whisky was
gone from her breath.

“Hi, mama,” Lori said. “Just
wanted you to know I’m all right.”

A shaky hand flew to her mother’s
chest. “I thought you might’ve died,” she choked out. “I thought I lost both my
babies.”

Lori swallowed. “You didn’t. I’m
here.”

She glanced at Davis and he stood
closer, laying one arm around her shoulders.

Her mother glanced sharply at
him. “Good to see you two together after all. She’s a tough one to please
sometimes, just like her mama. Glad she’s finally with the one who can keep her
happy.”

Davis blinked. “Uh, thanks. I
guess.”

“Go on now,” Mama said, shooing
them from her doorstep with one slender hand. “I’m sure you need your rest.”

Lori nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

She turned and made it halfway to
Davis’s car before she heard her mother’s voice ring out after her.

“And Lori?”

“Yes, mama?” Lori turned and
peered over one shoulder.

Her mother hovered in the
doorway, a frail figure in a terrycloth robe.

“You come back sometime, okay?”

Lori smiled.

“I will, mama,” she called back
then let Davis help her into the car.

They drove in silence for a few
moments before his cell phone rang.

“Hamilton,” he answered.

“Oh yeah? There was? You did? She
does? Okay, let me ask her.”

Smothering the phone in his
shoulder, he leaned closer and stage-whispered.

“It’s one of the officers
assigned to your house. He said a couple nights ago, a small cat came
scratching at the sliding glass door. Kept running up a tree every time the
officer got near it, but he finally coaxed it down with milk and cat food. His
daughter’s been clamoring for a kitty for ages, so he took it home. Wants to
know if that’s okay.”

Lori choked out a garbled laugh.

Mr. Giggles had a new family.

“Tell him it’s fine,” she said.
“I’m glad he went to a good home.”

Davis relayed the message and
holstered his phone.

“So, what are you going to do
now?” he asked.

“Without the cat?” Lori shrugged.
“Clean my house. My allergies were going haywire.”

“Not about the cat. I mean, what
are
you
going to do?”

“Oh.” Lori chewed on her lower
lip for a second. “I’m going to open a talent agency. I can’t do much running
around until this cast comes off, but I can start the process in the meantime.
Draw up a business plan, register the agency with the state, make some business
cards, that sort of thing. Know anyone artsy who could help with the logo?”

Davis snorted. “Just ask.”

Lori twisted to face him. “How
about you? What are you going to do?”

He shrugged and pulled up at a
red light. “Maybe take up residence in the Shell Motel next to Auntie Lou’s
diner. Not a bad part of town.”

“Wrong.” She punched him in the
shoulder. “You can stay with me until you figure everything out.”

 Smiling, he leaned closer. “I
already know what I want,” he whispered against her lips. He kissed her until
the cars behind them started honking.

Lori glanced up. “Green light,
Hamilton.”

The car rolled forward again.

“By the way, where are we going?”
she asked.

Davis grinned.

“Tiki Nation, of course. Two margaritas
and a pink mustang, coming right up.”

THE END

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