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He tried to swim to her, to rescue her, but she remained just out of reach, her body spi
No! Hold on! For the love of God, hold on!
Closing the gap between them, he, too, got caught in the whirling current. Tossed by the swirling pull of the water, he felt the maelstrom of cold dragging him to its center.
Aria
Oh, God, she was dead. Horrified, he noticed that the pallor of her skin had become gray, the whites of her eyes luminous against the ashen tone of her flesh. Her head lolled to one side at what seemed an impossible angle, but still her unworldly gaze found his.
“You did it, Jase,” she said, though her lips didn’t move. Once again he caught a glimpse of another woman, of Bria
No! No! No! Again he tried to swim to her, to dive deeper to reach her, even though he knew she was already dead.
“You killed me,” she said, the words flowing upward to the rim of the swirling fu
And the truth hit him hard. Twisted his stomach.
He had killed.
She was only speaking the truth.
Guilt rolled over him in cold, numbing waves. His insides shriveled as she spun farther and farther away from him, now only a tiny figure in the roiling swells of water. One he knew he would never again see.
I’m sorry chased through his mind, but he couldn’t speak, couldn’t change the past, couldn’t—
Bam! Bam! Bam!
What?
He looked around. Searching for the noise. Gunshots! Bullets zinging over his head? Or—?
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Jase flinched and awoke with a start.
He lay in his bed, his eyes opening to the darkness that was his room, the display on his clock radio showing 3:15 in the damned morning. His heart was pounding as the dream receded. He’d barely gotten to sleep and now someone was banging on his apartment door?
Not bothering with his bathrobe, he strode in boxers to the front door and peered through the peephole. His brother, Prescott, scowled into the fish-eye lens.
Jase unlocked the door and threw it open. “What the hell, Pres. Do you know what time it is? My neighbors—” His gaze slid from his seething brother, jaw set in anger, to the man who stumbled to keep his balance beside him.
Edward Bridges, his weathered face more lined than Jase remembered, swayed slightly. A cigarette dangled from his lips as he blinked against the harshness of the porch light.
“Dad?” Hell, what now?
“Hey, son,” Ed said, his greeting lopsided, his mouth barely moving as he clamped hard on his Camel straight. He reeked of booze and smoke, and swayed a little as he stood, his condition far past tipsy.
“What the hell is going on?” Jase asked, his gaze moving to his brother.
Prescott’s scowl deepened. “Yeah, that’s what I’d like to know. He just showed up at my door an hour ago and Lena hit the roof.”
“I bet.”
“Drove himself, if you can believe it. Parked his stupid truck almost on the front porch. Really lucky in his condition that he didn’t wreck and kill or maim someone! Damn it, Dad, what were you thinking?”
Edward didn’t react, just tried to squint through the smoke curling up from his cigarette.
Swiping his hair back in irritation, Prescott said to his brother, “So, are you go
“Yeah, Jase,” their father said unsteadily, slurring his words. “You go
Jase swung the door wide open, and Prescott clamped one hand on the old man’s arm and dragged him inside to the living area. “This has got to stop!” he said, letting their father fall onto the couch as Jase switched on one of the lamps. “Lena is beyond upset. Beyond upset! She doesn’t want the kids to see Dad like this.”
“Like wha’?” their father asked.
“Falling ass-down drunk, that’s what. Caleb might think you’re fu
Edward tried to struggle to his feet, failed, and sat back down. Hard. “I ain’t goin’ to any of those rehab places, and you two know it. I jes’ need a little cash to get me back on my feet.”
“Not happening!” Prescott crossed his arms over his chest. “But there’s the matter of money. Rehab isn’t cheap, and I’m tapped out with the new house and all.” He stared pointedly at Jase. “You’re up.”
“I thought I was buying you out.”
“The farm?” Ed blinked, the sodden wheels in his mind begi
“We’re talking, that’s all,” Jase said to him. “Sit down, Prescott.”
“Hell, no. I’m not sitting down. Lena’s already beyond pissed. Wants to call the preacher for an intervention, but what then? How do we swing that? The church has got some sort of program, but—”
“I ain’t goin’ to no fancy-pants holier-than-thou church camp. It ain’t my style.”
“Not camp, Dad,” Prescott reminded him. “Treatment. It has nothing to do with style, but everything to do with addiction.”
“Sheeeit. I don’t need no treatment. I just need a little—”
“Cash. Yeah, I know. Jase knows. We all know.” Prescott threw up his hands. “God, do we all know. Dad, I’ve had it.” To Jase, he said, “Lena wants nothing to do with this. If we go with the church program, you and I have to sponsor him. Lena’s out.” He pointed to Jase. “We set it up. Get the preacher and his wife involved, and by the way, that’s going to kill Lena to have them know, but . . . whatever. If we do this, Jase, you and Dad set up some kind of payment program. Otherwise he’s your problem! Totally. I’m out!”
“Problem?” Edward pulled a face, chewed on that. His head wobbled, a frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. “I ain’t nobody’s problem, least of all you boys. And you know I don’t mean to trouble you boys, but I’m just a little short this month.”
Prescott shot Jase a look that said can-you-believe-this?
“You are a problem, Dad. For me. For Lena. For my kids. And for Jase here, who is stupid enough to send you money to feed your addiction.”
Ed waved his oldest son off. “I’m just talking about the rent money now.”
“Right.” Prescott skewered their father with a hate-filled glare.
“So what happened? Why are you here, Dad?” Jase asked. “I told you I was sending a check.”
“And I told you I’d pick it up.”
“You said maybe. Remember? And that doesn’t explain why you’d turn up at Prescott’s.”
Edward turned a bleary eye up at Jase standing above him. “Got a little turned around. You know, isss dark out there.”
There was no use arguing when the old man was in this state; Jase had learned that sorry fact long ago. “Maybe you should just sleep it off, Dad.”