Chapter Twenty-seven
Three days later, Tucker was running on no sleep and way too much coffee. He was wound up so tight that he’d gone for a run and he’d kept on running. His half-an-hour jog turned into a four-hour escape and by the time he returned to the hotel he and Teague were staying at, he was exhausted.
It was the kind of bone-numbing exhaustion that sleep couldn’t fix. Hell, for all he knew, there was no fixing him.
He was beyond confused, anxious as hell for answers, and at the same time, afraid to hear them.
He’d just entered the lobby of the shabby-looking place they’d called home for the last few days when he spotted his brother near the front desk. Teague was nodding to the manager, and it looked as if they were having an intense conversation.
Pulling his T-shirt out of the back of his shorts, Tucker put it on as he made his way over to them.
“Mr. Simon,” the manager said politely. “I was just telling your brother that we haven’t seen you since breakfast.”
Teague whipped around, his face harsh. “Where the f*ck have you been?”
“Out for a run. Is that a goddamn crime?”
“You didn’t take your cell.”
Tucker wiped sweat from his brow, a sarcastic comment bubbling up, but then he froze, stomach clenched.
“Is she…is she talking?”
Teague was already headed outside. “Yeah, Tuck. She’s awake. She’s finally conscious and talking, so get your ass in gear….—We’re headed to the hospital.”
Tucker followed his brother outside where a car was waiting, and they rode to the hospital in silence. He’d been wanting this moment to happen ever since he’d arrived in Havana. But now that he was so close, Tucker wasn’t sure he was ready to face a hard truth.
Or maybe nothing at all. Maybe this woman wouldn’t have any answers.
“You ready for this?” Teague asked when they pulled up to the hospital. Mr. Sanchez was waiting for them, his face calm as always.
Tucker sighed and ran his hand over the thick stubble on his chin. “Nope. I have the feeling that my life is about to change again, and I have no idea if it’s headed in the direction that I want it to.”
He sank back into the seat and closed his eyes for a moment. “God, for the longest time, I wanted Marley alive and well and home with me. It drove me crazy, you know? Thinking that she was out there somewhere. That she needed me. That she was in trouble, and I couldn’t get to her.”
His eyes flew open, and he turned to Teague. “I bought the old Blackheath place.”
Teague didn’t say anything at first, most likely because he was thinking that Tucker was f*cking crazy. The old Blackheath place was a rundown Antebellum mansion up the coast, about an hour from his parents place in Florida. The estate was in ruins and had fallen a long way from its notorious beginnings. Built in the 1800’s by a pirate, John Le Black, it was home to his wife, a woman of means herself and a lineage traced back to the court in England.
It had been seized by the government in the early 19th century and at one time, had been used as a retirement home. But it had fallen on tough times and even though considered a historical estate, was in danger of being condemned.
“When the hell did you do that?” Teague asked.
“About a year ago.”
“Let me rephrase. Why the hell did you buy that place? That’s a money pit, if I ever saw one.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought of maybe fixing it up. I told myself I’d done it because Marley was coming back, but honestly, I have no idea why I plunked down all that cash.”
F*ck, it sounded crazy. “When I picture Blackheath, I don’t see Marley. Sometimes I can’t even remember what she looked like in the morning when she used to roll over and kiss me. That was my favorite time of the day. But I don’t remember the details. Shouldn’t I remember the details?”
Teague said nothing, but he was there, and that was enough.
“I don’t think about her every day, and I feel like the biggest a*shole on the planet because of it.”
“You’re not an a*shole,” Teague said quietly. “You’ve just learned to live again. You’ve found someone else for Blackheath. There’s nothing wrong with that. You just need to close this Chapter. You need to know what the hell happened so that you can move on, and if by some miracle Marley is still out there, you’ll deal with it. I’ve got your back, bro.”
It took a few seconds for Tucker to dislodge the giant freaking lump in his throat. “Thanks for being here. It means a lot.”
“I’m just glad I was around when the shit hit.” Teague opened the door. “Okay. We gonna do this?”
Tucker followed his brother and Romero Sanchez down the familiar halls. They took the elevator to the fourth floor and then continued down the hallway until they paused just outside the door.
Dr. Garcia met them and after they all shook hands, the doctor motioned to the door. “She’s doing well. A very strong woman, and she wants very much to talk to you. Please, follow me.”
“I’ll wait out here,” Teague said. “If you need anything, just give a shout.”
Tucker didn’t wait. He didn’t stop to think. He just did.
He followed the doctor inside and strode toward the bed, all focus on the woman whose pale blue eyes found him immediately.
The doctor smiled gently and took her hand. “This is Mr. Simon. He’s come a long way to see you.” Dr. Garcia repeated his words in Spanish and then glanced over to Tucker. “Her English isn’t that good, so I can help with the translating if that’s all right?”
Tucker nodded. Where to start?
“Can you ask her if she knows Marley. Has she ever seen her?”
The doctor spoke and the woman answered, her voice a little rough from the breathing tube.
“She says no.”
“Can you ask her how she ended up with Marley’s things?”
Heart pounding, Tucker listened while the doctor translated and then again the woman spoke. This time her voice rose a bit, and her blue eyes kept darting back and forth between the doctor and Tucker.
The two of them spoke back and forth for what seemed like a long time, and with each passing moment, Tucker’s body tightened. His hands were clenched to his side and his jaw was clamped down so hard that his teeth hurt.
“Okay,” the doctor patted the woman’s hand before turning to Tucker.
“Maria says that she found the bag in her brother’s home. She was cleaning his house and came across the bag along with some other things.”
“What other things?” Alarmed, Tucker stepped closer and the woman flinched. What the hell had happened?
“A medical bag of some sort and some books. She apologizes because she says her brother is a no good drunk. He’s a fisherman who doesn’t fish anymore, if you know what I mean. She asked him about the items. He told her that he found them floating in the water. He took the bag, found some American money inside it, so he kept it.”
Tucker let this process a bit, his stomach tight. He was cold as hell, but sweating like a son-of-a-bitch and he didn’t mind admitting that he felt like puking.
“I’m sorry Mr. Simon, but it seems as if your wife’s plane went down somewhere close to Cuba and this man found some of the wreckage. Maria knew these things were important, and she was on her way to the Swiss Embassy where, as you know, there is a United States interest office for communicating with your country. Unfortunately, Maria was hit by a car on her way there and ended up here. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
For a few moments, there was only silence and then Tucker took that last step, reaching for her hand. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she slowly nodded.
He then turned to the doctor. “Does she know where her brother found the wreckage?”
Tucker had no idea why Marley’s plane was so far off course. Their flight plan hadn’t called for them to be anywhere near the island of Cuba, but he was finally realizing he might not ever know.
Doctor Garcia nodded. “She says that she can give an approximate location and maybe you will finally have all the answers you’ve been needing.”
Tucker slowly backed away from the bed and paused at the door. “Thank you for everything. Both you and Mr. Sanchez have been great about all of this. Anything that this woman—that Maria, needs. Let me know. I will cover any cost.”
“That’s very generous of you, but since our countries are still not seeing eye-to-eye, that would be inappropriate. I will make sure Maria is well looked after.”
With one last handshake, Tucker walked out of the hospital room.
Teague pushed off from the wall. “Are we good?”
“Yeah,” Tucker answered slowly. “I think so.”
The two men walked out of the hospital and not once did either of them look back.