Paradise becomes h.e.l.l.

a a a Ian blinked open tired eyes. For a moment, confusion plagued him until he realized he'd fallen asleep on the guest bed in Tripp and Lexi's house. His laptop still sat on his lap, cold from having shut off itself.

Two hours had pa.s.sed.

She hadn't come back.

Leaving his research and the details about Tanner, Ian rose.

The house greeted him with perfect silence. "Taylor?" Ian's footsteps echoed through the empty hallway. "Girl, how long a bath did you take?" He continued toward the stairs, finding nothing. "h.e.l.lo? Anyone?" No one responded.

Ian peeked into the third bedroom.

Not a soul.

"Maybe I'll take my own bath."

He slipped into Lexi and Tripp's room, noting their bathroom door remained shut. "Taylor?" He rapped his knuckles on the door. "You decent or want some company?" Ian grinned at himself.

With no answer, he figured she'd gone out, but opened the door just to check.

"Taylor!" Ian raced to the tub where Taylor bobbed and pulled her from under the water.

Blue lips and the paleness of death reflected in her face.

He scrambled, sliding her out all the way, falling back to the floor, Taylor's body spilling as fluidly as the liquid itself to the tiled surface.

Ian leaned his ear close to her mouth.

Not a bit of air pa.s.sed from her to him.

He tilted her head back. His lips met hers, and he offered one deep breath of his own.

With his hands over her chest, he pressed to the beat of *Stayin' Alive' and moved back to her mouth.

Another breath.

More chest compressions added the crack of ribs under his hands. He wanted to stop, to not hurt her, but knew he had to keep going.

Another breath.

Another crack.

Her body arched, seizing into itself until she flipped to the side and spewed clear liquid.

"Holy s.h.i.t!" Ian grabbed the towel from the rack and wrapped it around her. One lift up and she fell into his arms. He stormed his way out of the bathroom, through the hall and down the stairs. "You better not die. Not on my watch."

Her head lolled to the side, but the blue tint had been replaced with a light grey.

With her still in his arms, he grabbed cell and keys off the kitchen table and raced outside to the driveway, beeping the car doors unlocked.

Maneuvering her into the front pa.s.senger seat of Tripp's Jaguar took two attempts. With each of his own breaths, he checked her face, her color, the movement of her chest. More and more life seeped back into her, but she hadn't yet regained consciousness.

Ian pulled out of Lexi and Tripp's yard, whipping rock and dirt into the air. The car fishtailed as he spun it onto the street and pressed the emergency b.u.t.ton. "This is Ian Sands." He didn't even let the operator answer when his call went through. "I have an unconscious woman with me, and we're heading to the ER." He took a deep breath. "She was in-she stopped breathing, and I revived her with CPR." His eyes darted to Taylor as he sped down the road.

"Okay, sir-"

"We'll be at the ER entrance in ten minutes."

"All right. Can you tell me-"

Ian ignored the operator as Taylor groaned, and her head flopped forward. Another gush of liquid burst from her lips. Her hands grasped the door frame. She heaved in air again and blinked. With her body straight upright, her head held high as if nothing had happened, she turned toward Ian and blinked again. Back to the road in front of her, her lids fell, and she slumped against the seat.

"Dammit, woman." Ian pressed hard on the gas, barreling through the roads at double limit. He arrived at the hospital early as blue and red lights spun at the entrance.

Riley stood at the doors along with a nurse and doctor, a gurney and a few gawkers.

Ian jerked the car to a stop at Riley's toes.

The pa.s.senger door flew open. Taylor fell into Riley's arms. "What the h.e.l.l did you do?" Riley asked.

Ian tore out of his side and around as Riley lifted her onto the gurney. The lab-coated people took over, though one approached Ian and took him by the arm, asking a dozen questions a minute to which Ian had only one answer: I have no idea.

a a a The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose as he entered the hospital waiting room where Ian sat.

Ian's heart lurched. "Is she going to be okay? Taylor Marsh, that is."

The doctor waved a folder in Ian's direction. "Are you Mr. Sands?"

Ian nodded.

"Great. I was told by the detective to contact you if I couldn't find him. Do you know where Sergeant Dale is? Or any of her other family?"

"Uh ... yeah." Ian pulled out his cell to text Riley, who'd gone for coffee. "Can you tell me anything about her?"

"And, you are related how?" The doctor tilted his head and half-closed one eye.

"Just a friend."

"Then, unfortunately not. No. I'm sorry. But ... can you tell me if she's had any incidences like this before? Any reason she might have tried to kill herself?"

She did not try to kill herself. No way. Ian refused to believe it, even as the possibility rang true. "That's something maybe you should talk with Sergeant Dale about." He also didn't know how much to say or not without Tripp's input.

"Was she taking any medication, any-"

"I really don't know." But, G.o.d, I wish I did.

Riley arrived as the doctor started his next question, and the two walked out into the hallway. Ian dropped into his chair again, his body trembling with a fear he didn't understand for a woman he barely knew.

Had she tried to kill herself? To drown herself? He didn't remember seeing any alcohol or drugs in the room. How can someone drown themselves in a tub? Wouldn't their body fight it? Questions ran rampant as Riley re-entered. Ian didn't rise but kept his seat. Riley hitched his gun belt. Ian crossed his arms.

A silent standoff had begun.

"So, once again ... what the h.e.l.l did you do?" Riley finally asked.

Ian held up his hands. "Don't look at me, man. I was asleep."

The firm set of Riley's lips suggested he didn't believe Ian. "Why didn't you stop her?" Riley's fists clenched. "You were supposed to take care of her."

"Are you kidding?" Ian stood, meeting Riley's gaze straight on. "I drove like a bat out of f.u.c.king h.e.l.l to get her here. I couldn't stop her because I had no reason to believe she'd do anything." Ian punctuated each statement with a finger in the air. "Did you expect this? If you did, don't you think you should have said something?"

Riley dropped his chin down. "I didn't. Never. No. She wouldn't. I just-" He ran a hand through his hair.

The paging system called for a Doctor Tackert to Wing D, stat. The urgency made Ian bristle.

"Why are you here, Ian?"

"Because a friend is in need."

"Not because you just put up her bond and want to make sure you get it back?"

Ian balled his fists similar to Riley.

"I know you did it. Don't know why, but she deserves better." Riley gave an upward lift of his chin.

"You son of a-"

"Hear me out." Riley pushed closer to Ian. "Taylor and I have a long history, and she's had it rough a few times. But I know she wouldn't do this. So, that means something else happened. And, you were the only one there. If you do so much as break a hair on her head-"

"You'll kill me? What? Are we in middle school?" Ian's snide retort didn't stay under wraps as he'd hoped.

"Yes. And I'm the one with a gun."

"I don't play games with women." Often. Anymore. Another call through the speakers for yet another doctor tensed Ian's muscles.

Riley c.o.c.ked his head toward the sound but turned back to Ian. "It's not a game. She's like a sister to me."

Ian stuffed a hand in his pocket. If ever he stood on one side of a war, with a princess as a prize, Riley stood at the opposite, waiting and at the ready for the attack. Rather than keep up the pretense, Ian held out a hand.

Riley's eyes narrowed.

"Truce. But only for her," Ian said. "For now."

Riley took Ian's hand and shook. "Listen ... if you get asked about parents or others to call, you don't say anything about anyone but me.

"Why?" He thought he'd heard Lexi or Emma mention that her parents lived nearby.

"I told you, she's had it rough. So, let's just leave it at that for now, all right?"

"Fine."

"And I'll ... give them authorization to talk to you."

Ian's brows winged up. "Why? How can you do that?"

"I just can. And, I can't be around the whole time, remember? My job. Our deal from earlier?"

With Ian's nod, Riley offered the same. "Why don't you go get something for yourself-you know, coffee or whatever. Could be a long night."

"Actually ... I have another friend here tonight, and I want to go check on her."

"Go on then. I'll stay here."

"Thanks." Ian stepped through the door and followed the signs for Obstetrics and Gynecology, figuring he might as well offer Tripp support if nothing else.

He traced a path through the hospital, around and down a floor until he found the reception area where he thought Lexi might have been taken. He waited as another series of beeps and calls finished before he moved toward the counter. "I'm looking for Lexi-"

Tripp emerged from a room, his gaze straight on Ian as he left.

"Never mind."

With a quick chin jut, much like Riley had given him, Tripp pushed through to a wide lobby with floor to ceiling windows. Ian hadn't paid a bit of attention to his surroundings on his way in.

"Emma call you?" Tripp asked.

"No. Taylor had an incident."

Tripp's brows furrowed. "She okay?"

"Not really. Still in the ER. She ... well ... she drowned. In your bathtub." Ian scrubbed at his jaw. "Still trying to figure out how that's possible."

Tripp's eyes went wide. "She try to kill herself?"

"Dude, I just have no idea."

"What do you think?" Tripp asked.

Ian huffed air. "I don't believe that she did, no. Seriously. I don't. But I don't know her. I'm way, way out of my comfort zone here and have no idea what to do about it."

"Makes for a great start to a relationship, huh?" Tripp's attempt at humor brought out a small smile.

Rather than keep thinking about Taylor, Ian asked. "What's going on with Lexi?"

Tripp slunk down into one of the vinyl covered chairs. He ran a hand through his hair.

Ian took the spot next to him, his body braced for bad news. "Seriously, man, she okay?"

The slow bounce of Tripp's head should have been encouraging. The face that returned to him came with the glow of parenthood in the making.