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Instant panic fills me as I jump up from my chair.
“She was in an accident, but she’s okay.”
I move swiftly over to Jessica and take her shoulders into my hands. “Where is she?” I demand.
“Get your hands off of me. I’m not telling you anything.”
The panic has taken hold of me, and I’m on the verge of losing it. All I can think about is Lana being hurt. I know I’m grabbing Jessica’s shoulders too tightly, but I can’t help it.
“I can make one phone call and find out where she is within minutes. You might as well tell me.”
“It’s funny how you think you can intimidate and bully me.”
I take a deep breath, count back from five, and remove my hands from her shoulders. I take a step back from her and fight the urge to demand she give me information. I get myself under control and prepare to grovel if needed.
Dax steps forward and beats me to it. “We’re all concerned. We just want to make sure she’s okay. Please tell us what happened.”
Jessica looks at Dax through squinted eyes as though trying to determine if he’s being honest. She chews on her lower lip while trying to decide. “Lana would kill me if she knew I came here and told you this.”
She looks around the room as though trying to read the sincerity on our faces. Dax looks worried, but Liz curiously has her head down and is looking at her hands. But me? I’m not just worried. I’m fighting the urge to shake the information out of Jessica. She has about two-point-five seconds to answer me before I say something I might regret later.
I picture Lana in a hospital bed, probably alone. The thought is making me dizzy, and I grab hold of my desk to steady myself.
“She’s doing okay. But she was in a pretty serious accident coming home from work last night. She blew a tire and her brakes were not functioning properly. She was going far too fast when she spun out and hit the retaining wall. A car slammed into her.”
“Oh my God. Where is she!” I practically yell.
Jessica holds up her hands to calm me. It doesn’t work. “She’s okay. She’s resting at home.”
Blinded by fear, I rush out of my office. My only thought is that I need to get to Lana. I need to know that she’s really okay. If anything has happened to her, I will never forgive myself for the things I said to her.
I yell over my shoulder to Liz, “Call for the car and cancel my appointments.”
Liz smiles smugly at me. “Already done. Don’t worry about a thing. Just get to Lana.”
Dax, Liz, and Jessica follow me out, close at my heels. As I wait for the elevator, I hear Liz say, “Nice job.” Not knowing or caring what she means or who she is talking to, I stab the down button again and again. Impatient, I debate taking the stairs down the thirty flights. What the hell is taking so long for this elevator?
Dax comes over and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you aren’t driving yourself. Try to calm down before you get to Lana.”
“How can you tell me to calm down? She’s hurt, and I’m not with her. How could I have been so stupid?”
“She’s okay, Jake. She’s at home. If it were serious, she’d be at the hospital.”
Dax’s reassurance does nothing to stop the terror I am feeling, though.
The elevator doors open, and I rush in. I take my cell phone out of my pocket and dial Lana. Five rings, no answer. I try calling again as I get out of the elevator. Again, five rings and no answer.
She still doesn’t answer as I try to call her multiple times while on my way over to her apartment.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lana
Everything is a mess. Six months ago, my life was good. It was nice and tidy and predictable, just what I like.
Now, I have a broken heart, a sprained wrist, and a car that’s headed for the junkyard.
Why did I have to go and mess everything up? I don’t have anyone to blame except myself. I trusted my uncle. When he told me that he was losing everything because of the Anders Group, I felt I owed it to him to help him out. And all along, he was lying to me. Yes, he was losing everything. But it was his own fault. He finally admitted to me that he had a gambling problem. He began defaulting on loans and stopped paying his bills in order to pay his gambling debts. Once the downward spiral started, he found it impossible to get out.
