Page 78 of The Image of You

My phone rang.

She stopped smiling.

I shared a look with Elena. She dipped her chin, telling me silently she would watch closely.

I stood to answer, moving past Ally. She gave me a brave nod, but I saw the worry in her eyes already taking hold. I stopped beside her, brushing her lips with mine. “Soon,” I promised. I hit accept to stop the ringing, already looking forward to the day it was silent forever.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Wind tore through my hair, the fierceness of it stinging my eyes. Debris flew around, and I ducked and bobbed, trying to avoid being hit as the storm raged.

This time, I was closer to home. The phone call from Sean had been to tell me about a huge hurricane blowing toward the Atlantic coast, and Chris and I flew out to capture the images as it hit and the aftermath. We’d been watching it roll in, capturing the violence and the beauty as it came inland. It was immense in its fury.

I hit the ground as a huge piece of debris barely missed my head, and I knew it was time to retreat. We needed to hunker down until we knew it was safe to return and capture the aftermath of the storm.

When it was safe, we ventured out into the weak morning light, staring at the path of destruction. Grimly, I glanced at Chris. “Time to get to work.”

Hours later, I returned to the motel, exhausted. I hadn’t slept in three days, going on adrenaline and caffeine when I could grab it. Wearily, I sat on the edge of the old bed, powering on the satellite phone. There was no other way of getting hold of Ally and I knew she’d be worried, so I needed to talk to her before I tried sleeping. I dialed Ally’s cell phone, thinking I would catch her before she went to work. When she answered, her voice was thick and raspy. When she heard my voice, she began to weep.

I stood and started to pace when I heard her deep sobs. “Ally, what is it? What’s wrong?”

There were more cries—heart-wrenching, pain-filled cries that were frightening. “Baby,” I pleaded. “Tell me what’s wrong. Are you hurt? Ill?”

“No,” she gasped out.

“Take a deep breath. I need you to calm down and tell me.”

Her voice was so rough, I knew she’d been crying for hours. “Elena,” she whimpered.

My heart sank. “Elena?” I repeated in a low voice.

“She–she died, Adam.”

* * *

I had to fight, bribe, and plead my way home. There were no flights leaving the storm-ravaged coast. Chris stayed behind to keep working, and with Sean’s help, I found a car. I drove as fast as I could, finally getting to a major city, and flew back to Toronto and my brokenhearted girl.

Ally was finally able to tell me that Elena had suffered a stroke.

“I couldn’t save her,” she’d sobbed into the phone.

I had to tamp down my grief and use everything at my disposal to get to her. Elena had died two days prior, and the funeral was happening today. Ally had been alone and dealing with her grief, unable to get in touch with me.

When the plane landed, it was already past two, and I had missed the service. I knew they would be at the cemetery, so I instructed the cabbie to take me straight there.

I was a mess—still wearing the same clothes from the previous day, my dark jeans and T-shirt wrinkled and worn. My hair was wild, and I hadn’t shaved in days. My ink was on display, and I looked rough and haggard—Elena would have loved it.

I stood at the back of the mourners, finding Ally in the crowd. She was standing to the side, right at the front. Dressed in black, her hair pulled back off her face, she was pale, her skin dull and white against the black of her attire. She had her arms wrapped around her torso, as if she were holding herself in. I wanted to go over and draw her into my arms, but I knew it would cause a scene, and out of respect for Elena, I remained apart from Ally, waiting for the right time. Her mother and Ronald stood near, neither showing any emotion nor attempting to comfort Ally. Hovering close was Bradley. More than once, I saw his hand reach for hers, but she shook him off each time, moving to avoid his contact. Carefully, I circled the group, coming up across from them, lowering my head in reverence to the woman we were saying goodbye to. I kept my eyes on Ally, hoping when she finally looked up, she would see me. When the service ended and people started to disperse, I focused all my attention on her, willing her to see me.

I moved closer, ignoring the fact that Sarah had spotted me and grabbed Ally’s elbow, attempting to pull her away. Her plan backfired as Ally glanced over to see what Sarah was frowning about and, with a gasp, ran straight into my open arms.

I held her close, engulfing her tiny frame completely. She gripped my neck tightly, sobbing into my chest as I nuzzled her head, whispering words of comfort to her while I rocked her from side to side. Looking up, I met the baleful stare of the good doctor Bradley, who frowned before turning around and walking away.

“I’m here, Ally,” I murmured. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Adam—” she sobbed, sounding shattered.

Sarah approached us. “Alexandra, control yourself. We need to go to the club. There’s a luncheon, and we can’t be late.”