Empty Net (Five for Fighting #3) Read online

  Amber Lynn

  Copyright © 2016 Amber Lynn

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Dedication

  For this book I would really like to thank all the wonderful people who have given the Five for Fighting series a chance. I’ve always known my writing isn’t for everyone, but I’ve had so many positive connections with people who have enjoyed these storylines that it makes the doubts that sometimes roll around in my head all worth it.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “Excuse me, you work here, right?” Doug had waited for someone to help him for almost ten minutes. The first woman he’d met had disappeared, apparently never to return.

  His next option walked into the reception area without giving him a second glance as she busied herself at a computer, while he continued to stand with his hands in his jeans pockets. The second woman looked friendlier, with her caramel-colored hair fanned in a short bob around her face and bright green eyes alive with a hint of something that didn’t belong in the psychiatric hospital Doug was waiting to get into.

  Doug was glad she hadn’t given him much notice as she went about her business, because as soon as she looked up and made eye contact, he found his body decided breathing wasn’t necessary. Just taking in her general features wasn’t the same as having the full force of her emerald eyes focused on him.

  “Was it the nametag that gave it away?” Annoyance more than anything else laced her voice, and any notion that she was friendly went right out the window. She gave him a quick look and then returned to what she was doing.

  Doug had to take a second to get his breathing under control. Of course he’d noticed the nametag, but that wasn’t the only thing indicating she worked there. She was dressed differently than the first woman, but the pale blue scrubs she wore led him to believe she was a nurse. He wasn’t sure what capacity the other woman served. Her outfit had been all white, and he’d thought maybe she was a receptionist, since she’d been sitting at the desk when he made it through security.

  “Does everyone working here have that same attitude? I introduced myself to another woman about fifteen minutes ago and asked if I could see Stephanie Palmer, but she left without telling me where to go.”

  “Let me guess, the woman wore a beautiful shade of eggshell and had a handwritten nametag on.” The woman speaking had a slight accent, which Doug had trouble placing.

  He had teammates from around the world, so he was used to accents, but there was something almost southern and maybe New Jersian about hers. It was a strange combination that he hadn’t heard before. Chances were he was wrong about pinpointing where the accent was from, but he hoped he could convince her to tell him what he was hearing. If not during his visit, maybe over a nice dinner.

  Plans for later aside, the nametag the first woman wore had registered as a little odd, but Doug didn’t know how things worked at the facility. Looking at the real thing on the woman in front of him, it was pretty clear they were more traditional than he’d originally assumed. He couldn’t make out a name, but he saw a small picture beside what looked like words.

  “So, she’s a patient? I thought with the security I had to go through to get in here that things were a little stricter about who was running around where.”

  He hadn’t had to strip down or anything, but they made sure he wasn’t packing a weapon. Once they were certain he wasn’t going to help Steph shoot her way out of the building, he was told to hang out in the waiting area until someone told him where to go. Doug had expected the institutional-style tile and bright white walls around him, but he hadn’t taken into account it’d be another twenty minutes before he could see more of the hospital.

  He could only stare at the wooden desk the nurse was busy typing at for so long. There wasn’t any artwork on the walls or plants to liven up the area, saying it lacked an interior designer’s touch was an understatement. The word sterile had played over and over in his mind as he looked around for any kind of bell or buzzer to alert that someone needed assistance. There was a keypad on the door leading back to where the nurse had come from, and Doug had considered trying to figure out the code, but he didn’t want to deal with how security would handle the action.

  “Not everyone is here involuntarily. There’s some people who come here before the courts order them, and days like today, when about half the staff phoned in sick, things are a little more lax for those people. Don’t worry, you won’t find the person you’re visiting wandering the halls. I take it you’re one of her pen pals. You all kind of have the same general look about you.”

  Doug couldn’t see the expression on his face, but he was sure it read confusion as he furrowed his brow and tried to make sense of what the woman had said. The whole thing about half the staff being sick was worrisome, but it said a lot about why the nurse was in a gruff mood. He hadn’t heard anything about Steph having pen pals, even when he’d gone to ask Nelson about the letter he received from her, and her brother saw her more than anyone else. The letter Doug got didn’t mention writing her back, just that she wanted him to come for a visit. He thought pen pals actually exchanged notes.

  “I’m not sure what you mean by that, but I knew Steph before she ended up in here. I’m one of her brother’s teammates.”

  That statement got the nurse to look up from whatever had her occupied. Sometime during the conversation, Doug had moved a little closer to the desk, without realizing he covered about ten steps. There was something about the woman that pulled him in closer.

  She was gorgeous, though that word didn’t seem to emphasize what Doug saw. Even wearing the lackluster scrubs, he could see she had a nice body. Her biceps, which peeked out from under the sleeves, were slightly developed and she had more than just apples filling out her bra. Doug had never considered himself a “breast man,” but he found himself wanting to snuggle up with hers. It was the last thing he should’ve been thinking based on where they were meeting for the first time, but he kept picturing what she looked like without the shirt.

  “I see.” Her voice brought Doug’s eyes back to her face, and it was clear from the slight glare that she didn’t miss where he’d been staring. Her eyes squinting closer together did nothing to detract from their ability to make Doug sweat. “Well, should I go over the details about how you’ll be meeting with Stephanie? She’s not allowed to see people one on one, so if you thought this was going to be a conjugal visit, it’s not. There’s a guard in the room, along with other patients, so make sure you keep things zipped up.”

  That idea brought a small chuckle out of Doug, which didn’t help erase the
look he’d received for his wandering eyes. Sure, there had been a time when he had dreams about him and Steph falling in love, but it had been almost four years since she’d proven to be a little unstable. Stabbing one of Doug’s former teammates because she believed they were engaged and he was cheating on her with someone else, kind of put a damper on any notions of romantic involvement. And that was the condensed version of everything that had gone on.

  Doug still wasn’t sure why she’d reached out to him, but Nels had pushed him to see what she wanted. It was surprising that he had, after the number of times the two men had butted heads in the past. Since Doug and Nels’ wife, Annie, had become close friends, the two teammates had patched up most of their problems. Doug was pretty sure the only reason Nelson put up with him was because Nels hated going to the theater, while Annie loved it, and Doug seemed to be the only person they knew who also enjoyed it.

  “I can tell you already have a low opinion of me, which is quite sad because I really am charming.” Doug thought about winking, but he didn’t think that would go over well, so he kept his face neutral. “I don’t know why you’d think I was here for a conjugal visit, but I’m here because Steph asked me to come and her brother thought it was a good idea. I haven’t spoken to her in over three years, and in case you were wondering, we’ve never had sex, so there isn’t going to be some mad dash to throw our clothes off and get frisky.”

  He didn’t need to go into details, but he thought it was necessary to try to erase whatever image she instantly had of him. The nurse’s eyes narrowed again as she gave him a thorough look. Doug wished he would’ve worn one of his suits, which were tailored to his body. His loose-on-the-hips blue jeans and navy polo fit well, but they didn’t show off the dips and rises of his muscles as well as a suit did.

  He said nothing as he waited for her next words, silently hoping she’d ask him to take his clothes off. He’d purposely thrown that part in there to get the idea floating around in her head. His thoughts didn’t really paint the picture he wanted her to see, but he doubted she was able to read his mind.

  “Did Nelson warn you about what to expect?” Doug raised an eyebrow when he heard her mention Nelson by name. She rolled her eyes in irritation when she noticed the gesture. “I’ve only worked here a few months, but I’m not stupid. He’s the only one who’s visited Stephanie and I’m good at remembering names and faces.”

  Doug had been trying to guess how old she was, and wondered if the few months on the job meant she was recently out of school. She had a sort of timeless beauty, which could have put her anywhere from sixteen to fifty. He hoped she was older than jailbait, but younger than his mother. That being said, he wasn’t adverse to spending time with a cougar. When you had next to zero experience with legitimate relationships, you couldn’t be picky about who your partner was, as long as she was of legal age.

  He briefly noticed she’d said Nelson was the only person who had visited, which directly contradicted her claim of Steph having pen pals that visited. It was a contradiction, but one he decided not to call her out on.

  “In that case, I’m Doug. Doug Renaud if you want to be specific.” Doug couldn’t help the way his voice sounded like an old-time movie actor introducing himself on the screen.

  He reached his hand out towards her, over the desk, and after a few seconds of hesitation, her skin made contact with his. Doug wasn’t sure what he expected, but the delicate way her hand curled into his was a nice change from the attitude she’d been dishing out. He hoped the attitude could be attributed to a chaotic day, and not him specifically. There wasn’t time to really enjoy the smooth touch of her skin, because almost as soon as contact was made, her hand was drawn back to her side.

  “Unless you’re planning on becoming a frequent visitor, I’m guessing I won’t have to recall that information again.” She reached down and entered a few more keystrokes on the keyboard, before turning her back to him and walking towards the door she’d entered.

  As Doug had made it closer to the desk, her badge had been difficult to get a look at, since it disappeared behind the desk. With her back to him, it was impossible to get her name without asking. Most people would’ve shared as soon as he did, but clearly she couldn’t be lumped in with most people.

  “This very well could be the only time we meet, but just in case we bump into each other at a grocery store or something, it’d be nice to know your name.”

  Doug followed behind as she made it through the doorway and held the door for him. As he passed her, he could’ve taken a peek at the badge, but he wanted her to share her name. Some kind of connection was all he wanted, even if that was merely her revealing her name.

  “Since we haven’t run into each other before, I doubt that’s going to be an issue.” She shut the door securely behind them and led him down a hallway before speaking again. “You scheduled your visit, so Stephanie is already waiting for you in the common room. You didn’t answer whether Nelson had filled you in on what to expect, so a few quick words of advice. Keep things light.”

  There were no other words shared as they made it to a large open area. Doug was a little surprised the picture he had in his head, based solely on things he’d seen in movies, was exactly what he saw in front of him. The room had a few round tables, where three or four people in matching eggshell-colored outfits sat around mostly staring at the two people who’d just entered the room. The outfits matched the one he’d seen on the woman he thought was the receptionist. He looked around the room for her, but didn’t see her.

  The only person not looking in his direction was the woman he was there to see. Steph was away from the tables, choosing to sit in a chair next to a window. Doug recognized her curly blond hair, even though most of the time when he’d seen her she’d straightened the curls out. Before shearing his locks, her brother had the same curls, and as much time as Nelson spent in his crease on the ice, Doug was accustomed to the familial trait.

  Taking another glance around the room, Doug nodded to what appeared to be a security guard, judging by his uniform, stationed against a wall next to a sealed window, which Doug assumed was where medicine was dispensed. It could’ve been something else, but his movie knowledge told him otherwise. The plain decorations from the other room carried over, so there wasn’t much else to take in.

  “You have thirty minutes.” The nurse walked away, assuming he knew what he was doing.

  Doug watched as she spoke quietly to the guard before exiting out another door. He’d hoped she was going to stick around and make sure he didn’t cross any lines, but she’d probably already forgotten he existed.

  Doug studied the guard before he moved. Spending most of his time with guys who worked out for a few hours every day, the guard didn’t appear intimidating to him, even if the look on his face tried to convey malice. Doug was certain he could take the other man if a fight broke out, not that there was any reason to believe one would. There was something he didn’t like about the place in general, and the fact that he was already sizing up potential opponents didn’t give him warm tingling feelings inside.

  Ignoring the only other male in the room, Doug made his way over to the windows. As far as he knew, Steph hadn’t been let out of the building in the years she’d been imprisoned, so the courtyard outside the window could’ve been the only experience she had with the outside world in years. The thought made the visit a little more melancholy than just awkward.

  Steph had risen from her seat as Doug had played out a short fight between him and the guard in his head. She didn’t turn to acknowledge him, but he assumed she knew he was there.

  “How are things going, Steph?” Doug wasn’t sure of the best opening line. She hadn’t turned to greet him, so he had to say something. He thought about reaching out to touch her shoulder, but he was afraid making contact would set something off. Nelson had warned him she’d been a little hesitant about hugging the last time he’d visited. Nels didn’t think there was something Doug needed to worry
about, though, playing on the safe side had been implied.

  Steph’s head turned slightly as Doug came into her peripheral vision, and then her eyes moved back to the view out the window. As far as Doug could see, she hadn’t changed much from what he remembered. The woman he knew was always looking at the door, hoping Dylan Jones, the man she’d stabbed, would walk in. The somewhat faraway look he quickly saw in her eyes reminded him of that.

  “I’m surprised you came. Nelson thinks he has to visit me because we’re family, but no one else seems to take my requests for visitors seriously.”

  Doug didn’t say anything about the nurse mentioning her pen pals, but it had made it seem like Steph had more visitors than just Nelson. He watched out the window, following Steph’s lead. There were a few trees and an area filled with a variety of wild grasses and flowers. Doug wasn’t real hip on what different plants were called, so there was a chance everything out there was a weed.

  “I wasn’t sure if I should. We weren’t exactly close.” That was putting it mildly. Doug had tried to get Steph to notice him, but she usually waved off any conversation they had.

  “Which is why I asked you to come and not my brother. I know you had a crush on me, so I’m hoping you’ll want to help. Nels either wouldn’t believe me or he’d blow a gasket, and I need someone with the ability to fall in between those two extremes. Someone has to help me get out of this place, and I’m afraid you’re my only hope.”

  Doug let the words settle, and then he looked over to where the nurse had left the room. Hearing Steph say her reason for calling him was to help her escape made him wish he’d followed the pretty nurse wherever she’d gone off to. He’d much rather spend his time getting to know her better than sit through the conversation he was already regretting being part of.

  Chapter Two