Authors: Kris Norris
Emma jumped at his voice and looked up. “Gage, you made it.”
“Where’s Brooklyn?”
Emma shook her head, coveting a cup of coffee against her chest.
“Still in surgery.
The doctor said he’d come down when he knew something.”
Gage held back the growl building in his chest and sat down on the faded, grey sofa. Emma’s eyes were puffy and rimmed in red. He wondered what it must have been like for her to find Brooklyn. She was more than his wife’s agent. She was one of her closest friends. He glanced over at her, watching her thumb the edge of the cup.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
Emma huffed, breaking a small chunk of Styrofoam off the rim. “She wouldn’t have been there if I hadn’t convinced her to go.”
“You know she loves meeting her fans. She always has.”
“But not today.”
Her voice was shrill and edged with the same guilt that flashed in her hazel eyes. “She didn’t want to go to this one, not when she knew she had to meet you after. I had to beg her to do it…blackmail her, actually.”
Gage looked away, wondering if it’d been him or the divorce she’d been reluctant to deal with. He sighed, certain he knew the answer. “Don’t be silly. Brook’s her own boss. If she really hadn’t wanted to go, she would’ve found a way out.” He met her gaze, but then looked down at his feet. “How bad was it?”
“Pretty bad.
She was lying on the floor, surrounded by blood. I didn’t expect to find a pulse.”
Gage clenched his jaw, trying not to picture the image Emma had created with just those few words. He’d seen more than his share of bodies, and didn’t want to add Brooklyn’s face to any of them. “Did she regain consciousness at all?” he asked, aware of the roughness in his voice.
Emma shook her head.
He nodded, staring down at his feet again. He didn’t know what else to say. He could tell by the nervous twitching of her fingers she wasn’t in any condition to answer his questions, and the lengthening silence between them was slowly driving him crazy.
You’ll just have to sit here and wait.
He growled at the thought. He’d done nothing but wait all day—wait until it was time to go to Reynolds’ office, wait for Brooklyn to show up, wait to see if she’d live long enough to erase him from her life.
“Excuse me? Are you related to the woman they brought in earlier?” The doctor looked down at the report fastened on his clipboard.
“A Ms. Brooklyn Matthews?”
Gage stood up, nearly knocking the man’s chest. “How is she?”
“And you are?” he asked, raising his eyebrow in challenge.
“This is Special Agent Gage Matthews,” said Emma, standing up beside Gage. “And I’m Emma Tate. I’m Brooklyn’s agent.”
“Special Agent,” repeated the doctor. “I didn’t realise this was a federal investigation.”
“It’s not.” Gage paused, and glanced down at his left hand, wishing he hadn’t taken his damn ring off. “I’m Brooklyn’s…husband.”
The doctor nodded, shifting a glance at Gage’s left hand. “Sorry. I didn’t make the connection with the last name.” He sighed. “You’ll have to excuse
me,
it’s been a long day.” He motioned for them both to sit, sinking down on the small coffee table in front of them. “I’m Dr. Nick O’Brian. I operated on your wife.”
“And?” asked Gage.
“She’s alive. I’m not really sure how, but she seems to be holding her own. We’ve taken her to the I.C.U. department until she’s stable enough to be moved into a private room.”
Gage let out the breath he’d been holding and Emma sobbed into a Kleenex. “Thank God,” he mumbled.
“There’re a few things I’d like to discuss with you—Gage, was it?” asked Nick.
Gage nodded, not sure he liked the concerned look in the doctor’s eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“Not wrong, just not completely right yet.
I just want you to fully understand your wife’s condition. Like I said, the fact she made it through surgery is encouraging, but she’s not out of the woods yet. We’re having trouble stabilising her blood pressure, and her cell count is way below normal. There’s still a chance we could lose her, though she seems to be quite a fighter.” Nick stood up. “The next twenty-four hours are critical. As long as we can keep her from going into cardiac arrest, she should pull through.”
“When can I see her?” asked Gage.
“I’ll take you now, if you’d like. She’s still unconscious, and I doubt she’ll wake up before tomorrow.” He smiled at Gage. “She was very lucky.”
“Sorry,” said Gage, crossing his arms in front of him. “But I’m not seeing the luck side of this.”
“As far as knife wounds go, hers did very little damage, especially considering the width and depth of the laceration. Do you know what the weapon was?”
“I haven’t been to the scene yet, so I don’t know if they recovered anything. I assumed it was just a regular knife.”
“There was nothing regular about what cut your wife. I’ve never seen a wound that large before.
Looked like she’d be run through with a sword.”
Nick shook his head. “That’s why I said she was lucky. As bad as it was, it managed to miss all the major organs.” He scratched his chin, his eyes distant. “It’s almost as if her assailant knew exactly where to stab her to do the least amount of damage. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the guy wanted her to live.” He glanced back at Gage, motioning him forward with a flick of his wrist.
“If you’d kindly follow me.”
Gage looked over at Emma, but she waved him off.
“I’ll drop by tomorrow. You need some time alone with her.”
“Thanks,” he said, following the doctor down the brightly lit hallway. He didn’t like the gnawing sensation the doctor’s words had formed in his stomach. It usually meant things weren’t what they seemed.
That usually meant trouble.
“My brother’s a Federal Agent,” said Nick, leading Gage through a maze of hallways and doors. “He works out of the office in Reno. He’s been there nearly twenty years.” He looked back at Gage over his shoulder. “How long have you been with the Bureau?”
“Fifteen,” said Gage.
“Right out of college, huh.” He smiled, dodging around a rush of interns. He took several more steps and then stopped in front of a set of large, glass doors. “Have you been married long?”
“Ten years next month.”
Nick nodded. He reached out and touched Gage’s shoulder. “I realise you’ve seen…” His voice trailed off. “It’s different when it’s someone you love.”
“I can handle it.”
Nick sighed, opening the doors with a gentle whoosh of air. He walked straight ahead, stopping at the bed second on the right. “Judging by what I know about Federal Agents, I suppose you’ll insist on staying.” He smiled at Gage’s guarded nod. “I’ll clear it with the nurses…see they don’t try to kick you out at two in the morning. Just do me a favour and try to keep out of their way. And for God’s sake, stay back if they have to treat her.”
“You mean bring her back to life when she dies in front of my eyes?”
Nick patted him on the shoulder again. “I’m hoping it won’t come to that.” He moved aside. “You can hold her hand, talk to her…whatever you like. I, for one, believe it helps.”
Gage brushed past the man, stepping up to the side of the bed. He looked down at Brooklyn’s head peeking out from beneath the covers and nearly fainted on the spot. Her face was the same colour as the sheets and the ends of her hair were still matted with blood. There were lines and tubes sticking out of both arms, and it looked as if she wasn’t even breathing.
Nick moved behind him, positioning his arms as if he intended on catching Gage when he fell. Gage grabbed the bar of the bed, steadying himself for several seconds before finally releasing it. Nick sighed and stepped to the edge of the bed.
“I’ll check in on the two of you later. I’ve got my pager and instructions for the staff to beep me if anything happens. Try to get some sleep.”
He left, leaving Gage alone with a ghostly version of his wife. He stared down at her again, fighting the sudden dizziness, as he reached out and touched her cheek. Her skin was cold and didn’t bounce back when he removed his finger. His chest tightened and tears burned his eyes. He sat down, cupping her hand in his. Her fingers were small and delicate, and for the first time since he’d met her, she seemed fragile. He brought her hand to his face, kissing her fingers as he stroked her skin. Then he lowered the railing, placed his head next to hers, and waited.
Chapter Two
The dream returned.
Gage pulled into the driveway, his heart racing, his anger barely contained beneath the surface. The house was dark, quiet. She must be asleep. His fists clenched at the thoughts that seared his mind.
Brooklyn
naked.
Another man’s hands caressing her body
.
He felt…
Damn, there was no way to describe how he felt. He cursed, stepping out of the truck as he headed for the door. He shouldn’t be there, not when he wasn’t certain how he’d react when he saw her. He opened the door and stepped inside. He could smell the sweet scent of her perfume lingering in the air. Lavender, mixed with a hint of rose. He felt a stab of pain stake through his heart.
Turn around. Turn around before you do something stupid.
He headed for the stairs, turning right at the top. Their bedroom door was closed, a faint gleam of light filtering through the small crack by the floor. He fisted the handle, stilling the need to bounce the damn thing off the wall, and slowly inched it open. She was sitting on the bed, her laptop open across her legs. But she wasn’t working. Her head was bowed to her chest, slightly angled towards her right shoulder, and her hands were resting beside the keyboard.
Had she been writing? Or waiting up for him?
He stepped inside, tossing his coat across a chair, as he watched her. Her breathing was slow and steady, gently raising her breasts, and her mouth was frozen in the beginnings of a smile. God, she was beautiful. His pulse quickened, as his cock thickened inside his pants. He wanted her.
“I’m just having lunch with Emma. We’re going over some details on the book. I’ll see you at home later.”
Her words echoed in his head. He’d been watching her. Studying her face as she’d sat at the table and lied to him. He clenched his jaw, once again trying to persuade himself to leave. He moved to the door.
“Gage?”
He should yell. Demand answers. Dare her to lie to his face.
“You’re home late tonight.”
Holding another man’s hand.
Naked.
Lovers
.
“You sure have been busy these last few months. How’s Sam?”
Gage turned. Her eyes were the deepest blue he’d ever seen.
So full of life, of love.
For you, or that bastard?
“Sam’s fine. He said to say hello.
Wants to know if we’ll go over for dinner next week with Sue.”
Brooklyn
smiled, pulling the covers aside as she laid her computer on the floor before standing up and walking over to him. She reached up and loosened his tie. “Sounds like fun. Do you think you can pull yourself away from your job long enough to go?”
“I’ll try,” he replied, moaning as she rubbed her body against his, tossing the tie to the floor.
She felt so small next to him, her body melding into his. She pressed her head against his chest, as she grazed her fingers across his stomach.
“Brooklyn…”
“You’re so tense.” She nuzzled her face against his neck, licking her way to his mouth.
“Everything okay?”
He looked into her eyes, trying to remember how it felt to see her with him, that bastard, when she reached down and began undoing his pants. “Now’s not a good time.”
She smiled, running her tongue across his lower lip, nipping at it until he took her mouth. Her tongue grazed across his, softly stroking it into her mouth. He tightened his fingers around her shoulders, pressing his lips harder against hers. She pulled back.
“Easy, baby.”
She licked his lips again as she popped open the buttons of his shirt, revealing the sleek muscles of his chest. “You look like you need to relax. Why don’t you let me help you out with that?”
“Brooklyn!”
“I know. It’s not a good time.” She slid her fingers down his chest, tweaking his nipples as she moved lower until she reached his pants. She
paused,
watching his face as she slowly finished opening them, and pushed them down across his thighs. “But I promise, if you just wait for a few moments, I’ll make it a good time.”
He opened his mouth in protest just as she released his erection, stroking his cock so damn slowly his breath caught in his chest, stilling the words still formed on his tongue. He moaned, watching her face as she knelt down, dropping kisses across his chest, his stomach, his thighs, as she seared a path to his groin. She hummed, her lips softly vibrating against his skin as she skirted past his engorged head and kissed his other thigh.