The room was quiet. The TV muted. Some silly sitcom on the screen. The lights were low but not so low that he couldn’t pause a moment just to look at her. Her long dark hair spread across the pillow made him yearn to feel it sliding across his skin or slipping through his fingers. And though her face and throat were badly bruised, one eye swollen, she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.
Her eyes opened and she smiled, then winced. She patted the mattress. “Come sit with me.”
He crossed the room, barely hanging on to his composure, and settled carefully on the edge of the bed. “Did they give you anything for the pain?”
“Yeah. I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
The silence settled between them. It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, just there, sort of in the way. But he wasn’t sure what to say to break it. What he wanted to say was probably the wrong thing.
“While I was in the warehouse,” she said, saving him from the awkwardness, “I worried about my mother and my sister and whether or not they’d be okay if. . . if I didn’t make it.”
A fierce surge of emotion pounded him. “I knew you’d make it.” That was all he trusted himself to say.
“I thought about you, too.”
She looked up at him and his chest constricted with emotion. He wanted to take her in his arms and promise her anything if she would only give him a chance to be the man in her life. If that made him weak, he didn’t care.
“What did you think about me?” His voice cracked.
“I thought that maybe I made a mistake.”
Hope nudged him. He smiled. “You rarely make mistakes, detective. You’ve told me so many times.”
She laughed. Put her hand to her mouth. “Ouch!”
“Sorry.”
She waved him off. “To hell with this beating around the bush. I kept thinking that I should have given you a chance.” Tears glittered in her eyes. “I was terrified that I might not be able to make that right.”
As much as he wanted to hear those words, she was vulnerable and emotional right now. Not to mention on pain meds. He took her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. “Tell you what, we’ll take it slow and if you still feel this way in a month or so we’ll move it to the next level.”
“Sounds good to me, sergeant.”
They talked and laughed and Chet was almost afraid to close his eyes even to blink for fear that he would open them and find that this was only a dream.
But it was real. What they felt for each other was real.
The only mystery was who would cave and admit it first.
His money was on Lori.
Which was a no-brainer since he’d already caved.
8:31 p.m.
Jess paced the room. She couldn’t sit still if her life depended on it. They’d taken Dan down for an MRI just to be sure they hadn’t missed anything with all the other tests. She’d showered and changed into a pair of scrubs kindly provided by one of the ER nurses. A call to her sister had confirmed they were all still safe and enjoying their getaway. The kids were having so much fun they had decided to stay in Pensacola through the weekend.
The man responsible for Lori’s and Howard’s abductions, and Agent Miller’s murder was dead. As best they could determine, Matthew Reed was responsible for all the events that took place here. Except for Dan’s stabbing. If they matched the blood on the knife to Dan’s and discovered Spears’ prints matched any lifted from that knife’s handle, they would finally have evidence connecting him to a crime. Attempted murder, maybe. It was far less than he deserved but it was better than nothing.
The good news, Jess had to bear in mind, was that Dan’s injuries were not nearly as bad as they could have been. The blade had missed anything vital. The CT scan had ruled out any fractures to the spine or any other permanent damage, unless something was discovered in the MRI. He would be sore as hell for a while, but everything would heal. The doctor insisted he stay overnight just in case any swelling or other unexpected complications occurred. They were keeping Lori overnight, too. Jess and Chet had played musical rooms a couple hours ago. He’d spent a few minutes with Dan and she’d visited with Lori.
Whenever Jess closed her eyes she saw him dangling in the air for those few seconds before she’d gotten the table under him.
She shook off the haunting memories. He was fine now. They were all fine.
Except that Eric Spears had gotten away.
Fury lit inside her at the idea that he was out there somewhere instead of in hell where he belonged.
Gant had called while she and Dan were headed to the ER. Spears’ Cessna had taken off from Montgomery Regional Airfield at two that afternoon. The Bureau had every airport in the country on alert. The flight plan filed had listed the destination as Richmond and a single passenger, Eric Spears. Four hours later and there had been no communication with the pilot and no report of a crash or a landing.
But the plane had to come down sometime.
Jess stalled at the window and leaned against the frame. She stared out at the dark sky. A week ago she had come back here with her tail tucked between her legs and her entire career crashing down around her. Now, after three tortured hostages and one heinous murder, the Bureau finally had the necessary evidence to clear her with OPR. She wanted to be angry that it had taken all that. But the truth was, Spears wasn’t the typical criminal. Smart with endless financial resources at his disposal and a total malignant narcissist. He had been doing this a long time. Far longer, Jess estimated, that anyone knew. He executed each step carefully and could have numerous associates like Matthew Reed ready to die, if necessary, to protect him.
Yet, Spears hadn’t been quite as brilliant as he’d thought. Otherwise he wouldn’t have taken the risk and showed up here, even if only to give his protégé a pep talk. Recalling the way he’d watched her and that one touch during their interview last month made her shudder with disgust. There was nothing she could do about his twisted obsession. He was gone and if he was half as smart as she believed he was, he wouldn’t be back.
He was the Bureau’s problem now. He had extensive international contacts. He literally could be anywhere. Considered the prime suspect in the murder of Agent Taylor and the attempted murder of Dan, Spears would be a fool to return to the States.
She refused to be a prisoner to what-if. If the Bureau didn’t get him and she doubted they would, she wasn’t looking over her shoulder the rest of her life. Her cell vibrating against the laminate top of the table next to the bed dragged her from her troubled thoughts.
She shuffled over and glanced at the screen. Gant. “Harris.”
“Spears wasn’t on the plane.”
Despite being braced for this news, Jess’s gut wrenched. “The pilot have any idea how or where he went?”
“His instructions were to file a flight plan for Richmond at two. Once in the air he was to divert to a private airfield in Texas. We had agents waiting at the pilot’s home. Apparently he forgot to tell his wife that no one was supposed to know where he landed. He claims he has no idea how Spears planned to leave the Birmingham area.”
Fear trickled inside her. “He wouldn’t still be here.” She glanced at the door. She should have gone with Dan for the MRI but the tech had insisted she would only have to sit in the lobby.
“That’s the next part I regret having to pass along.”
Jess wilted onto the bed. “Get it over with.”
“We had the commercial airlines on alert. But you know how it is, sometimes there’s a failure in the system.”
“Where’s he headed?” Jess rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. Spears, of course, would travel under an alias. Unfortunately the facial-recognition software didn’t always work as hoped when attempting to catch a fleeing criminal.
“We haven’t pinned down how he got from Birmingham to New York, but he left JFK just before seven this evening headed to Bangkok. We can try to intercept him in Shanghai but you know how that will turn out.”
“Yeah.” She tucked her still damp hair behind her ear. “Well, let’s hope it works better if he tries to come back.”
“We’ll do all we can, Jess.”
Her next thought was almost amusing. “I guess his assistant was right about Bangkok. She was just a few days off on his travel plans.” Knowing Spears he’d told his assistant to say that just so they would look back on it now and wonder.
“Creepy bastard.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for the newsflash.”
Gant asked about Dan. He was glad to hear that he would be released from the hospital tomorrow. They spoke a moment more but basically there was nothing else to say. Spears was gone.
Jess checked the time on her phone. Dan should be back by now. A soft rap on the door launched her to her feet. “It’s about time.”
A cart burdened with a large Peace Lily squeaked into the room. The person pushing the cart was impossible to see beyond the massive plant. Jess snagged her Glock from the bedside table.
“Sorry this took so long.” A young man wearing scrubs stepped from behind the plant. His jaw dropped and his eyes rounded.
Jess took a breath, lowered her weapon. “Sorry.”
The guy stood there in a kind of shock. Not that she blamed him. It wasn’t everyday a hospital volunteer came face-to-face with the business end of a gun just for delivering a plant. She glanced at his crotch to make sure he hadn’t peed his pants.
“What’s this?” She placed her weapon on the bedside table.
“It came a couple hours ago but none of the girls could pick it up to get it on the cart.” His eyes were still big as saucers but he kept his bladder under control.
“Thanks.”
He nodded, the move jerky.
Before he could get away she figured she’d better explain or she’d be getting a visit from hospital security. “This is the chief of police’s room. I’m one of his deputy chiefs. Jess Harris.” She offered her hand.
He stared at her hand a full ten seconds before he accepted the gesture.
“You can verify that at the nurses’ desk.”
Another jerky nod. “Where do you want this thing?”
He was right. It was huge. “Let’s just leave it on the cart for now. I’ll be sure you get your cart back.”
“Whatever you say.” He glanced at the weapon on the table.
“Do you know which florist made the delivery?”
His head wagged side-to-side. “It was here when I showed up for my shift.”
“Thanks for bringing it up.”
When he was gone, she plucked the card from the plant. Dan’s name was scrawled on the front. The card inside was a preprinted one.
Get well soon
. Could be from anyone.
Jess stared at the plant. She hated Peace Lilies. Maybe because that was the one thing she remembered about her parents’ funeral. A big, glossy plant just like this one. She shook it off. Dan was the chief of police. He had a lot of friends. His parents had a lot of friends. Lucky for her, they’d dropped by while Jess was visiting Lori. A run-in with Queen Katherine was not the way to end a day like today, especially with Jess looking like hell.
Her cell vibrated again. She jumped. Almost dropped the damned thing. She took a breath and touched the screen to view the message.
Private Number.
The silence in the room suddenly closed in on her. The sound of her heart beating pounded in her ears.
Until next time
.
Her heart bumped harder and harder against her sternum. This didn’t mean
he
had sent the plant. Just a coincidence. He couldn’t know she hated those damned things. Besides the card was addressed to Dan.
The door opened again. Dan sat in the wheelchair looking impatient. Jess tossed her phone onto the table next to her Glock. She scrubbed her sweaty palms over her hips.
“Looks like you survived the fun.” She pushed a smile into place.
The cute young tech with the huge boobs beamed a smile at her. “I think he’s tired.”
Jess imagined the word she was looking for was grumpy. Men didn’t make good patients even when attended to by sweet young things. Jess offered her hand and he scowled at her. Instead of accepting the help, he pushed up from the chair and shuffled to the bed.
The tech and Jess got a glimpse of his cute ass when he climbed into the bed. Damned hospital gowns.
The tech giggled and started maneuvering the wheelchair out of the room. “Goodnight, chief!”
“G’night,” Dan grumbled. “I did not need a wheelchair for that,” he complained to Jess.
“Hospital policy,” she assured him. “Besides, I’m sure the pretty tech still thought you were a big, handsome tough guy whether you were walking or rolling.”
“Right.” He glared at her, then the plant. “Did somebody die?”
Jess flinched. Wished she had rolled it out into the corridor. “It’s for you.”
He rearranged the pillow under his head. “Great. Who’s it from?”
“Dunno. Maybe the department or the mayor sent it.”
He reached for her hand. “Sit with me.”
She took his hand and settled on the edge of the bed. It was hard not to stare at all the bruises and bandages. She’d only get all emotional again if she did. He could have died today. Dammit. She swallowed back the swell of anxiety and other stuff she didn’t want to analyze right now.
“Did you hear from Gant?”
“Yeah. They’re reasonably sure Spears is on his way to Bangkok.”
“He got away? Dammit.”
“That’s pretty much what I said.”
His fingers entwined with hers. “What’re you gonna do about that?”
He was worried she’d leave. “That’s the Bureau’s problem. I’m going to be the best deputy chief in BPD.”
“You sure about that?”
She nodded. “If he wants me, he’ll find me. Doesn’t matter where I run.”
He reached up, touched her cheek and smiled. “I guess you showed me today.”
A frown lined her brow. She rubbed it away. “Showed you what?”
“You saved my life, Jess. Lori’s, too.”
“I did my job.” She made a scoffing sound. “How would it have looked to the department if I’d gotten their chief killed my first week.”
He toyed with her hair. “Not many people, no matter how well-trained, could have reacted with such swift decisiveness in that situation. You did good, Jess.”