The Reckoning (2 page)

Mike caught up to her before she had a chance to escape throwing another protective arm around her shoulders. “Claire insists that I personally invite you to her dinner party; we’re celebrating her real engagement to Butch. It’s in her new house on the hill, and it’s mainly for family, but for some reason, they’d like you to come.”

Elizabeth
chuckled. “And she sent you to invite me?”

Mike grinned down at her, making her hyperaware of his proximity. His aftershave drifted to her nose and drew a smile to her lips. This man might drive her crazy, but she’d always secretly wondered if he’d kiss her again like he’d done when Emma had been in the hospital. His sisters couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble. Over the last two years, she’d treated almost everyone in the man’s family.

“She knew you’d never be able to resist my charms.”

Elizabeth
threw her head back and laughed. He’d hit the nail on the head, but she wasn’t about to let him in on that secret. The man liked to avoid her like the plague unless they were thrown in the same room by circumstances beyond his control. When they were together, the sparks flew either from sexual attraction or pure annoyance. She hadn’t figured out which. “Should I bring my medical bag, just in case?”

Mike’s laughter resonated through the hall. “Probably wouldn’t hurt, Doc. So, I’ll pick you up at seven at your place. That way I can escort you home and save you from
all
the things that go bump in the night.”

They turned the corner to the overcrowded nurses’ station. More women than usual sat behind the counter smiling up at Mike, and she couldn’t blame them. He was a fine specimen, one she’d like to explore with her own hands if he weren’t always aggravating her. She even noticed the little blonde behind the counter give him a wink. She set her stuff down and turned to find him strolling back down the hall. “Wait! You don’t even know where I live.”

“I’ll figure it out!” Mike hollered over his shoulder and disappeared around the corner.

Elizabeth
grabbed her purse and clipboard and walked with long purposeful strides down the hall to her office. She loved working at the hospital and helping people. Though the hours were long, she wouldn’t give it up to save her life. This was where she belonged. Being a doctor had been a dream of hers since childhood. It grew and festered every time her father went off to fight in another battle in which he could potentially be hurt.

Five hours later,
Elizabeth
pulled up a plastic chair in the doctors’ lounge. She took a sip of her coffee and put it down. She kicked off one of her shoes and began rubbing the sole of her foot. She’d been moving nonstop since arriving; not that she’d ever complain.

The door flew open. Dr. Jennings and Dr. Powell strolled in, speaking in hushed tones that stopped abruptly when they noticed
Elizabeth
sitting in the quiet space. Her serenity and quiet space was now over run by the two biggest flirts in the hospital. Young orderlies didn’t have anything on the games and moves
these guys performed everyday o
n unsuspecting nurses and women.

“Oh hey,
Elizabeth
,”
Jennings
said. He nodded to her sock-covered foot. “Long day?”

Both doctors were as old as her dad, but they had an air of authority about them. Both were good looking, both continuously asking her out, and neither were her type. Not to say there weren’t plenty of women on staff either man could have chosen from. Both were tall, dark, and handsome and could have been a good catch for someone; other than
Elizabeth
.

Elizabeth
continued to rub on her foot. “Yep, glad it’s over.”

Dr. Powell pulled up a seat in front of her, took her foot into his own lap, and started to rub. “Here let me help. I know just the pressure point that will work wonders.”

The lines of his mouth tightened as he examined her foot, feeling for just the right spot.
Elizabeth
tried to relax under the unfamiliar touch but didn’t succeed.

She squirmed in her chair, pulling her foot out of his grasp and tried to shrug off the awkwardness. “That’s okay. I’ll just soak them tonight. That always seems to do the trick.”
Elizabeth
slipped her shoe on and stood, grabbing her bag.

Dr. Jennings halted her quick exit by beating her to the door. “How about you let me take you to dinner?”

Elizabeth
felt the heat rise to her cheeks. The last way she planned to spend her night was with a man her father’s age, trying to eat during awkward conversation. The thought of going to Claire’s was appealing to her more every moment she stood in their presence.

“Can’t tonight. I have plans.”

Dr. Powell stood from his chair and walked to the coffee pot. “Hot date?”

Elizabeth
thought about telling them the truth but decided to fib just a little. If these doctors thought of her as unavailable, maybe they’d quit making her so uncomfortable in their presence.

“Dinner date with Mike Bennett and his family.”
Elizabeth
adjusted the strap of her bag. “We’re celebrating an engagement.”

Dr. Jennings picked up her left hand and glanced down. “Not yours, I hope.”

Elizabeth
detected a tone of condescension in his voice. A look of disproval filled his eyes.

Elizabeth
pulled her hand from his. “Nope, not mine, his sister’s.”
Elizabeth
spun on her heels and glanced over her shoulder as she pushed through the door. “Sorry, guys, I’m running late and have to get home to get ready.”

A shiver traveled down her spine as she walked down the hall. Dr. Powell was a bit overbearing, a puzzle she hadn’t quite figured out. Dr. Jennings was always trying to touch her. Never inappropriate, well, at least not yet, but he made her uneasy, and that was a feeling she couldn’t shake. She wasn’t looking forward to walking back into the parking garage, but at least it was still light outside. The sun streaming through the columns would help her see any threat that might strike.

****

When Mike had been unable to find the little doctor, he’d thought about calling her instead. He would have still issued the invitation, and he could have handled himself with more control. His duty for his sister would have been done just the same. When she’d almost run him over, his hands had went to stop her from an ungraceful fall on her butt; but the mere contact had been all it took. He’d seen why she was scared. The whole scene from moments before had played out in his head, like a movie complete with sound just for him. He could hear, not so much as see someone in the dark taunting her; and that made his blood boil. His gift gave him a glimpse of what happened but not the answers surrounding it. He couldn’t read minds like his sister, Claire. The information he got from touching her had been just enough to validate the fear he saw in her eyes; which had been enough of a reason for Mike to check it out.

His gift of seeing events that recently occurred just by touching someone had helped him in his job, but hindered his personal life. He hadn’t met a woman yet, that he wasn’t related too, that he could trust.  All it would take is one touch, and he’d see the truth. The worst part was knowing he couldn’t ever call anyone on their actions. Nope, his secret was his and his family’s and he had every intention of keeping it that way.

The little doctor was hiding something, and he’d be damned if he let anything happen to her after everything she’d done to help his sisters. He owed her that much. Mike pushed through the emergency exit back out into the dark parking lot. He let his eyes adjust and scanned the darkness in the garage.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are. You can bet your ass I won’t be running to hide.” Mike’s voice carried through the concrete garage. He waited to see if
Elizabeth
’s threat would surface from the darkness, but no one emerged to take his challenge. Mike pulled the cell from his clip and dialed the hospital administrator, demanding that the lights be fixed for security reasons. He’d even waited around to make sure that it got done.  Nope, no one was going to be screwing with the little doctor except for him, if he had anything to say about it.

In his mind, he’d seen her scared, and that pissed him off. The woman had been nothing but sweet and helpful to his family, if not a little annoying to him, but that wouldn’t stop him from making sure that nothing would happen to her. The only drawback he could see was not being able to ask her about the incident. In order to do that, he’d have to tell her about his gift, and that wasn’t an option. The little doctor would want to check him and his sisters into a mental facility. There were few people that knew about their gifts and accepted them the way they were. Doubt clouded his mind on what her opinion would be, and that doubt was the reason he didn’t think it was a good idea to tell her. At least for the time being, he would keep his lips zipped. Mike’s phone rang. pulling him from his thoughts.

“Bennett.”

“Hey, Mike, you need to get over to Andrew Pearson’s place. You need to see what your sister found,” Thompson said through the line.

He’d planned to go with them to search the place, but
Elizabeth
’s little scare had detained him. “I’m on my way.”

Mike flipped his phone off, got into his SUV, and drove to Andrew’s condo. Though Andrew Pearson had been a banker, he’d also been a low-life  and a killer who had set his sights on the Bennett family. Mike’s anger still raged at the thought that the bastard had tried to kill Claire out of revenge.

The banker had been a threat that none of them had seen coming. Pearson was the son of a known drug user, Mike’s dad had unsuccessfully tried to help. Both of the men were shot dead by an assailant they now believed to be a man named Winters. Claire had shot the scumbag with the help of his sister, Abby, and everything had ended up okay. Unfortunately, the banker had left them with more questions than answers, and Mike had wanted answers. Mike hoped Andrew’s place held the key that would lead them to his father’s killer.

Mike pulled up in front of the condo. Police vehicles littered the road and the surrounding area had been taped off. Abby’s forensic team was on the site, and he watched as two officers walked out in HAZMAT suits carrying plastic containers.

“What the hell?” he whispered, walking up to the taped off door. Do Not Enter tape was strung across the door, acting as a beacon for curious onlookers. He reached to lift it and was halted by a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back from crossing the threshold.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Mike spun around to find Thompson standing behind him. “Why the hell not, and what’s up with the suits?” Mike asked, as he pointed to Abby’s team.

Another suited body ducked beneath the tape and reached up to pull the helmet off. “About time you got your butt here,” his baby sister, Abby, said after drawing in a deep breath. Sweat trickled from her forehead over her nose. Her wet hair stuck to her head as if she’d just stepped out of a shower. She tossed off her gloves and swiped the beads away.

“I was detained at the hospital, but I’m here now.” Mike pointed to the door. “Why can’t I go in?”

Abby glanced down at Mike’s jeans. “You aren’t dressed for it and you’ll contaminate my site.”

“What the hell did you find that you’d have to dress in that get-up?”

Two deep lines of worry etched between her eyes, a look that Mike knew all too well. Abby glanced at Thompson then to Mike. “We don’t know. It’s a blue powdered substance that we can’t identify. I’ve never seen anything like it. So we’re taking precautions.”

Mike glanced at them both in disbelief. “You guys have never seen it?”

Abby leaned over and reached into the cooler by her feet, pulling out a bottle of water. After she’d taken a sip, she said, “Nope, what does that tell you?”   

Mike narrowed his eyes at his little sister. “Tells me that your little butt shouldn’t be in there is what that tells me.”

Abby punched his arm.

“Damn, Abby, twice in one day. What was that for?” Mike reached up and rubbed the sore spot. She might be a petite thing, but she damn sure knew how to punch. He should know; he’d taught them all.

“Mike, not all women are made of crystal. I’m one of the best investigators this department has, and I’ll go wherever the hell I want.”

Thompson tried to hide the smile forming on his lips but he couldn’t hide the chuckle. “She’s got a point.”

Mike’s and Abby’s phones rang at the same time. He held his breath when he noticed the caller ID. He hesitated before answering. “Bennett.”

“Thank god, Mike. Are you with Abby?” Emma’s hysteric
al
voice asked through the line.

If Emma was calling asking that question, it could only mean one thing.
Trouble
. Someone was in danger. Mike’s grip on the phone tightened. He glanced down at Abby and quickly turned in place, scanning his surroundings. “The little squirt is right here with me. What’s wrong?”

Mike heard Abby’s reply. “I’m okay, baby. I promise. I’m surrounded by big muscular gun-toting men. Nothing is wrong here.” Abby grinned.