“That’s what I said.”
“What else is bothering you?” her mother asked.
Even though she’d done nothing wrong, the idea of Monk knowing her ex-husband was an abuser, embarrassed her. He had to know if he was aware of Cliff’s whereabouts.
“I thought you were over feeling guilty about something you couldn’t control, Saylor.”
“I don’t feel guilty. I feel stupid.”
Her mother shook her head. “It’s a waste of time, and you know it. Should I call myself stupid because of the things your father did?”
This was a conversation she and her mother had had several times in the last five years. Each time, Saylor would say it was different and her mother would remind her it wasn’t different at all. This time, she didn’t bother offering up the pointless argument.
WHEN SAYLOR’S cell phone rang two days later, a foreboding feeling washed over her even before she answered it.
“This is Monk Perrin calling.”
“What’s happened?” she asked out of instinct and then held her breath.
“Your brother was shot. He’s in surgery.”
When Monk went on to say that Razor’s condition was critical, she made arrangements for her girls to stay with a family friend, and then went and broke the news to her mother.
Transportation was arranged from the duplex she and her mother shared to the airfield, and then once the small private plane landed, someone else drove them to the hospital.
Monk was waiting at the entrance when they arrived. “He’s still in surgery. Come with me.”
When they walked in and she saw the somber expressions on the faces of the K19 team members in the waiting room, Saylor dissolved into tears.
Monk, still beside her, pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried.
“I’m sorry,” she said a few moments later. “I don’t even know you.”
When she started to back away, Monk tightened his arms around her waist. “Sure, you do.”
AN HOUR LATER, two people, both wearing scrubs, came through the double doors.
“Are you Mr. Sharp’s family?” one of them asked.
“I’m his mother,” said Sally, walking over to them. Saylor stood and joined her.
“Your son is on life support.”
Monk had his arm around her; Saylor knew that much. Everything else, though, seemed to be happening in slow motion. People were talking, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying.
“The doctor asked if you want to go see him?” Monk whispered.
“Yes,” she said, but when he released her from his embrace, all she wanted to do was crawl back into it.
“Follow me,” she heard a woman say to her mother. Saylor stepped forward and took her mother’s hand.
“THE COMA he’s in is medically induced,” explained the man who introduced himself as the surgeon who had operated on her brother. “Go ahead,” he said, motioning to a door where the nurse stood.
“The ventilator is doing his breathing for him, everything else you see is monitoring his heart rate, blood pressure, as well as feeding him fluids.”
Saylor put her arm around her mother’s shoulders as they were led into the room. When her mother gasped, Saylor tightened her grip. She led her to the chair next to the bed and watched as she took Razor’s hand in hers.
“He’s warm,” her mom said, looking up at her.
Saylor walked around to the opposite side of the bed, sat in a chair, and took her brother’s other hand.
“He’s going to be okay, Mom,” Saylor said, reaching across her brother’s body to hold her mother’s hand.
“Do either of you know who Avarie is?” the nurse asked.
Saylor nodded. “Why?”
“He was asking for her when they brought him in.”
“The people who were with us in the waiting area might be able to track her down.”
She watched as her mother brushed her fingers over Razor’s forehead.
“He’s going to be okay,” Saylor repeated after the nurse left. “Keep praying.”
“I know he is,” her mother responded. “He just needs to hear Ava’s voice.”
“THE DOCTOR WOULD LIKE to talk with you both,” said the nurse when she came back in. Saylor had no idea how much time had passed while she and her mom sat staring at her brother.
“Come on, Mom,” she said, helping her up.
The nurse led them down the hallway into another room. “He’ll be right in,” she told them, closing the door behind her.
A few minutes later, they heard a soft knock on the door, and a man they hadn’t met before walked in.
“I’m Dr. Mason,” he said, shaking both of their hands.
“Do you know if anyone was able to find Ava?” her mother asked him.
“Ava?”
“The nurse told us my brother was asking for her when they brought him in,” Saylor explained. “My mother thinks it would do him good to hear her voice.”
“Yes, I believe she’s with him now, in fact.”
“Good,” her mother murmured.
“I’m here to discuss your son’s condition, and talk to you about removing—”
Saylor stood.
“Where are you going?” her mother asked.
“Ava should be here too,” she said, rushing out of the room.
Maybe Ava shouldn’t really be there, but Saylor had to get out of that room before the doctor said something she wasn’t ready to hear.
When she got to Razor’s room, the door was slightly ajar and Saylor could hear Ava talking to him.
“I love you so much. I have since the first time I saw you. And you love me too—Saylor told me you did—so you can’t leave me.”
When Ava broke down and sobbed, Saylor eased the door open and rested her hand on her back.
“I’m so sorry,” Ava cried, jumping up and hugging her.
“Shh,” Saylor soothed. “Come with me. There’s someone I want you to talk to.”
Ava turned to look at Razor.
“We’ll come back,” Saylor whispered, taking Ava’s hand and leading her to the room where Dr. Mason and her mother sat talking.
“Is this Avarie?” asked the doctor when she and Saylor walked in.
She nodded.
“Good.” The doctor looked up at Saylor. “Now that you’re both here, I’ll tell you what I’ve just told Mrs. Sharp. Tabon’s organs are all functioning, and we have significant brain activity, enough that we believe we can withdraw life support.”
“Isn’t that wonderful news?” her mother asked.
“He’s going to be okay?” Ava whispered.
“I’m not going to lie,” the doctor answered. “His recovery may not be easy or quick, but yes, I believe he’s going to be okay.”
The doctor turned back to Saylor’s mother. “Would you like to be with him when we turn off life support?”
“Of course,” she answered, standing and reaching for Saylor’s hand. “Ava, would you like to be with us?”
Ava squared her shoulders and took Saylor’s other hand. “If you don’t mind, yes, I would.”
The doctor led the three of them out of the office and back down the hallway. “A respiratory therapist will be assisting me by disconnecting the tube from the machine. I’m confident that Tabon will begin breathing on his own immediately.”
“Are you sure you want to be here?” her mother asked once more. Both Saylor and Ava nodded as they walked into the room.
Saylor’s mom put her hand on Razor’s arm and motioned for her and Ava to do the same.
At the same moment they disconnected the tubing, Saylor saw her brother take a breath on his own.
“Thank you, God,” she whispered.
“Now what happens?” her mother asked the doctor.
“We wait for him to wake up,” he answered.
“How long will that take?” Saylor asked.
The doctor shrugged. “That’s up to him.”
�
�:—
When Saylor and her mother were taken back to see Razor, Monk went in search of Gunner. The man wasn’t just Razor’s partner in K19, the two had been close friends for many years.
When he found him in the chapel, Monk quietly opened the door, dipped his finger in the holy water, and crossed himself before taking a seat next to Gunner.
He took the rosary from around his neck and handed it to him. “My mother held this and prayed when I was shot,” he told him.
Gunner held out his hand, and Monk rested the rosary on his palm.
“We’re all praying,” he said as he stood and gave the man back his privacy.
Not long after he’d returned to the ICU waiting room, Ava came out.
“He’s breathing on his own. We’re just waiting for him to decide to open his eyes,” she reported. “Where’s Gunner?” she asked, looking around the room.
“In the chapel,” Monk answered.
“Where is that?”
When someone else volunteered to take her to him, Monk stood to leave, but when Saylor and her mother came out of the double doors, he sat back down.
“He’s breathing on his own.” Saylor repeated Ava’s words and then sat down beside him.
Monk nodded.
“Thank you for being here,” she said.
“Is there anything you need?” he asked several minutes later.
Saylor scrubbed her face with her hand. “Mom and I are going to need a place to stay,” she murmured.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Saylor rested her hand on his arm. “Thank you.”
He covered her hand with his. “One room or two?”
“Just one. Mom and I will share.”
When Monk stood to leave, Saylor did too. “You’re coming back, right?”
“Yes. I’m coming back.”
“HE’S AWAKE,” Saylor told him when he came back an hour later. She walked over and stood in front of him, close enough to touch. “I can’t explain it,” she whispered, “but I feel better when you’re here. I hope you don’t think—”
Monk put his fingers on her chin and looked into her eyes. “Do you believe in angels?” he asked, also whispering.
“I guess I do.”
“I had a sister. She’s an angel now.”
“I’m sorry, Monk.”
He shook his head. “Sometimes I feel like she leads me where I need to be.”
4
“Are you ready to go, Mom?” Saylor asked.
“I am, but you can stay if you want to.”
Saylor shook her head. “Monk made arrangements for us to have a room at the hotel connected to the hospital.”
“How thoughtful,” she responded, looking at Monk.
“I can walk over with you,” he offered. He led them out of the ICU and down one floor to a bridge connecting the hospital to the hotel. As they walked, he kept his hand on the small of Saylor’s back. She liked feeling it there.
When they got to the lobby, Monk pulled out a small envelope containing key cards and handed it to her. “Your room is on the tenth floor.”
“Thank you,” she murmured. “Are you leaving?”
“No. Doc booked every room on the floor.”
“I didn’t realize there were so many people here.”
“There aren’t.”
Saylor smiled. She’d heard Razor say before that Doc was generous to a fault, and he wasn’t complaining when he’d said it.
Monk led them to the elevator. “Have you eaten?” he asked while it took them to their floor.
Saylor shook her head. “I don’t remember the last time I ate.”
“I can bring you something,” he offered.
“That’s very nice of you, Monk,” said her mom. “You’ve done so much already.”
Monk smiled. “What do you like?” he asked, looking between them as he escorted them to their room.
“It’ll be easier if I go with you,” said Saylor. “Will you be all right, Mom?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll just get her settled,” she said, and Monk nodded.
When she came back out, he was leaning up against the wall.
“Ready?” she asked. He didn’t answer, but walked next to her and put his hand on the small of her back like he had earlier.
“I like that,” she said when they reached the bank of elevators.
“What’s that?” he asked, pressing the call button.
“Feeling your hand on me.”
“I like it too.”
When the elevator opened, he took her hand in his and led her in, pressed the button for the first floor, and held her hand while it descended. When it reopened, he led her out, across the lobby and into the hotel’s restaurant.
“Would you like a table, sir?” the maître d’ asked.
“Just the menu.”
“Would you mind?” Saylor asked, motioning toward the bar. “I could really use a drink.”
He didn’t answer, but with her hand still in his, he led her over to it.
After they were seated, Monk leaned forward, close enough that she could see the speckles of color in his eyes. “What would you like?” he asked.
“A glass of wine would be nice.”
Monk opened the bar menu.
“Red please,” she added, hoping he wouldn’t mind choosing for her.
“A glass of the Elk Cove Pinot Noir for the lady,” he said when the bartender approached. “I’ll have the same.”
“Thank you, Monk,” she said when the bartender walked away. “For everything.”
“What about Mrs. Sharp?” he asked.
Saylor smiled. “If you’re referring to my mother, she’ll tell you her name is Sally and Mrs. Sharp was her mother-in-law. And I can guarantee you that she is presently sound asleep. By the way, that wine is one of my favorites.”
Monk nodded as though he already knew that. He reached over and brushed her hair from her face.
“You folks want to look at a menu?” the bartender asked, setting the glasses in front of them.
Monk nodded again.
Saylor leaned back on the padded bar stool, picked up her glass and swirled it, inhaling deeply. “I love this wine,” she murmured, more to herself than to him.
He smiled, raised his glass as if toasting her, and took a drink.
“You’re an enigma, Monk.”
“Not intentionally.”
“Ava said that you didn’t talk much.”
“Not usually.”
“I’m good with that.”
He smiled and took another drink of his wine.
“I told her I didn’t mind as long as you weren’t celibate too.”
Monk put his arm on the back of her stool and leaned in like he had before. “Not celibate.”
“Thank God,” she whispered. When she turned her head to pick up her glass, Monk brought his fingertips to her cheek so she was once again looking into his eyes.
“I want to kiss you.”
“I’d like that.”
His hand slid from her cheek, gripping her neck as he brought his mouth to hers. When his tongue outlined her lower lip, she felt something hard and round on its tip.
“Your tongue is pierced,” she said, backing away just slightly. “I like that.”
When he grinned and kissed her again, Saylor felt almost faint. His kiss alone was enough to heat her blood, but allowing herself to imagine how that piercing would feel as his tongue explored the rest of her body, brought it to a boil.
When she heard the bartender clear his throat, Saylor pulled back again, biting her bottom lip as she did. Good Lord, this man was hot, she thought as she fanned her face.
“I feel it too,” she heard him murmur, making her flush even more.
“We should eat,” she said, trying to bring the words printed on the paper into focus.
“We should.”
Saylor looked up from her menu; he hadn’t opened his. “Room service?” she asked.
“What would you like?” he asked in return, motioning to the bartender.
Saylor couldn’t concentrate enough to think. Her eyes met Monk’s. He studied her momentarily before turning back to the man standing with his hands on the bar.
“We’ll start with the beet and Dungeness salad. Followed by the Rigatoni Amatriciana and the New York strip, medium rare.”
“Certainly,” said the bartender. “Any sides with that?”
Saylor shook her head. “Not for me.”
Monk stood. “Room 1012,” he said. “Add a bottle of the Stonestreet Meritage to the order.”
“Anything else?” the man asked.
“Please have the oven-roasted chicken brought to room 1014.”
“With a bottle of still water to each,” Saylor added.
Monk signed for the check and held his hand out to her.
“We’re in room 1014,” she said as they walked to the elevator.
“Your mother is in room 1014.”
“And you’re next door.”
“We’re next door.”
—:—
Once they were in the elevator and alone, Monk backed Saylor up against the wall and held both of her wrists behind her back with one hand. He leaned his body against hers and captured her mouth. He kept his eyes open, and when he pressed his hardness against her, he watched as Saylor’s rolled back in her head.
He continued kissing her until he heard a ping followed by the elevator door opening. He led her down the hall to his room.
“The key card is in the pocket of my shirt. If this is what you want, take it out.”
Saylor smiled, pulled it out, held it up to the reader, and the door sprung open. He followed her inside and kicked the door closed behind them, ravaging Saylor’s mouth with his as soon as they were inside.
They walked over to the bed, and Saylor sat on the end. Monk pulled his shirt out from where it was tucked into his jeans and began unbuttoning it.
“Stop,” he said when he saw Saylor begin to unbutton hers.
She froze and stared up at him.
“I want to do it.”
She dropped her hands to her sides as her eyes trailed from his face and down his body as each bit of it was uncovered. When he was naked, he watched her eyes slowly make their way back up.
He stalked toward her and pushed her back on the bed. When she kicked off her shoes, Monk unfastened her jeans. He pulled her pants, along with her panties, off her body and then spread her legs and stood between them. He took her hands in his, pulled her back up to a sitting position and, starting at the top, unbuttoned her blouse.
Monk (K19 Security Solutions Book 7) Page 3