by Galen Rose
Then Tommy barged in, aiming a killing look at Chase who only shrugged. Jesus, the place was busier than Grand Central Station. Tommy walked to the bedside and took my good hand in his. “You okay?”
I could tell he wanted to be protective but was still trying to allow me space to be tough. I don’t think I could have loved him more for that. I squeezed his hand. “I’m fine, Tommy. You know how hard it is to keep a Murphy down.”
“Damn right. I called Molly. She will be waiting at home for you. We’re putting you in one of the bedrooms in the house.” Okay, enough was enough. “Look. I’m very appreciative of everyone’s concern but I am not, I repeat, I am not staying the night here and I don’t need to be babied.”
Well that started it. Tommy started arguing with Chase while Miss Heart was telling Joan to make sure that a specialist looked at my shoulder.
I sat up and swung my legs over the bedside just as Dr. Peter came back in. His whistle was shrill and got everyone’s attention. “Might I remind all of you that this is a hospital?” He looked at me, continuing “I would like to keep you overnight. Humor me at least and nod your head that you’re listening.” I nodded with a grin.
He sighed, “Why do I bother? I’d like you to rest, though.” I gave Dr. Peter a bland look. He sighed again, “Forget I asked. Laney, it needs time to heal.” I swear, he jarred my shoulder on purpose as he slipped my sling on.
“All right, all right. I’ll see what I can do.” Mike offered his arm as I got down off the bed but I ignored it. My legs were wobbly so he took my good arm anyway.
It seemed to take forever to get back home. Molly met me at the door and ordered me straight to bed but I headed over to the couch and sat down, biting back an oath at the pain shooting down my arm. I laid my head back and closed my eyes, waiting for the comments about my childish behavior but they did not come. I must have fallen asleep when I woke to the sound of voices near me.
A new voice caught my attention and I tried to focus on what it was saying, pretending to be asleep.
“Hey, bro, how’s it going?” said an unfamiliar male voice, and I heard the slapping sound of manly pats on the back.
“Going okay. I didn’t know you were coming home,” Sean said, as a chair creaked nearby. I heard a low whistle.
“Wow, who is this and where do I get one? You guarding this one? How come this whole place is in an uproar?” asked the new voice as it moved closer to me.
I opened one eye just enough to make out who this new voice was and saw a younger version of Tommy. Must be Ryan.
Sean sat down and stretched his legs out, “Which question do you want answered first? First off, no, I am not guarding her. I damn sure wish I had been. Second, no, you cannot get one. I staked my claim first. This is Laney, but you’d know that if you called here once in a while. And trust me, when they made her they broke the mold — thankfully. The place is in an uproar, and your appearance is overshadowed, because Laney was stabbed today while protecting a client. Last but not least, she is laying there listening to everything we’re saying.”
I opened both eyes and looked at Sean who barely smiled at me. Uh oh, I was in trouble again. Oh, for heaven’s sake, what now? I tried to sit up and only halfway held back a moan of pain. Ryan knelt down next to the couch. “Don’t get up on my account. Damn shame you’re taken. Nice to meet you, Laney.”
“Likewise,” I said still watching Sean who was still glaring at me, “And I’m not taken.” Ryan looked from me to Sean and back to me. “Well it’s a rule that brothers don’t poach so I’ll behave.”
“Ryan can I ask a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Can you get me a glass of water?” He looked at me and then at Sean. “Oh, sure. I can leave the room so you two can talk or make smoochy faces. Besides, Mom and Da don’t even know I’m here yet.” Ryan stood up and then looked at me again. “Damn shame,” he said with a grin and a shake of his head as he left the room. I tried to sit up again but gave up.
“Go ahead, Slick, spit it out. You got a captive audience here, so go ahead and yell at me about getting hurt or whatever bug is up your ass.” I was hurting like hell and it was making me a bit grumpy. Hell, it was making me a bitch, but who’s counting?
He stood up and paced the room, running his hands through his hair. I laid there and calmly waited for him to run down or let it out. He stopped pacing and looked out the window at the coming darkness. “Damn it. Why didn’t someone call me? You should have had someone call me. I had to hear about it on the radio?”
“Radio?”
“Yes, on the radio. You have already made the evening news too. But that’s beside the point. Don’t you think I would have wanted to have known you were hurt?”
“Well gee I’m sorry there wasn’t time to think of that. I was a bit busy dealing with a knife in my arm!” I sat up and cried out in pain, bright points of light flashing in my head as I fell back. Sean was immediately by my side.
“Christ. I’m sorry. I … ” His voice broke and I looked at him in shock.
“Don’t! Just don’t. I’m fine.” I would not have held up had he shed one tear. I knew I would have fallen apart.
“Damn it, no, you’re not fine! All the radio said that a Woo security guard had been stabbed at a bookstore. I had this horrible fear that I’d lost you. I called Chase and only got his voicemail. I had to get in touch with Dallas to fill me in. By the time I was done with Boris, you had already left the hospital. Chase called to tell me you were here.”
I reached up and touched his cheek and he kissed my palm. “Sean, I’m fine. Yes, it hurts — like you wouldn’t believe — but I’m okay. I’m sorry I didn’t call you, though. But what would I have said? ‘Hey, Sean, guess what? I got stabbed at work today, how are you?’ It wasn’t exactly on the forefront of my mind.” I could tell I had hurt him and it pained me to do so. “Sean, I know you think that there is something happening between us.”
“Not think. Know.”
“Fine, you think you know, but I don’t know how I feel about that. Life has this ugly habit of taking those I love away from me and I cannot go through that again.”
“Oh, so it’s okay if I go through that, thinking that I may have lost you when I only just figured out that I like you more than I want to knock you on your ass?”
He sat back on the floor and leaned his head against the couch. “Wait. Just give me a minute. I’m not making it any easier trying to get past the fear and frustration. Just give me a minute.” Sean’s closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths.
I laid my hand on his head and stroked his hair, running my fingers through it, separating the different shades of brown that ran through it. “I have wanted to do this for a long time. Just touch your hair. Be with you like this. Just be. You’re on my mind all too often, especially when I don’t want you to be.”
He turned his head and looked at me with those eyes that saw right through to my very being. He touched his hand to mine and then brought my hand to his lips. I let my fingers caress his cheek and slide around his head, gently pulling him forward to kiss me. Keeping my eyes on his, I lightly touched my lips to his, kissing the corners of his mouth. His lips parted and my tongue tasted his mouth tentatively while his hands caressed my face.
“I guess you’re feeling better?” asked Molly from the doorway with a chuckle. Sean touched his head to mine and whispered.
“Get better soon so we can have a private date. Soon.” Sean got up and gathered a large bouquet of pink roses from the table nearby. “I forgot to give you these. I’ll just go and find a vase.” He kissed me again and then walked past Molly who smiled up at him.
“Now, what can I get for you, Laney?” she asked me, still smiling away.
“I’m starving and you can stop smiling.”
“I most certainly will not stop smiling. I like seeing my children happy. Now, his aren’t your only gifts. Miss Heart sent over a huge arrangement of flowers too, and Mason sent over some
Godiva chocolates. God love that girl, she knows what matters,” Molly said with a cheeky grin. “I will see what I can put together for you. Tommy has been a grumpy old bear so just bear with him. No pun intended. He always hated it when the kids got hurt and I don’t expect him to treat you any different.”
I nodded. Whether it was the events of the day, the pain, knowing that Sean cared for me, or feeling I was finally part of a family, I lacked the words to say anything. I fought back the tears but for some reason they weren’t as easy to hold back as they used to be. Molly gently gathered me in her arms and rocked me as I let it out. When it seemed that I was done she gave me a tissue, wiped her own eyes, and bustled off to the kitchen.
The kitchen seemed like the place to be. After several tries I managed to get up and then headed toward the noise. I didn’t want to be alone. There was a knock at the front door as I was making my way to the kitchen and since they were making so much noise I went to answer it. No one was there, but a small, wrapped package waited on the doorstep. I picked it up, looking up and down the street, but all was quiet. I stepped back inside, closing the door behind me, locking it. Pulling the ribbon off, I opened the box. Nestled within was a bar of soap tucked into the leg of a pair of nylons.
My hands started shaking so hard that I dropped the box, which clattered to the floor just as Chase came in. I dropped quickly to my knees, trying to gather and hide the contents before he saw them. I was having trouble catching my breath and I was shaking so hard I couldn’t get the box closed.
Chase covered my hands with his. “Shhh. It’s okay. Laney, let go of the box. Please, let me have it.” He took it from me and helped me up and into a chair forcing my head down between my knees. Mike came into the room. “Hey, everything okay?”
“Laney got a bit dizzy. She’ll be okay.” He handed the box to Mike, who opened it. He looked from me to Chase before walking out the front door with the box. Chase knelt down in front of me.
I turned from watching Mike leave to look at Chase. “James can’t hurt you. You are not that little girl anymore.” I clenched my jaw to stop my teeth from chattering.
“How did you know?”
“Mostly I guessed. By what he said, by your reaction, from something that Tommy said. James has a juvenile record that had been expunged. I managed to find out it was for terrorizing a young girl. They settled the case. I imagine that was why he was sent away. There have been two other cases against him, both settled out of court.”
Oh my God. I was not the only one. That sick, sick bastard had hurt someone else. Somehow I had to beat this fear back. I would not be his victim anymore, wouldn’t allow anyone else to suffer at his hands. I looked at Chase as he helped me stand up.
“You won’t tell Sean, will you? Or Tommy?” He looked at me, trying to decide what to do. “Chase, if you tell them then they’ll just do something stupid, like go after him. Just let me handle this, Chase. For now. Please?”
He rubbed a hand over his face but reluctantly agreed. I took a deep breath and shoved the fear aside. For now. For now, I would go bask in the glow of family. For now, that would be enough. It had to be.
Chapter Ten
Somehow that night I managed to get some sleep. Maybe the pain pills had kept the nightmares away. Maybe it was the fact that Sean had fallen asleep next to me in bed.
I had nearly fallen asleep at the table while everyone was talking, so he had scooped me up, tucked me in, and then kicked off his shoes before lying down next to me, drawing me into his arms. “Just until you fall asleep,” he whispered, kissing me gently. That was the last thing I remember until the morning sun woke me. I turned over to look at Sean but he had left a rose in his place. I smiled and picked up the bloom, sniffing it. Maybe this romance stuff wasn’t so bad after all. William and I had never had much romance. We had met while I was working security on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It was closing time at the end of a very long, very hot, and very crowded day at the beach. Some young toughs decided they weren’t done riding the roller coaster. I got a call about a disturbance. Unfortunately, I was the only available security guard at the time. There I was, one woman against five young men and a hell of a lot of badass attitude. At least in their own minds, anyway. William and his three buddies, fresh out of eight years in the corps, offered their assistance. I said sure, go ahead. I made sure to announce that I’d give the nice, helpful Marines five uninterrupted minutes with the punks, if they needed that long. The punks thought better of it and left, leaving a trail of curses behind them. Three dates later, William and I were living together in a beach house. One, two, three … wham. Not much chance for romance. Not that I really missed it at the time.
Anyway, there just might be something to this romance stuff when you got right down to it.
Chase stopped in later on during the day and brought a friend. “Laney this is Detective Connor Sweeney. He is Mason’s brother.”
“How many brothers does she have?”
He smiled. “Too many. So tell me about James Prescott.”
I looked at Chase in shock, but he only smiled at me, “You only asked me to not say anything to Sean or Tommy.”
“Damn it, Chase. I don’t want to talk about it.” Connor looked at me and gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Hey, no problem. Prescott goes after someone else, no big deal.”
I pounded the arm of the chair in frustration, but I told him everything that I knew about James.
“Of course there is no proof that he had anything to do with the gift left for you last night. But as a courtesy to Tommy and to Chase I’m going to make some polite inquiries. Prescott has some powerful connections that I don’t want to rile up. Yet.”
I nodded. I didn’t want James riled up at all. I really just wanted to forget he existed, but I knew deep down I couldn’t. I would have to come to terms with him sooner or later. I was wishing for later, of course. Much later.
By the time Sean showed up for dinner I was going stir crazy. He must have anticipated this because he helped me get a jacket on and we went out for dinner along the wharf, to a seafood place serenaded by a dozen barking sea lions. I loved it.
It was during dessert, while he was telling me about one of his adventures at Woo, when the world fell away and I could only see Sean. Nothing else mattered. Not Woo, not James, not the busy waiters, nothing. Just watching the way Sean used his hands to talk, the way his eyes seemed brighter when he laughed, the way he looked at me when he took my hand in his. I knew then and there that I would never be complete unless I had this man in my life. This revelation staggered me. So much so that Sean stopped his story and looked at me with concern. “Laney, you okay? You’re as white as a ghost.” He gripped my hand. “Honey, your hand is trembling. What’s wrong?”
“I … I … ” But the words wouldn’t come. It was unreasonable to think I could be in love with him. It was too soon, and it was too much. This feeling of being out of control was too much. The room was beginning to spin. God help me, I wanted to say something to him. Tell him how I was feeling. But nothing would come out.
“I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” I could tell he didn’t buy it but he didn’t press me. He paid the bill and we left. As we were walking out of the restaurant, I looked across the street and caught a glimpse of James standing there watching me. My legs went numb and I stopped quickly. Sean was at my side in an instant. “What?” He was looking around, but James was no longer there. In the blink of an eye he was gone. I didn’t dare say anything to Sean. “Nothing. I’m fine.” He frowned but took my hand as we walked to the car.
Back at home I found a message tacked to my door that I was back on the job tomorrow at a bookstore in San Jose. I would have back up as well. Sean sighed when I showed him the message but put a finger to my lips to stop me from saying anything.
“I understand your need to get back on the bicycle, but there’s a big part of me that wants to protect you. I’m trying to allow you to be who you need to be, but it’s difficult.”
His hands cupped my face and he pulled me against him, kissing me until I couldn’t see straight. The world around me fell away again and I had to fight to keep from telling him I loved him. It was too soon, and I was too damn scared. I must have looked distressed because he kissed my forehead. “It’s okay, Laney.” A good bit later he finally walked off to his car.
The next two book signings for Miss Heart were in San Jose. We’d be staying at the Hyatt since she didn’t want to deal with traffic back to San Francisco.
I had just gotten the table layout squared away when she showed up. “Laney, you have no business doing this in your condition.”
“Ma’am, I’m fine.”
“How do you intend to stop anyone if you cannot use that arm?”
“I intend to use my keen eyesight and cat-like agility and get both of us out of the way,” I said with a straight face.
She arched an eyebrow at me. “You are having dinner with me tonight.” It was a statement, not a request. “Besides I have taken quite a liking to that ruggedly handsome Mr. Taylor. You can tell me if he’s worth a shot.”
I held back the hoot of laughter. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Miss Heart and Joan headed to the bathroom so I stood outside the bathroom door after making sure everything was clear. “You think the Tidy Bowl Man has it in for me, Laney?” she asked, amused at my checking each stall.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Joan rolled her eyes again. “Amelia, leave the girl be. Let her do her job.”
“I am allowing her to do her job. I just don’t think that anyone from the magicians’ guild is going to go poof and appear in the stall with me.”
“Hey, Joan?” I stepped further into the bathroom, “You ever see that movie with Sigourney Weaver and Harry Connick Jr.? You know, the one where he strung a line over the public restroom stall and tried to strangle Sigourney?” I walked out to take my place back outside the bathroom door and smiled. Cruel, but if it made her stop and think that maybe she wasn’t immortal then so much the better for me.