And then the light began to fade.
Marcus couldn’t keep his eyes open. A darkness different from the one before the shot was now drawing him down. He wanted to fight it, but his body lacked the strength. It had never failed him before, but on this night, his body had let him down.
The darkness was going to win.
~*~
Alicia’s hand shook as she signed the papers that would allow her to leave the hospital. She was doing so against medical advice, but she needed to get away. Thankfully, the bullet had passed right through her side, nicking a rib but not hitting any vital organs. Once the medical staff had gotten the bleeding under control, they’d been able to stitch her up, and, aside from the pain, declared she would be fine. The doctor said he wanted to keep her to observe her for shock or something, but Alicia was convinced that someone from BlackThorpe had asked the doctors to keep her in the hospital.
However, she had things to do, so she was leaving.
Once at the hospital, it had taken far too long to receive word that Marcus had survived, but just barely. Twenty-four hours after the shooting, he was still unconscious after undergoing two surgeries to repair the internal damage done by the bullet from the madman—the madman, who was now dead thanks to the team from BlackThorpe who had responded to the call that Derek had been able to make from the panic room.
Only Marcus knew that she and the madman had been in contact prior to the night at the mansion, but she had no doubt that he was going to tell everyone what had come out during the standoff. Since they were a security company, there was no way they would keep an employee who had allowed herself to become a security risk. She had gone against Marcus’s request that everyone report anything out of the norm, and Alicia knew that she could no longer continue to work at BlackThorpe.
She longed for a do-over. From the very start.
Instead, she was going to leave. She just couldn’t stay in Minneapolis after what had happened. She’d let down the McKinleys with her lies after they’d welcomed her into their lives. She’d let Eric down after he’d gotten her the interview. But most of all, she’d let Marcus down after he’d given her a job and then opened his home in an effort to protect her. To take care of her. There was no way she could face him after that. Nor did she want to be around when he moved on with his life. With a new personal assistant. And perhaps one day, with a woman who wasn’t her.
It was cowardly to run, no doubt, but she just couldn’t stay. She wasn’t strong enough.
As Alicia walked out of the hospital, she glanced back at its gleaming windows. Behind one of them was Marcus. She wished she could have seen him one last time but maybe that would have made leaving even more difficult. Though she was still in pain from the gunshot wound, it was the ache in her heart that hurt the worst.
Resolute in her decision, Alicia looked around for the taxi she’d called after her last visitors had left for the evening and she’d convinced the medical staff she was leaving. She spotted it a short distance away and walked towards it as quickly as her injured side and the bags she carried would allow. After slipping into the cab, she gave the driver her address and leaned back, watching as he pulled away from the hospital. For once, she couldn’t wait to reach her small apartment. Right then it represented a sanctuary. No one knew her address. No one knew where she lived. Her phone was turned off. She would have the breathing space she desperately needed.
Once the cab dropped her off at her apartment, Alicia let herself in. She was grateful that Meredith had agreed when Alicia had asked her to bring a bag of her clothes, her laptop, and her purse to the hospital. Though she had wanted to, Alicia hadn’t asked her to bring everything as that would have raised suspicions, so there were a few personal items she’d end up losing. The only thing she would really miss was her heart-shaped Thomas Kinkade painting, but maybe that was for the best. The painting had represented something that she could never have.
It was time to realize that because of the decisions she’d made, the life she wanted and the life she was destined to have were two very different things. It seemed whenever she was presented with a choice, she always made the wrong one and ended up hurting not just herself but those around her.
She took a couple of pain pills and laid down on her bed to rest. Tomorrow was going to be an early day, and she was still so very tired from the harrowing ordeal. Though it had happened almost two days ago, she hadn’t been able to rest much at all at the hospital. People were constantly checking on her. Asking her if she was okay. If she needed anything.
The answer to both those questions had been no. She wasn’t okay. And what she needed, they couldn’t give her. But now, in the quietness of her apartment, she could rest. And cry. She’d managed to hold herself together for the most part, but it been getting increasingly difficult as she had formulated her plan over the past couple of days.
Alicia was able to fall asleep fairly quickly once the pain and her tears had subsided, but her night was not uninterrupted. She woke off and on because of the pain and often had difficulty falling back asleep. What kept her awake the most were the doubts in her mind that she was making the right decision. Yet again.
Could she stay and face everything?
Yes, her job was history, but did she have to throw everything else away? When it came right down to it, she was running away from Marcus because of her feelings for him. He was in nearly daily contact with Eric, but that didn’t mean she’d see him. It had been over a year between the first time she’d seen him and the second. Eric didn’t talk about him much, so it would be possible for her to stay in Minneapolis without hearing about him all the time or running into him at every turn.
In the end, as the sun began to rise on a new day, Alicia knew it was time to put at least the first part of her plan into action. That day was the day she ended her employment with BlackThorpe.
Moving carefully, Alicia got dressed as best she could considering that lifting her arms more than a couple of inches was torture. Thankfully, her appearance didn’t need to pass close inspection since she only planned to pop in and out of the office. Hopefully, she’d be there earlier than anyone who would want to talk with her, and she’d be able to do what she needed to do, then leave. Unfortunately, her car was still at Marcus’s, so she’d have to take a bus or cab. Not that it really mattered, because she wasn’t sure that she would’ve been able to drive with the wound in her side aching whenever she moved or, for that matter, breathed.
When she approached the security entrance at BlackThorpe a short time later, they waved her through without any questions after seeing her badge. Entering the building, she called out a greeting to the men behind the desk as she headed to the elevators. She was grateful that neither of them stopped her as she stepped inside and pressed the button to close the doors. She used her security card to gain access to the top floor then leaned back against the wall as the elevator began its ascent.
Not surprisingly, Kelsey’s desk was empty when she passed it on her way to her own. It was barely seven so it wasn’t likely that she’d find anyone on the admin floor. When she got to her desk, Alicia stood for a moment staring down at it, grief filling her as she struggled to accept that she was giving up the job she loved.
Swallowing hard, she approached Marcus’s door and used her keys to let herself into his office. She tried to ignore the pain, both physical and emotional, that was coursing through her body as she crossed the room. After a brief hesitation, she put the laptop bag, BlackThorpe cell phone and her resignation letter on his desk. She took a moment to look around the office, recalling how Marcus looked seated behind his large wooden desk. His dark hair perfectly in place. His broad shoulders filling out his suit. His blue eyes looking at her as they had conversed.
It was an image she’d carry with her forever. That and the memory of being held in his arms. Safe and secure.
Knowing she couldn’t linger long, Alicia left Marcus’s office and locked it. She paused at her desk long en
ough to grab an envelope. After slipping the keys and a note to Kelsey inside, she returned to the other woman’s desk and left the envelope on top of her keyboard on the keyboard tray out of sight of people who might walk past. She picked up Kelsey’s phone to call for a cab using the number she’d scribbled down on a piece of paper earlier.
When she took the elevator back down to the main floor, the man behind the desk gave her a questioning look. She told him she’d forgotten something and headed on out through the front door. Once she walked through the security entrance, she was relieved to see the cab waiting for her. Before heading towards it, she lifted the lanyard from around her neck and gave it to the guy in the security booth at the gate.
“Can you please hand that in to security for me? I won’t be needing it any longer.”
Before the guy could say anything, Alicia walked to the cab and climbed in. She gave the man her address and stared straight ahead as he drove her away. Her position at BlackThorpe had been her dream job, and not just because it paid well. She loved the challenge it had presented, but most of all, she’d loved working with Marcus. Losing this job was the consequence of her decisions and she understood that, but it didn’t lessen the ache she felt.
Once back in her apartment, Alicia stared around the room. Pain pulsed in her side, and weariness settled over her like a heavy cloak. She didn’t have to make any other decisions right then. Her apartment was paid for through the end of the month, and though her plan had been to leave Minneapolis as soon as possible, she hadn’t bought a plane ticket yet.
After changing into something more comfortable, Alicia sank into the bed, drawing the blanket over her. There was time for more life-changing decisions later.
18
Marcus knew he hadn’t died because there was no way he’d be in that much pain in heaven. It felt like he was burning up from the inside out. He slowly opened his eyes and fought to bring his surroundings into focus. Unfortunately, his eyelids fought to slam shut again so that he could retreat back to wherever he’d been, where there had been no pain. Or at least none that he’d been aware of.
“Marcus?”
He turned his head slightly to see Alex at his side, grimacing at the pain the movement brought on. The concern on his friend’s face was not reassuring when added to the pain still pulsing through his body. It felt like he’d been torn apart inside and stitched back together.
“What happened? Are Alicia and Meredith okay? Derek?”
“Everyone’s okay, Marc. Don’t worry about what happened just yet.” Alex rested a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s focus on getting your pain under control.”
Before he could argue, a nurse appeared beside him. “You’re having some pain, Mr. Black?”
“You could say that,” Marcus rasped. “My insides feel like they’re on fire.”
“That’s to be expected,” the nurse said as she worked with his IV. “This should help. Let me know if you’re still in pain in a few minutes.”
Alex’s hand continued to rest on his shoulder as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. “Lots of people have been praying for you.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” And Marcus did. The pain might have dominated his thoughts upon waking, but he hadn’t forgotten all that had gone through his mind in the time leading up to the gunshot that had knocked him off his feet and apparently torn up his insides. “There were two shots. Was someone else hurt?” Marcus closed his eyes, trying to recall what had happened after he’d been shot. “Is Alicia okay?”
“Yes. She’s fine. She was shot, but it was just a flesh wound, and they were able to patch her up.”
Marcus felt a tide of relief rush through him. As long as Alicia was okay, he could deal with anything else. “Who was it, Alex? And how did they get into my house?”
“How’s your pain?” Alex asked.
“The drugs are doing their job.” Marcus swallowed hard. “Who was it?”
Alex sighed. “Eli Bennett.”
Marcus looked at the doorway, expecting to see the man looming in the doorway. “What?”
“Eli was behind it, Marcus.” Alex hesitated. “But he wasn’t alone when we got to your place.”
Marcus decided he didn’t want to hear it. “How did you guys know?”
Alex hesitated. “Your third landline. They managed to cut the other two that ran out of the panic room, but that third one was what saved you.”
Marcus stared up at the ceiling. He had never dodged the truth before, but this time the sick feeling in his stomach had nothing to do with the gunshot. “Okay, Alex, who was with Eli?”
“Let me just say first, that we’ve found out since the attack that there were extenuating circumstances.”
No. I don’t want to hear about extenuating circumstances. Maybe the gunshot had done more damage to him than just physical. Denial had never been his thing, even when his family had nearly been wiped out. But right then, he changed his mind once more.
“We can have this discussion later,” Alex offered again. “You have a couple of people who are eager to see you. Are you up for visitors?”
He was pretty sure that Meredith was one. Hopefully, the other one was Alicia. He needed to see them both. In the back of his mind, there was a voice telling him that he needed to be distancing himself from Alicia, not getting closer. But he ignored it and nodded.
“I’ll send them in.”
Marcus closed his eyes as he waited, grateful that the pain medication had finally kicked in. As he lay there, he wondered exactly how long he’d been out of it. That was something he should have asked Alex. It felt like more than just a few hours.
“Marcus!” Meredith hurried to his side and bent over to press her lips to his forehead. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Are you okay, sweetie?” Marcus asked, looking up into her blue eyes, so grateful that he still had her. If he had lost her…the last of his family… He couldn’t bear to think of that.
“I’m fine. Derek made sure that I was safe.” Meredith glanced over her shoulder. “And he was able to make the call that saved your life.”
Marcus saw Derek lingering behind Meredith. When his gaze met the other’s man, Marcus didn’t like what he saw. Though Derek’s expression was stoic, his eyes told another story. The sadness there made Marcus wish for the oblivion of whatever sleep he’d just woken from.
He looked away as he felt Meredith’s hand slip into his. The words of the Mastermind—Eli Bennett—came to mind, and the feelings of betrayal when he’d heard Alicia’s name spoken by that man returned to him like a tidal wave. His heart ached at the memory. Was the news that everyone kept tiptoeing around that Alicia had been working with Eli all along? Had it all been part of a long con of some sort?
“Marcus?”
He opened his eyes, not even realizing he’d closed them. Anxious to allay the concern he heard in Meredith’s voice, Marcus said, “It’s okay, Meri. I’m just tired.”
“Why don’t we let Marcus rest a bit?” Derek suggested as he came to stand next to Meredith. His gaze met Marcus’s. “We’ll be here when you wake up.”
Marcus nodded. “Thanks, Derek.”
The next time Marcus woke up, he felt better than he had the first time. The pain wasn’t nearly as intense, and he felt more in control of his thoughts and emotions. This time around, he wanted all the information. No more pussyfooting around. If there were things he needed to deal with on a personal level, then he wanted to know and to be able to process them sooner rather than later.
He turned his head, certain that someone was in the room with him. His gaze landed on the familiar figure of Alex, and relief flooded him. He needed straightforward answers, and Alex was the one person he felt most comfortable demanding them from. While Alex had appeared to be reticent to give him answers earlier, Marcus knew that if pressed, his friend would tell him what he needed to know.
“Alex.”
The man lifted his head then got up from the seat against th
e wall and came to the chair beside the bed. Without having to tell him, Alex seemed to know what Marcus needed, but Marcus could see the tiredness on his friend’s face and wondered if maybe they should put off the conversation.
Alex shook his head when Marcus made the offer. “You need to know the details. I think you’ll rest easier if you do.”
Marcus hoped he was right. He felt as if his personal and professional lives had collided, and everything was in shambles. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to pick up the pieces of his life, but it was the first time it was for both parts of his life. He didn’t like the feeling of helplessness this situation brought with it because now someone else was taking care of Meredith when it should be him. And someone else was dealing with Alicia when it should be him.
“First, tell me about Alicia.” He glanced over at Alex. “You said she was okay?”
Alex nodded, but his expression was concerned. “Did she ever tell you where she lived?”
Marcus thought back but couldn’t seem to remember any conversations about it other than it wasn’t as safe as his place had been. Except, obviously, his house hadn’t been as safe as he’d thought. “No. Why?”
“We can’t find her.”
Alarm shot through Marcus. “You can’t find her?”
“She checked herself out of the hospital last night and disappeared. Well, she made a brief reappearance at BlackThorpe very early this morning when she dropped off her laptop, cellphone and a resignation letter.”
Marcus tried to not think the worst. “Don’t we have her address on file?”
“She used a PO box for HR, and when we tried to trace her driver’s license, it went to a place where she hasn’t lived for at least six months.” Alex gave a shake of his head. “I have to say that that place wasn’t in a very good location. I can only hope that wherever she moved to was better.”
As Marcus thought over the conversation he’d had with Trent, he had a feeling that she might not have moved to a better place. The bulk of her money from her previous jobs no doubt went to pay for her mother’s legal bill. “And her cell?”
A Sense of Security: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 6) Page 25