by Sara Davison
Sharleen looked alarmed. “What is it?”
“It’s them.”
“Who?” She started to turn around, but he grabbed her arm.
“Do not look. It’s Nicole and Gage. They just walked in.” For one wild moment he thought about trying to hide, slip out the side exit or into the men’s room, but before he could move, Nicole’s gaze locked with his. The color drained from her face.
Gage glanced down at her, and then over at him. As Daniel watched, Gage said something to her and Nicole nodded. He spoke again, then put a hand on the small of her back and the two of them walked toward Daniel and his partner. He forced a smile and stood up, wondering, as he did, if Dante had been wrong and there actually were more than nine levels of hell. It felt like he’d suffered through at least a dozen in the last few minutes.
“Ms. Hunter.” Daniel held out a hand and she shook it briefly. Her fingers were as cold as he felt, down to his core. “Good to see you.”
“You too.” Her voice was strained, but she managed a weak smile as she turned to Gage. “I think you’ve met my boyfriend, Gage Kelly. Gage, you remember Daniel Grey?”
Unlike Nicole’s and his, Gage’s smile was genuine, warm and friendly. He grasped Daniel’s hand firmly. “Fiancé, actually.”
“Really.” Daniel’s gaze flicked to Nicole’s, but she didn’t meet his eyes. He returned his attention to Gage. “I hadn’t heard. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Gage released his hand. “Yes, we have met, down at the police station. Haven’t we, Detective?”
Daniel swallowed hard, hoping to ease the tightness in his throat. “That’s right. And this is my partner, Sharleen Roberts.”
“Good to meet you.” Gage greeted her before swinging his gaze back to Daniel’s. “I hear you’ve become a regular at Joe’s.”
“I’ve been there a few times, yes. Best breakfast in the city.”
“That’s true. It is. Or was. I guess you’ll have to find a new place to go now, since they’ve shut down for a while.”
“Yeah, I guess I will.”
“Might be just as well. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, revisiting the same old place. Sometimes it’s good to try something new, get a fresh perspective.”
“You’re probably right.” Daniel didn’t miss the fact that the warmth in Gage’s smile had faded. Or that the dark eyes that were riveted on his had hardened to steel.
Nicole rested a hand on his arm. “Gage, we should go.”
He covered her hand with his and smiled at her. “Yes, we should.” Gage looked at him. “The wedding is this Saturday so, as you can imagine, we’ve got a long list of things to do today to get ready. Good to meet you, Detectives.”
Daniel nodded his head woodenly. Saturday? That’s the day after tomorrow. He sank onto the chair, his legs trembling. Once, as a rookie cop, he’d foolishly chased a suspect into a dark alley without any backup and been jumped by the guy and two of his buddies. Before he could draw his weapon, the two buddies had grabbed his arms so the suspect could drive a fist deep into his gut. The deep, shocking pain had driven him to his knees, gasping for a breath he never thought would come. He felt exactly the same way now.
Concentrating on inhaling slowly and evenly to combat the dizziness, he watched the two of them until they had walked out the door with their drinks. Nicole didn’t look back. What is going on here? I saw her last night and she didn’t mention—
“Grey?” Sharleen touched his hand.
Daniel gave his head a shake and attempted to focus on her concerned face. “What?”
“Are you okay?”
He tried to force a smile, but apparently he’d reached his limit of faking it for the day. “Of course. Why?”
“Don’t even try it. You look like a shell-shocked soldier returning from battle.” She pursed her lips. “Did that change everything? Should you take yourself off this case after all, do you think?”
Daniel considered the question for a moment. The ball of ice that had settled in his stomach began to melt as a rush of hot anger poured through him. He straightened up, his thoughts suddenly clear. “No way. I’m going to see this through. Gage Kelly just threw down the gauntlet. Maybe that was only about Nicole, I don’t know. But there’s no chance he is scaring me off.”
“Off the case, you mean.”
He met his partner’s gaze. “What?”
“You’re saying that he’s not going to scare you off of continuing with this investigation. I’m assuming he does have you appropriately terrorized at the idea of pursuing anything further with the woman he is going to marry in two days. Right?”
The three seconds he waited to reply had his partner’s eyebrows starting to rise again, but when he spoke, Daniel’s voice was firm. “Yes. Absolutely. From now on, I will be completely professional. I promise.”
“You won’t go and see her alone again?”
“Of course not.”
She didn’t look entirely convinced, but Sharleen nodded. “Good. Then let’s go wrap this thing up.”
She didn’t say them, but he heard the words as clearly as if she had. Before you make any more questionable errors in judgment that blow this case for both of us once and for all.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Daniel?”
He spun around at the sound of her voice. Nicole stepped out of the shadows of his building. She stopped on the sidewalk in front of him, twisting her hands together as though uncertain how he would react to seeing her.
Daniel wasn’t too certain himself. “How did you know where I lived?”
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. “411?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, I followed you from work. It wasn’t that hard. You didn’t take any evasive measures at all. And you probably should, you know. I mean, I could be some drug dealer recently sprung from prison coming back for revenge.”
“Why?”
A tiny v appeared between her eyes. “Because I was angry that you put me away?”
In spite of himself, he laughed. “The fact that you’ve been watching way too many CSI episodes aside, I mean why did you follow me?” His smile faded. “Why are you here, Nicole? Shouldn’t you be out deciding on china patterns or interviewing DJ’s or something?” He tried to keep the anger that was twisting through his gut out of his voice, but he was hurting too much to put a lot of effort into it.
Nicole winced. “I … I’m sorry you had to find out that way. I was going to tell you myself.”
“The wedding’s in two days. How were you planning to tell me, on a postcard from Bermuda? ‘Having a great time – so glad you’re not here.’ Something like that?” It took everything he had to keep his voice low and even.
She glanced around the deserted street. “Could we go inside?”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“I know.”
Daniel stared at her for a moment then, with a deep sigh, he turned and shoved his key into the lock. Pulling open the heavy glass door, he swept his arm in front of him. “After you.”
Nicole walked past him and through the doorway. He closed his eyes for a few seconds as the scent of apple blossoms floated past him. Really? Did she have to smell like that tonight? His gaze darted up to the sky. You’re going to have to help me here. Please. Pushing away his apprehension, he followed her into the building.
Neither of them spoke on the stairs, or in the hallway leading to his apartment. Once inside, he pushed the door shut behind them, strode across the room, and tossed his jacket onto a kitchen chair. He hesitated, then pulled off his badge and dropped it on the table before turning to face her. “Would you like a drink?”
“That would really be a bad idea.”
“I know.” His jaw tightened. “But we should have wine or champagne or something. I could make a toast to the bride-to-be. Celebrate this momentous occasion. What do you think?”
“Don’t do that. Please.”
His anger dissi
pated at the pleading in her voice and, with it, the energy he had hoped would carry him through this conversation. Completely drained, he lifted a hand and pointed toward the living area. “I’m sorry. I’ll behave. Do you want to sit down?”
She nodded and sank onto his black leather couch. Her loose hair drifted around her shoulders. When she looked up at him, the soft light of the lamp he had left on reflected in the gold flecks in her green eyes.
Daniel swallowed hard and lowered himself onto the chair across from her, clutching both arm rests. “Does Gage know you’re here?”
Nicole shook her head. “No. He wouldn’t be very happy if he did.”
“My partner wouldn’t be either.”
“She doesn’t want you talking to me?”
“Not alone. She has some crazy idea that I have been less than professional around you.”
She smiled faintly. “Was that the discussion at Starbucks this morning?”
“Yes.” Daniel winced. “That was what is known in the business as an official kick in the butt. Not entirely undeserved, either.” He tightened his grip on the arm rests. “The punch to the gut I got from Gage might have been though.”
“I’m sorry. I really was going to tell you myself. This has all happened so suddenly. He only asked me last night.”
“Yeah, about that. Why are you rushing into this? Don’t you think it would be a good idea to wait until we know for sure if Gage is involved in these kidnappings before you commit yourself to him for the rest of your life?”
“Until he’s arrested or gets himself killed, you mean?” Her voice held a tinge of bitterness. “Because that’s the only way you would know for sure, isn’t it?” Nicole leaned forward and clasped her hands together as if beseeching him to listen to her. “If Gage is the one you’re looking for, then if we are married, he’d be risking a lot more by breaking the law. He’d have a lot more to lose. I don’t think he would take any other children. This could all be over.”
She was too close. All of his senses were on overload, except for touch, the one he most desperately wanted to use at the moment. Daniel stood up and moved away, toward the window, where he could think more clearly. Crossing both arms over his chest, he turned to face her. “Over? How can you say that? Even if no more children are taken, there are still six of them missing, still out there only God knows where. And evidence could surface any time, even years from now, linking Gage to even one of those kids and then he’d be in prison for the rest of his life.”
Her face paled in the soft light. Clearly she hadn’t considered that possibility. Rising to her feet, she paced the room for a moment before stopping in front of him. She looked dazed and confused, like a child who had just been slapped and didn’t understand why.
A stab of pain shot across his abdomen. He had to get through to her somehow. Reaching out, he cupped her shoulders lightly, resisting the urge to tighten his hold and shake her to force her to listen to him. “All I’m asking is that you wait a bit, a few weeks, until we know for sure. Most likely it will turn out not to be Gage, and then you can marry him without this hanging over your head.”
She bit her lip. “I can’t. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and it has to be now. As soon as possible.”
“Why?” His eyes searched hers. What he saw sent hope surging through him. “Nicole.” Daniel lifted his hands from her shoulders to her face. “Don’t marry him.”
“You’re only asking me that because you think I’m going to get caught in the middle of something, that I’ll get hurt. But Gage would never let that happen.”
“I am worried that you will get caught in the middle of something. And I’m terrified that you will get hurt. But that’s not why I’m asking.”
Her skin was warm beneath his fingers, her eyes wide and soft. He couldn’t do it anymore. Every promise he’d ever made to anyone, including himself, was suddenly meaningless. All that mattered was her. And this moment. And this one last chance he had to hold on to them both. His mouth sought out hers. Her lips parted, and she leaned against him, giving herself, taking from him. With a low moan, Daniel slid his hand to the back of her head, her hair soft and silky around his fingers. Wrapping his other arm around her, he pulled her closer. It wasn’t until he tasted warm salt on his tongue that reality came crashing in around him.
Still, it took everything he had in him to pull back. To wipe the tears off her face with his fingers. For a few seconds, she clasped his fingers in hers. Her eyes, filled with pain, met and held his.
Then she dropped her gaze and let go of his hands, and he knew he’d lost.
“I’m so sorry, Daniel. I never meant to hurt you.” Another tear slid down her cheek, but he didn’t touch her this time. “If things had been different when we met, if I hadn’t been with Gage …”
He nodded. “I know.”
Daniel closed his eyes as she turned away. He listened as she crossed the room, walking out of his life. The doorknob creaked and his eyes flew open. “Nicole.”
She turned to face him.
Daniel went to her. He brushed away a strand of hair from her forehead and rested his knuckles on her flushed cheek for a few seconds, before dropping his hand and stepping back. “Be careful. Please.”
She nodded and went out into the hall. He stood in the doorway until the sound of her echoing footsteps on the stairs faded.
Then he stumbled inside again and closed the door tightly behind him.
Daniel stood in the middle of the room, head spinning. Now what? He took a step toward the door and stopped. He couldn’t think where to go, what to do. The only thing he wanted to do—go after Nicole and do everything in his power to persuade her not to marry another man—was the one thing he couldn’t.
Daniel forced himself to turn and start for the kitchen. A soft rapping on the door froze him in place. Nicole. Had she changed her mind? He spun around and crossed the space between him and the entryway in four strides. Grasping the knob, he yanked open the door.
Becca stood in the hallway. For a few seconds, Daniel gaped at her. Like eyes trying to adjust after coming in out of bright sunlight, his mind struggled to make the leap from expecting Nicole to seeing his sister in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
A slight frown crinkled her forehead. “You invited me, remember?” She held up a pizza box. “Austin dropped me off on his way to work because you said to come over and we’d watch the Jays game together.”
Daniel gave his head a small shake. It didn’t help. “Of course, sorry.” He stepped back. “Come on in.”
Becca inclined her head back down the hallway. “I saw a woman in the stairwell. She looked like she was crying.” She ran a hand over her rounded belly. “I didn’t think I should run down the stairs after her, but maybe you should go see if she’s okay?”
Daniel repressed a sigh. He took the box from his sister and grasped her elbow lightly to direct her into his apartment. “I can’t go after her. I’m the reason she’s crying.” He closed the door behind them. “And why are you climbing four flights of stairs anyway? You’re two months away from giving birth.” He tossed the pizza box onto the coffee table.
It was a feeble attempt to divert her attention away from Nicole. As expected, it worked about as well as a grandfather clock that hadn’t been wound in a decade. Becca’s eyes were wide as she stared at him. “You’re the reason she’s crying? Why? What did you do? And who is she, anyway?”
Daniel held up both hands in a T shape. “Bec. Time out. Please.” His legs refused to hold him up any longer and he sank down on the couch.
His sister rounded the coffee table. She held her stomach with one hand and braced herself on the back of the couch with the other as she eased herself down beside him. For a moment neither of them spoke then she drew in a sharp breath. “She’s that waitress, isn’t she?”
Daniel ran a hand over his eyes. The last thing he felt like doing was talking about Nicole. He dropped his hand into his lap. “She’s the one
I told you about, yes.”
“What happened between the two of you?”
“Nothing, really. I mean, there was chemistry there. I’ve seen her a few times since, and I definitely felt it and I know she did too. But whatever there might have been between us is over now. She came here tonight to say goodbye.”
“But she obviously has feelings for you too or she wouldn’t be so upset. Are you sure her goodbye was final?”
Daniel let out a short, humorless laugh. “Pretty sure, yeah. Remember the guy I told you she was with that day in the diner?”
Becca nodded.
“She’s marrying him the day after tomorrow.”
His sister slumped into the couch. “No.”
“I’m afraid so. I found out about the engagement this morning. She came over to try and explain to me why she is marrying him so quickly. From the look in her eyes, I gathered it might actually have something to do with me. That gave me enough hope to try and talk her out of it, but I wasn’t able to.” He lifted both hands. “So that’s that.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “I totally brought this on myself. I knew the first day I met her she was involved with someone else and I still let myself fall for her. That wasn’t only stupid, it was highly unethical. Possibly even sinful.” The aroma of hot cheese and processed meat wafting from the box in front of him, normally one of his favorite smells, was turning his stomach.
“Does he know about you?”
“I’m pretty sure he does, or that he suspects something, anyway. He’s the one who told me this morning that the two of them were engaged, and he clearly enjoyed doing it.”
Her eyes grew stormy. “I don’t like him. He sounds horrible.”
You have no idea how true that might be. Daniel shrugged. “I don’t blame him. If I had a girlfriend, certainly if she was a fiancée, and I thought someone might be moving in on her, I’d probably act the same way.”
“Still, I feel like I’m to blame for all this. If I hadn’t pushed you so hard to find someone, maybe you wouldn’t have even noticed her that day in the diner and all of this could have been avoided.”