Necessary Detour

by Hornsby, Kim

  Chapter 24

  “I’m sorry, sir, but you cannot bring a dog into the hospital.” The hospital security man stopped Pete in the first floor lobby.

  “This is Goldy’s dog. She’s in the VIP suite.” He flashed his badge, something he hadn’t surrendered just yet. Everyone knew Goldy was upstairs. The guard nodded. “I need to radio ahead to check the protocol on bringing in an animal that’s not a service dog.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  Once upstairs, Pete put Elvis down on the linoleum and leashed him. He’d stopped at the pet store, had Elvis shampooed and while he waited, bought a leash to match his collar. He was looking fine for his reunion with Nikki and Quinn.

  The guards shook their heads.

  “This is Goldy’s dog.”

  “The dog is fine but not you. Give him to us,” one of them said.

  Pete bent down to pick up the pug, prepared to clutch him to his chest.

  “Give him up.” The bigger of the two guards reached for Elvis, and the dog snarled.

  Pete showed the blood-crusted bite on his own hand. “He’s a biter. I better take him in.”

  The older guard radioed someone, and then Quinn ran down the hall, tears pooling in her eyes. “Oh, my God, there you are, little guy.” Elvis looked like he was going to burst if he didn’t kiss Quinn, and Pete couldn’t refuse the transfer. Hell, poor little dog had been through a long separation from the women in his life. He handed him over.

  “Thank you, Mr. Bayer.” Quinn let Elvis kiss her neck and laughed. “Oh, you look good for being lost.”

  “Pete,” he said.

  Quinn looked at him. “What?”

  “Call me Pete.”

  “Oh. Where was he?”

  “Some nice people took care of him.” Pete handed over a bag of dog food. “Now, can I see your mother?”

  “She’s asleep. I’ll have to call you later.”

  “Ah, Quinn. You’re not playing games with me, are you?” He searched her face.

  “No.”

  “Come on, Quinn. Ask your mom if she wants to see me.”

  “She’s asleep.”

  Something in the way she stood and stared at him told Pete he was not going to win this. “Quinn, when your mother wakes up, please give her this and ask her to call me.” He reached for his business card, but she interrupted.

  “I have your number from my mother’s cell.”

  “Are you listening to her messages?”

  Quinn turned to walk down the hall then stopped. She spun around. “Thank you for finding Elvis.”

  There was no emotion in her voice. Dang, she was a tough nut to crack. He watched her walk away, Elvis smothering her face with kisses, and Pete felt as unloved as Elvis probably felt loved.

  ****

  Nikki found the remote control in the folds of her thin hospital blanket and turned on the TV. Connie’s photo flashed on the screen. The text under her picture said her name was “Cathy Vanelli.” She turned up the volume.

  “Ten-year-old son, Tony Jr., the offspring of east coast lawyer Tony Vanelli, murdered while visiting his dying mother in Seattle last summer.” Oh, God! “Lawyer to the crime lord Cassius Zetti, Anthony Vanelli’s death is thought to have been a mob hit. His wife Cathy was taken into seclusion to await her testimony.”

  “Mom, are you okay?” The volume woke Quinn in the chair beside her.

  “I’m remembering something.” Nikki squinted at the TV. She dug deep for recognition of the flashes in her mind. “Connie was a witness at her husband’s murder trial and Pete’s a U.S. Marshal.” The whole story was unfolding in front of her like a book had fallen open to the photo pages. “Pete was protecting Connie. They were waiting for the trial to begin. She had to testify.” Nikki glanced at the TV news which had moved on to another story.

  The guard knocked on the door and peeked in. It was Dwayne. “Quinn, there’s something out here you’ll want to see.”

  Quinn regarded her mother with concern. “I’ll be right back.”

  Memories flooded back to Nikki, faster than she could process. She and Connie were friends on the sailboat. But she and Pete were more than that. Secrets had been shared. She’d fallen for Pete. He wasn’t married to Connie.

  Quinn burst through the door with Elvis in her arms, and when the little dog saw Nikki, he let out a squeal that made Nikki laugh. “There you are, big guy. Have you been having fun without me?” She expected a visitor to follow Quinn, but the door closed behind her daughter.

  “Mom, I can’t put him on the bed, because he’ll step all over you.”

  “That’s fine, sweetie, just let him lick my face and I’ll scratch behind his ears while you hold him.” Elvis put up more of a fuss than necessary and Nikki laughed. “I missed you, little boy.” She looked at Quinn. “Did the Bayers bring him?”

  “No.” Quinn didn’t meet her mother’s eyes, and when she finally put Elvis on the hospital floor and got him a bowl of water, she still looked guilty. What was going on?

  Once Elvis calmed down, he curled up on the end of Nikki’s bed and fell asleep while Quinn settled in to study in the chair. Nikki tried to remember the time on the sailboat with the Bayers. Elvis had gas from eating stew, and Pete put him outside for an hour. Elvis had run around on a beach somewhere, and she’d fantasized about buying an island and living there with the baby, Elvis, and Pete. Pete’s lips were soft. She felt his hands on her body, his careful caress, and him saying, “Let me know if I should stop.”

  It had been the night before they’d left for Seattle, although neither knew they’d disembark the following day. Connie had gone to bed with Tony. The stars were out in full force, twinkly pinpricks of brilliance through a velvet sky. After looking through the telescope, brushing against one another and smiling into each other’s faces, they’d zipped two sleeping bags together and lay on the outside couch to star watch. Somewhere after finding Cassiopeia, they kissed, first sweetly, then more desperately.

  “Oh, Nikki, this’ll ruin me,” he’d whispered in her ear.

  She hadn’t known what he meant, but answered him by deepening the kiss. Snuggled in the sleeping bags, Pete’s hands wandered under her clothes. They’d laughed about all their clothing. Still, Nikki could feel how ready he was.

  “I want you to make love to me, Pete,” she’d whispered.

  He hesitated.

  “It won’t hurt the baby and you know it.”

  “Are you sure?” He kissed her long and deep, searching for something. Permission maybe, but not from her. From himself.

  “I’m sure.” The thought sent shivers through her body and had her almost climaxing before anything had happened.

  She kissed that gorgeous mouth she’d been staring at all day. When he moved on top and slipped carefully into her wetness, he’d asked if that felt all right.

  “Hmmm, better than all right.” She couldn’t help emitting a little sigh of pleasure. He’d fit inside her like it was planned, like puzzle pieces sliding perfectly together. His hard body on her, his smell, everything about being with Pete was like all her dreams merging. Going deeper with each thrust, their arousal escalated until holding back was impossible. The explosion was like shattering into thousands of glass shards, and the ecstasy took her somewhere she’d never been. Higher.

  Pete smothered his face in her hair and pumped, grinding deeper and deeper until one final thrust and he shuddered against her. Nikki squeezed herself tighter. His racing heart beat against her breast, and she hugged him like she’d never let him go. They lay still, settling back to normalcy. Nikki wondered if anything would ever be normal for her after this.

  “I love you, Nicole Anne,” Pete said.

  Having heard those words many times with Burn, Nikki kissed him and let him believe he meant it.

  After he softened and pulled out, they snuggled in each other’s warmth. Making love with Pete had been wildly exciting and brilliantly sweet at the same time.

  “You are so…so…�
� He tenderly stroked her thigh.

  “Sexy?”

  “That too, but you are so soft, that it makes you even more sexy than you look, if that’s even possible.” Pete kissed her shoulder. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Nikki.”

  She wanted to cry, for many reasons. “I love that you called me Nikki, and not Goldy.”

  As first time lovers, they drifted in and out of sleep and each other, until the sky lightened. Then for propriety’s sake, Nikki suggested they move to their own beds.

  Pete chuckled in her shoulder. “Good idea. Let’s just go off to bed, where we sleep inches from each other.”

  “Oh, you’ve noticed, have you?” She kissed the scar on his chin. They dressed and gathered up the rumpled sleeping bags to sneak into their respective beds quietly. “Goodnight, Pete,” Nikki whispered.

  “Goodnight, Nikki.” He reached across the three foot expanse. She extended her hand, and was surprised when a Yoruba protection necklace passed between them.

  ****

  The house was on five fenced acres, overlooking Lake Washington. Thanks to trees on three sides, the privacy factor was off the charts. It had more square feet than Nikki needed, but, because of its expansive yard, view of the lake, and floor plan, she would overlook the extra bedrooms and bathrooms. At least the baby’s room would be next to her own, and Quinn could have her choice of rooms.

  She sent Quinn and Merilee to look at the house, and three hours later they returned with a glowing report.

  “It is exactly your style, Mom,” Quinn had said.

  Merilee was strangely quiet.

  “What is it, Mer?” Nikki couldn’t read her expression. Her assistant was often given to bursts of moodiness.

  “I have a headache. It’s a wonderful house.” She turned and went back to her work at the makeshift desk she’d set up in the room’s corner. Nikki knew that Merilee was still angry about being left in L.A. when she hid at the lake. Her assistant had all but begged to come with her but Nikki never even considered the intrusion. For one thing, Merilee was a bit of a stickler for details. Rules were to be followed. She was not someone you’d call good company. These were qualities that made her a great assistant but not a wonderful companion. “I sat around for months worrying about you!” she’d complained when they’d spoken of her being ignored.

  “I’m sorry, Mer. Really, I am.” Nikki was now over-compensating by letting Merilee take over most aspects of her life.

  Thing was, she’d only signed on at the beginning of the last tour when Goldy’s long-time assistant had to give up showbiz for family life, but Merilee quickly proved herself indispensable. When Goldy announced her retirement, a position was secured for Merilee with the Foundation. She’d do a fine job of keeping everyone in line over there.

  “Mom. You should make an offer. It’s a perfect house for parties.” Quinn’s eyes twinkled.

  “I don’t see myself throwing any parties for awhile, unless it’s a baby birthday party or you’re having friends over.” What she could imagine was pacing the nursery floor with a teething baby, changing diapers in every room in the house, and watching her son toddle from chair to chair in the sunken family room.

  “Let’s offer $25,000 more than they’re asking and see if they can move out this week, Merilee.” She had a thought. “Quinn, what about doing the nursery in a boating theme?” Her time on the sailboat with Pete continued to creep into her mind.

  “Good idea, Mom.”

  Unless she hadn’t recalled something important, Nikki’s sailboat memories were happy ones. She and Pete had become so much more than friends. Now that she realized the intensity of their relationship, she missed him. She’d gotten very used to having Pete close, teasing her, being the man in her life. Where the hell was he? Being heartsick over his absence was useless. She had to accept that he hadn’t come to visit or called, and there was probably a reason. He was long gone. Probably in Mexico by now, like he said.

  The offer on the new house was accepted and papers were signed, making Nikki the new owner of property on Lake Washington. Immediate occupancy was granted, and Merilee sent decorators over, as per Nikki’s instructions. Knowing that a home waited only ten miles away did more for her state of mind than anything else had recently. Except Pete.

  A few days later, Nikki and Merilee were talking about Burn’s participation in the new school that the Goldy Foundation had built when Merilee’s office phone rang. It was Gateman with his report. Nikki motioned for Merilee to put him on speaker.

  “Nothing new?” Merilee asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s good, right?” Nikki called across the room.

  “Yes, sometimes things just fizzle out when the celebrity is out of the spotlight. Sometimes not. It’s still an active case.”

  “Don’t worry, Ted,” Nikki said. “I’m satisfied if we never hear from him again.” Truthfully, never knowing Shakespeare’s identity would leave her feeling anxious, like wearing an unzipped coat in a snowstorm.

  Merilee nodded at her boss and folded her arms across her chest. “Time to move on. Soon you’ll be out of here and back in hiding.”

  Nikki didn’t want to think of her new house as a hiding place. She hoped to call it a home.

  The door opened, and Dr. Vogan entered with a chart in his hands.

  “Gotta go, Ted. My surgeon just arrived, and I think he’s going to tell me I’m ready to leave this party.” According to the morning nurses, her level of boredom was a very good sign that she was on the road to recovery.

  “If everything looks good tomorrow, I see no reason why you can’t go home.” Dr. Vogan wrote on Nikki’s chart then looked up and smiled at her. “If you promise to stay away from excitement.”

  When the doctor left, Nikki nodded at Merilee “Did you hear that? Will the house be ready?”

  Merilee nodded without looking up. “I’ll make sure it is.”

  It would be wonderful to leave the hospital. Nikki was hungry, her appetite returning with the good news. “Can someone go get me Thai food, Mer? I’d like green curry chicken with rice.”

  “I’ll send one of the bodyguards.” Merilee said.

  “Has anyone named Pete called for me?” Nikki tried to sound casual but his name caught in her throat. She held her breath, waiting for a different answer from yesterday.

  “No.” Merilee sounded a bit on edge and Nikki didn’t blame her. Orchestrating the purchase of the house as well as everything else from a hospital room wasn’t easy. Earlier she’d seen Merilee in a heated discussion with Dwayne Capleoni. When she’d asked, Merilee had simply said that he took too many breaks. “He’s not a good team player.” She’d sounded so stressed and Nikki made a note to not add anything more to Merilee’s plate.

  The door opened and Elvis burst through the room, trailing a leash behind him. “Is that my little boy?” Nikki was excited to see him run in, hear his toenails tapping across the floor. Quinn followed with an armful of textbooks.

  “I didn’t expect you tonight.” Merilee looked annoyed at the sight of Quinn.

  “You all know how much I love this place.” Quinn’s cheeks were still rosy from the cold November night. “Besides, I can study just as well here as at my apartment.” She set four large text books on the chair and took off her rain coat.

  Merilee crossed the room and approached the bed. “Actually, I have a secret.” She looked at the door to make sure it was shut tight. “We’re going to leave tonight.” She gazed at Nikki, wide-eyed, her grin spreading across her face.

  “Tonight?” Nikki was impressed with her assistant’s sense of adventure. “But the doctor…?

  “He actually gave permission this afternoon. He was playing along with my surprise.” Merilee looked more than pleased with herself. “After visiting hours, the shifts change and the hospital gets quiet. It’ll be better to do it then, fewer people and no press.” Merilee had thought this out.

  Quinn grinned from the chair. “I’m in!”
>
  “Sorry, Quinn. The fewer people, the better.” Merilee looked at her sternly.

  “You can wait for me at the house,” Nikki said. She wouldn’t overrule Merilee. Being still on pain meds, Nikki couldn’t be trusted to make important decisions. Besides, Merilee looked like defiance would not be tolerated tonight.

  Chapter 25

  Pete paced the floor in agitated strides. Shouldn’t he have heard from Quinn by now?

  Maybe the problem was that she still blamed him after he’d let her mother get shot outside the courthouse. Did she even know that he didn’t find out for almost ten minutes? That’s why he hadn’t rushed to her side. He wanted to tell Nikki that his absence had nothing to do with his duty to the Justice Department. He’d have put her safety first if he’d known she was going to be shot. No question. And if that made him a lousy marshal, then so be it.

  He positioned himself in a waiting room chair to stare at the doors that led to Nikki’s VIP suite.

  Earlier, the guards had been annoyed to see his face again. “Scram,” one of them said. That guard was off duty now and the other one had been replaced by someone who did not look like he could muscle anyone out the door. He resembled a retirement village gigolo—gold chains, skinny, and over-cologned.

  With only that one weak guard on duty, Pete speculated that he could make a wild run to Nikki’s room. But Dwayne Capleoni was at Nikki’s door, and he might not be so lucky in taking down the big guy a second time. Dwayne would see him coming from a long way off and would be ready with his supposed black belt moves.

  The clock said eleven o’clock. The hospital was quiet. At this hour there was no one but him in the waiting room. Should he spend the night staring at the doors to Nikki’s private suite?