by Desiree Holt
“Family of Justin Kelly?”
Marissa wanted to leap from the chair, but she was frozen in place, trying to decipher the expression on the doctor’s face.
“That’s us,” Avery said, urging Marissa from the chair. “You’re Dr. Thornton?”
The woman nodded, and smiled. “And I have good news for you.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Marissa could barely get the words out.
“Yes, he is.” The doctor heaved a little sigh. “I have to say it was touch and go for a while. The knife hit several blood vessels and nicked a lung and his spleen. We were able to repair the damage, although we had to remove the spleen. He has a long recovery ahead of him, but I expect in the end he’ll do just fine. He’s in excellent condition.”
“But there was so much bleeding,” Marissa told her.
“As I said, it hit a lot of veins. The thrust of the knife must have been particularly savage. But whoever field dressed the wound did a great job. Probably saved his life. We also addressed the wounds on his face.”
“What about his face?” Avery asked. “Any broken bones? And is there a head injury?”
“He won’t be beautiful for a while,” the doctor answered, “but he should heal nicely. We had a team of doctors working on him. His cheekbone was fractured, but fortunately still in place. He also suffered a broken nose and a dislocation of the jaw. Again, we were able to stabilize everything. He was lucky the mandible wasn’t broken, or he’d have his jaw wired for four to six weeks.”
“Yeah.” Avery snorted. “That would have really been a problem with him. No other damage? Not that this wasn’t enough.”
Dr. Thornton shook her head. “While we had him under we did X-rays to make sure there was no skull fracture, no spine or brain damage.”
“And those were all negative?”
“Yes, thankfully. I know this will sound strange, but he was really very lucky. Those were some powerful blows he suffered.”
Every bit of energy drained from Marissa’s body as relief swept over her. If it hadn’t been for Blake’s arm around her, holding her up, she was sure she’d have collapsed.
“When can we see him?” she asked.
Dr. Thornton looked at her watch. “Not for at least an hour. He’ll be in recovery that long. Then he’ll be moved to a room. I understand all the paperwork was taken care of before he got here, so just see the front desk if you want to make any special arrangements for his room.”
“All taken care of,” Avery assured her. “Thank you so much, Doctor.”
Marissa stumbled back to her chair, dropped her head into her hands, and let all the tears she’d been holding back flow unimpeded.
Chapter 16
Marissa was sure the following couple of days were the longest she had ever spent. Avery and Sam, and Avery’s sister, Sheri March, took turns bringing her food and forcing her to eat. At night she slept in the big chair she’d dragged over next to Justin’s bed. She left the hospital only when Avery insisted on driving her back to Arrowhead Bay to shower and change. She fidgeted during the hour-long drive, and after packing a bag with enough things to tide her over for a few days, insisted on being taken right back to the hospital.
Justin woke up only for short periods of time. The nurses, as well as the doctor when she made rounds, assured Marissa he was doing just fine. That they were keeping him sedated until his body began the healing process, and he was getting plenty of nourishment intravenously. She was torn between wanting him to sleep through the worst of it, and needing him to be awake, so she could truly believe the doctor’s prognosis.
Despite the many assurances by the medical staff, Marissa was afraid to leave his side for fear he wouldn’t still be alive when she returned. Except when the nurses were changing his dressing, or bathing him, or checking his medications, she held his hand as if she could infuse him with the strength to recover.
“If you don’t start taking care of yourself,” Avery told her, “we’ll need a hospital bed for you, too.”
“I’m fine,” Marissa insisted.
“Tell me another story.” Avery snorted. “Listen, if you run yourself into the ground, what good will you be to him when he does wake up?”
But she couldn’t make herself leave again, fearful of a change in Justin’s condition while she was gone. The rest of the time she spent in the big chair, which after a while became surprisingly comfortable. And she prayed, more than she ever had in her life.
“I have news,” Avery told her, coming into the room the next morning. “Good news.”
Marissa was just coming out of the bathroom where she’d washed, brushed her teeth, and changed into one of the fresh outfits she’d brought from her house.
“Great. I could certainly use some.”
“I also brought you goodies.”
Marissa had zilch appetite, eating the hospital food only so she wouldn’t get sick. But the coffee from Fresh Roasted and the chocolate chunk muffins from Fresh from the Oven actually made her taste buds wake up. She took a sip from the cup Avery handed her and hummed with pleasure.
“You are a goddess.”
“Sit,” Avery ordered, placing the disposable food carrier on the bedside table. “Eat and drink while I give you all the details.”
Marissa took another sip of the coffee, and a large bite of the muffin, then sat back. “Okay. Let me have it.”
“First, an update on Stefan Maes. Interpol initially had him locked away where he had no contact with anyone. Forget about everything else on their list. They had to settle all the jurisdictional problems before they could do anything else. The woman he had executed was from Belgium and they want their pound of flesh. With the testimony from the guests at Rosewood, they have enough to put him away for two lifetimes.”
“Yeah, right,” Marissa snorted. “He’ll weasel out of that like he has everything else. Even after sweeping his money the CIA didn’t have enough evidence with his personal fingerprints on it to put him away. They had to be satisfied with cutting him off at the knees.”
“Maybe so.” Avery nodded. “However, it seems he’s also wanted on several murder charges in Croatia. People who were terrified to testify before have come forward now that his team is decimated. There was a dustup over who had jurisdiction first, but Croatia isn’t quite as democratic as Belgium. Maes screamed blue murder as he was dragged on to a private plane with officers of the Criminal Police Directorate. The Ravnateljstvo Policije. I doubt if we’ll ever see or hear from him again.”
“Good. He should be torn limb from limb then shot in every piece of his body.”
Avery laughed. “I had no idea you were so bloodthirsty.”
Marissa leaned forward. “Avery, he ordered a woman shot because she was trying to send a message for help. Killed her. Shot others just because he could and because he wanted them to know that he could. I have no doubt that if the Vigilance team hadn’t arrived, after all the money was transferred he’d have killed everyone in that restaurant.”
“Well, good riddance.”
“Amen to that.” Marissa bit off a piece of muffin and chewed thoughtfully. “What about his men?”
“Three dead at Rosewood, shot by my men. The rest also back to Croatia. There seem to be a number of people now in important positions who have grudges against them. And Croatia is one of the last places I’d ever want to be on trial. Finally and forever, Stefan Maes is shut down and done.”
Marissa felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her body.
“That’s the best news I’ve had in forever.”
“I’ll bet it is. What do you think you’ll do now that you have choices?”
Marissa shrugged, chewed on another bite of muffin. That was a good question. She had the opportunity now to live her life without hiding, without disguise or camouflage. She could do whatever she wanted.
Go wherever she wanted.
“What I do not want is do is another job for the CIA. I’m done playing superspy. The price has been too high.”
“You could go back to the world of finance, the environment you were recruited from,” Avery pointed out.
Marissa shook her head. “No, I think I’ve lost my taste for it. In spite of the reasons that brought me here, I really enjoy living in Arrowhead Bay and running the gallery. I’ve gotten such pleasure from discovering new local artists and helping people choose the right art pieces for themselves. And by the way, you can pass the word to Blake Morgan that I’m sorry he and Sam didn’t get to come by the gallery before I had to go into hiding. I’d be happy to meet them there when I can and help them choose some pieces.”
“You know,” Avery said in a slow voice, “you don’t have to leave. You could stay here. Keep the gallery open, even go on being Marissa Hayes, unless you have another life you want to get back to.”
She shrugged. “Not really. There’s nothing anywhere I have the least desire to go back to.”
Both her parents were dead, and any friends she’d had were lost in the void of the last five years. So there really was nothing to go back to. No pieces to pick up. And staying here, in this sleepy Southern town, was so tempting.
“Marissa, you look like you’re trying to solve the problems of the world.” Avery finished her own coffee and tossed the cup in the trash. “You don’t have to decide anything right now, you know.”
“That’s good, because all I can focus on is Justin and wondering how soon they’ll reduce his meds, so he can wake up for more than a few seconds at a time. And that only happens when his dressings are changed, or they need to do something else to him. I have to see his eyes open, hear him speaking to me, before I can draw a full breath.”
“Honey, Dr. Thornton told you more than once they’re keeping him heavily sedated because they had to do so much digging around in his body. On top of that, our bodies are wonderful things. They can shut down rather than deal with pain, until it becomes tolerable. Thornton says he’ll be just fine, and I believe her.”
“I know.” Marissa reached between the rungs of the side rail and took Justin’s hand in her own. “I know he takes chances like that as part of his job, but it’s just so hard seeing him like this day after day. Even the few minutes he’s awake now and then, he barely says more than one or two words.” She held up a hand. “And before you go there, I know he’s dealing with a dislocated jaw. But if he’d just wake up and talk to me…”
“Don’t…talk so loud…and I will.”
Marissa jumped, shocked at the sound of his voice. And she realized she was not just holding on to his hand, he was squeezing hers in response.
“J-Justin?”
“Don’t know…who else would…be in this bed.”
His words were slurred and his voice low, but it was the most wonderful sound she’d heard in what seemed like forever. She rose from her chair and bent over the rail, touching his face with her free hand. She scarcely noticed the tears running down her cheeks.
“It’s about time you woke up,” she told him.
“Hurts.” The word came out in a guttural tone. “Where am I?”
“Memorial Hospital in Sarasota,” Avery told him. She’d come to stand at the other side of the bed. “You gave us all a damn good scare.”
“Sorry…about that.”
Marissa pressed the call button for the nurse. “I need to let them know you’re awake.”
“Okay.”
He squeezed her hand, hard, and she knew it was a reaction to the pain he was feeling.
The nurse hurried in, smiling when she saw his eyes open. “That was some nap you took, Mr. Kelly. Glad you’re awake.”
“Hurts,” He repeated the word.
“And I have just the thing for you. Let me take your vitals and I’ll get it.”
Five minutes later, the pain meds now circulating in his bloodstream, he eased his grip on Marissa’s hand.
“Better.” He let out a slow breath.
“I’m going to set this up for you.” The nurse came back, rolling in a piece of equipment. “You can push the little button when you need something for pain. It’s regulated so you don’t get too much.”
“Thanks.”
“Well.” Avery smiled at him. “As long as we’re sure you’re going to be among the living, I’m going back to the office. We have a number of situations in play. I’ll keep checking on you but you’re in good hands.” She nodded at Marissa.
“Best hands ever,” he agreed, just before he closed his eyes again.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Avery said. “Just keep me in the loop. I’ll stop by whenever I get a chance.”
“Thank you so much for everything.” Marissa hugged her. “Without the Vigilance team I know things would have been a lot worse.”
“I just wish we’d had the information before we sent you off for what we thought was the perfect hideaway.”
Marissa shook her head. “What is it you’re always saying to me? Shit happens?”
“That’s right.”
As soon as Avery left, Marissa sat back down in the chair. But she slid her hand through the side rail again to wrap her fingers around Justin’s hand. She couldn’t take her eyes away from him, watching his breathing ease and some color return to his face.
What would happen next with them? In the midst of death and danger, she’d fallen in love with him. Totally. Completely. She didn’t want to imagine a life without him. Sure, they’d said a lot of things to each other, hovered around the edge of making promises. Enjoyed the most spectacular sex of her life. Had that all just been a product of the situation they were in? She’d heard danger could be great for creating artificial situations that disappeared in the aftermath.
She knew other Vigilance agents had married, despite the uncertainty of the lives they lived. Would Justin, once he recovered, reconsider everything he’d said to her and decide his existence was too chancy to share with someone? She could deal with it, but would he insist on not dragging her into it?
Heaving a sigh, she curled herself into a more comfortable position in the chair. The peak of her anxiety receded. Justin had awakened and fallen back into a more natural sleep. Everything would be all right. She would be here every minute until he was well enough to be on his own. Then, when he was more coherent and on the road to mending, maybe they could have a talk, so she could figure out what to do with her life.
* * * *
“Where is she?” Justin demanded.
He’d called Avery at eight-thirty that morning and barked that Marissa was missing. The afternoon before, while he’d been napping, Marissa had slipped out of the room. No note. No nothing. And she hadn’t been back.
“She’s not missing,” Avery told him. She had run out of the office when Justin threatened to walk out of the hospital and go look for the woman himself.
“Then where the hell is she?” He was almost shouting, or at least as much as his condition allowed.
A nurse came rushing in, her forehead ceased in a frown. “What’s going on in here? Mr. Kelly, please lie down. If you move around too much, you’ll pull your stitches.”
“I don’t care about the goddamn stitches. I have a problem. I have to get out of here.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Avery looked at the nurse, who was adjusting the IV line. “Right?”
“Indeed. Mr. Kelly, you are only six days out of surgery, and some damn complicated surgery it was. You wouldn’t make it as far as the elevator.”
“Watch me.”
He moved as if to push the nurse away and lower the guardrail, but Avery put a hand on his shoulder and shoved him back on the bed.
“If you try one more time to get your ass out of this bed,” she told him, “I will have the nurses
bring in restraints and tie you down. You know I’ll do it.”
“I’m good at that, too,” the nurse added.
“There you go.” Avery looked at Justin. “Will you be good?”
“Will you tell me where Marissa is and why she’s not here?”
She nodded. “If you’ll behave.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled. Swallowing a groan, he lay back against the pillows.
* * * *
When Avery had texted Marissa earlier to ask if she wanted to go home for a bit, rest, change her clothes, and maybe get some real food to eat, she had said yes. The truth was, she had no appetite and she wasn’t sure when she’d be able to sleep again. But she had to get out of the hospital. Justin’s color was better, and it looked like he was on the road to recovery, albeit a long road. And she wanted to sneak out while he was still asleep.
“Rhonda Morganstern packed all of your things herself while Mike’s team and Brian’s guys were cleaning up the mess in the ballroom. Mike brought it back with him when the chopper returned for him and his guys.”
“That was very nice of her. I’ll have to write her a thank you note.” She stared out the car window. “I’m sure they had their hands full taking care of their terrified guests, especially the wounded ones, not to mention the man whose wife was killed.”
“Rhonda is nothing if not efficient. She and Walt both. They got it taken care of.”
“Some of their own people were killed, weren’t they?” She had just remembered the guards.
“Yes.” A look of sadness washed over Avery’s face. “Nice men doing a job in a place that should not have had any threats. Walt and Rhonda are taking care of their families, but that’s small consolation.”
“So much death and pain in a place meant for pleasure.” Marissa felt sick. “Those poor people.”
“Let’s not go overboard,” Avery told her. “Keep in mind the targets of Maes’s visit were involved in his criminal enterprises. They weren’t so squeaky clean, despite the front they put on.”
“I know.” She sighed. “But everyone else was caught up in the terror of the situation for no more reason than they happened to be guests at that particular time.”