by Kari Lemor
He steadied himself and leveled the weapon at Meg. Chris struggled to his feet crying out, “No.”
Sonny snarled, an evil grin slashing across his features. Chris could do nothing but watch as the man’s finger squeezed the trigger. He lurched in their direction as the door burst open and several agents and local cops rushed in. Dave took one look at Sonny and pumped a bullet into his arm. He dropped the gun and clutched at his wound.
Chris stumbled toward Meg while the Feds and cops relieved Moreno, Barone, and Sonny of their weapons and cuffed them.
He dropped to his knees beside her. The blood still ran from her neck so he reached up grabbing a cloth napkin from the bar then pressed it against her throat. He scooped her into his lap, yelling, “Get an ambulance here, now.”
Philip nodded crouching down next to them. “It just got here. The paramedics are right behind us.”
He looked into Meg’s pain-filled eyes and gave her an uncertain smile. She lifted one hand to touch his shoulder and mumbled weakly. “You’re hurt.”
His left shoulder bled but he didn’t feel the wound or even care. Meg was his primary concern right now. “It’s fine. You’re going to be fine, too.” He had to believe it, couldn’t live without her.
“You came after me,” she whispered, appearing weaker as he held her. “Thank you.”
“Of course I did. It’s my job to rescue you. Can’t have them throw me out of the union again.”
When she didn’t respond to his joke he panicked. Her eyes fluttered and fear swept through him. Where were those damn paramedics? She had to have medical attention, now. He held her closer, his good hand still pressing against her wound. “Stay with me, sweetie. Don’t leave me, okay. You’re going to be fine. Stay here with me. Please.”
His voice cracked a bit with those last words. Her eyes closed and her body sagged against him. No, she couldn’t leave him. He needed her, far more than he’d ever needed anyone. His lungs seized up and he wasn’t sure his heart was pumping anymore. Meg’s slow pulse beat against the hand he held to it. Too weak. He prayed for it to keep going. What would he do if it didn’t? He moved in closer, softly pleading, “Meg, hold on. I can’t lose you.” Emptiness flooded through him as he whispered, “I love you.”
Her body was unresponsive. She hadn’t heard him. Why hadn’t he told her before now? He’d been trying to be so damned professional. Of course he hadn’t even realized the extent of his feelings until he thought he might lose her. Was it too late?
Looking down again, he pressed his lips to her forehead willing her to be okay. Moisture caused his sight to blur and he closed his eyes tight forcing the wetness to recede. Tears? No, he didn’t cry. And he couldn’t now. He had to be strong for Meg. She needed his strength to get through this. What would he do if she didn’t? He couldn’t even fathom the answer to that.
It was only a minute, though it felt like hours, before the paramedics arrived and began to work on Meg. He moved aside only far enough for them to reach her. He insisted he keep his hand on her neck to try and stem the bleeding while they checked her out and started an IV. Once they realized he wouldn’t let them look at his wound until she was okay, they loaded Meg onto a stretcher and allowed him to accompany her in the ambulance.
Keeping up a running dialogue the whole way to the hospital, he willed her to hold on. She was unconscious but he hoped she could feel his presence and his love. The paramedic who rode in the back with them continually asked if he could take a look at the injury on his shoulder but Chris was adamant. He didn’t want to release the pressure on Meg’s wound for even a tiny amount of time. They’d bandaged it yes, but he couldn’t allow her to lose any more blood. It might mean losing her.
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “I’ll get it looked at when we’re at the hospital and she’s being taken care of.” His fierce expression held no room for argument.
He only removed his hand when they entered the Emergency Room and the staff wouldn’t let him go any further. A doctor and several nurses began to work on Meg as they wheeled her away.
Staring at them, nauseous, he kept thinking it might be the last time he saw her. How had he let this happen? She wasn’t supposed to get hurt. Her job was simply getting the information for them and they’d do all the hard stuff. He shouldn’t have let her go to work today but they’d needed to ensure Moreno didn’t change any of his plans. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He took a few steps wanting to follow behind. Would she hold on if he wasn’t there beside her or would she give up? Meg wasn’t one to give up. He had to believe she would continue to fight.
“Hey, man,” Dave said as he and Philip came up behind him in the hallway. “You’ve been trailing blood the whole way here. You’ve got to let someone look at that.”
Chris finally became cognizant of the pain in his shoulder and the fact his arm was almost numb. His gaze turned to his blood-soaked shirt, then the crimson drops that covered the floor where he stood and trailed all the way down the hall to where he’d come in.
“Oh, yeah, okay,” he murmured as the room grew fuzzy. He tried opening his eyes wider but everything started to spin and voices yelled next to him.
“We need a gurney.”
Two sets of arms reached for him but he didn’t have time to say any more before darkness descended.
Chapter 20
Meg finished tying her canvas sneaker and sat back on the hospital bed. She was being released in a few minutes, the vein in her neck having only been nicked. She’d lost a good deal of blood, but they told her it could have been worse if it hadn’t been for Chris keeping pressure on it as long as he did. Some stitches, a unit of blood, a good night’s rest, and she was ready to go. Agent Doolittle was picking her up to bring her to the field office for her statement then she was being whisked away to be babysat until they could get a trial date for Moreno.
Shuddering, she remembered how violent the man had become once he’d realized his precious enterprise was going down. Apparently he’d thrown out dire threats against her, Chris, and anyone else who had been involved in bringing him to justice. She’d have to wait a bit longer to be reunited with her family if she wanted to keep them safe.
Leaving the small bag that one of the female agents had brought her on her bed, she crossed the hallway. Chris was two doors down. Last night she’d tiptoed through the hall a few times to check on him. Nightmares had woken her up twice and she’d had to assure herself he was okay. He had been, although he’d also been asleep. A deep pain medication-induced sleep. When she’d kissed his sweet lips he hadn’t even stirred. His beautiful lips that Moreno had split open with his fist.
Her panic had been intense and real when she’d come to last night and Chris hadn’t been around. She’d begged them to let her see him but he’d still been in surgery.
Dave had stopped by and peeked in from the hallway. “How are you feeling?”
“Where’s Chris?” Her bottom lip had trembled as she got right to the most important point. “He got shot and was bleeding. Is he okay? I need to know that he’s all right.”
Dave had smiled moving next to the bed. “Well, that stubborn bastard wouldn’t let anyone even look at his injury until he knew you were being taken care of. Once that happened he passed out. They took him into surgery to remove the bullet and fix any damage. He’s been in there for a few hours. I’m sure he’ll be out soon. I wanted to check with you. I can’t believe I didn’t know what was going on in the back room. I thought all the action would be at the warehouses. I’m really sorry, honey.”
Meg had reached out her hand taking his. “It’s not your fault. If you had come back there they would have hurt you, too. Probably more so since you’d been working for them for a few years. Moreno was in a rage. Knowing you had betrayed him would have sent him over the edge even faster.”
“Thanks, Katie...” He’d closed his eyes and winced. “I mean Meg. Gonna have to get used to the new name.
Your real name. But now you get to actually use it again, huh? Must feel good.”
“Will I?” she’d asked nervously. “Did they manage to get enough on Moreno to put him away?”
Dave’s smile had been huge. “All of the busts went without a hitch. Plus, he’s going down on two counts of attempted murder for you and Shaunessy. We not only got enough on Moreno, but Barone as well. And a few dozen of his henchmen. The kicker is that several of them are willing to squeal in exchange for a more lenient sentence.”
Relief had run through her so swift and fierce that she’d started to sob. She could put this all behind her and go home.
“Hey, it’s all over now,” he’d assured her as he’d sat on the bed and squeezed her hands. “Well, mostly over. We still need to get through the trial but with the amount of solid evidence we’ve got, it’s a done deal.”
Her mind hadn’t been able to focus on anything further than how Chris was.
Dave had read her mind. “He’s a tough bastard, Shaunessy. Don’t you worry about him. He’s gonna be fine.”
Meg had nodded her appreciation even if she hadn’t fully believed him. Smiling at the man who had been her good friend for almost two years, her heart ached at the thought of not seeing him again.
“What are you going to do now that you won’t be serving drinks anymore?”
Dave had grinned replying, “Well, I’ve got lots of time coming to me so I plan on taking at least a month off and doing some traveling. Once the trial’s over I’m going to take the detective job they offered me for doing this gig. It’ll be sweet compared to working for Moreno.”
“Good for you, Dave. I hope it works out. I’ll miss you though.”
He had chuckled. “I’ll miss you, too, honey. But once you get back in the real world and have internet and a cell phone, we can keep in touch. And if you ever have any problems you call me and you know I’ll be right there to help.”
“Have you seen Tina? Is she okay? Did you let her know about Moreno?”
The gleam in Dave’s eyes had told its own story. “She knows. She’ll be testifying too. Another nail in his coffin. And I’ll be right there beside her until he’s away permanently. I’m gonna help her get resettled in a better career. You need some sleep now. I’ll be around.”
Meg had simply nodded her thanks.
Now, she crept down the hall again and was pleased to see the head of the bed raised and Chris sitting up. He had a breakfast tray in front of him and was attempting to open his milk carton one handed; his left arm strapped tightly to his side.
“You know I can help you open that,” she teased lightly as she walked closer to the bed. “For a price.”
His crooked grin lit up his face and warmth filled her inside. What was she going to do now that they didn’t have to work and live together? How would she get by without his little stolen kisses by the pool and his hands caressing her skin? But would it end here or would he be staying in the safe house with her? Moreno had threatened him too. The thought of more time with Chris brought a smile to her face.
“A price, huh?” he retorted his eyes narrowing and lips pursing. “Not sure I could pay your price. I might have to forgo breakfast today.”
Pushing the tray away as best he could, he reached out for her hand and pulled her to sit next to him. Anxious eyes traveled over her. “How do you feel?”
She indicated her clothes versus his hospital gown and nodded. “Breaking out of here in a few minutes. Agent Doolittle is coming to get me. He said something about a safe house until Moreno’s trial. Are you going there too?”
* * * *
Chris frowned at her wistful tone, wishing he could, knowing he couldn’t. “I’ve got at least another day or two in solitary before they post bail.” He rolled his eyes moving his head back and forth. “Something about surgery and blood loss and rehab for my shoulder.”
Meg nodded, looking almost disappointed. She squeezed his free hand and said, “Thanks for coming in to rescue me yesterday. I wasn’t sure if anyone was listening yet. I don’t even want to think what would have happened if you hadn’t busted in when you did.”
Her voice cracked when she spoke and he lifted his hand to run through her hair and caress the side of her face. “I’m glad you’re all right. Although you never should have been in that situation to begin with. I never should have allowed you to go to work last night.”
She covered his hand with hers and assured him, “We’re both fine, though. Or we will be soon once all these bruises heal. You’ve got a nice shiner going there.”
Chris squinted his eyes and completely closed the one that was discolored. “Yeah, gotta say Moreno has a great right cross. And I’m thinking Sonny must have played soccer at some point if my ribs are any indication.”
“They aren’t broken, are they?”
“Broken, no,” he assured her. “Bruised and sore, yes. Another reason I can’t leave yet. There could be complications or infections that come along later. I’d give anything to get out of here though. I hate being laid up and the food stinks.” He glanced over at his tray.
“I’d offer to cook you something and bring it here but I don’t know what Agent Doolittle has in store for me. He said he didn’t want to take any chances of Moreno somehow getting to me before the trial.”
He grasped her arm firmly but gently. “He’s in prison right now and there’s no way any judge in his right mind will allow him out on bail. That doesn’t mean he still can’t manipulate some of his henchmen from where he is. But the Bureau will make sure to keep you safe until the trial, don’t worry. I’ll be checking that they do.”
“Who’ll be checking that you’re okay?”
“I’m a federal agent; I can take care of myself. But so you don’t worry, I’ll let you know that most likely I’ll be put on desk duty for a while. At least until this shoulder heals and possibly even until after the trial.” He glanced nervously at his shoulder and mumbled, “Not sure which one of those things will happen first.”
“The doctor told me he thought you’d make a full recovery with enough time and rehab,” Meg reassured him.
Maybe he’d use some of that time to check on his army buddies. Jack had gotten himself in a pickle with the mob and needed some help. The Bureau resources could come in handy.
Smiling at Meg, thankful for her presence here, he vaguely recalled her being around last night and feeling horrible that she’d been hurt. He still felt horrible, or maybe guilty would be a better word. Protecting her had been his job and he hadn’t done it well enough. The idea of anything bad happening to her didn’t sit well with him.
It might take months to get a trial date set for something this big and he needed to stay professional in his dealings with her during this time. The fact he’d be back in Baltimore and she’d still be down here in Florida would make it easier to stay away.
Her pretty face was marred by the bruises and bandages, but even those couldn’t hide her loveliness. She was beautiful both inside and out, no matter how much she tried to hide it.
“Make sure you’re a good little girl for the agents who are assigned to watch you,” he teased her and she frowned at him. But her eyes crinkling at the corners told him she was pleased he was joking with her. “I don’t want to hear you’re giving them any trouble, though I’m not sure you know any other way.”
Her eyes lit up even more as she feigned being insulted, “I’m always a good girl. It might have been you that brought out the worst in me. Or maybe it was that you couldn’t handle me.”
She was something. “I don’t think there are too many people who can handle you, sweetie. I might need to give the guys a few tips.”
Her gaze rose to the ceiling in thought. “Make sure they always have a good, hearty meal waiting for me and I won’t have any problems at all. I’m easy to please.”
She had pleased him in the last month. He couldn’t disagree. But he didn’t want her pleasing any
other agents that way. Jealousy reared its ugly head and his jaw clenched. Doolittle took that opportunity to enter the room.
“Shaunessy, good to see you awake. Thought you might sleep away a few days.”
He turned to Meg and asked, “Are you ready to go, Miss O’Hara? I promise we’ll try and keep the time at the office as brief as possible. But we do need an official statement along with any other information you can give us about what happened with Moreno.”
She nodded and turned back to Chris. He grabbed for control but his emotions were too close to the surface. They kept getting stronger and deeper the more he looked at her and he hadn’t been fully in control of them for a while now. Did he truly want to be?
When she leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek, he turned his head at the last second so his lips touched hers. It was brief but powerful. Her eyes lingered on his and her emotions--did they mirror his? Was it what he thought, or wishful thinking on his part? Soon, he would be able to find out and do something about it.
Meg stood up, squeezing his hand one more time. Pushing his tray closer to him, she opened his milk, giving him a saucy grin. “This one’s no charge.” He didn’t say anything to her, not sure what there was to say.
“Don’t let anything happen to her,” Chris instructed as they turned to leave.
Doolittle put a hand on her arm and nodded. “Don’t worry, Shaunessy, I won’t. She’s vital to our case.”
Jealousy tugged at his heart at the simple gesture. He attempted a brave smile as she walked out of the room. Yes, Meg was important to the case, but she was even more important to him.
* * * *
“Christopher,” Ellen Shaunessy called out in surprise from where she stood in the kitchen peeling potatoes. “I didn’t realize you were coming home today.”
“Hi, Mom.”
Her hug sent pain through Chris’s injured shoulder and he tried to hide his wince.