Strictly Business

by Lisa Eugene

  “My promotion—.”

  “Fuck your promotion!” Wade exploded.

  Nina felt her cheeks heat with rage. She wished she weren’t lying naked in his bed at that moment. It only added to her disadvantage when confronting this six-four giant. Pockets of memories of her ex flashed before her, making her flame lividly. She struggled to blink back tears.

  “Just because you screwed me doesn’t mean you get to tell me what to do!”

  He looked like he was about the throttle her. He raked long fingers through his hair and swore vividly. Calming, he said, “I—I care about you. I’m only concerned for your safety.”

  “As am I, but I can’t hide out in your apartment forever. Besides, I wasn’t attacked at the hospital. There’re always people around. I work in the emergency room with about fifty other staff members.”

  “Yeah, and one or God knows how many of them are criminals!”

  “Wade, I have a commitment which I take very seriously.”

  She watched emotions flicker across his face. “What about your head? You’re hurt. Can’t you take a sick day or something?”

  Nina held his blue gaze unwaveringly. She saw how little he understood her, saw how little he comprehended what medicine meant to her. He could care less about her dreams and goals, and it pained her deeply. If she stumbled now when her dreams were so close to being realized, she could lose everything.

  She was already taking a huge chance by aiding Wade, but in that she had to follow her conscience. Her career was all she had. Who knew what would happen when this case was all over. Her usefulness to him would cease. She had to be prepared to move on with her life and career.

  She understood the potential physical danger, but she would literally be surrounded by people all night long. She had already allowed fear to displace her from her apartment. She wouldn’t allow it to staunch her passion. She was about to tell Wade this when his cell phone chirped noisily.

  “Damn, I have to go,” he said, reading Andrew’s number on the display. He ignored the call and fastened his attention on the cause of his anger and frustration. He gentled his voice and entreated, “Nina, promise me you won’t go anywhere until I get back. Promise me you’ll call in sick. Just this one night, then we’ll figure something out.”

  Nina knew he took her silence as acquiescence. She was weary of arguing. She allowed her lips to tilt into a resigned smile, but inside her gut roiled with ire and disappointment. He gave her impassive lips a quick kiss and was gone before a single tear breached her affected composure.

  Wade almost mowed down the gentleman in front of him who’d hailed the cab. With a stilted apology he slipped into the back seat of the idling vehicle and slammed the door. He fired off his destination in clipped tones and to the cabby’s chagrin dictated the route in which to get there.

  Wade sat back and willed himself to take a calming breath. His heart banged nosily against his ribs and his palms were moist with fear. The information he’d received tonight was enough to make his blood run cold. Apparently the State Insurance Board had already suspected the insurance company of fraud and misconduct. It had launched its own investigation months ago. He’d spent the better part of his meeting comparing notes and cross referencing data with one of their agents.

  During the meeting he had received an urgent call from Ben’s doctor informing him that Ben was now conscious and insisting on speaking to him. Wade had immediately raced to St. Vincent’s hospital, relieved that his friend had recovered. His joy had been short lived when he’d heard what his friend had to say. He’d expected to be gone for just an hour or so, but the unexpected events had detained him well into the night.

  He hit the redial button on his cell phone again; he dialed his home number, desperately wishing for Nina to answer and assure him she was safe. He’d had no luck reaching her on her cell phone. He knew in his gut where she was, but somehow clung to a slither of hope that she’d listened to him earlier, that she’d considered what he’d said and trusted him just a little. When his home machine answered again he hung up and called the concierges at his apartment building.

  Michael confirmed his worst nightmare. Nina had been seen leaving the building dressed in scrubs, apparently headed to work. Wade cursed so violently that the cab driver startled and hit the brakes. Muttering an apology, he bellowed a new destination.

  He felt the cab slow when they encountered a knot of congestion. Stretching his neck through the window, he saw bright orange cones indicating road work ahead. Another oath escaped as his frustration and helplessness mounted. Unbidden thoughts of Aunt Bev streamed through his mind, his pain and anguish as fresh as it was when he’d stood helplessly by and watched her slip away.

  This resurgence of emotion was a jolt of realization for him. All these years he’d directed rage and hatred at his old family physician. Those consuming emotions had been fueled by guilt and anger at himself. Guilt and anger because he’d done nothing to help his aunt. Like her, he’d trusted their long time doctor. He had to forgive himself. Nina helped him to see that not every doctor was made from the same mold, and he wasn’t powerless. He’d do whatever was necessary to save Nina. He couldn’t lose her. He had to figure out some way of reaching her. He had to think of some way to get her out of WMH before it was too late.

  Nina draped her stethoscope around her neck and sighed. She and Dr. Tanno hadn’t stopped running from the moment they’d assumed duty. There’d been a four car pile-up about a mile away and all the injured had been brought to WMH’s ER. Tending the patients had given her little time to stop and think, or for that matter, respond to the darkly accusing eyes of her best friend. Sally had been trying to get her alone all night.

  She’d apparently stopped by Nina’s apartment that morning, and was shocked to hear from Mrs. Witkin that Nina hadn’t been seen in more than a week, and that she’d been the victim of a break-in. Of course, Mrs. Witkin couldn’t omit the details about the gorgeous blue-eyed man who’d been seen numerous times in her company.

  She had no idea what she’d say to Sally. She groaned inwardly when she saw her friend plotting a determined course straight for her. Sally stopped in front of her. Her nurse’s whites were almost glowing beneath the harsh lights. Her face, which was usually quick to smile, now frowned deeply with worry.

  “We need to talk. I know you’re still seeing that jerk,” Sally accused flatly.

  Nina blew out a breath and motioned her to a nearby alcove.

  “Sally, there’s a lot you don’t know…”

  “Apparently,” she scoffed loudly, then lowered her voice to a beseeching whisper when an attendant strolled by. “Nina, why are you still hanging around with that creep? He’s done nothing but made you miserable! What sort of business does he have you wrapped up in? Didn’t his investigator get shot? What happened at your apartment?”

  Nina couldn’t get a word pass the rapid fire of questions her friend shot at her. She stammered and ran her palms over her tired eyes, inadvertently pushing back the hair she’d worn down. Sally gasp suddenly, pointing to the bruise on her temple. Nina witnessed a look of horror contorted her friends face.

  “Oh my God. Nina, did he do this to you?”

  “No!” Nina protested. “Sally, no. Wade would never. I—I ah, fell down.”

  Even as she said the words they sounded lame to her. She watched Sally shake her head in angry disbelief. Her brown eyes narrowed suspiciously, casting off waves of contempt.

  “We need a serious sit-down, girl! This man’s got you wrapped around his little finger like a—”

  Nina never managed to refute Sally’s vehement accusations. She heard her friend murmur angrily and turned her head to follow her piercing gaze. Maria Deluse was standing not ten feet away from them, impatiently tapping her Jimmy Choos. Nina swallowed her shock, genuinely perplexed by the unexpected appearance.

  “What the fu—?” Sally exclaimed, balling up her fists.

  Nina halted Sally with a quick tug on he
r arm when she stepped around to confront the other woman. Marie’s face was exquisitely decorated, her expression almost bored as she studied her nails then pointedly glared at Nina.

  “Sally, stop. I can handle this,” Nina assured, trying to discourage her friend’s aggressive posturing.

  Confusion and anger warred within Nina. She didn’t know why Marie would suddenly show up at her job, but she intuitively knew it had to do with Wade. Ignoring her friend fuming behind her, she approached Marie.

  “Can I help you?” she asked tentatively.

  Marie regarded her as though she was examining a bug on her designer shoes. At length she said, “Wade sent me.”

  “What?” Nina’s eyebrows rose in confusion.

  Marie sighed dramatically and shifted her weight to a lengthy leg. “He needs to speak with you urgently. He wants you to meet him outside.”

  Nina shook her head in an attempt to clear it and make room to process the information Marie was telling her.

  “If he needed to speak to me so urgently why didn’t he come in?”

  Marie’s eyes met hers. Her focus was steady and penetrating. “For obvious reasons.”

  Marie’s last words hovered between them like a nebulous cloud. Nina searched her face, trying to decipher if the reasons she alluded to were simultaneously understood. Nina gazed doubtfully.

  “Listen, I have better things to do than spend time in an emergency room. I live close by and Wade called me. He asked if I could come by and get you. Apparently he’s been trying to reach you. He wants you to meet him out back. There’s something urgent he needs to speak to you about.”

  She suddenly remembered that Wade had had a meeting with his partners to discuss his case. What could he have found out that would require such urgency? Considering the threat that had occurred on her life, and how concerned he’d been before he’d left for the meeting, she was sure the matter was crucial. It made sense that he didn’t want to raise suspicion by coming into the ER. What vexed her beyond words was the fact that he’d sent his lover to fetch her. Again, a painful reminder that he was a free agent.

  She turned to see Sally still standing behind her. Her arms were folded across her chest and her nostrils flared ominously. Nina walked back to her.

  “I need to run a quick errand. It shouldn’t take long.”

  “Isn’t that the woman Wade’s sleeping with? The talk show host, Marie Deluse?”

  “Wade sent her to deliver a message.” Nina pointedly ignored Sally’s question. When her friend showed no sign of relenting, Nina sighed and said, “Listen, I promise I’ll explain everything at the end of our shift. We’ll go out for breakfast, and I swear to you I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

  Her promise seemed to appease Sally to some degree. With a final threatening glance in Marie’s direction, she allowed Nina to shoo her away. Nina scanned the ER for Dr. Tanno, and finding him hunched over several charts, approached him. She explained that she needed to run a quick errand and asked her friend if he could cover her patients for a short while. The chaos that had started their shift had been somewhat contained. There were only a few stragglers from McFadden’s in the triage area.

  Dr. Tanno’s white brows drew together as he pondered the unorthodox request. Nina cringed, hoping he didn’t think she was shirking her responsibilities. He looked beyond her shoulders to Marie Deluse shuffling impatiently.

  “Is everything ok?” he asked, concern creasing his forehead.

  Nina managed a convincing smile. “Yeah, I just need to talk to a friend for a minute.”

  Dr. Tanno returned her smile, then waved her away with a quick flick of his wrist. “Don’t worry about it. Take your time. Besides, I have Dr. Charles and a few others here to help if I’m in need.”

  Her gaze flitted to Dr. Charles’ figure lounging in the nurse’s station. He was talking to Sally. She swallowed nervously. He’d avoided her every since she’d refused his request for a date. She would occasionally catch his eyes boring into her when he thought she wasn’t looking. The act always caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She’d attributed her disquiet to the fact that she was suspicious of everything of late. She blanched when she saw Dr. Reynolds approach Dr. Charles and usurp his attention from Sally. The two doctors stepped away to confer quietly, and Nina couldn’t help but wonder about the subject of their conversation. She mentally stored the observation and turned her thoughts to Wade.

  Nina followed Marie’s impatient form out of the emergency room. Marie made no attempt to be amicable or the least bit civil. She walked a few paces ahead of Nina, exaggerating the fluid sway of her hips and keeping her straight nose pointed forward. She only stopped when Nina questioned why they weren’t headed for the main exit. Instead they were making their way through a section of the building that she wasn’t familiar with.

  “You want the whole hospital to know that you are colluding with Wade Connolly?”

  Nina could plainly hear the ‘duh’ at the end of that question, but the animosity radiating from the other woman was causing her steps to slow suspiciously. “He doesn’t want anyone here to see you two together. We’re going out the back,” Marie elaborated.

  Nina fumed inwardly. She was going to kill Wade for subjecting her to this offensive woman. They walked a few more minutes then turned another corner and were heading through a narrow corridor when her senses started to crackle in alarm. The series of florescent lights above and the hollow clicking of their shoes against the shiny linoleum were making her acutely aware of the fact that she hadn’t seen another soul since they left the ER. Apprehension caused a sudden pounding in her bosom and she stopped abruptly, causing Marie to whirl around in contempt.

  “What’s going on, Marie?”

  “We’re almost there.”

  “Wade isn’t meeting me outside is he?” Nina asked with a confidence she didn’t feel.

  Marie looked like she was about to refute the claim, instead her red lips spread into a hostile grin. Nina instinctively took a step back, her mind chaotic with grim possibilities.

  Marie mirrored her steps, her fists planted at her hips.

  “Where’s the film, bitch?”

  Nina gasped. Her mind readily recalling the last time she’d heard that question. Her only thought was to flee. Marie lunged for her, but she skillfully skirted the clawing red nails. Anger and fear caused adrenaline to pump through her veins. With a strength born of survival instinct, she curled up a fist and connected it with Marie’s jaw, sending her skating flat unto her butt in awkward shock.

  Nina didn’t wait to see the other woman struggle to her feet. She whirled and started running back the way she’d come. She was so focused on her escape that she didn’t see the tall figure step out to occlude her path. It was only when a large arm circled her chest and pinned her tight against him that she realized what was happening. The nauseating stench of cigarette smoke and rancid onions caused a fresh bolt of panic racing along her spine. She knew that smell, she’d felt sick with terror the last time it’d cloaked her.

  She struggled wildly against the iron embrace. She felt the imprint of a gun digging into her abdomen, and with a determined twist of her body raised a knee and smashed it into her attacker’s groin. She felt the air leave his lungs as he doubled over, allowing her enough slack to break free. She flung off her clogs, and her legs churned down the empty hall.

  The rushing in her head was loud and insistent. The air filtering through her lungs was dry as she labored to catch a breath and gather her bearings enough to figure out a direction. The sound of approaching footsteps spurred her feet into motion again, causing her to race through a dimly lit hallway. She saw a figure ahead, and like a beacon she ran towards him with relief, grateful to see the familiar face. She slowed, arms outstretched, rivulets of sweat running into her eyes.

  “Oh my God, there’s…there’s a man, and Marie, he has a gun…he’s chasing me. We need to get out of here.” Nina panted hastily, swingin
g her head behind her, trying to see into the corridor she’d just bolted through.

  Eagerly she pulled on the sleeve of the lab coat, trying to propel the figure along with her. She was afraid she’d endanger them both.

  It was the utter stillness of his body that alerted her that something was wrong. Nina’s hand dropped from his sleeve and tears were already brimming on her lids when she looked into Dr. Tanno’s familiar visage. As she continued to stare in disbelief, she didn’t recognize the harsh contours of the face or the deadly eyes that had always regarded her with kindness and affection.

  “Where’re the films, Nina?”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Wade tossed the cabby a bill and ran through the large double doors of the emergency room. He skidded to a halt and took a moment to scan the enormous room, hoping to find Nina attending a patient somewhere. There were nurses and orderlies scurrying about, but the large room was eerily quiet. Only the hum of a monitor occasionally challenged the silence. He spotted a nurse standing in the hall and immediately recognized her from the pictures he’d seen in Nina’s apartment. With a deep breath of relief he strode over to her, trying to pluck her name from his memory.

  “Sally, right?”

  “Yeah.” The nurse turned at the sound of her name. Her face initially registered surprise, but then her eyes sharpened into points of unambiguous contempt.

  He deflected the acrimony and pressed on; his primary concern was finding Nina. Since he’d walked in to the ER his radar had been screaming in alarm, and the fear that gripped him seemed to tighten its strangling hold.

  “I need to find Nina…Dr. Henley. Do you know where she is?”

  The brown eyes narrowed at him angrily and Sally hissed, “Haven’t you done enough?”

  He was again taken aback, but hadn’t the time or inclination for a lengthy discussion. He needed answers and he needed them now. “Look, Sally, I need to see Nina right now! It’s important.”

  “I’m not telling you a damn thing. You’ve already caused her enough pain. Leave her alone.”