“As far as the other patient who was brought in with Agent Howard, I spoke briefly to the other surgeon that attended to him before I came out here to speak to you,” the doctor said. “He’s been touch and go and they are performing surgery on him as we speak. The bullet ripped through his stomach wall and bounced around in there doing some damage before exiting out his back. I’ll have more information for you once the surgery is finished.”
“Thank you, Dr. Montello.” Russ stood as did the doctor. The two men shook hands, Simone got out of her chair and a moment later she and Russ were in a hospital hallway.
“Well, I guess I know where you’re headed,” Russ said to her.
“I just need to see him. I...I need to assure myself that he’s really okay. He almost died protecting me, Russ. He was a real hero out there.”
Russ smiled at her. “He was just doing his job, Simone. Could you please call me when you’re ready to leave the hospital? I want to provide you an armed escort to take you home.”
She looked at him in surprise. “Why? Leo isn’t exactly going to jump off the operating table to come after me.”
“He won’t, but we can’t lose track of the fact that Brad was worried about Rob Garner coming after you,” Russ replied. “What I suggest is we get you home safely and then you stay put for the next several days until the investigation has a little more information for all of us.”
She eyed him soberly. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to leave.” It would be an insult to Brad if after all he’d gone through she didn’t take Russ’s assessment and advice seriously.
He nodded and the two said their goodbyes. She wasn’t sure where he was headed off to, but she was headed straight to Brad’s room.
He was just doing his job. Russ’s words played and replayed in her head as she rode the elevator up to the tenth floor. Of course that was what Brad had been doing. Just because the two of them succumbed to their sexual yearnings didn’t mean he loved her. It was just something that had happened while he was doing his job.
When she reached the doorway of room 1045, she stood in the threshold and her heart constricted tight in her chest. Brad was in the bed, an IV attached to his arm and his face as pale as the pillowcase behind him. The room was in semidarkness and his eyes were closed.
Quietly she made her way to the chair next to his bed and sank down. She just wanted to gaze at him, to memorize his features and keep them forever in her brain...in the very depths of her heart.
As she sat there, all their time together rushed through her brain, from the moment she had first met him to this moment in time.
He was the man of her dreams, the man she wished she could spend the rest of her life with. And it broke her heart because she knew that wasn’t going to happen. Still, it was going to be difficult for any other man to find a place in her heart for a very long time to come.
She must have been exhausted by the day’s events for she fell into a deep sleep in the chair. When she finally awoke, it was to faint morning light spilling through the hospital window.
She looked at Brad and was shocked to discover him gazing at her. “Brad,” she said softly. She got up out of the chair and moved to stand at his bedside.
“Simone,” he replied, his voice sounding slightly hoarse and dry.
There was a cup of water with a straw on a metal table and she picked it up and offered him a drink. He drew on the straw for a moment and then she placed the cup back on the tray.
“When I got to the hospital last night, I regained consciousness long enough to learn what occurred after I passed out. I know now what happened to me and I was told about what you did,” he said.
His brows knit together and he frowned at her. “Dammit, Simone, you could have been killed.” His voice had a ring of anger. “You should have never come out to find me.”
She stared at him in stunned surprise. “If I hadn’t, then you would be dead and Leo wouldn’t be in this hospital under police custody right now. I did what I had to do.” She held his gaze with a touch of anger of her own.
He finally looked away and drew in a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he said and gazed at her once again. “I didn’t mean to jump at you. I’m glad things have turned out the way they have. A full investigation is going on and I need to know you’ll still be safe from Rob Garner.”
“I’m supposed to call Russ when I’m ready to leave here and he’s providing an officer to take me home.”
“Good. I need to know you’re still staying safe until the investigation is over and we know all the pieces. In the meantime, I imagine I’ll be in here for a couple of days and then I’ll be heading back to DC.”
Oh, the words broke her heart even though she had known this was what was going to happen. “Would you stop by my place to tell me goodbye before you leave town?”
“Absolutely, and I’ll make sure Russ keeps you informed about the ongoing investigation.” His voice was completely professional and sounded weary and she knew he’d distanced himself from her.
She forced a smile to her lips. “Thank you, Brad, for everything.”
“No need to thank me. I was just doing my job,” he replied.
Just doing his job. She’d grown to hate those words. At that moment a nurse entered the room. Simone murmured a goodbye and then stepped out. She held it together when she called Russ and then waited for an officer to arrive. She kept her emotions in check as the officer drove her home.
When she finally stepped into her condo and was all alone, she collapsed on her sofa and began to cry. She cried for the wounds Brad had suffered in trying to protect her. Her heart wept with the love she had for him. Her feelings for him had been so unexpected, so achingly real, and now she had no idea where to put those emotions.
Somehow, someway, she had to get over him. But right now with everything, with him so fresh in her mind, she felt like she’d never be able to put her love for him behind her and move on.
Chapter 12
“Hey, man,” Brad greeted Russ as he came into the hospital room. He’d been in the hospital for five long days and he was going stir-crazy. He’d been spending most of his time sleeping. The antibiotics were doing their job and he’d been weaned off his pain meds.
“How you feeling?” Russ asked as he sank into the chair next to Brad’s hospital bed.
“Physically I’m feeling pretty good. Mentally I’m going nuts. I need to get out of here and get back to work.”
“You need to follow your doctor’s orders and stay put as long as he thinks you need to,” Russ replied. “But the good news is I’ve come with updates from the investigation.”
“Good. Tell me all,” Brad said eagerly. He needed something, anything to think about other than Simone.
“Rob Garner has been arrested,” Russ said.
Brad looked at him in surprise. “For what?”
“He’s being charged with conspiracy to commit murder, aiding and abetting, and a number of other crimes.”
“So he was helping Leo.” Brad raised the head of his bed a couple of inches.
“Leo told us everything. It was Rob, through a cousin of his, who got Leo the motorcycle that he drove to follow you to the cabin. The cousin swears that he had no idea what Rob was up to. Anyway, Leo managed to put a tracker on your car before you left Chicago.”
“Damn, I should have checked for something like that before we headed to the cabin. But it never entered my mind.” Inwardly he cursed himself. It had been his mistake that had brought Leo to them. He was an FBI agent and a nineteen-year-old kid had gotten one over on him.
“According to Leo, Rob was crazed with the need to kill you and Simone,” Russ continued. “So, Leo rode the motorcycle to the woods near the cabin, where he camped out in a tent during the rain and waited for an opportunity to take you both out.”
“What did he hope to gain?” Brad asked.
<
br /> “Rob really believed that if the two of you were killed, then it would complicate things and slow down the case against Jared. It would give them more time to build a defense case.”
Brad shook his head. “I was pretty sure that was the motive, but if we’d both died, that wouldn’t have slowed the case against Jared and Leo at all.”
“All I can tell you is that’s what Leo said Rob believed.”
“I swear, the longer I’m in this business, the crazier I think people are,” Brad replied.
For the next twenty minutes or so, the two men continued to talk about the case. Leo was recovering from his surgery but was still listed on the critical list. Brad hoped the kid lived so he could spend the rest of his life in prison for the four men he’d killed and for almost killing Brad and Simone. Death at this point was far too easy for the psychopath.
“Have you spoken with Simone?” Brad finally asked the question that he’d wanted to ask since the moment Russ had appeared. When Brad hadn’t been sleeping, thoughts of her had consumed him.
“Yeah, I called her to let her know that Rob had been arrested and she was no longer in any danger.”
“I’m sure that made her happy.” Instantly Brad’s mind pulled up a vision of Simone laughing and her beautiful eyes sparkling.
“I don’t know about it making her happy, but I’m sure she was relieved to hear the news,” Russ replied. Russ looked at him for a long moment. “You’re really into her, aren’t you?”
“I’m crazy about her.” Brad’s love for Simone pressed against his chest, momentarily making it difficult for him to draw a breath.
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Russ asked.
Brad released another heavy sigh. “Nothing. I’m going to go back to DC and put this all behind me.”
“She seems pretty crazy about you, too.”
Brad’s heart hurt just a little bit more. “I’ll admit that we got really close in that cabin, but I’m sure now that she’s had a few days to process everything, she’s back to reality. I’m sure she now realizes that any feelings she might have had for me were due to our circumstances and nothing more.”
“Whatever, dude,” Russ replied. “I’ve just never seen the look on your face that I’ve seen when you just speak her name.” He gazed at Brad for another long moment and then stood. “In any case, it’s time for me to get back to work. I’ll stop in tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Russ.” He watched as his colleague and friend left the room.
Brad lowered the head of his bed. He closed his eyes as his thoughts were consumed with Simone. Under different circumstances she would have been the woman he wanted to marry, the woman he’d want to have his children.
He knew she’d make an awesome wife and an incredible mother. She was the woman who would fill all his needs and all his wants and it completely broke his heart that it wasn’t going to happen with her.
Whatever they’d shared in that cabin had been fantasy. Now that she was back in her condo, back with her family and friends, he was sure she’d already moved on from their experience.
He would just have to figure out a way to return to his life and forget about her. But right now that seemed impossible.
It was five days later that he was finally released and Russ picked him up from the hospital to take him to his hotel room.
“We’re done here,” Russ said. “Chicago PD is now in charge of the case and we have airline tickets waiting for us to head back home tomorrow. I have keys to a vehicle you can use today and then tomorrow we have a car picking us up at ten to take us to the airport.”
“Sounds good,” Brad said, but he was already thinking about his promise to tell Simone goodbye before he left.
Once they were back at the hotel, Brad took a long shower and changed into a pair of clean jeans and a green polo shirt. Although he was healing up nicely, he hadn’t quite regained all his energy, but the doctor had assured him he’d return to normal with a little more time.
The one thing he wanted to do right now was head over to Simone’s condo to tell her goodbye. It was going to be one of the most difficult moments in his life, but he needed to get it done. He needed to get it over with as soon as possible.
As he drove, he steeled himself for seeing her again. He tried to shut off all his emotions. He knew it was going to hurt to tell her goodbye. He knew it was going to hurt badly, but it was time for him to move on. His work here in Chicago was done, and that meant it was time for him to move on and prepare for his next case.
He pulled up and parked in front of her condo. He didn’t even know if she was home or not. He hadn’t called beforehand. He got out of his car and drew in several deep breaths and released them slowly.
When he felt centered enough, when he felt strong enough, he walked to her front door and knocked. His heart fluttered as he heard somebody approaching the door from the other side.
Then it opened and she stood before him. In an instant he took in the sight of her. She was clad in jeans and a bright pink T-shirt that emphasized the blue of her eyes. They were eyes that widened at the sight of him.
“Brad,” she said softly, and one of her hands reached up to smooth her hair. “Please...come in.” She opened the door wider to allow him entry.
He stepped inside and instantly her scent surrounded him, that evocative, wonderful scent that would always remind him of her. She gestured him toward the sofa. He sank down on one end and she sat right next to him. “How are you doing?” she asked as her gaze searched his features.
“I’m doing well. I just got out of the hospital a little while ago and I leave to head back to DC tomorrow,” he replied.
“Oh.” She looked surprised. “So soon? What about the case?”
“It’s pretty well wound up with the boys both confessing to the murders. Chicago PD and the prosecutor will take things from here. I hope you and your family have found some closure knowing those two young men will go to prison for a very long time.” He looked at some point just over her head because it was just too painful to gaze directly at her.
“There will never be complete closure. There will always be a hole where my father once was, but I think we’re all coming to a kind of peace now,” she replied.
He finally met her gaze with his. “I’m glad, Simone. That’s all I’ve really wanted for you since the beginning of this case.”
The depth of her blue eyes filled with emotion, although he couldn’t discern exactly what emotion it was. “Brad,” she said softly. “I don’t want you to go, but before you do, I just want you to know that I’m in love with you.”
The unexpected words hung in the air between them. He stared at her in stunned surprise. This was the last thing he’d expected from her. And as much as the words torched through his heart, he didn’t really believe them.
“Simone, we went through a very intense time together. It was a crazy time with some life-and-death situations. It’s only natural that you might think you have some feelings for me because of everything we went through together,” he said. “Once you get some time and distance from everything, you’ll realize you don’t really love me, that what you feel is probably gratitude.”
She frowned at him. “Brad, I know what my feelings are for you. It wasn’t in the life-and-death situations that I fell in love with you. It was in the quiet moments we shared. I fell in love with you when we had our long talks and when we laughed together.” Tears filled her eyes. “Please don’t try to minimize my love for you.”
“Simone,” he replied softly...painfully. “We both have lives to get back to. We’re from totally different worlds. You have your life here and I have mine in DC.” He got up from the sofa. He couldn’t sit next to her another moment. He wanted her so badly, but he didn’t see a life together for them beyond this moment in time. “Simone, I’ve got to go.” He took several steps toward
the front door.
She got up from the sofa and followed him. Before he could open the door, she stopped him by placing her hand on his arm. “Brad, I know you have to go. I know you don’t believe that I love you with all my heart and soul, but could you please kiss me one last time before you leave?”
Her eyes were filled with such yearning it nearly stole his breath away. Even though he knew it was all wrong, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted one last taste of her to take with him.
Before he realized what he was doing, he gathered her into his arms. She leaned into him and raised her face. He took her mouth with his, and with all the love and all the passion that was in his heart, he kissed her.
She opened her mouth to him and he deepened the kiss, swirling his tongue with hers and building a sharp desire inside him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even more intimately close to her.
He wanted to pick her up in his arms and carry her into her bedroom. He wanted to crawl into her bed and make love with her. But someplace in the back of his mind was a voice of reason that told him that would be a huge mistake. It was time to say goodbye for the last time.
He finally pulled away from her and took a step back. A wealth of emotions tightened his chest as he gazed at her. “It’s time for me to say goodbye, Simone. I care about you more than you’ll ever know, but I do think this is gratitude.”
He didn’t wait for her response. If he stayed another minute and looked at her, he would crumble and tell her just how much he loved her, and that would only complicate things for both of them moving forward.
He walked back to his car and got inside. He dropped his head back and closed his eyes. His heart ached like it never had before. No woman had ever gotten so deeply into his heart like Simone had. He couldn’t imagine loving another woman like he loved her.
He finally put the car into gear and drove away. He wondered how long it would take for him to feel whole again. How long would it take for him to forget how much he loved Simone Colton?
Forever, his heart whispered. It would take him forever to get over this heartache.
Colton 911--Guardian in the Storm Page 17