“Don’t. We’re human and we have to recharge or we’ll fall apart. I didn’t answer your text right away because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go. My mother’s friend, Michael, wanted Alexia and me to go eat with him and my mom Saturday morning.” He gave a brief smile. “I think he’s trying to get to know us a little better. Anyway, they’ve decided to do dinner instead. So, all that to say, yeah, a couple of hours on the water sounds great. We’ve been going nonstop on this case. Some downtime is needed or we’re going to crash and burn.”
Relieved he hadn’t just been ignoring her invitation, she felt silly for even thinking he had. But she really wanted him to go with her. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted.
But was it because he made her feel safe—or because she really wanted to be with him? “How is Stephanie doing?”
His jaw tightened. “She’s still hanging in there. Michelle keeps asking about her, of course, but the docs said she shouldn’t see her yet.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Me too.” He took a deep breath. “So, early?”
“Early’s fine.”
“I’ll be at your house around 8:00?”
“Perfect.”
In the prison parking lot, he pulled up behind her rental, and she got out of the car. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime.”
As she reached for her car door, Dominic called out, “Serena.”
She turned to see his window rolling down as he leaned across the seat toward her. “You hungry?”
She lifted a brow. “Always, why?”
“Would you want to go to that little café around the corner from my office and grab a bite to eat?”
Her stomach flipped. “Sure.” Spend more time with Dominic or go home to Yoda and Chewie? A no-brainer. “I’ll follow you over there.”
“Parking’s probably tight right now and we go right by the hospital. How about you leave your car there and I’ll drive us over?”
A relieved smile spread across his face. Had he thought she’d turn him down? Did she look stupid?
Serena climbed back in the passenger side and shut the door. She smirked at herself, thinking how much her feelings for him had changed since childhood. She’d gone from schoolgirl crush straight into an adult longing to get to know the man better.
As Dominic pulled out onto the street, she glanced in the side mirror, wondering if someone else was following them. Seeing no one there, she still couldn’t help the shiver that danced across her skin or the feeling that this string of dead girls was just getting started.
21
THURSDAY, 7:17 P.M.
Dominic held the door open for her and she stepped into the refreshing cool of the interior. An assortment of smells assaulted her and she breathed in deeply. Baking bread, parmesan, cinnamon, sizzling steaks. Her stomach rumbled.
“Are you sure you have time to do this?”
“Hey, a man’s gotta eat, right?”
She laughed. “Absolutely. So does a girl. But I know things are crazy with this investigation . . .” She shrugged.
“I asked you, remember? Besides, I wasn’t sure you’d say yes. Now that you have, you can’t back out.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Well, it’s either eat with you or grab something at the drive-thru. I’d rather eat with a beautiful woman.” At her lifted brow, he paused. “Let me clarify that. Not any beautiful woman. Just you.” Serena smothered a grin as he sighed. “I think I’m going to stop talking now. I just keep shoving my foot deeper down my throat.”
Serena let out a genuine laugh. Seeing this side of him was a treat. He always seemed so self-assured, confident, like he had control of the world and everything in it. This not-quite-secure, little-bit-awkward Dominic was intriguing.
And he thought she was beautiful.
That was good to know. She knew that a lot of men liked the way she looked, but the only man’s opinion that mattered right now was Dominic’s.
Some of the day’s weariness slid from her shoulders as Serena slid into a booth. Fifteen minutes later, as she speared a bite of salad, she said, “You think you’ll hear something from Terry soon about Gwendolyn Lindell?”
“I think so. He’s one of the best when it comes to tracking down someone.” He paused a moment, took another bite, then asked, “So, why did you come home?”
His abrupt question made her jerk and he laughed. “Sorry. My mind’s jumping from one topic to the next.”
She gave a low chuckle. “It’s fine.” Then a small sigh escaped her. “I left Spartanburg because . . . it was time.”
“Alexia said she was a little surprised you’d come home because you had some good friends in Spartanburg.”
“I had some very good friends. And I miss them, but . . .” Did she really want to get into it?
“But?”
He wasn’t going to give her a choice but to scrape at the scab that had started to heal over the gaping wound. “I was dating a guy and I knew he was getting ready to ask me to marry him.” Dominic froze and Serena saw wariness enter his eyes. “Hey, you asked.”
The wariness receded and he nodded. “Yeah. I did. Go ahead.”
She shrugged. “He wanted to get married, settle down, have a few kids.”
“And you didn’t?” A frown played around the corners of his lips.
“I did. He just expected me to quit my job.”
“Ah . . .” Realization danced across his face.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “Ah . . .”
“So you broke it off?”
“I had to. I want a family, but I love my job and I’m not ready to quit. Yet.”
“Yet?”
“Maybe one day. For a few years until my children, if I end up having some, are in school. But he didn’t agree to that. He meant quit my job. Period. And I couldn’t see myself doing that.”
His brows drew together at the bridge of his nose. “I can’t see it either. Sorry.”
A slow smile curved her lips. She couldn’t help it. She really liked this man. Flashes of her childhood, the times in his home, turned the smile into a frown. “Tell me about what happened to you after you left home. Alexia thought you hated her.”
Dominic went quiet and Serena wondered if she’d stepped over the line with that question. Then he nodded. “I did hate her for a while. But now I know her actions probably saved my life. There’s no telling where I would have ended up if she hadn’t done what she did.”
“Alexia said you’d forgiven her for calling the cops on you and having you arrested for the drugs, but she hasn’t said a whole lot about your background and how you came to work with the FBI.”
He shook his head as he sipped his tea. “It’s really quite amazing. God gave me another chance. Fortunately, I was smart enough to recognize it before I destroyed it.”
Serena watched him, took in each expression that flitted across his face. She knew he was letting her see a part of him he usually kept closed off. “Dad was there when Marcus responded to Alexia’s call. As you can imagine, Dad showed up and started beating on me. Alexia tried to jump in, but Dad knocked her out cold. Marcus intervened and arrested Dad and me.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Anyway, Marcus made some kind of deal with the judge, got the charges dropped, and took me home to live with him and his wife.” She thought she saw moisture spring to his eyes just before he looked away. Clearing his throat, he said, “They taught me what it means to be a God-fearing man. One with integrity and ethics and compassion for others. Marcus became the dad I always wanted but never had.”
“Why would he do that?” Serena thought about her own father. While he was a good and generous man in a lot of ways, he’d never take a chance on bringing home a juvenile delinquent. If he did and the kid broke the law or caused trouble, it could tarnish the man’s good name.
Dominic wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I asked him after I graduated from the academy.”
“What’d he say?”
“He showed me a picture of a kid who was about fourteen years old. It was their son, Joe, who’d been killed in a car wreck about three years before. Marcus said when he arrested me, he was viciously angry. He saw me, a kid throwing his life away on purpose, whereas his son’s life had been snatched from them. He railed at God about the unfairness of it all. And he said God just told him to help me.”
“So he did.”
“Yeah. So he did.” The last sentence was so soft, she almost didn’t catch it.
“But he had to have seen kids your age doing that almost every day in his line of work. Why would he react that way with you?”
Dominic shook his head. “I have no idea. I think I just happened to be his breaking point, the one he had to make a difference with. So I went to the police academy, but moved on to the FBI. I found out that my background, my years of living on the streets when Dad’s drinking raged out of control, my drug knowledge, all of that made me a really good undercover cop.”
Serena gazed at him, saw the determination in his eyes and the goodness lurking underneath. “I’m glad you’re the one working this case.”
His gaze snagged hers and he offered her a slow smile. “I am too.” Then the smile disappeared. “I’m sorry that it took a serial killer to bring you back into my life.” His hand reached out to grasp her fingers. “But I have to say, I’m glad you’re in it.”
Senses and pulse all aflutter at his words and the look in his eyes, Serena pulled in a steadying breath as she searched for the right response.
Her phone buzzed, causing her mind to blank. His lips pulled up at the corners and he let her hand go. “You need to answer that.”
“Probably.” Still, she didn’t move to do so.
The phone buzzed again.
He smiled wider and the dimple in his right cheek flashed at her. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”
Serena snagged the phone from her pocket. “Hello?” She couldn’t help the small twinge of irritation that made her voice sharper than usual.
“Serena? This is Colton.”
“Colton? What’s up?”
“Just wanted to let you know that the man you shot is waking up. I’m on the way to the hospital now. If he has anything interesting to say, I’ll give you a holler.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Dominic’s eyes rose to meet hers. He’d finished his salad and downed the last of his tea. She hung up and he asked, “What is it?”
“He’s waking up.”
“The guy you shot.”
“Yes.” She rose and placed a twenty on the table. “I could catch a cab.”
“I’ll take you.” Dominic stood with her and added another bill to the table. She was grateful he didn’t try to insist on buying her dinner. This wasn’t a date. Yet.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“I’m sorry to be so much trouble.”
He took her hand. “You’re no trouble, trust me.”
And she did. Trust him.
Without another word, he led her back to his car. She glanced at the clock on her phone.
8:02.
It had been a long day and didn’t look like it was going to end anytime soon.
Wishing she’d snagged a coffee for the drive, she forced her mind to focus on what lay ahead. She was finally going to get to confront the man who’d broken into her home, terrorized her, and ended up on the floor with a bullet in him.
A bullet she’d delivered.
She gulped back her fear and glanced at the man beside her. Thank God that he was with her. She hated to admit it, but he made her feel safe. Safer. And that made her frown. She’d always been very independent, mostly relying on herself—and God—to get her through the tough times.
But this was turning into one of the toughest things she’d ever come up against, and having Dominic in her corner felt good.
Her phone vibrated. She glanced at the caller ID, forced her mind to switch gears, and answered it.
“Camille’s back and said she desperately needed to see you.” Mrs. Lamb, the director of Covenant House, spoke softly, her words causing Serena to bite her lip.
“She was supposed to let me know if she wanted to meet in the park.”
“She said she didn’t want to be out in the open. Afraid of her father. They had another fight.”
“How is she? Appearance-wise?”
“Scared, underweight, fidgety, and looking over her shoulder.”
Serena frowned. “Have you seen her father anywhere on the premises?”
“No. I haven’t noticed him and no one has come asking about her.”
Dominic looked at her and raised his brow, silently asking if everything was all right. She mouthed, “Camille.”
He nodded.
To Mrs. Lamb, Serena said, “All right. Keep an eye out for the man. I’m in a tough spot right now and I don’t think I can get there tonight. Did she say she’ll stay there?”
“Yes, she’s too upset to go home and asked if she could stay tonight. I’ll tell her you’ll talk to her in the morning if you don’t get a chance to call tonight.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Serena ended the call and laid her head back on the headrest, exhaustion nearly overwhelming her. She felt Dominic’s hand on her arm and looked over at him. The concern on his face stirred something deep within her.
“I feel like I’m being pulled in a hundred different directions,” she said.
He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I’m here for you. You don’t have to do this on your own.”
His words wrapped around her and lifted the weight from her chest, replacing it with a warmth that held more than just gratitude. “I know.” She smiled at him, her throat tightening with emotion. “That means . . . a lot.”
At the hospital, Dominic pulled into a spot reserved for the police. Several other cruisers were parked, lights flashing. “I wonder what’s going on?” he asked aloud.
They climbed out and Serena led the way, anxious to see the man and grill him with a few questions.
Like what he was after in her house.
As they rushed toward the door, they were stopped by a uniformed officer. “You can’t come in here right now.”
Dominic flashed his badge. “What’s all the commotion?”
“A missing kid. We’ve got the hospital on lockdown.”
“We need to get up to the fourth floor.”
The officer’s radio crackled. He listened, then said, “Ten-four.” He looked at them. “Found the kid. Go on up.”
As they headed for the elevator, a mental picture of the package Jillian sent shot through her mind and she wondered how her intruder would know about that. “Hey, slow down a bit, will you? I just about ran a little old lady down.”
She turned to see Dominic rushing to keep up with her and slowed. “Sorry, I guess I’m so used to dodging people in this place that I forget others don’t have the art form down.”
He laughed and stepped up beside her. Serena found the elevator and pressed the button.
“I hope he’s able to answer a few questions,” she muttered, and tapped her foot impatiently.
“Did Colton say whether they’d managed to ID him yet?”
“Not yet.”
The elevator doors slid open and Serena waited for the people to unload. A young mother with two toddlers took her time ushering them into the hall. A slim figure in a baseball cap and ripped jeans brushed past her, nearly knocking her off balance.
Serena grumbled under her breath at the rudeness of some people and thought about taking the stairs when the elevator was finally empty. She rushed inside and jammed her finger on the button that would take them to floor number four.
When the doors opened once again, Serena hurried off the elevator to rush to the nurses’ station—and found it empty. “That’s odd.”
Dominic looked around. “The place is deserted.”
Serena rounded the desk and started pulling charts until she found the one she was looking for. “John Doe. Room 423.”
Together, she and Dominic headed down the hall. Heart thumping, she found the room on the opposite side and came to a halt. “I think we found where everyone is.” Nurses and security hovered outside the room. Looking inside, she saw one head she recognized.
“Colton?”
The detective turned, his expression fierce. “He’s dead.”
22
THURSDAY, 8:22 P.M.
All the air left her lungs.
Dominic’s voice rumbled in her left ear. “What?”
She pushed past everyone to stare down at the man with a small hole in his forehead. To match the one that had entered above his left ear. The one that she’d put there defending herself. The one in his forehead said murder.
His empty eyes stared back.
When her gaze landed on the small gift box sitting on his lap, his hands neatly folded around it, she gaped. “Dominic? Do you see this?”
“I see it.” He looked at Colton. “What have you done so far?”
“CSU is on the way.” Colton rubbed his chin and studied Dominic. “Looks like this case and yours are connected in a big way. If you want to take the lead, I’ll step back.”
Dominic nodded. “I would appreciate it.”
Colton planted his hands on his hips, ready to take direction. Serena admired the man who was so confident in himself. He knew how to lead but was willing to follow when the situation called for it.
“All right,” Dominic said, “we need everyone to clear the room.” He looked at the nearest nurse. “Do you mind calling security? I’ll need video from every camera with an angle on this room along with hospital entrances, elevators, and parking lots. I want to know what this guy was driving.”
Serena saw the woman’s hands still held a fine tremor, but she nodded and made her way back to the nurses’ station.
Next Dominic addressed Colton. “Where’s the cop assigned to guard the room?”
“Haven’t seen him. Been too busy to look for him.”
Dominic nodded to another officer. “See if you can track him down.” He then looked at Serena. Shaking his head, he rubbed his chin. “This is going to throw Debbie’s analysis off the chart.”
When a Heart Stops Page 16