“Please don’t shake the bed. My arm is killing me.”
Logan’s phone rang. He got up off the bed to answer it.
“So…now what, brother?” Mitch asked.
“Now I have to find Dani and ask her to forgive me.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Logan hung up. His face had lost a bit of color.
Gage’s stomach knotted. “What is it?”
“That was Lau. They were looking for Janet. They found her in a car in front of our hotel under a pile of scaffolding and concrete. She’s dead.”
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Gage demanded.
“Yes. She was after Dani. She tried to mow her down. She wanted to do a hit and run but she hit the construction site and brought it down on top of her. Hotel security video caught the whole thing. Lau said Janet aimed right at Dani and hit the gas.”
“Dani?” Gage could barely get the word out. Icy fingers gripped his heart.
Logan shook his head. “She’s gone. Disappeared. Cops are still looking for her.”
Chapter Forty
Dani squeezed Carly’s hand. She’d arrived a few hours ago, but the little girl hadn’t woken up yet. She looked so small under the hospital blankets with all the big machines hooked up to her. She’d lost weight since Dani had seen her last. Dani willed her to open her beautiful blue eyes one last time.
“She knows you’re here,” Carol said.
“What?” Dani turned to the nurse.
“Carly knows you’re here. She hasn’t rested this peacefully before.”
Dani just nodded. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t try to hide them or stop them. They were going to be the first of many. This little girl was the only family Dani ever really had. She thought momentarily of Gage, but shook her head. That was done. She knew the score. People like her were meant to be alone. Except for Carly. Carly had kept her going. Kept her sane when even her computer hacking hadn’t. This little girl was her world, and she was losing her.
She sobbed.
Carly’s eyelashes fluttered. Once. Twice. They stayed open the third time. Dani got up off the chair she’d been sitting on beside Carly’s bed and leaned over the little girl.
A smile lit Carly’s face. “I knew you’d come before I had to go.” Her words were soft, and Dani had a hard time hearing them. She moved closer.
“I wouldn’t miss seeing you, Squiggles. How’s it going? The nurses tell me you’re being a pain in the butt again. Something about too much chocolate.”
“There can never be too much chocolate.” Her lips barely moved with the words.
“Agreed,” Dani said, and she wiped her face on the sleeve of her black sweater.
Carly closed her eyes and then opened them again. “We need to talk,” she said.
“We are talking.”
“Serious stuff this time.”
Dani nodded, unable to get any words out.
“I’m not going to be around much longer.”
Dani bit her lip to contain it, but a small sob slipped out.
Carly squeezed her hand slightly. “It’s okay. I’m okay with it, but I’m worried about you. You need to promise me you’ll go to school.” She paused and took a deep breath. The machines beeped and then settled again. “You like school. Your eyes shine when you talk about making video games. Promise me you’ll go and do that.”
Dani nodded. “I promise,” she whispered.
Carly’s lashes were pale and spiky against her white cheeks.
“Please don’t go yet,” Dani begged. “I haven’t found your family. I promised I would.”
Carly smiled and opened her eyes. “Silly, you are my family. You always have been. I never cared about finding my real parents ’cause I had you.”
Dani blinked in surprise. “I—”
“You need something to do when you’re nervous or in pain or scared. You’ve been terrified the whole time I’ve been in here. And you hate hospitals.” She smiled again. “I hate them, too, but this one has been alright. The nurses are nice. Anyway, I didn’t want you to be unhappy so I said it would be good to find my family. I knew it would keep you busy.” She gave a small laugh. “Tricked you.” Her eyes closed again.
Dani started to cry in earnest. This little girl, this little fragile girl, was only thinking of Dani, wanting Dani to be happy. Guilt washed over her. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed with you. I should’ve never left your side.”
“You didn’t leave me. We spoke every single day. We watched movies and ate popcorn and chocolate. You sent me all the best stuff. It was awesome. You didn’t miss a thing. You were here”—she touched her own heart—“always.”
Dani gasped for breath. “And you are here”—she put her hand on her own chest—“always.” She pulled a small box out of her pocket. “This is for you, Squiggles.”
Carly smiled. “What is it?”
Dani pulled the locket out of the box and held it up so Carly could see. “It opens up.”
Carly reached for the locket and opened it. She smiled when she saw the pictures of the two of them inside the locket. “I love it. Sisters forever.” She took Dani’s hand and squeezed one last time.
Then she quietly faded away.
The machines started beeping and the nurses rushed in. They moved some of the equipment around, and Carol felt for a pulse. She flipped a few more switches and silenced the alarms. She spoke to another nurse. “It’s time. Call the team. They’re already on standby.”
“What? What’s going on?”
Carol disengaged Dani from Carly’s bedside and took her outside. “Carly wanted me to tell you that, because you will always be in her heart, she wants that heart to live on, so she donated her organs. There’s another little girl, three floors up, waiting for a new heart.”
The room spun, and Dani started to fall. Carol gripped her under the arms and helped her to a chair. She gestured to a third nurse, who ran and got her water. She handed it to Dani.
Dani gulped it down. “Normally, a child can’t make this decision on their own, but no one but you ever came to see Carly. She told us her wishes and that you were traveling but would sign the paperwork when you got here. It’s all…irregular, but Carly was such a special kid. We did what she asked.” Carol hesitated. “Will you sign the paperwork? We need to have someone’s signature on file.”
Dani nodded because she was incapable of words. Carol rose and went to the nurse’s station and then came back with the papers. Dani didn’t even bother to read them. If this was what Carly wanted, then she wanted it too. She signed the papers.
Carol took everything from Dani and handed it to another nurse. She then went on to explain what would happen in a while when things were set up. “Would you like to go back in and sit with Carly until it’s time?”
Dani nodded and trudged back into the room. She sat down and looked at Carly. She wouldn’t open her eyes again ever. Tears rolled down her face as she processed the loss of her sister.
What would she do now? She promised Carly she would go to school, so there was that. The emptiness hurt her chest. It was as if her own heart was physically breaking in two. This little girl was the only person on Earth who had ever made her really smile.
Well, that wasn’t strictly true, but Gage didn’t count. At least not anymore. Sitting there next to Carly’s bed, she could finally admit to herself she loved Gage, even if he did call her awful names. She’d been hard on him, and he’d lashed out. God knew she understood how that worked. Yes, she truly loved him, and she was sad without him. Heartbroken. About Carly. About Gage.
Dani would leave the hospital that day without either of the people who meant the world to her in her life. What would she do? It was tempting to be angry. It danced around the edges of her world. But she’d been angry long enough. Carly wouldn’t want her to be angry. Carly would want her to be happy. Find a new project to work on. Write new code. Start a new chapter.
She heard a rustle of f
abric that meant Carol was back. “It’s time.” Carol smiled encouragingly.
Dani stood up. They positioned everything they needed with Carly and started wheeling her out of the room. Dani followed behind. When she entered the hallway, tears fell like the sheets of rain had in Vancouver. The entire hallway was lined with doctors and nurses that had treated Carly during her time at the hospital. They all came to send her off and say their thanks. Dani’s tears streamed down her face.
It was too much. The joy and laughter and love this little girl had given her was gone, and yet she was still able to give a last gift. The most precious gift of all.
They turned the corner, and Dani followed suit. She couldn’t believe all the people who had come for Carly. Dani looked down at the little warrior one more time. The bed stopped rolling, and Dani knew this was her cue to say her final good-bye. She leaned down and whispered. “I love you, Squiggles.”
When she stood up, she came face-to-face with Gage. He was leaning against the wall. He had a bruise on his left cheek and his left arm was in a sling. He straightened up and opened up his right arm. She moved forward into his embrace. As his arm closed around her, she sobbed uncontrollably.
Chapter Forty-One
A week later, Dani sat on a bench on the shore of Lake Champlain. As she looked out over the water, she marveled that it ever had any power over her. Losing Carly and everything else she’d gone through had put so many things in perspective for her. It was all different now. She was more settled. More grown up. She took a sip of her tea and glanced at Gage over the top of her cup.
He leaned against a split rail fence, finishing up a call. He hadn’t left her side since Carly died. She couldn’t believe he’d flown to Vermont to be with her. He’d not said a word about anything other than to ask her what she needed or if there was anything he could do. His quiet support and his strong embrace had gotten her through the worst of it.
She wasn’t fooling herself. There would be gray days ahead. There always were when someone disappeared from her life and, this time, she’d lost two people. Carly was gone, and soon Gage would be. He’d been her rock during the day and her solace at night. He’d never asked a thing from her, but she knew it was time to rip off the bandage.
Gage hung up and turned to face her. “You good?” he asked.
She nodded. “You?”
He nodded. She knew he was feeling better. His color was back to normal. He’d been positively gray when she’d seen him at the hospital, not that she’d realized it at the time.
In the days after Carly, Gage had filled in the details she’d missed, including his illness. His brothers checked on him daily, multiple times. It annoyed him, but she understood it completely. He was family.
She smiled at him, even though she was dying inside. He needed to go back to his life, and she needed to find one. He deserved better than hanging around, taking care of her.
“Gage, come have a seat.”
There was a wariness in his eyes as he sat down next to her. He knew something was coming. She could see it. She studied his face, committing every detail to memory. She wanted to be able to call it up whenever she needed comfort.
“Relax. I’m letting you off the hook.”
He frowned.
“I really appreciate you being here for me. Taking care of me. Helping me through losing Carly. It’s meant the world to me. Really. But it’s time to move on. I need to think about my next steps, and you need to get back to your brothers and your work. I’ve held you here long enough.
“I know you promised me you would protect me even after everything was over, but that was back when we thought the Chinese government was after me. Since it was the Triads, I don’t think we have to worry anymore. They will be otherwise occupied with Drake and his law enforcement connections. We’ve spoken and he’s launching an all-out war on them so he can be free of their influence in his companies.”
It was harder than she thought. She was going to cry. She bit her lip and shot off the bench. She turned to face him. Tears clogged her throat, and her heart was being ripped in two all over again, but she was determined to do this. They both had to move on.
“Thanks for everything. If you ever need anything, just let me know. I sent Logan an email address I can be reached at always.” She stuck out her hand. She didn’t think she would be able to let him go if she hugged him.
Gage blinked. He looked at her hand and then up at her face. “Are you serious right now? A handshake? You’re blowing me off with a handshake?”
She frowned. “What? Do you want a hug?”
Gage leapt to his feet and towered over her. “A hug? No, I don’t want a fucking hug. I want all the hugs.”
Dani shook her head. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m telling you it’s okay to move on. You’ve been here looking after me because you feel guilty and you promised me and you’re trying to be a good friend or something. I’m okay now. I appreciate it. It’s been great. A real help but, ah, it’s time for you to go back home. I’m all good.”
“You’re all good. Time for me to go back. Guilty. Are you crazy? I’m not here because I feel guilty or because I’m trying to be a friend. I’m here because I love you! I hate seeing you in pain. And I’m not leaving because I’m never leaving without you.”
Dani frowned. She opened and closed her mouth. She was having trouble understanding the words Gage was saying. It seemed like… “I’m…what?”
Gage leaned down until they were eye to eye. “I. Love. You. I’m sorry I said all that stupid shit about you being a hacker. I am so incredibly sorry for calling you that name. I can’t apologize enough about that. But I love you, and I don’t want you to change.”
Dani was stunned. Good things didn’t happen to her. Life did not work out for her. Ever.
She swallowed. “Huh. That’s what I thought you said.” What was she supposed to do now? She knew what she wanted to do, but did she have the balls to take the chance? Pain could be just around the corner.
She leaned forward and kissed him hard on the mouth. Then she pulled back. “I love you, too.” As the words flew out of her mouth, joy exploded in her chest. Gage blinked, and then a huge grin appeared on his face. He picked her up and spun her around and let out a loud yell. Then plunked her down on the bench and proceeded to kiss her as if her life depended on it. Because after all, it did.
Epilogue
“You’re sure you’re okay with implementing this?” Drake asked for the umpteenth time.
“Yes.” Dani nodded. It was taking all of her patience not to be majorly sarcastic to the man, but he was the one paying the bill. She was trying to install her software on Drake’s server. All of his interruptions weren’t helping any. Not to mention the data center they were in was cold and dry, and she was tired. Too much fun with Gage last night and not enough sleep. She smiled.
Drake continued. “And Gage is okay with this? I heard he wasn’t so…keen on the idea.”
Dani’s eyes narrowed. “I wonder where you heard that?” she asked as she looked around Drake to Jake, one of the guys from Callahan Security standing in the doorway of the security cage.
Jake raised his hands. “Don’t look at me.” He gestured over his shoulder.
“Dragan?” Dani murmured as she glared at the bodyguard who was leaning against the outside wall.
The edges of Dragan’s lips turned upward, but he didn’t say a word.
Dani went back to the task at hand.
“So is Gage okay with this?” Drake asked.
Dani looked over at him. Jameson Drake was a colossal pain in the ass, but watching him fidget with a paperclip made her take pity on him. He was nervous. He’d waited a long time for this. A chance to find his sister. Dani knew the software would work, but whether or not Drake’s sister was still alive was a mystery.
“Let’s just say, we’ve come to an agreement.” Dani smiled.
“I just bet you have.” Drake’s lips twitched. “These Cal
lahan men have such…interesting taste in women.”
“Agreed,” Dragan murmured.
Dani shot him a look.
Jake burst into laughter. “I’d be careful, Dragan. She’s not liking you at the moment. You might suddenly have your identity stolen.”
Dani turned back to the keyboard. She glanced at her laptop screen and bit her lip. She wiped her right palm on her jeans. Then after another few keystrokes, she smiled. “Voilà, up and running.”
Drake straightened up and immediately looked over her shoulder. On the screen was a picture of his sister from when she was a girl and next to it were images of people flashing so fast one faced blurred into the next in a constant stream. “What’s happening?”
“I’m actually running two different servers. One is running my software and comparing your sister’s photo to all of the live security feeds from your hotels here in the United States. The other is comparing her picture to all of the previous hours of security video you have on your hard drives. It will continue to do that until it’s caught up to your live feeds.
“If you sister enters or has entered any one of your hotels here in the U.S. in the last six months, my software will find her and send a notification to your phone.”
Drake blinked and leaned against the cage doorjamb again. “So, you’re going to do this for all of my hotels across the world?”
Dani nodded. “Yes. You have all of your servers already stored off site in locations like this one. I think there’re twelve in all. I’ll go to each location and install my software just like I did here. Then you’ll be able to compare your sister’s picture to the live feeds from all over the world.”
Drake nodded.
“Just remember the software will reboot on a randomized schedule so it doesn’t freeze. It’s the best I can offer you. As long as you don’t try to search for a large group of people at once, the software should function perfectly. If something does stop working I’ll be notified immediately.”
Hit and Run: A Thrilling Novel of Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security series Book 3) Page 24