I ran to him before he could speak and threw myself into his arms.
He hugged me tight. I let out one horrible sob as the fear of the moment unclenched itself from my chest and let my emotions come washing out. I felt foolish and horrible and alone—but also like I’d survived something I shouldn’t have.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. They wanted to talk.”
He tugged me back into my apartment and got me tissues. I wiped my face and nose, laughing a little. “I must look crazy.”
“Not at all.” He glanced at the two mugs on the table. “What did they want?”
“Threatened me. Told me to stop getting involved.”
He nodded, eyes hard. “They won’t stop.”
“I know.” I reached into my pocket and looked at the recording device—and felt my heart leap when I realized it was still running. I hit the stop button as Dean came over to me and stared at the little black rectangle as I hit play.
The conversation began to spill out. “You recorded it all?” he asked, sounding breathless.
“I did what you asked.”
He laughed, like he couldn’t help himself, and pulled me into his arms again. I stopped the recorder, because I couldn’t handle hearing all that over again, not so soon after it happened. He hugged me and slipped the device from my hands, then dropped it into his pocket.
“You did good,” he said, kissing my hair. “You did really good.”
I tilted my chin toward him, then stood up on my toes and kissed him.
He didn’t hesitate. He kissed me back with a fury, wrapping me tight, holding me hard against his muscular body. I felt a thrill roll through me in heavy waves like I might be pulled under, flipped over and over beneath the waves, and I wanted it, wanted it badly.
The kiss broke off slowly and my lips lingered close to his. “We should get to work.”
“Yeah, we should.”
Neither of us moved until I slipped myself from his arms. The world felt like it was dropping back into focus, and all the reasons that kept me from him to start with were still there, waiting at the margins of my mind like mosquitoes.
“Come on,” I said, “wouldn’t want to give Maria any reason to fire us.”
He smiled a little, looking at me with worry in his expression, but led the way out to the street, and into his car.14DeanI held it together until we reached the hospital. Her kiss had been desperate and terrified, and it angered me all the more, that she’d been driven into fear by those bastards, those animals. I made sure she reached her floor safely and smiled to her, showing her that everything was okay—then hit the button for the administrative floor.
I stalked out into the quiet cubicles like a general going into battle. Maria’s secretary looked up as I approached, an old, scaly creature with sharp eyes like a lizard. “She’s in a meeting,” the secretary said.
“Tell her I’m here.” I loomed above her, standing straight, not bothering to hide my anger. “Tell her it’s urgent.”
The secretary hesitated, then turned toward the door and knocked softly. Maria called out, and the secretary ducked her head inside—they had a short, whispered conversation before the secretary waved me over with an annoyed look. She silently gestured me to the door, then returned to her chair.
I stepped into the now-familiar office. Maria sat behind her desk and held a finger up as she cradled the phone between her ear and her shoulder. “Yes,” she said, “yes, of course, of course. Listen, Trevor, I’ll have to call you back, someone just came in. Yes, okay.” She hung up then tilted her head and steepled her fingers with a pleasant smile. “Dr. Coarse, what can I do for you?”
I shut her office door to keep the conversation from reaching her lizard secretary’s ears. “Your friends paid Fiona a visit this morning.”
Her smile didn’t falter. “Who do you mean?”
“You know who.” I didn’t sit. I wanted to pace, to storm across the small space, to rip it to shreds and to scream in her face, but this was a political situation. I had to be under control, or else I’d give her more ammunition to use against me.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t.”
“I know you’re working with the Leone family.” I threw the name out there, as a sort of test.
She flinched, ever so slightly, her smile faltering. “Who?”
I grunted, my hunch confirmed. “Two of their thugs showed up at Fiona’s place this morning. They threatened her.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
I considered taking out the recording device and showing it to her, but I knew that would force her hand. If she was aware that Fiona had taped that conversation, then Maria and the thugs would be forced to act as fast as they could. They’d turn to violence, like they always did, and I wasn’t sure I could stop an entire crime family, backed by the power of the hospital.