"Nope, not at all," she said. "I told you I just needed a nap. Let's get this needle out and get back to work. I'm sure they could use a hand or two about now."

"Liz, you're going to have to be checked out," I said as she tugged on the needle in her arm trying to decide if she was going to pull it herself. "Mrs. Rikka didn't give you a choice. You have to be seen by a doctor."

"Oh bullshit," Liz said sticking out her tongue. "That old biddy has no idea what I need."

"Liz, can you at least wait until Leslie comes back and pulls the IV?" I pleaded as I held her arm and hoped she'd listen to me.

"Fine, whatever," Liz sighed. "But get her back here soon to get it out, would you? I can't stand the way it feels in my arm."

I helped Liz back to the cot and to find Leslie who was in Trauma 1 finishing up the paperwork on another gunshot victim. There was blood all over the floor beneath the table, and I asked if she wanted me to clean it up.

"Nah, housekeeping will get in here when it's this bad," she said waving me off. "You can't clean blood as well as they can."

"Liz is up and around and she wants the IV line out," I said. "She was trying to pull it herself and I stopped her. I...I...I..."

"You what, Alex," Leslie said in calm, kind voice.

"I don't know what's wrong with her!" I said as the tears flowed down my cheeks. "I'm worried about her, but I don't know what to do. She's been acting weird for weeks, but she swears there's nothing wrong."

"Classic addict behavior," Leslie nodded. "If you're not an addict or been involved with one, then you have no idea what it looks like."

"But I've known her for years and I've never seen her take drugs," I insisted. "I'd know if she was using drugs!"

"Oh sweetie," Leslie said shaking her head. "No, you probably wouldn't. C'mon, let's go check on her."

When we got back to the cot where Liz had been we found it empty. The

bloody needle was lying on the floor with the IV fluid spreading out in a puddle around it. I shook my head as I quickly stopped the flow and did my best to mop up the mess with paper towels.

"Where do you think she's gone?" Leslie asked then said, "Never mind, I bet I know where."

Leslie took off without another word, and I stood staring at the mess my best friend had left wondering what in the world was going on with her, and why she felt she couldn't tell me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cam

I couldn't stop thinking about Alex as I walked Tesla and got ready for work. The soft curves of her body invaded my every waking thought and I felt my body responding to the desire in a way that I hadn't felt in years.

But the more I thought about Alex, the more I also thought about Quinn. It was as if the awakened feelings were triggering a return to the guilt I'd felt after Quinn had died, and with every wave of pleasure there was an accompanying wave of sadness and guilt. I drove to the station, trying to figure out how I would cope with the competing feelings.

"Hey, Connor, you look like something the dog dragged in!" Mike called as I walked through the door. Tesla wagged her tail and ran over to him as he grabbed a dog treat out of the cabinet and made her sit. Once she'd gotten what she wanted, she pulled her bunny out of the toy basket and walked over to her bed where the flopped down with a loud, "Woof!"

"Thanks, Kelly," I called as I walked to the locker room to drop my backpack off. "Always count on you for a morning lift!"

The locker room was empty and I stared at the photo of Quinn hanging on the door. It was a photo I'd taken just after we'd moved into the house. She was lying on the front lawn with her books open studying for an exam as I'd cut the grass in the backyard. I'd come around the corner to find her laying on the fresh cut grass in the front of the house. Her books were spread out, but she was lying on her back with her arms spread and her face to the sun. She looked like an angel bathed in sunlight. An instant before I'd snapped the picture, she'd opened her eyes and looked right at me smiling. Later, I'd threatened to make it the photo on our wedding announcement. Quinn had simply laughed.

I slammed the locker shut and standing behind it was Victor Vangel.

"What do you want, Vangel," I said in a flat voice.

"You know what I want, Connor," he said menacingly. "I want you to take your name out of the running and I want your vote for Squad Lieutenant."

"Go to hell, Vangel," I said. "I have nothing to do with the process of choosing the next Lieutenant and you know it."

"You putting in a good word for me could help sway the decision, though," he said as his eyes narrowed. "And if you’re not trying to get promoted, I have a much better chance. Is there some reason you don't want to do that?"

"You know damn well why I don't want to do that," I said as I turned and spun the lock and then pulled to make sure it was sealed. "I can't stand you, Vangel. I think you're a weasel and a lousy firefighter, and I can't imagine you ever earning the loyalty of the men you lead. How you’ve managed to fool everyone else, I have no idea."

Tags: Claire Adams Billionaire Romance
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