Body Of Truth (36 page)

Authors: Deirdre Savoy

BOOK: Body Of Truth

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She knocked his hand away. “Don't you dare die on me, Jonathan Stone, or I'll kill you myself.”

He tried to laugh at the incongruity of her words, but it hurt too much. A kind of internal frost claimed him, making him shiver. He tried to open his eyes, but it was damn difficult. He squinted up at her, wanting to tell her not to worry, but no words came.

“Don't leave me, Jonathan. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispered then succumbed to the blackness that claimed him.

Twenty-four

Dana paced the small hospital waiting area, waiting for news of Jonathan. He'd been taken into surgery the minute the ambulance had pulled up to the hospital. That had been two hours ago and no word since. She knew these things took time even when they went well, but with each passing minute, her sense of dread increased.

Even though the waiting room was crowded with Jonathan's partner, his boss, and assorted family members, she felt alone in her misery. She knew what he'd done. He'd stepped in front of that madman's bullet and taken it himself. If it weren't for him, she'd be the one lingering near death instead of him. She loved him for that, but didn't want to lose him because of it.

Her mind drifted to Joanna, who'd arrived at the hospital with the others to find out that Ray was dead. She'd been so inconsolable that Adam had taken her home. Tears formed in her eyes. How would she react if she were given similar news?

She brushed the tears away. She couldn't think like that. Jonathan would be all right. He had to be.

A doctor in green scrubs with a surgical mask pulled to the top of his head entered the room. From the expression on his face it was difficult to tell if he bore good news or bad. She walked toward him. “Do you have news for us?” she asked, her voice shaky.

He fastened a weary gaze on her. “Mr. Stone is out of surgery. He's lost a lot of blood and he's weak, but other than that, he's all right.”

Relief flooded through her, renewing the sting of tears to her eyes. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“Are you Dana Molloy?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“He's been asking for you. He'll be in postop for a while, then you can see him.”

“Thank you.”

After he left, she scanned the faces around her. She knew the happiness most of them felt learning that Jonathan was okay was tempered by Ray's loss. She felt it, too. He'd tried to protect her and lost his life because of it. He wasn't blameless in Father Malone's death, but of the three men, he'd been the only one moved by his conscience rather than his own desire not to get caught.

It was as she'd always believed, that the truth, no matter how carefully hidden, always sought the daylight of discovery. Nothing stayed a secret forever. But was any secret worth so much destructionâeven the havoc they'd created in their own lives? They'd made a pact to change, and outwardly, they had. A priest, a doctor and a copâthree men you were supposed to look up to. But inside, Moretti had reverted to his old ways; Father Mike let the guilt drive him over the edge. And now they were all dead and their past laid bare. There had to be some irony in that, though she'd be damned if she could find it. All she knew was that she wouldn't be content until she saw Jonathan again for herself.

When a nurse came to take her to Jonathan's room, she followed the woman on legs that trembled. The doctor hadn't elaborated on his condition and she hadn't asked, not wanting to alarm the rest of the family. She knew that bullet must have done some internal damage. The extent of that remained to be seen.

The nurse left her at the door to his room. She took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face before opening the door. He didn't necessarily need to see how concerned she was.

He lay on a bed directly in front of her, his face turned away from her, his eyes closed. She walked over to him. “Jon?”

Slowly his head turned and his eyes opened. “Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good now. The stuff they give you for the pain is excellent.”

If he weren't lying in a hospital bed she would have hit him. “You know what I mean.”

He lifted his hand and with a surprisingly strong grip pulled her to him. She sat on the edge of the bed, as he seemed to want her to. “I'm pretty doped up right now, but I could swear I heard you tell me you loved me.”

That's what he was concerned about? She'd nearly lost him and he was worried about what she'd said while she was trying to keep every ounce of his blood from ending up on her kitchen floor. “I did.”

“Did you mean it, or was it just something to say?”

She answered him honestly. “I thought I wasn't going to have a chance to say it later, but I meant it.”

His thumb brushed against her palm and a faint smile formed on her lips. “I told you I wasn't going anywhere. You should have believed me.”

She lifted his hand and kissed the back of it. “I love you, Jon. I would have told you earlier, except I was afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Losing myself again in what somebody else wanted.”

He made a noise that sounded almost like a laugh. “Baby, you're the strongest woman I know. And I would never ask for more from you than you were willing to give.”

“I know, but everything between us happened so quickly. I need time to adjust.”

“Do you think I was ready for you to come into my life and turn my world upside down?”

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

“Let's take it one day at a time, okay? We've got our whole lives.”

Smiling, she nodded.

“Good. Now kiss me and send Mari to me. She's probably chewing the furniture waiting for her turn to get in here.”

The door pushed open. “I heard that, Stone. You'd think I'd get a little credit for leaving a tender moment alone rather than bursting in here like I wanted to.”

“You'd think,” he said, sleepily.

“Just remember what I said about having to work with those other yahoos. You'd better hurry up and get back on the job.”

“That's up to my nurse, here.” He squeezed her hand. “Are you going to nurse me back to health?”

She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Hush, dear. The drugs are making you stupid.”

He mumbled something she didn't catch. She drew back to find he'd closed his eyes. “We're going to leave you now to get some rest.”

He didn't respond to that, but since none of the monitors signaled anything was wrong, she figured he'd already fallen asleep. She kissed him again and stood. He'd be fine for tonight, but she wanted to see to Joanna now, who needed her at the moment more than he did.

“I'll be back tomorrow,” she told him, just in case he could hear. Then they could start, one at a time, on those daysâall the ones that would make up their lifetime together.

Dear Reader,

I really hoped you enjoyed
Body of Truth
. This book was a real labor of love for me, as it is set in my beloved hometown, Bronx, New York. I have to admit I took some liberties with street names, precinct numbers and the like, as a means of changing the names to protect the innocent. But my real goal was to provide the essence of the Bronx, which I hope I've done. You'll see more of the Bronx, and more of the Stone Brothers in the rest of the series. Next up is Zachary Stone, who meets his match with a lady from his past.

I'd love to hear from you. Please contact me at [email protected] or write to me at: P.O. Box 233, Baychester Station, Bronx, NY 10469.

Also, please join my list for readers:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ladiesinred/
This is the place for discussions of my books, giveaways and much more. Hope to see you there.

Wishing you all the best,
Deirdre Savoy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Native New Yorker Deirdre Savoy spent her summers on the shores of Martha's Vineyard, soaking up the sun and scribbling in one of her many notebooks. It was there that she first started writing romance as a teenager. The island proved to be the perfect setting for her first novel,
Spellbound
, published by BET/Arabesque books in 1999.
Spellbound
received rave reviews and earned her the distinction of the first Rising Star author of Romance in Color and was voted their Best New Author of 1999. Deirdre also won the first annual Emma award for Favorite New Author, presented at the 2001 Romance Slam Jam in Orlando, Florida.

Since then, Deirdre has published nine books, all of which have garnered critical acclaim and honors. Deirdre has been featured in a variety of publications including
Black Issues Book Review, Romantic Times, Affaire de Coeur, Blackboard Bestsellers List
and others. Many of her titles have been issued in hardcover by Black Expressions.

Deirdre is the president of Authors Supporting Authors Positively (ASAP) and the founder of the Writer's Co-op writer's group. She lectures on such topics as Getting Your Writing Career Started, Taking Your Writing to the Next Level, and other subjects related to the craft of writing. She is listed in the
American
and
International Authors and Writers Who's Who
, as well as the
Dictionary of International Biography
.

Deirdre lives in Bronx, New York, with her husband of ten-plus years and their two children. In her spare time she enjoys reading, dancing, calligraphy, and “wicked” crossword puzzles.

DAFINA BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

Dafina Books and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-9122-6

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