Deadly Contact (21 page)

And what if she didn’t? Better to be alone than to be with someone who treated her with kid gloves all the time, as if she was some fragile piece of china that would break if jostled. She didn’t want someone who would try to protect her from life; she wanted someone who would be a true partner, someone she could rely on when needed and someone who would rely on her in turn.

Once upon a time, she’d thought James could be that man, but his first instinct had been to shut her down. He’d denied her feelings, writing them off as adrenaline, saying she really wasn’t ready for a relationship. Maybe he was right.

It had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done, but cutting James out of her life had been necessary. She needed to move on, not get emotionally entangled with a man who would never see her as more than a tragic figure, someone to be pitied and coddled.

So she gathered up the pieces of her shattered dream and tucked them away, determined to rebuild her life and find another image to keep her warm at night.

“Am I interrupting?”

She glanced up to find Thomas standing in the doorway. Her stomach fluttered a bit—was James with him?—but she pasted on a smile.

“Not at all. Come on in.”

He smiled at her; his bright blue eyes and coppery hair were a striking contrast to the muted gray of his suit. He looked as if he’d stepped out of a catalog, making her acutely aware of the hospital-green gown she wore and the fact she hadn’t properly washed her hair in several days.

“You look great,” he offered as he walked over to the chair and sat.

She resisted the temptation to snort in disbelief. “Thanks.”

“No, really, you do. You forget—the last time I saw you, they’d just wheeled you out of surgery. You were very pale and unconscious, so I’m happy to see you awake now. You’re starting to get your color back, too,” he added, relaxing in the chair and lifting one ankle to rest on the opposite knee.

“Your flattery is wasted on me.” He grinned at her, and she couldn’t help but smile in return.

“How are you doing?” Concern had replaced the teasing note in his voice as his eyes searched her face.

“I’m still trying to piece together what happened.” Her memory had been returning in fragments, little snippets of sounds or images, and while she was gradually filling in the gaps in time, there were still large chunks missing.

“What do your doctors say?”

She shook her head. “Nothing helpful. Just that this happens to some people, and I may remember getting shot or I may not. They’re not too worried about it.”

He shrugged. “Then maybe you shouldn’t be, either. Honestly, it would be great if we had your side of the story to compare to what Caleb has told us, but you’ve done quite enough already.”

Her skin prickled at the mention of his name, making her shudder slightly. “I’m so glad you caught him.”

“All thanks to you. If this science thing doesn’t work out for you, you could always join the bureau.” His dimples appeared as he grinned at her. The smile turned slightly wicked as he added, “We have some new openings.”

“You do?”

“There’s been a—” he paused, as if searching for the right word “—reorganization in the wake of the operation. A few heads have rolled.”

“But you caught both Caleb and George. Isn’t that a success?”

“Sure, but Caleb set off two bombs in the museum.” He held his hands out, palms up, moving them up and down in a pantomime of a scale. “Even though no one was seriously injured, the brass tends to frown on that kind of thing.”

“Is James in trouble?” She held her breath, hoping the answer was no.

“Oh, yeah, but not as bad as some,” he informed her cheerfully. “Carmichael was asked to retire, and believe me, he did not take it well. You should have seen—”

If Thomas didn’t stop babbling about Carmichael and tell her what was going on with James, she was going to lose it. “What about James?” she interrupted, trying to steer him back on course.

He regarded her with wide eyes, the very picture of innocence, but she caught the way the corner of his mouth twitched up. He was teasing her. The nerve of the man!

“James got his hand slapped for the stunt he pulled at the museum, but it’s nothing major. He’s been working double-time, chasing down leads Caleb has given us.”

She let out her breath in a relieved whoosh. “So his job is safe?”

“As far as I know.”

“That’s good.”

Thomas frowned, tilting his head as he regarded her. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you this already.”

She looked away, her fingers fumbling on the blanket. “I haven’t seen him in a few days. I asked him to leave.”

Thomas raised a brow as he studied her. “I see.”

Kelly rushed to explain, feeling her face heat. “I wanted him to work on the case, not waste his time here,” she lied, hoping she sounded more convincing than she felt.

“Well, whatever you told him didn’t work. He’s come to the hospital every day.”

It was Kelly’s turn to frown. “No, he hasn’t. I haven’t seen him.”

“You mean...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “What an idiot.”

She stared at him, watching realization dawn on his face. “What?”

Thomas looked up, his bright blue eyes narrowing slightly. “You really haven’t seen him?”

She shook her head. “No. But there have been times I could have sworn he was here. I just thought I was going crazy.”

He leaned forward, putting both feet on the floor. “I’d be willing to bet he’s visited but hasn’t wanted to wake you.” He shook his head as if puzzled by this behavior. “No wonder he’s been so moody lately,” he muttered, almost to himself.

Kelly felt a flare of curiosity at his words, but she ruthlessly tamped it down. James wasn’t a part of her life anymore, and she shouldn’t have asked about him. She was only torturing herself. She didn’t need to hear about how he was or wasn’t doing.

“How’s the investigation going?”

If Thomas noticed her desperate attempt to change the subject, he didn’t comment.

“Pretty well. Dr. Collins was singing like a bird until his lawyer showed up and explained that he really shouldn’t tell us everything he knows without some kind of deal in return. Now the legal eagles are arguing over immunity or some such nonsense.” He lifted one shoulder in an eloquent shrug. “It’s fine, though. We got enough out of him to break open a few new angles.”

“What about Caleb?” She suppressed a shiver at the thought of those cold eyes.

Thomas sat forward. “He’s talking, too, and you’re not going to believe this—he was hired by the CEO of Wilkins Pharmaceuticals.”

“What?” She shook her head, convinced she had misunderstood. “Why?”

Thomas rubbed his fingers together in the universal pantomime for money. “The company is circling the drain. An outbreak of bioterror events would send people scrambling for their antibiotics.”

“Please tell me Wilkins is under arrest, too!”

Thomas nodded. “The guys from the Jersey office picked him up a few days ago. He’s been quite vocal about his distaste for our accommodations.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a wry smile.

“And how is Ruth?”

His smile faltered a bit as his gaze slipped to the floor. “She’s dead.”

The unexpected news hit her like a slap. “What? How? Did Caleb—”

Thomas shook his head. “It looks like a suicide. She was found in the hotel room, a bottle of sleeping pills next to the pillow. She didn’t leave a note.”

“Oh, my God,” Kelly murmured, shivering as a wave of sadness swept over her. She hadn’t really known Ruth well, but the older woman had always been kind to her. The thought of her swallowing a handful of pills in a dingy hotel room was disturbing, to say the least. No one should have to spend their last moments alone like that.

“Does George know?” He must be devastated. Ruth was his world, the reason he’d gotten involved in this mess to begin with. For her to kill herself like that must have destroyed him.

“He’s not doing too well. He spends a lot of time asleep in his cell, speaks only when spoken to. They have him on suicide watch.”

Kelly shook her head, blinking back tears. How did it come to this? People sickened and killed by the bacteria, injured by the bomb blast. James shot. She was lying in a hospital bed, for crying out loud. And now two lives ruined, all because of one bad decision on the part of a desperate, misguided man doing what he thought was needed to save the love of his life.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, alone with their thoughts. Finally Thomas stretched out his legs and gave her a rueful smile. “Let’s move on to some happier news.”

“What did you have in mind?” She wiped away a stray tear with a sniffle. Thomas was right—no sense dwelling on things that couldn’t be changed.

“For starters, the nurses told me you’re getting discharged in the morning.”

“They did? That’s news to me. Why did they tell you first?”

“I have a way with the ladies,” he said, waggling his brows and giving her a flirtatious wink. She couldn’t hold back a giggle and reached over to press a hand to her side when it ached in protest.

“Anyway, do you need a ride home?”

She blinked at him, taken aback by his offer. “I hadn’t actually thought about it. I guess I do. It’s not like I have a car here or anything.”

He stood, shot his cuffs and smoothed down his tie. “Great. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

He shook his head as he walked toward the door. “Not at all. Besides, it’s kind of tradition for me to pick you up from the hospital.” With a wink he was gone, leaving her alone but smiling.

Three weeks later...

“You are a moron.”

James glanced up in surprise as Thomas plopped down on the neighboring bar stool and ordered a beer.

“Excuse me?”

The other man turned to face him. “You heard me. You’re a moron.”

“I don’t remember inviting you out tonight.”

“You didn’t. I came as a favor to you.”

James turned back to his drink. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t need company.”

“Sure you do.” Thomas nodded at the bartender as he set down his drink; then he picked it up and took a long sip. “Someone has to help you pull your head out of your ass.”

James tightened his grip on the sweaty glass, determined not to let his temper get the better of him. Thomas was just trying to goad him, and he wasn’t going to take the bait.

He turned to stare at the other man, who was scooping up a handful of mixed nuts from one of the bowls that were placed at intervals along the bar. As far as he knew, Thomas had never been here before, and he was already making himself at home as if he owned the place.

Knowing he wouldn’t leave until he’d said his piece, James decided to try to speed the process along so he could go back to drinking in silence.

“You obviously have something to say to me, so why don’t you just get it out?”

Thomas chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then cleared his throat with another sip. “Are you usually this grumpy when you drink?” The corner of his mouth tugged up as he fought to contain a smile, which only made James’s mood darken further. He did not feel like cracking jokes and laughing tonight.

“Only when I want to be left alone. Don’t try to change the subject. Why are you here?”

All traces of humor left Thomas’s face as the other man gave him a level stare. “Because you’re making a huge mistake.”

God save him from this cryptic conversation! “Could you just get to the point?” The game would be on soon, and he wanted to finish his drink in peace and head home to his empty apartment to watch it.

“It’s probably escaped your notice, but you’ve been a royal pain in the ass lately.” When James opened his mouth to respond to this nonsense, Thomas glared at him and kept talking. “Don’t bother to deny it. Ever since the operation at the museum, you’ve been a jerk. People are tired of being treated like crap, and you need to cut it out.”

James gritted his teeth, biting back a retort. He so did not need this right now. With the office in an upheaval over all the personnel changes and his personal life in the crapper, the last thing he wanted was to listen to Thomas go on and on about how he wasn’t playing well with others. As far as he was concerned, they all needed to stay out of his way and let him do his job. Was that so much to ask?

“Message received,” he said coolly, taking another sip of his beer. “Now run along.”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “For the love of all that is holy, would you just get over yourself and call her?”

James coughed as his beer went down the wrong pipe. After clearing his throat and wiping his eyes, he glanced at Thomas. “What did you just say to me?”

“I said call her.”

James decided to play dumb for the moment. “Call who?”

Thomas merely stared at him, waiting. After a moment James looked away, giving up the pretense. “She doesn’t want to see me.”

“What makes you say that?”

James ran his finger along the edge of the soggy cardboard coaster. It felt disturbingly slimy, but it was better than looking at Thomas.

“She asked me to leave.”

“When?”

“While she was in the hospital.”

“I didn’t know she saw you.”

James looked away, unable to meet the other man’s eyes. Technically, Kelly hadn’t been awake for most of his visits. He’d gone by her room every day, needing to see that she was okay so he could focus on the investigation into Caleb’s organization. Creeping into her room while she was asleep had made him feel like a stalker, but since she’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him, it was the only way he could check on her without upsetting her.

James nodded, deciding not to tell Thomas the whole sordid story. “Yeah. I was there when she woke up. She asked me to leave.”

“Interesting,” Thomas muttered.

James huffed out a laugh. “Sure. Whatever. Anyway, I’m not going to call her because she doesn’t want me to.”

“I don’t know about that,” Thomas said, sounding dubious.

James glanced at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The other man lifted his shoulder in an easy shrug. “Just that I think she misses you. A lot.”