When the Heart Lies (9 page)

The argument got louder by the second, and neither Hector nor Byrd showed signs of retreating. Hector sprung closer to Byrd, and Jackson stepped between them. The nurse backed away to avoid being trampled.

“Whoa, whoa, let’s all just settle down here.” He turned and silently stared at Byrd. “Why don’t you let the man tell you what happened?”

Byrd fell silent, waiting on Hector for an explanation. Hector explained the story as they’d planned.

Byrd swung his head in Jackson’s direction. “What about him. How’d he get out?”

Jackson cut in before Hector had a chance to say something he wouldn’t be able to explain. “I’m not talking to anyone until I see Pierce in the morning. He’s my doctor, and he’s the only one I’m talking to.”

“Humph. Your doctor.” Byrd’s nostrils flared, and his nose twitched, as he slapped the folder he held into the nurse’s chest.

Jackson’s fists clenched, and his jaw set, but he managed to restrain himself.

Byrd took off down the hall. “Get them in their Goddamn rooms!” His hollering echoed through the halls as he walked away.

“Kinsley, you should go to your room now,” the nurse said, appearing sympathetic.

Kinsley glanced at Jackson, expressionless, and headed off.

~ ~ ~

Kinsley entered her room, leaned her back against the cold wood door, and slid to the floor closing it behind her. She sat staring into the darkness. What a foolish choice she’d made, she should have stayed in her room and kept far away from Jackson from the start. A soft tap broke the silence. She stood, wiped her eyes, smoothed her tousled hair, and opened the door slowly. Jackson stood solemnly before her

“Please, Jackson, just go away.”

He glanced in both directions and then met her stare. He begged without words for her to let him enter. She closed her eyes, exhaled heavily, and turned from him as he entered. He was getting to her, and she couldn’t let that happen.

“Kinsley.”

She turned to him, arms crossed over her chest. “Jackson, I shouldn’t have gone with you. I’m sorry if I confused you.”

His head torqued forward, and his hands went out to his sides. “Confused me? You’re the one confused. You’re living with a man you seem to hate, and the husband you’re in such a hurry to go back to doesn’t seem much better. Granted, I shouldn’t have taken you out—but I’m glad I did. And somewhere inside I think you are, too.”

With a haughty tone, she discounted him. “You think—you think? You don’t even know me. You have no idea what I think.” She said the words cold-heartedly and turned from him again, walking toward the window. With a second thought, she swiveled back. “Besides I told you before I’m in the middle of something.” When he moved toward her, she backed away, stopped only by the window behind her.

He closed the last two feet separating them, his eyes and voice commanding her attention. “Yeah. I think. And the only thing you’re in the middle of is a mess.”

“Step back, Jackson! You’re out of line. Sorry your master plan of seduction didn’t pan out.”

With a short burst of laughter, he began to turn away, but then turned back. After shaking his head with an incensed expression, he grasped and cradled her face, firm yet gentle, in one hand. He followed her eyes with his when she tried to look away from him. She gulped, attempting not to show how the sensations of his closeness both thrilled and terrified her.

He whispered his next words in a sexy chanting way close to her lips. Too close. “Pleeeze—you were waiting all night for that kiss. Those dewy eyes, the seductive flirting, and best of all, the sweet lick of the lips as you readied them for me. You’re the mastermind of seduction, sweetie. Not me. Look at you. You’re ready for me now.”

A grunt larger than she was escaped her, she lifted her leg, slammed her foot down on his and tore her face from his grasp. It must have hurt, but the blow only slowed him for an instant. He caught her arm as she passed him. She was moving fast, and when she sprung back round, her breasts pressed firmly into his hard muscled chest, her hips falling naturally at his groin which was equally as hard.

In a mocking, angry display, she licked her lips as her eyes stayed steady with his. He released her with a light shove to creating distance between them. A split second later, he took her by surprise when he vaulted forward and seized her face with both hands, pulling her mouth into a forceful passionate kiss. Every muscle in her body released its tension, and the frosty brazenness she’d tried to maintain liquefied into a kiss that sent her reeling. Connecting, wanting. The moment she arched to meet him, he stepped away, smiled, and slowly licked his lips.

With eyes dreamy and voice soft, he whispered, “Sweet dreams.” Mocking her right back. A flick of his brow was the cherry on top as he turned and walked away.

He was almost out the door when she grunted and threw the hairbrush she grabbed off the dresser. It sailed past him, missing his head by a fraction of an inch. The emotional teeter-totter she’d been balancing in the middle of was on an incline. “Be careful with this one,” she reminded herself.

Chapter 6

Jackson lay sleepless in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t get the picture of Kinsley out of his head. The way she waited for his kiss and watched his lips until they met hers. Either this case ended soon or he was going to lose every ounce of integrity he had. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

After waking up early, he headed to breakfast. Uncharacteristically, he passed up the buffet and got some coffee. Kinsley, was nowhere in sight. When he saw Scar, he signaled her to the table.

“What the hell happened last night?” she asked.

“What didn’t happen? I made things worse by taking her out of here. Things happened. I’m supposed to be helping, and I screw things up. Not to mention I can’t get her out of my head.” Kinsley was becoming his drug, and he needed to shake his addiction. “Now, on top of everything, I’m giving you far too much information.”

“I thought you might be getting too involved. Please tell me you didn’t … ya know.”

“No. Well, not really.”

“Not really?” Her tone was unsympathetic.

“Let’s just say things happened, and they shouldn’t have.” His palm cradled his head to the side while his fingers and thumb worked his brow and temple. Professional boundaries were nonexistent at this point. After a moment, he stopped and dragged his hand up to his chest in an attempt to clear the acid working its way up. He leaned back to search his jeans pocket, retrieved the last antacid from the roll, and popped the circular relief into his mouth.

Scar left the subject alone. “What was all the yelling in the hallway about?”

“We didn’t return until four. They found out we left the building.”

“Shit.” Leaning back in her chair, Scar fell silent, but her spoon continued to tap an annoying rhythm against her coffee cup. “What do you think Pierce will say?”

“Pierce will gripe, but he’ll bend my way.” He threw the plastic coffee stirrer he’d been chewing on onto the table. “The stuff between Kinsley and me is what I’m worried about. What was I thinking, letting things go so far? I’d like to kick my own ass.” Never had he compromised a case the way he had with this one. If he could, he would remove himself. He was beyond that option now. Sensing she needed him, he couldn’t walk away.

Scar leaned forward, arms still crossed. “I’ll tell you what you were thinking.”

He popped her in the head with his balled up napkin. “Not necessary.”

She popped him back. “You’re such a man-child. Have fun with Pierce.”

“Yeah, about time I face the old weasel.” He stood, and as he walked away, he reached out to muss up her hair like he use to when she was a kid, but since about age thirteen, she saw it coming and ducked. He headed down the hall to meet with Pierce.

He knocked firmly on Pierce’s open door.

“Come in.” It was evident from Pierce’s harsh tone he was cross.

He entered the room, nodded to Pierce, and spoke in a determined tone. “I need to talk to you about last night.”

“Talk to me? Or tell me to ignore it and let you walk out the door with no consequences? I should have never agreed to you posing as a patient.” Pierce slammed the pile of folders he held onto his desk. “Sit, we need to talk.”

“I’m fine standing.”

Pierce stood behind his desk, leaning forward onto his fists with stiff arms. With Pierce’s display of authority, Jackson glared at him. “Don’t try to turn this into something about you and me.”

“Jackson, please.” He looked at him again, offering a seat with his hand. “I’d like to iron out our differences.”

Jackson scoffed and shook his head. “That’s never going to happen.”

Pierce rubbed his forehead and somberly lifted his eyes. “I did everything I could for your mother, Jackson.” His hand moved from his forehead and dragged downward. “You’re a grown man, but you still behave—it’s not like I pulled the trigger.”

“You might as well have.” He leaned onto the desk across from Pierce with an inflexible stance and a fierce look. “I’m here to talk about Kinsley.”

“Okay, Jackson, let’s talk. Do you want to risk assuming you know what’s best for Kinsley? What’s going on with you? Why are you getting involved with her? She’s married, and you’re well aware how that can end.”

“I wasn’t assuming anything, and I certainly don’t need you to worry about me. We both agree, it’s my fault she was out of the building.” He leaned toward Pierce. “I need you to assure me you won’t give her a hard time because of my error in judgment. She feels bad enough. That’s all I’m here for.”

“I’m a doctor, not a warden. She can leave any time she wants. However, she did miss two resting vital sign checks, and if anything had happened to her, it would’ve been on your head.” Pierce frowned and batted the air. “Relax already. I’m discharging her. She’s fine.” He glanced down at his desk, shook his head, and returned his eyes to Jackson’s. “I’ll always feel like I owe you something.” He reached out in an attempt to shake his hand.

He looked at Pierce’s extended hand, and his face soured. “You don’t owe me shit.” He spun around fast and left.

When he entered the hall, Scar walked right up to him. She was the one person who got him. He could unload on her without judgment. She understood him better than anyone did, and after talking to Pierce, he was glad to see her.

“So, how’d everything go?” she asked.

“He’s discharging her.” Even though he was happy for Kinsley, the thought of having to watch her from afar again was a downer.

“Cool, she’ll be relieved. You okay?”

He leaned flat backed against the wall and attempted to maintain his usual confident stature. Every part of him dragged. The palms of his hands covered his tired eyes, and he massaged them. “Yeah, listen, I’m going to try to get a hold of Olivia. I wanna meet the guy I’m working for, or he can find someone else. I’m sick of working in the dark. Check on Kinsley. Don’t let her know I sent you.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks. We’ll get together when I get back. Call if you need me to pick you up.”

He headed into Olivia’s office to get a meeting with the man who hired him. The large precinct in Le Grand was full of commotion as usual. He worked his way to Olivia’s office, stopping only when necessary to respond to greetings from people he’d become acquainted with over the years. His departure from the force to pursue private investigations was taken as a great loss to the department; he had been one of their finest investigators.

He knocked on the counter, getting the attention of the cop nearby. “Is Olivia in?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell her you’re waiting.” The cop picked up the phone and proceeded to spill his coffee over the files on the oversized, metal desk. “Shit.” Grimacing, he headed to get a paper towel.

Jackson held in a chuckle and walked back to Olivia’s office as he usually did, or he’d be waiting forever.

“Geez, Jackson, just walk in, why doncha. I get no respect around here,” Olivia said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“What do you mean no respect? I always respect you.”

“Yeah, maybe for a little while in the morning. Through breakfast anyway.”

“I thought we weren’t going to mention that again.” The friends with benefits thing they had attempted was over as soon as he sensed she was falling for him. As much as people raved about it, someone always ended up wanting more.

She exaggerated a disgruntled face. “Coffee?” She posed like a hostess with the pot of coffee kicking one leg back to feature the killer four-inch heels she wore. “Me?”

He ignored her flirtation. To let him off easy wouldn’t be like her. No one would deny she was sexy and had personality to boot. Her short, curly black hair and the red lipstick she wore made her appearance similar to one of those Forties pin-up models. “No, I’m good. I’ll make this quick. Did you talk to the client?”

“Yes, and he agrees now’s the time to meet. Only one problem. He’s in New York. He says he can get us on a plane in four hours. We’ll be landing mid-afternoon.”

His jaw set. “Will you ever grasp the fact I hate to fly?”