by Norah Wilson
~*~
Bandy greeted them ecstatically at the door, his stout body waggling with the swishing of his tail. Suzannah bent to bestow an enthusiastic petting before Bandy decided he had to demand it.
“You be okay for a few minutes if I take him out for a spin around the block?”
She straightened to see John standing there with Bandy’s leash. He’d ditched his jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his hopelessly creased shirt to reveal strong, tanned forearms. Patience, Suz.
“Of course. I’ve got some calls to make. Vince made me promise to call when I got home.”
He bent to clip the lead on Bandy’s collar. “Lock up after me, and arm the alarm,” he instructed, using that authoritative tone she suspected they must teach in the academy. “I don’t want to hear any protests about it being broad daylight, either.”
“Don’t worry. I may be stubborn, but I’m not stupid. I’ve just seen what can happen in broad daylight.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “I won’t be twenty minutes.”
Suzannah locked up behind him as instructed, then called Vince. He’d been shaken when she’d called him from the hospital to explain why she’d gone AWOL. She’d had to be very forceful to prevent him canceling his afternoon examination for discovery and rushing to the ER. Her assurance that John was with her now and would continue to stay with her until this lunatic was caught seemed to go a long way to calming him down.
Once Vince was settled down, she called her mother. Thankfully, Elena Phelps hadn’t heard about her daughter’s visit to the ER, and she wasn’t about to hear it from Suzannah. Rather, they talked about the party Elena was planning to host for her closest friend’s fifty-fifth birthday.
Hearing John and Bandy return, Suzannah wound up the conversation with her mother. John was carrying a takeout bag from the local sub place.
“Hope you’re hungry,” he said, handing her the bag.
They sat down and ate their subs at the table under Bandy’s wistful gaze. Her stomach was in such a knot that she couldn’t manage much more than a quarter of the foot-long sandwich, but she noticed John had no trouble downing his. Afterward, Suzannah cleared away the remains of their meal while John put down food and fresh water for Bandy.
“So, what’s on for tonight?” he asked.
Us, I hope. Her pulse took a little jump. “Nothing.”
He shot her a look. “Thought you had a rush job for Castillo.”
She grimaced. “The clock’s still ticking on that one, but I told Vince it’d have to wait. I just couldn’t see getting my head into a corporate re-org after the day I’ve had.”
“I can understand that. Why don’t you make an early night of it?” He picked up the TV remote from the coffee table and flopped down on her couch. “I’m sure I can find a ball game.”
As her heart thundered in her chest, he calmly pointed the remote at the television, which sprang to noisy life. He adjusted the volume downward, flipped to the sports network.
Dammit, this was supposed to be easier. She’d imagined them sinking on the couch together, possibly him sliding an arm around her. Even she could have taken it from there. Instead, he seemed to be doing his damndest to get her out of the room.
She wet her lips. “I’d rather do what we did last night, but without the stopping part.”
The remote control clattered to the floor. Cursing, he leaned over to pick it up, depositing it on the coffee table again. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
She’d been prepared for any number of reactions, but not this one. He’d all but promised her endless kisses, endless sweetness. “Why not?”
“Why not? Suzannah, someone slipped you a colossal dose of Rohypnol just hours ago.”
What did that have to do with anything? “Thank you for reminding me, but they emptied my stomach.”
“Not before it went to work on you.” He picked up the remote again, this time to kill the drone of the TV. “Rohypnol is a powerful intoxicant, a profound disinhibitor. I just don’t think it’s smart to –”
Understanding came on a wave of anger. “Oh, no, you don’t.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t get to use impairment as an out. They gave me an antagonist in the ER.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Which in English means...?”
“Something to counter the Rohypnol. The worst that can happen is I might get sleepy when the antagonist wears off.”
“Okay, but it’s still been a helluva day. You had a scary experience –”
Her eyes narrowed. “Go to hell.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s another cop out, and you know it.”
“Like hell it is.” He surged to his feet, the sudden movement eliciting a low growl from the dog.
“You think cops are the only people who know what an adrenaline burst is?” She fisted her hands at her sides to keep them from trembling. “What do you think it’s like to cross-examine a witness before a jury when a man’s fate hangs in the balance? What do imagine is happening inside when I’m sitting there trying to look composed while the jury is filing back into the courtroom? What in hell do you think is coursing through my veins when the foreman stands up to read his verdict?”
“Suzannah –”
“Forget it. I know what you think runs through my veins.” She laughed harshly. “I’m the Ice Princess, right?”
“If you’d just shut up for a minute –”
“The truth is you’re scared. Scared of me. Scared you don’t have what it takes to melt –”
