Deadly Exposure

by Linda Turner

  “Whoa, whoa,” Tony said, squatting beside her to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Just sit there a minute while I take your statement. You’re still pretty pale.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he assured her. He noticed another patrol car pulling up behind his vehicle and told Patrick, “That’s my partner, Stan Kitchen. He’s going to take your statement while I finish up with Miss Fitzgerald.”

  “No problem,” he said, rising to his feet. “I just need to get my dog some water first. She’s been running pretty hard.”

  “Thank you so much for your help,” Lily said. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been here.”

  “You would have done fine,” he said with a smile, patting her hand. “I’m glad I could help. I hope you’re okay.”

  Tony motioned for Stan to take the man’s statement, then turned back to Lily. “Are you sure you’re all right? I can call for an ambulance.”

  “No, please. I hate for you to go to all that fuss. I’m just a little shaken up.”

  Even as she spoke, Lily could feel herself start to shake in delayed reaction, and there didn’t seem to be a damn thing she could do about it. Then tears welled in her eyes, horrifying her. “I’m sorry,” she choked out, wiping at a stray tear that slipped over her lashes. “I’m not usually such a crybaby. I just—”

  “Never had anyone almost kill you before,” he said gently when she struggled to find words. “Trust me, it’s understandable. The first time someone sent a bullet flying over my head, I went home and threw up. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  Stepping over to his car, he retrieved a blanket from the trunk, then returned to where she still sat on the ground. Going down on one knee beside her, he quickly draped the blanket around her shoulders. “Is that better?” he asked, smiling into her eyes.

  More tears welled. “No!” she said. “Don’t be nice to me—it just makes me want to cry.”

  Pulling the blanket closer around her, he chuckled softly. “I like being nice to you. If you’d just go out with me, you’d see that.”

  “Don’t start,” she warned, but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Thankful for the comfort of his teasing, she glanced over at the traffic that streamed around his patrol car and that of the other officer and felt her heart stop. “I hadn’t realized how close I still was to the road,” she said, sobering. “Would you mind if we moved over there?”

  When she nodded to a bench under a tree thirty feet away, he understood perfectly. Without a word, he stood and offered her a hand. “Let me help you.”

  His fingers closed gently around hers, warming her all the way to her heart, and just that quickly, she found herself overcome with emotion. Even as she tried to blink the tears away, they spilled over her lashes.

  “I’m sorry,” she choked as he carefully helped her to her feet. “I guess I’m more shook up than I thought.”

  “You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t,” he told her, and with no more warning than that, pulled her gently into his arms.

  How had he known she needed to be held? She hadn’t known it herself. Comfort wasn’t something she’d received much from the men in her life, and she’d never felt the loss until now. Giving in to the need, she buried her head against his chest. “I’m sorry,” she sniffed. “This isn’t going to get you in trouble, is it?”

  “Of course not,” he said roughly, tightening his arms around her. “You just had a nasty scare, and we’re dating. Why shouldn’t I hold you?”

  “Because we’re not dating, and you know it.”

  “That’s just a technicality,” he said with a chuckle. “And a matter of time.”

  “Tony—”

  “Have I told you that I love it say my name like that…when you bristle up and try not to laugh? Go ahead, do it again.”

  She laughed, she couldn’t help it, and pulled back to find him grinning down at her. “That’s better,” he told her as he helped her over to the bench. “You’re doing great, by the way. If this had happened to my aunt Tootsie, you would have heard her all the way up on Capitol Hill. Of course,” he added wryly, “we’re Italian. When we’re scared or hurt or mad, everybody’s going to know it.”

  Her hand somehow finding its way into his, Lily smiled wistfully. “That sounds wonderful. You don’t know what it’s like to grow up in a house where there’s no noise. My father was always so self-contained and proper. Sometimes when I was a kid, I just wanted to scream just to see what it felt like. Of course, I didn’t. Father would have been horrified.”

  “Is your father still alive?” he said quietly. “I’m sure he’d be raising his voice if he knew you’d almost been flattened by a hit-and-run driver.”

  “He would be worried,” she agreed, “and upset with me for moving to Georgetown. He’s not happy with the changes I’ve made in my life recently, so there’s no point in calling him. He’s not speaking to me.”

  As a father, Tony couldn’t imagine not speaking to his son just because he’d chosen to lead his own life. What kind of man was her dad? Didn’t he realize what he was losing?

  Frowning, he wanted to ask her a dozen questions, but this wasn’t the time. “He’s the one who’s losing out,” he said quietly. “Now…tell me what happened. You were standing by the tree?”

  She nodded. “I’d set up my camera and tripod there and was taking pictures across the park. I was focusing on that when I heard cars start honking their horns down the street. That’s when I turned and saw a pizza-delivery car racing in and out of traffic.”

  Glancing up from the quick notes he was jotting down, he frowned. “Did you happen to see what company the driver worked for? Or the license-plate number? Or the driver? Was it a man? Were you able to get any kind of description of him?”

  She named a national chain, then said, “I’m sorry—I didn’t even think to get the license-plate number until it was too late.”

  “What kind of car was it?”

  “Maybe a Volkswagen…I think. I’m not sure, but it wasn’t in very good shape. It had faded red paint and looked older, but I’m not good at models.”

  “You’re doing great,” he assured her, jotting down notes. “What about the driver?”

  Grimacing, she shook her head. “It seems like I caught a flash of red hair, but I was so horrified when he turned the car right at me that I couldn’t take my eyes off it long enough to get a good look at him. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he said. “You were scared.” His words suddenly registering, he looked up at her sharply. “What do you mean…he turned the car right at you? Are you saying he was deliberately trying to r you down?”

  She nodded grimly. “That’s the way it seemed to me. He obviously had control of the car when he was weaving in and out of traffic. Then, all of a sudden, he was aiming right for me, and he didn’t turn away until I jumped out of the way and he found himself heading right for the tree. If that’s not deliberate, I don’t know what is.”

  Tony had to agree with her. Frowning, he studied her through narrowed eyes. “Do you have any enemies? An ex-husband? A boyfriend you ditched who wants to get back at you?”

  “I did break up with my fiancé,” she admitted, “but I can’t see Neil doing something like this. He’s just not the type.”

  “I’ll need to talk to him,” he told her. “Whose idea was it to break up? Was there a fight? How long ago was this?”

  “Earlier in the summer,” she replied. “And no, there wasn’t a fight. Actually, I think he was relieved.”

  Surprised, he lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “Your fiancé was relieved you broke your engagement?”

  “Like I said, I changed a lot this summer,” she replied. “My father wasn’t the only one who had a difficult time dealing with that. Neil couldn’t accept the fact that I wanted to be a photographer. He wanted me to be the accountant he fell in love with. I was never going to be that again, so I broke thing
s off.”

  Personally, Tony thought the man was a fool for not accepting her for who she was. Did he have a clue what kind of woman he let slip through his fingers? “I still need his name and address,” he told her.

  She gave it to him, then said, “While you’re checking Neil out, you might as well check out my former boss. Not that she would ever do anything like this,” she quickly amended, “but she’s the only other person besides Neil and my father who’s irritated with me. She thinks I’m crazy to walk away from a government job to be a photographer.”

  “Obviously, she hasn’t seen your photographs,” he retorted with a quick grin. “And thinking you’re crazy and wanting to kill you are two different things. How are you feeling?”

  He switched the subject so quickly that he caught her in the act of rubbing the knot on her forehead. Grimacing, she smiled ruefully. “Okay, it hurts,” she admitted. “And so does my knee. I have no one to blame but myself. When I saw what was happening, I should have immediately jumped behind the tree, but like an idiot, all I could think of was getting some pictures—” Suddenly realizing what she’d said, she gasped. “Oh, my God! My camera! I completely forgot.”

  Forgetting her injured knee, she whirled, only to cry out as pain shot up and down her leg. “Aaagh!”

  Lightning quick, Tony scooped her up as she started to fall and quickly set her on the nearby bench. “Sit,” he growled. “I’ll get your camera.”

  If she’d given him one word of argument, Tony told himself he was going to dump her in his patrol car and take her to the hospital himself. Something in his expression must have warned her not to push him—she didn’t move. Relieveded to look for her camera and found it not far from the curb. He took one look at it and swore. It was in pieces the manufacturer never intended it to be.

  He didn’t want to show it to her, not after all that she’d been through, but he didn’t have any choice. Striding back to her, he sat down on the seat next to her and held it out. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

  She didn’t, as he’d feared, take one look at the ruins of her camera and burst into tears. The tears were there, but she blinked them back and sniffed, “I was afraid of that. And the film’s ruined, too. Damn. I was hoping I at least got a picture of the driver.”

  Amazed, Tony had to laugh. “You’re something else. You know that?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? You broke off your engagement with your fiancé, left a government job, and irritated your family and friends by changing careers. But what do you say when some idiot nearly kills you? Damn, I was hoping I at least got a picture!”

  “Cameras can be insured…and replaced,” she pointed out. “You only get one chance to take a Pulitzer Prize–winning photo.”

  “And that’s what you’re aiming for?”

  She shrugged, smiling. “Maybe.”

  Not surprised that she’d set herself such a goal, Tony had a feeling that if anyone could pull off a Pulitzer, Lily could. The lady had guts, and he liked that. He liked her, dammit, more than he should. But he didn’t have time to worry about that right now, not when whoever had nearly killed her was still on the streets.

  “I need to call this in,” he told her. “Just sit there and take it easy, then you’ve got to see a doctor.”

  “Oh, no, I’m sure I’m fine.”

  Tony had no intention of arguing with her. Stepping over to his partner, who had finished questioning the dog owner, he checked with him to compare notes and wasn’t surprised that the other witness hadn’t gotten the license-plate number of the pizza-delivery car, either. Like Lily, he’d been too caught up in watching the destruction caused by the out-of-control car to notice the driver or license-plate number.

  “I’ll start canvassing the crowd,” Stan said, eyeing the people who stood around the sidewalk, watching them work. “With so many witnesses around, hopefully someone saw something.”

  The odds on that were slim since no one else had come forward, but it was the only hope they had. Leaving Stan to the crowd, Tony stepped over to his car to call in a report. When he returned to Lily, his expression was grim. “The car was reported stolen fifteen minutes ago. It’ll probably show up eventually, but we’ll be lucky if we ever find the driver. He’ll ditch the car in a remote area and just walk away from it.”

  “But there must be a way to catch him. He can’t just get away with it. I really think he was trying to kill me.”

  “I know, and he may have been,” he said regretfully. “But hit-and-runs are almost impossible tove when it’s just a random act of violence. And that’s obviously what this was—you, yourself, said you can’t think of anyone who would want you dead. So some crackhead stole a car and went for a joyride. When he comes down from his high, he’ll wipe down the car so there won’t be any fingerprints, then walk away when no one’s looking. And the only thing we know for sure about him is that he has red hair. Of course, he could dye that as soon as he gets home—or his hair could already be dyed.”

  Her shoulders slumping in defeat, Lily felt like crying. “So what are you saying? That I should just forget this ever happened?”

  “No, of course not. But don’t tie yourself in knots worrying about catching the jerk. A lot of things have to come together for that to happen, and you don’t have control over any of them. All you can do is take care of yourself and get on with your life. Now that we have that settled, you need to see a doctor.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Oh, really? Then maybe you should take another look at your knee. I bet it’s swelling. And that knot on your head isn’t too pretty, either. You could have a concussion, and that’s nothing to fool around with. When I was a kid, one of the neighbors fell and cracked his head when he tripped over his cat. He died, Lily. You’re going to the doctor.”

  “That’s not necessary,” she argued. “I’m fine. Really.”

  Hesitating, he studied her pale face with eyes that missed little. “I’d feel better if a doctor checked you out. But I’ll make you a deal. You can let me call an ambulance for you or I’ll drive you to the hospital myself. It’s your call. Take your choice.”

  “That’s not a deal. Anyway, you’re working.”

  “Actually, my shift ended ten minutes ago,” he said with a grin. “All I have to do is file my report, and I’m free.”

  After the day she’d had, the last thing she wanted to do was spend two or three hours in a hospital emergency room, but he was right. Even though there didn’t appear to be anything seriously wrong with her, she had a pretty good bump on her forehead. She probably did need to have a doctor check it out. Giving in, she sighed, “Okay, I’ll go. But no ambulance! If you really don’t mind taking me, I’d appreciate the ride.”

  “No problem,” he said easily. “I’ll be ready in just a moment.”

  The emergency room was packed due to a ten-car pileup on I-95, and the place was a zoo. Mothers held crying children, a woman, worried about her seriously injured husband, sobbed in the corner, and nearly every chair in the waiting room was occupied by someone with a bloody head or a hurt neck or an arm that didn’t quite hang right.

  Surveying the scene as she and Tony stepped through the hospital’s electronic doors, Lily decided she wasn’t that badly hurt, after all. “You know, I don’t need to do this today. I’ll just wait and go to my doctor on Monday.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Tony said, quickly sidestepping to block her path when she would have w. “We have a deal. You agreed to see a doctor today. We’re here. You might as well stay.”

  “But this could take hours!”

  “So? At least I’ll be able to sleep tonight knowing you’re not lying in your apartment with a concussion. C’mon, be a good girl and do the right thing.”

  That was the wrong thing to say to a woman who had been fighting her entire life for her independence. Narrowing her eyes at him, she said silkily, “I think jumping out of the way of that car must have affected my he
aring. What did you say?”

  Undaunted, he grinned, his green eyes dancing wickedly. “Oh, did I mumble? I’m sorry. Angelo’s always getting on to me for not speaking up. I said I’ve always admired women with spunk and courage, and you’ve got both. How’s that?”

  Her lips twitching, she nodded in approval. “Better. Is it true?”

  “What? That I’ve always admired women with spunk and courage or that you’ve got both? Okay,” he laughed when she gave him that look he was coming to recognize from her. “I’m just pulling your chain. Of course it’s true,” he said. “It took a hell of a lot of courage for you to try to take pictures of a maniac determined to flatten you with his car. Not that it was your smartest moment,” he added. “He could have killed you.”

  Honesty forced her to agree. “I wasn’t thinking. If I’d seen someone else do the same thing, I would have been horrified.” Glancing around at the nearly full waiting room, she grimaced. “We’re going to be here most of day. You know that, don’t you?”

  Smiling, he said, “I’ve got nothing but time. Now that we’ve got that cleared up, I’ll see if I can find us a seat while you check in with triage.”

  Resigned, she headed for triage, where she presented her ID and insurance paperwork. As the nurse took down the information about her injuries, Lily had to admit that Tony was right to insist that she stay until she saw a doctor. Her head was throbbing, and over the course of the last half hour, her knee had stiffened up considerably.

  “Okay,” the nurse said, finishing the report. “Find a seat, and the doctor will be with you shortly.”

  When she found Tony and eased into the chair beside him, she repeated what the nurse had said, then warned, “You know what shortly means, don’t you? Hours! You don’t have to stay. I’ll be fine. I’ll take a cab home.”

  She might as well have saved her breath. Stretching his legs out, he crossed his feet at the ankle and said, “Did I ever tell you about the time my cousin and I were at my grandmother’s house in Virginia and I fell out of the hayloft into the pigsty?”