Dawn Stewardson

by Five Is Enough

  They both went down. Sully heard the gun clatter onto the floor and yelled for someone to get it. The shooter was halfway to his feet, so Sully grabbed his leg and yanked him off-balance. The shooter hit the floor again—Sully on top of him now, his hands around the guy’s throat.

  “Okay,” he snapped, breathing hard. “Make another move and I swear I’ll break your goddamn neck. You understand?”

  “Yeah,” the man whispered hoarsely.

  “Good. Somebody call the cops!” he said loudly, still not taking his eyes off the man he had pinned. Then, his thumbs firmly lodged against the guy’s windpipe, he glanced up to see who’d gotten the gun.

  Lauren had it. She was standing pointing it at them, a stricken look on her face and her hand shaking so badly he hoped the gun didn’t have a hair trigger.

  “Way to go,” he said quietly. “But it’s okay now, so why don’t you check on your brother.”

  THE POLICE had arrived following the shooting…immediately ordering everyone to refrain from talking to other witnesses until they’d given an official statement. That meant Lauren hadn’t had a chance to say a word to Sully or anyone else.

  But at least she’d been told that Elliot would be all right. The ambulance had gotten there shortly after the police, and the paramedics had said none of the bullets had hit him, but that he’d smashed his head when he dove to the floor. And that had resulted—hopefully—in just a minor concussion. At an rate, while Ursula had gone to the hospital with him, the police had asked the other family members to remain at the gallery for questioning—along with the rest of the witnesses. Thankfully, no one else had been injured.

  At that stage, between the guests who’d arrived before the shooting and the swarm of uniformed police officers and detectives, the gallery had been fairly full. As witnesses had been questioned and left, though, the numbers had dwindled.

  Now, Lauren saw, glancing around while her detective made a few final notes in his book, the only other people still being questioned were Sully and her parents. The hero of the piece and the family of the victim were obviously of more interest to the police than anyone else.

  The sole other remaining civilians in the gallery were Marisa—who was standing alone by the bar looking shell-shocked—and the gallery’s owner. He was in his office on the phone.

  “I think that’s everything,” the detective interviewing Lauren said at last. “Thank you for your time.”

  She nodded, then looked over at Sully again, hoping he was almost done. She desperately needed to wrap her arms around him and assure herself he really was all right. That was the only thing she thought might stop the shaking inside.

  He was still deep in conversation with one of the other detectives, though, so she headed over to her sister and gave her a hard hug.

  “Some exhibit opening,” Marisa said ruefully.

  Lauren managed what she hoped looked like a smile. “Well, it’s certainly not one anybody’s going to forget soon. Especially not Elliot. Has Ursula called from the hospital?”

  Marisa nodded. “She said they’ll probably release him tonight.”

  The news sent a rush of relief through Lauren. Even though the paramedics had sounded sure of themselves, she’d been afraid that the concussion wasn’t just a minor one. Or that they’d missed something. “We were all so lucky,” she murmured.

  “Thanks to your friend.” Marisa glanced in Sully’s direction, then back at Lauren. “I’d just spotted you with him before the chaos erupted. Who is he?”

  “His name’s Jack Sullivan.”

  “Well his looks are to die for. Where on earth did you meet him?”

  “Ahh…he just walked into my office a week or two ago.”

  “Really?” Marisa glanced over at him again. “But who is he? I mean, aside from being a total hunk. And where on earth did he learn to fight?”

  Lauren reminded herself Marisa was the most liberal one in the family and said, “I suppose he either learned it growing up on the streets of the Bronx or in prison.”

  “What?”

  Taking a deep breath, she began at the beginning and raced through the entire story.

  “Well, well,” Marisa murmured when she’d finished. “And just how serious are things between the two of you?”

  “Marisa…I think I’m in love with him. No, I’m sure of it.”

  Marisa gazed at her for a few seconds, then said, “Aren’t you worried that it’s happened too fast?”

  “I’m worried about a whole lot of things, but that isn’t one of them. In fact, I doubt I’d be worried if it had happened even faster, because it feels so right.”

  “Well, I guess there’s no set schedule for falling in love,” Marisa said. “But what about Mom and Dad? They don’t have a clue about him, do they? Mom would have been on the phone to me right away if they did.”

  “No, they don’t know anything yet.”

  “And how much are you going to tell them?”

  “As little as possible for the moment. But when I introduce them Dad will recognize Sully’s name. And he knows he’s an ex-con.”

  Marisa laughed quietly. “And here he is with Daddy’s little girl. Do you think Dad can take any more tonight? On top of Elliot’s almost getting shot?”

  “I don’t know,” Lauren said, glancing past her sister, “but we’re about to find out.”

  The three remaining detectives had magically wrapped up at almost exactly the same time. And at this very moment, Sully, her father and her mother were all heading from various areas of the gallery over to where Marisa and Lauren were standing.

  She still wanted to hug Sully so badly she couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d tried, and when he reached her she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him tightly—telling herself it didn’t matter that her parents were watching.

  Her mother would have sized things up in two seconds, anyway. When it came to her daughters and men, she had better radar than the United States military.

  “Hey,” Sully murmured against her ear, “everything’s okay, isn’t it?”

  She nodded her head against the solid warmth of his chest, aware that she’d been right. The shaking inside had almost stopped. “Elliot’s going to be fine. And you were wonderful, Sully. Just wonderful.”

  He gently patted her back. “You weren’t too bad yourself, Van Slyke. You’re the one who ended up with the gun.”

  “That didn’t hold a candle to what you did, Sullivan,” she whispered as her parents closed in on them.

  “This young man is with you, Lauren?” Roger Van Slyke said, obviously surprised.

  She nodded, moving out of Sully’s embrace and noting how elated her father looked to learn Sully was her date. Unfortunately, she knew his elation wouldn’t last.

  While Marisa began filling their mother in on Elliot’s condition, their father was extending his hand to Sully, saying, “I’m Roger Van Slyke, and I don’t have words to thank you enough. You probably saved my son’s life.”

  “Jack Sullivan,” Sully said, shaking hands.

  Lauren watched her father’s expression. It didn’t change. He hadn’t picked up on the name immediately, but it was only a matter of time.

  “I’m Elliot’s mother,” Susannah Van Slyke said, “and Roger is right. We can’t thank you enough.”

  “I’m glad I was able to help.”

  Marisa cleared her throat.

  “And this,” Lauren said, taking the hint, “is my sister, Marisa. Marisa, Jack Sullivan.”

  Lauren glanced at her father again. This time, the name had clicked. She could almost see the wheels starting to turn.

  “Jack Sullivan,” he said. “Jack Sullivan. I know your name, don’t I?”

  “Yes, sir. We spoke on the phone a while back. When you called Eagles Roost, looking for Lauren.”

  Sully’s words were followed by a dead silence. A very long dead silence.

  “You run that program, then,” Susannah finally said. The brittle smile ac
companying her words meant she’d sufficiently recovered from her astonishment to force herself into charming mode. “It must be very rewarding work.”

  “Most of the time,” Sully agreed.

  “And you came here tonight with Lauren,” Roger said, clearly having difficulty getting his head around that. “You just happened to be in town or…?”

  “No,” Lauren managed to say evenly. “I invited him to come in for the exhibit opening.”

  “Oh,” Roger said, glancing at Sully again. “And did you find a hotel you’re happy with? I understand some of them leave a lot to be desired these days.”

  Lauren rolled her eyes.

  “I’m staying with a friend. I grew up in New York City, so I still know a few people here,” Sully said.

  “Oh.” Roger apparently had no more questions on the tip of his tongue, because he glanced at his wife for help.

  “Well,” she offered, “since you’re with Lauren, why doesn’t Roger take all of us out for dinner? I want to phone the hospital and talk to Elliot, but then we could go to…where do you think, Roger? Jean Georges? If you called ahead, I’m sure Franklin would ensure there’s a good table for us.”

  “Oh, Mom,” Lauren said, “that’s a really nice idea. But I’m afraid Sully and I have plans for the evening.”

  “I don’t,” Marisa jumped in quickly, before either parent had a chance to ask if Lauren and Sully couldn’t change their plans.

  Lauren shot her sister a thankful glance.

  Marisa nodded almost imperceptibly and went on, “I mean, I did have plans, but since there’s not going to be any post-opening party now, I’d love to have dinner with you and Dad.”

  “Ahh…” Susannah said. “Well, good.”

  Lauren glanced at her watch, then at her parents. “I’m afraid we’re already late, so we’d better get going. Say hi to Elliot and Ursula for me. And tell them I’ll call tomorrow.” With that, she grabbed Sully’s hand and practically ran for the door.

  “Thanks,” he said as they hit the street and he hailed a taxi. “I don’t think I’d have enjoyed dinner with your parents. They were both itching to grill me, weren’t they?”

  “Only to within an inch of your life.”

  When they’d climbed into the cab, she added, “But at least you couldn’t have met them under better circumstances.”

  “Oh, sure.” Sully grinned at her. “An art gallery that turns into a shooting gallery. Who could ask for anything more?”

  She lightly punched his arm. “All right, maybe I didn’t exactly mean circumstances. I should have said you couldn’t have made a better first impression. That you couldn’t possibly have topped saving their son’s life.”

  “Where to?” the driver demanded impatiently.

  “East Seventy-third and Madison,” she told him before glancing to Sully again. “Let’s change into something more casual, then go grab dinner, okay?”

  “As long as we don’t go to Jean Georges.”

  Lauren smiled and settled back as Sully wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  LAUREN CLOSED the apartment door behind them but didn’t turn on any lights. Instead, she reached for Sully’s hand and led him across the living room to the windows.

  Darkness hadn’t totally fallen, but the night city had come alive. Directly below them, Fifth Avenue was a string of headlights. On the far side of the street, the park stretched out, shadowy gray, lit only along some of the pathways and the few streets that wound across it.

  Beyond the park, the lights of the big old apartment buildings on Central Park West shone warmly in the distance, while toward Midtown the city exploded in brightness—from the hotels along Central Park South down to the theater district.

  Lauren glanced at Sully’s rugged profile and her heart skipped a beat. She’d always thought this view at twilight was incredibly romantic, but tonight was the first time she’d shared it with a man she loved.

  They stood silently gazing out for a few more moments, then Sully draped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She rested her head against his shoulder and breathed in that combination of the outdoors and his own scent.

  Finally, she shifted, trying to see his expression. When she could, he took her face in his hands, kissing her the way she’d been dreaming about since the very first time.

  “Thank you for everything you did tonight, Sully,” she murmured at last.

  “Shh. Can’t you see I’m trying to kiss you?”

  That made her smile. “I mean it. If it weren’t for you—”

  He cut her off with another kiss.

  “Oh, Sully,” she murmured. “How am I ever going to get enough of you?”

  He exhaled slowly. Lauren’s words had so eerily voiced his own thoughts that it was downright spooky. How was he ever going to get enough of her?

  He didn’t know exactly how to express the way he felt, but he knew that Lauren was meant for him. She had to be, because no other woman had ever made him feel the way she did.

  Even so, he couldn’t help wondering if he could ever possibly make her his.

  SULLY WAS STILL AWAKE when Sunday morning came creeping into the living room, and it wasn’t just because his buddy’s sofa was uncomfortable.

  He’d spent the entire night thinking about his last few hours with Lauren. Eventually, instead of going out for dinner, they’d decided to order in. Then they’d watched a terrible late-night comedy that had seemed hilarious because he was watching it with her in his arms.

  It had been a perfect end to the evening and he’d only been able to tear himself away by thinking he’d be seeing her for breakfast this morning.

  Of course, after that… Well, it wouldn’t be long after breakfast before he’d have to get going. Oh, maybe he could hang around for a few more hours, but eventually he’d be heading back to Eagles Roost. Without Lauren. Which just might be the most unappealing prospect he’d faced in years.

  He got up and dressed quickly, not wanting to wake his friend, then slipped out of the apartment and down to the street. Since he’d taken another taxi last night, leaving his van in Lauren’s parking spot, he decided to walk to her place. That way, he wouldn’t be knocking on her door too early.

  But he walked so fast he ended up circling her block a couple of times, killing another fifteen minutes. He was way too eager—he knew that—yet he didn’t have a clue how to deal with it.

  When she opened her door, he couldn’t even wait for her to say a word before he kissed her.

  “Mmm,” she murmured sleepily. “Mmm, do you think I could have a wake-up call like this every morning?”

  Didn’t he wish. “It would be an awfully long drive to make every morning,” he pointed out, glad to discover he was capable of at least basic logical thought.

  Smiling, she stepped aside to let him in and said, “But it isn’t as if you can never come to the city again.”

  “Right. Just not until after Grace and Otis are home.”

  She closed the door behind him, suddenly looking so serious that he knew there was something important on her mind.

  “What?” he said.

  Giving a little shrug, she said, “I woke up in the night worrying about Blackstone.”

  When he nodded for her to go on, she said, “Actually, I woke up because I had a nightmare about him. I think my subconscious was going over what you said yesterday—that Blackstone might come up with some other bizarre scheme to get his hands on Eagles Roost. Because in the dream, you and the boys were walking down the lodge’s driveway, looking incredibly sad. And he was standing on the porch, laughing while he watched you leave.”

  After a moment’s pause, she added, “I don’t want you to lose Eagles Roost. And I don’t want anything to happen to your program.”

  “That makes two of us.” He put his arm around her and pulled her close again.

  “No, listen to me,” she said, straightening up and looking at him once more. “I know you have a problem with the idea of taking
anything from me, but I need you to listen to what I’m going to say. And then we won’t ever talk about it again unless you want to, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said slowly.

  “Sully, if by any chance you can’t come up with funding for next year, or if something else happens with Blackstone and you’re in danger of losing the lodge, I’d be more than happy to lend you enough money to see you through.”

  “Lauren, I—”

  She pressed her fingers to his lips and shook her head. “Please, Sully? Let’s just leave it at that.”

  He looked at her for a minute, then finally nodded. Talking about it would only spoil their remaining time together. Drawing her close once more, he kissed her. But even the sweetness of her kiss didn’t entirely take his mind off what she’d said.

  He knew that if it ever came down to a choice between swallowing his pride or seeing his program destroyed, he’d swallow his pride. He just hoped that he never found himself in a position where his only option was having to ask Lauren to bail him out.

  But if he couldn’t handle the thought of that, could there be even a possibility that he and Lauren might somehow…

  He drew back a little and gazed into those beautiful blue eyes of hers, daring to let himself finish the thought. Could there be even a possibility that he and Lauren might somehow end up married? A possibility that he could handle being the poor husband of a wealthy wife? Or that she’d have the slightest interest in living at Eagles Roost, rather than in this fancy apartment?

  “Let’s get started on that breakfast I promised you,” she said, taking him by the hand and leading him toward the kitchen.

  He followed along, thinking that—if only she were as poor as a church mouse—he’d ask her to marry him right this minute.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The boys come to town

  LAUREN SAT CROSS-LEGGED on the couch, Killer purring in her lap, wishing she could magically stop time. But as much as she hated to see Sully leave, he had no choice about going, so she was doing her best not to seem depressed.