“What kind of problem?”
He shrugged. “Just some technicality, but it has to be reviewed. Anyway, I have a meeting this afternoon, then I thought I’d grab a couple of steaks and we could fire up your grill.”
Olivia nodded. “Sounds great. I have some errands myself, so I’ll meet you back here later. Why don’t you stop by your place and pick up some clean clothes so you can stay the night?”
“Sounds like a plan. I had hoped you weren’t so sick of my company you’d send me packing.”
She cupped his cheek in her hand. “Never going to happen. I love you, Noah. This is all very new to me, and you’ll need to give me some adjustment time, but I can do the commitment thing.”
It was true, he could see it in her eyes, the way they searched his, asking him to trust her, to believe in her. He leaned down and kissed her, a gentle press of his lips against her. “I know, kitten. I’ll give you all the time you need.” He straightened and shook his finger at her. “But no more leaving your cell phone behind. I was sick with worry when you didn’t answer. Don’t take the Sentinel lightly, love. The threat is very real.
* * * *
Olivia’s main errand of the day was lunch at Tujague’s with Allie. She dressed casually in a lavender tank top with spaghetti straps, and her favorite low-rise, stretch jeans from Victoria’s Secret. Noah could keep his designer clothes, she was a VS girl all the way. Always punctual to a fault, Allie was waiting for her when she arrived.
“Well, hello stranger. Long time no see.” Allie cocked an eyebrow. “What’s different? You’re different.”
Olivia laughed and took a seat across from her friend. “Well,” she said, drawing the word out. “I did just get back from Paris yesterday.”
Allie’s jaw dropped. “He took you to Paris? Just like that?”
“Just like that.” Olivia sighed. “Oh, Al, it was wonderful. I’ve been there a few times, but never in love.”
“Oh my God. Ohmygod! The indomitable Olivia Sheppard is in love?”
“Truly, deeply, madly.” She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. “He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
Olivia couldn’t remember the last time she’d left her friend speechless. Allie always had something to say about everything. She picked up the glass of sweet tea Allie had ordered and took a drink, waiting.
“Well?”
“I’m flabbergasted,” Allie admitted. “I’d always hoped you’d find someone, but I never really imagined you . . . married. When?”
Olivia snorted. “We haven’t discussed a date. I can barely wrap my mind around it either, so Noah’s giving me some time to get used to the idea.”
Allie frowned, suspicious. “I don’t see no stinking ring on your finger.”
“That’s because I don’t have no stinking ring, yet,” she said, doing her best diva sway. “He just popped the question while we were at the Paris club and I said yes. He wants me to move in with him, but I’m not sure I’m ready to do that just yet.”
She leaned forward, studying Allie. “Looks like I’m not the only one with a secret. Come on, give it up. Ian, right?”
Allie rolled her eyes. “God, I hate that you can read me like a book.”
Tears welled in Olivia’s eyes. “Oh, honey, you’re in love, too.”
“Truly, deeply, madly.”
The two friends were working themselves up for a real sob-fest when their Cajun waiter arrived with their gumbo and crusty French bread.
“Now, why for are my two favorite girls crying. Some man break your hearts? I’ll take care of the bastard, you say so.”
They fanned their faces at the same time.
“Nope,” Olivia said with a smile. “Just two girls who realized they’re in love.”
The waiter laughed. “Ah, I see. How ’bout I bring you a glass of wine to celebrate?”
Allie shook her head. “I’m on duty, Etienne, and she’s driving.”
“Well, you got to celebrate. I bring you some bread pudding, on the house.”
Both women grinned. “Yeah!”
Olivia propped her elbows on the table. “So give. It was hot?”
Allie fanned her face. “Girl, it was positively volcanic. If Noah’s anything like his brother, may I just say congratulations.”
* * * *
Full of gumbo and bread pudding, the two friends stepped out onto Decatur Street still happily discussing the turn their lives had taken. The sound of bass speakers thumped loud from a nearby corner. They walked toward Olivia’s parking spot, the wild thumping increased, rattling the shop windows. They looked up when a car with dark-tented windows roared down the street, brakes protesting when it screeched to a stop next to them. A masked man leaned out of the passenger window gripping a Micro UZI.
“Down!” Allie shouted, shoving Olivia out of the way.
“’S up, bitch,” the gunman growled and unleashed a hail of automatic gunfire.
Olivia heard Allie grunt in pain, saw her spin around, and look at her, wide-eyed. The car sped away, music thumping loudly in her ears. Allie lay sprawled on top of her, covered in blood.
“Allie!” Olivia sobbed, then screamed at the onlookers. “Someone call 911! Tell them there’s an officer down!” When no one responded, she screamed. “Move! Call 911.”
Sobbing, Olivia rolled Allie over and yanked her shirt up. “Oh, Jesus, Allie! Oh, God! Nooo! Oh, nooo!”
Etienne rushed out of the restaurant, arms full of towels. A pool of blood was spreading out from beneath her friend. Sirens shrieked in the distance.
“Hang on, baby. Help’s on the way!” She pressed clean towels to the two exit wounds to staunch the flow of blood. She looked around helplessly. “Did anyone get a license plate?”
No one answered, and she looked on in horror while witnesses began to fade away. What the hell had happened to her city that no one was willing to help?
Chapter Eleven
“I’m not leaving her, you bastard!” Olivia shrieked at the paramedic who thought to deny her access to the ambulance. Logically, she knew she’d only be in the way, but Allie was her anchor, her rock—the only family she had left—and she’d just be damned if she’d leave her side on the ride to the trauma center.
A gentle hand grasped her shoulder, and she swung around, prepared to fight anyone who dared try and stop her.
“Gator!” she cried, throwing herself into Allie’s partner’s arms.
Alvin “Gator Bait” Meaux had been Allie’s partner for the past five years, and they were as close as any brother and sister. No one could understand what Olivia was going through more than Gator.
“Come ride with me, cher,” he said, urging her toward his unmarked car. “We’ll follow them. Right on their bumper, little girl.” Olivia put up a mild struggle, looking back over her shoulder while Allie was loaded into the ambulance. “There’s no room in the bus, Livie. Come on now. Come with me.”
She sobbed. “But what if—”
“No,” he said, giving her a shake. “She’s strong. She’ll make it, and she’ll wanna see you the minute she wakes up.”
She gave up with a sob and slid into the car beside him. They pulled out, racing up the road behind the ambulance.
“What happened?” Gator asked, his expression grim.
“Drive by,” Olivia said, forcing herself to be calm. “Black Chrysler 300. Micro UZI. Possibly gang related. The shooter said ‘S up, bitch,’ and sprayed the area. Nine mil Parabellum rounds. Sixteen rounds a second. Jesus, oh, sweet baby Jesus, she . . . she . . .” Her voice broke. “She jumped in front of me, shoved me down. Oh, God, Gator, she saved my life and now . . .”
“Nuh-uh, little girl,” he scolded gently. “Don’t go writin’ my partner’s obituary yet. She’s tough as nails. You gotta hold on to that, Livie.”
Olivia nodded numbly, praying silently that her friend would survive the trip to the hospital.
* * * *
Olivia and Gator cursed fluentl
y when they screeched to a stop at the emergency entrance. A news van stood by, cameras ready. The reporter was the one Olivia had tossed out of Flirt.
“Detective Meaux,” Janine Casey shouted. “Who’s the injured officer? Is it Detective St. Claire? What’s Ms. Sheppard doing here?”
The reporter followed close on their heels while they made their way to the entrance. “Why are you here, Ms. Sheppard? Are you a witness to the shooting?”
Janine Casey’s eyes glinted avariciously when the ambulance doors opened and the gurney holding Allie St. Claire was lowered to the ground. “Get a shot of her,” the reporter shouted to her cameraman.
Olivia swung around and shoved the reporter into her coworker. “You fucking bitch!” she screamed at the petite blonde. She pointed her finger at the cameraman. “Take a picture of her, and I swear I’ll shove that camera up your ass, you fucking vulture!”
Janine Casey righted herself. “You all saw that! You saw her assault me!” She glared at Olivia. “Freedom of the press, Ms. Sheppard! First Amendment rights!”
The reporter backed up when Olivia stalked toward her. “Go pedal your misery elsewhere, Ms. Casey. And if you think the little shove I just gave you was assault, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Stay away from my friend or I will kick your ass.”
Having spoken her piece, Olivia hurried back to the emergency entrance. The two officers barring the press from entering the hospital high-fived her when she passed through the sliding doors to begin her agonizing wait.
She couldn’t begin to guess how many miles she’d paced across the tiled emergency waiting room, only half-noticing her ruined clothes or the bloody track she left on the tile floor. Her lavender top, stiff with Allie’s blood and stuck to her body, drew the lurid attention of reporters waiting just outside the glass doors.
The press clamored with excitement and she looked up, sobbing when Noah and Ian dashed through the doors.
“Olivia!”
Olivia threw herself in his arms sobbing. “Oh, Noah! She’s hurt so badly. They just cut her down in the street like a dog.” She shivered in the strong arms held her so tightly.
“I know, love, I know.” He rocked her. “You are unharmed?”
“Physically, yes, but if doesn’t make it—”
“No,” Ian cut in. “She will not die. I won’t allow it.”
Olivia gave him a pained look. “She told me, Ian. She said she loves you.”
Ian nodded. “It was unexpected, having this feeling again.” He looked away. “I don’t know if I can survive this again.”
Olivia held out her hand, and he took it. “She’ll make it.” Her voice was firm, steady now, with Noah’s arms around her. “She will, because she has to. Anything less is unacceptable.”
Olivia turned when her name was called. ”Is the family of Ms. St. Claire here?” a harried ER doc called loudly.
“Yes! I mean, she doesn’t have any family. We’re her family. I’m her in case of emergency person.” She hurried to him. “I’m Olivia Sheppard. How is she?”
The doctor sighed wearily and gestured toward the hall. All three followed.
“I’m Doctor Littman, Ms. Sheppard.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Your friend is in surgery. We got her stabilized a few minutes ago, and they should be putting her under now.”
Dr. Littman opened the door to a small waiting area and gestured them inside. “Please, sit. The nurses said you’ve been pacing nonstop since you got here.” Olivia sat so he would continue. “She has two bullet wounds. The one went into her side and lacerated her liver. Fortunately, a section of liver is easily removed without too many problems.
“The second wound is the most serious. The bullet entered through her back and exited through the chest wall. The good news is it didn’t hit any bone and ricochet around inside her chest. The bad news is she’s going to lose a lung and there was some damage to her heart.”
Olivia slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Dear God, was she going to lose Allie?
The doctor continued with his grim diagnosis. “She’s lost a lot of blood, too much, really, but she’s a fighter. Frankly, I never expected her to make it to surgery. I have to tell you, her condition is extremely grave and you should prepare yourself for the worst.”
Olivia shook her head, unable to speak.
Ian took over. “Ian Lazarus. Doctor Littman, Allie and I are engaged. Tell me, what are her chances?”
Littman looked as if he’d rather be anywhere but there. “In all honesty, sir, I’ll be surprised if she makes it through the night.” Olivia slumped back in her seat and Littman patted her hand, looking between the two of them. “Miracles happen every day. I urge you to prepare yourself but don’t give up hope.” He stood up and looked pointedly at Ian and Noah. “I’ll have an intern come down to the surgical waiting room and give you an update as the surgery progresses. I’m very sorry I couldn’t bring you better news.”
Olivia watched Ian walk to the door with the doctor. Her mind shrieked at the unfairness of it all. Allie and Ian had just found one another, and now . . . it didn’t bear thinking about. She couldn’t lose Allie, she just couldn’t. She looked up when Ian closed the door behind the doctor.
“I can save her,” he said.
“What? How?”
“Ian,” Noah began, but Olivia cut him off.
“How, Ian? Tell me how!”
“I can turn her.”
Olivia gasped. “Jesus, Ian.” Allie a vampire? Would she consent to conversion if she knew what Ian was? She looked at Noah, who was frowning at his brother. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”
Noah sat down next to her. “It’s true. If he were to turn her, she would be as alive as I am, but she would be bound to him for all eternity. This is no small thing, Olivia. She could never be truly free from Ian. A part of her would always belong to him. No matter where she went, or what she did to hide herself from him, he would eventually find her. This is why consent is such an important factor in turning someone.”
Ian knelt in front of Olivia. “You know her best, Olivia. You said she loved me, and I swear to you, I love her. Do you believe she would eventually accept what I am and consent to be turned?”
Olivia took a deep breath. He was asking her to make the decision for him, and if it turned out to be the wrong one, Allie would hate her forever. She nodded.
“Yes, Ian. I believe she would, eventually. But she’s in surgery right now. How can you do it?”
“I can put the doctors in a thrall and make them think they’ve worked miracles, that they’ve saved her. When they come out of it, she will be safe in a hospital bed and everyone will believe she is making a remarkable recovery. Do I have your permission to do it?”
Olivia looked at Noah, who shook his head. “It is your decision, Olivia. If the situation were reversed, and it was you on the operating table, I would do it without regard to the consequences. But I don’t know Allie, so I can’t predict how she would react. What ever your decision, I will support you.”
Olivia nodded, then looked at Ian. “Do it. Whatever it takes.”
The brothers exchanged a meaningful look, and Noah kissed her. “I must help him, love. We’ll be back soon. Try and get some rest.”
Olivia sighed. Right. There would be no sleep for any of them this night.
* * * *
Noah followed his brother out the door. “Go. Find her. I’ll take care of the paramedics and ER staff and meet you up there.” Ian nodded and headed down the hall toward the surgical suites while Noah turned to intercept the paramedics.
Outside, Noah placed a hand on the senior rescue worker. “Pardon me, but I believe Ms. St. Claire’s purse may be inside the ambulance.” The man turned, and Noah placed a finger on his temple. “The female officer’s wounds looked worse than they actually were. She was stabilized and is in surgery.”
“Yes,” the paramedic said. “It looked worse than it was.” He reached inside and handed Noah
Allie’s purse.
“Thank you,” Noah said. After walking away, he encountered the second man and altered his memory as well.
The nurse at the desk looked up and smiled when Noah approached. “May I help you?”
Noah smiled. “Yes, you may.” He touched her hand. “The young female officer who just went up to surgery.” He brushed his thumb across the nurse’s brow. “You will alter her medical records to indicate less severe injuries and will allow me access to the staff who treated her.”
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