by G. K. Parks
Kendall assessed me for a moment. “Are you sure this is about Eddie Lucca?”
“Who else would it be about?”
Kendall thought for a moment. “Take care of yourself, Parker.” He nodded at Martin and walked away.
I wanted to scream, cry, and hide away from the world. And the damn hole in my leg kept me from pacing, running, and escaping the crushing weight of absolutely everything. Pushing my way off the threadbare couch in the nurse’s lounge, I grabbed the fancy crutches that hooked together behind my back that Lucien had delivered and hauled myself up. I had to get out of here. The walls were closing in.
“Sweetheart,” Martin said as I clicked back and forth across the floor, “do you want to check on Lucca?”
“No. I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I just know I can’t stay here.”
“We can go home,” Martin suggested. “You haven’t slept in nearly a week. You need to take it easy. You need to recover.”
“From the world’s worst hangover, I agree.” Everything hurt, my insides and outsides. No wonder I was so bitchy. “We have bigger problems. I’m fine.”
He looked at me sadly. “No, you’re not. We’ve been here before. And it’s a long, hard road ahead. But you’ll get there.”
“Four weeks. That’s what the doctor said.”
“I wasn’t talking about your leg.” He got up, approaching slowly, like one would a wounded animal. “I’m talking about you.”
“Let’s not talk about me.” I hated the sadness and fear in his eyes. “Are we okay? You’ve been going through so much with Mark and now me. No one’s checked in with you. You just got through that rough patch not that long ago. And now this.” I didn’t know if I had anything left to give, but I’d give whatever I had to him.
“It’s sweet of you to ask. Yes, I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” The last thing we needed was Martin’s insecurities to return while my demons were running rampant.
“You didn’t break me, sweetheart. You came home. You always will, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I’m okay then. I’m just worried about you.”
I wasn’t okay. I wasn’t even close. And at the moment, I didn’t know if I ever would be. Martin could see that, and it bothered him, which broke the few remaining intact pieces of my heart.
“You know you can’t control everything. You saved Mark and Lucca. You did your best. You just have to make peace with that,” he said.
I realized the hollow in my chest had returned. I hadn’t felt it in so long. Mistakenly, I thought I was finally free of it, but I was wrong. The pain and emptiness from recent losses was amplified by my memories and shadows of old wounds which would never fully heal. “You shouldn’t have to go through this with me again. It’s not fair to you.”
“We all hurt, Alex. And we’re all afraid sometimes. You do what you can to save everyone else. This is how I save you. I just hope you’ll let me.” He took my chin and turned my head so he could stare into my eyes. “Don’t shut me out. I know that’s how you deal with these things, but don’t do it, sweetheart. Please, I can’t lose you. That will break me.”
Tossing the crutches to the side, I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in his scent. “Why did this have to happen? Why couldn’t I stop it?”
“I don’t know. But it could have been worse. We almost lost Mark. I could have lost you. But you’re both okay. Heathcliff’s okay. Nick’s okay. That FBI tech’s okay. That’s because you saved them. You did that. Losing Cooper, Lucca getting hurt, that’s not on you.” He let go and handed me the crutches. “Let’s see how Lucca is and then call it a night. You’ve been through a lot these last few days.”
“Tell me about it.”
When we stepped out of the elevator, I spotted the woman with the honey-colored hair swept into a messy ponytail. She carried a toddler on her hip as she paced in front of Lucca’s room. I didn’t know if the pacing was from nerves or something she did to soothe her daughter. But it didn’t look particularly soothing to me.
“I can’t do this.” I took a step back. My crutches clicking on the tile.
She turned at the sound, recognition dawning on her face. And she changed course, heading directly for me. Every instinct in my body said to run, but I wouldn’t get far like this. Lucca’s request came to mind, and I wondered why he owed her an apology. Flashes of Renee Jablonsky entered my mind. Kelly better not accuse me of sleeping with her husband too.
“Alexis Parker?” she asked. She eyed me up and down, particularly the bandage on my leg.
“Uh-huh.”
She glanced at Martin, offering a tight, practiced smile. “I’m Kelly. I’m Eddie’s wife. This is Grace.”
Martin uttered his usual greeting and made a cooing noise at the little girl. The kid giggled and squirmed. Another woman, who looked eerily similar to Kelly, appeared and scooped Grace into her arms.
“Thanks, Steph.” Kelly turned back to me. “You were Eddie’s partner.”
“Yes, Mrs. Lucca.”
She chuckled. “You’re the crazy woman with a death wish that my husband could never shut up about. I never heard him speak so highly of anyone before or since.”
“Are we talking about the same Eddie Lucca? The Lucca I know can’t stand me.”
She laughed, as if I were making a joke. And then she hugged me. “Thank you.”
I pulled back, nearly toppling over in the process. “Mrs. Lucca, this is my fault. I shouldn’t have called him. I shouldn’t have involved him. If I hadn’t…I’m sorry,” I rambled, the words pouring out. “How is he?”
“The doctors say he’ll be right as rain in a few months. He should be out of the hospital in a matter of days. At least he’ll get some time off or actually stay behind that desk, like he said he would.”
I didn’t say anything.
“You kept him safe. All this time. When we were here, you kept him safe. You made sure he came home to me every night. And you brought him back to me now too.” She dabbed at her eyes.
“It’s my fault. I put him in that position.”
She shook her head. “He would have come anyway. He loves Agent Jablonsky and you. I was mad at him for leaving. We had a fight. It was stupid. So stupid. He loves this. How can I fault him for that?”
“He loves you. All he ever talks about is you and your daughter, even when I tried very hard to keep him from sharing personal details, he still brought you up all the time. He wanted to make sure I told you that. And that he was sorry. I told him he better tell you himself.”
“And you made sure he did.” She squeezed my hand, which would have been trembling had I not been gripping the crutches. “He might be awake. Do you want to see him?”
“I don’t want to impose.”
“He wants to see you.” She wiped her eyes. “Please, it’d mean so much to him.”
Slowly, I followed her back to Lucca’s room and poked my head inside. He opened his eyes, probably from the racket I was making. “What happened to you?” he asked.
“Steele shot me.”
“You just didn’t want me to get all the attention.” He gestured to the flowers and fruit baskets around the room. “Which one’s from you?”
“Shut up.” I moved closer, awkwardly dropping into a chair while making a mental note to send a get well gift to his room as soon as we left the hospital. “You saved my life, Eddie. How can I repay you?”
“Gift basket.”
“Besides that.”
He shook his head. “You came back for me. We’re even.”
* * *
A few weeks later, someone knocked on my office door. I looked up at the Cross Security receptionist. “Ms. Parker, there’s an FBI agent here to see you.”
“Send him in,” I said, expecting to see Mark.
Lucca stepped into the doorway. “What happened to your crutches?”
“Lucca?” I got up from behind the desk and hugged him.
&nb
sp; “Ouch.” He winced, rubbing his abdomen. “Do you want to kill me? I got stabbed and lost a chunk of my liver, remember?”
“Sorry.” I stepped back with my palms raised.
He shrugged, a devious twinkle in his eyes. “I guess it’s only fitting. You only hug me when I get transferred. The last time was when I got transferred to D.C.”
“Where are you going this time?” I asked.
“Back to the OIO. Apparently, a former agent told the director off and got him thinking. Pair that with recent events and Jablonsky’s recommendation, and D.C. finally listened.”
“So you’re back?”
“I’m back.” He grinned. “Kelly’s happy. She likes living here. She has more friends. We got Grace back into her old play groups. Though, at that age, I doubt they remember who their friends are.”
“Who knows?”
He gave me a funny look. “You don’t look happy about this.”
“Did you come to offer me a reinstatement?” I asked.
“No.” He glanced pointedly at the furniture in my office. “Why would you want that?”
“I don’t.” I sighed. I just didn’t like having him this close. “What if someone else comes out of the woodwork, someone just as crazy as Steele or worse?”
“We’ll take care of it,” Lucca said. “I won’t live my life in fear.” He noted the dark circles beneath my eyes. “You shouldn’t either.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Well, I’ll be around if you need me.”
“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”
He headed for the door, and I went back to my desk. But he knocked against the jamb. “Hey, Parker, you saved my life. You came back for me. You didn’t have to do that. Steele wanted you dead. That stunt you pulled was suicide. Not a lot of people would do that. You really must be crazy.”
“I owed you. I still do.”
He tapped on the door. “Take it easy. I’ll see you around.”
After he left, I stared into the empty hallway. I still had a lot of mistakes to make up for. I just hoped Eddie Lucca’s transfer back to the city wouldn’t be one of them.
Note from the Author:
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book. I hope you enjoyed Alex’s latest case as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have a few extra minutes, please consider leaving a review. They are always appreciated.
* * *
Don’t miss the next novel in the Alexis Parker series.
Pre-order Warning Signs (Alexis Parker #19) now:
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Want more tough, feisty, female detective stories? If you love Alexis Parker, I bet you’ll also love getting to know Detective Liv DeMarco and her partner Brad Fennel. Check out Dangerous Stakes, now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, print, and audio.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
G.K. Parks is the author of the Alexis Parker series. The first novel, Likely Suspects, tells the story of Alexis’ first foray into the private sector.
G.K. Parks received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. After spending some time in law school, G.K. changed paths and earned a Master of Arts in Criminology/Criminal Justice. Now all that education is being put to use creating a fictional world based upon years of study and research.
You can find additional information on G.K. Parks and the Alexis Parker series by visiting our website at
www.alexisparkerseries.com
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Full-length Novels in the Alexis Parker Series:
Likely Suspects
The Warhol Incident
Mimicry of Banshees
Suspicion of Murder
Racing Through Darkness
Camels and Corpses
Lack of Jurisdiction
Dying for a Fix
Intended Target
Muffled Echoes
Crisis of Conscience
Misplaced Trust
Whitewashed Lies
On Tilt
Purview of Flashbulbs
The Long Game
Burning Embers
Thick Fog
Warning Signs
Prequel Alexis Parker Novellas:
Outcomes and Perspective: The Complete Prequel Series
Assignment Zero (Prequel series, #1)
Agent Prerogative (Prequel series, #2)
The Final Chapter (Prequel series, #3)
Julian Mercer Novels
Condemned
Betrayal
Subversion
Reparation
Retaliation
Liv DeMarco Novels
Dangerous Stakes
Operation Stakeout
Unforeseen Danger
Deadly Dealings
