“You don’t know shit,” Sam snapped. “Get out before I call security and have them throw you out.” He’d do it himself, but he was in too much pain at the moment. Besides, if he laid his hands on the guy, he just might kill him for upsetting Elizabeth when she’d finally managed to wake up.
Dickweed opened the door and found the security guard blocking his path. Sam called out, “Make sure he leaves and doesn’t come back.” The guard nodded and swept his hand out in the direction of the elevator, indicating Dickweed should precede him out.
The door swooshed closed and Sam turned back to Elizabeth overwhelmed with relief.
“Blue. Your eyes are blue. I’ve wondered about that, you know. Are you still awake?”
She managed to turn her head, open her eyes a slit, and look at him. Talking was too much work.
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you okay?” He sat down in the chair and raised her hand to his cheek, holding it there, overwhelmed with happiness. Seeing her eyes open was too much for him.
“Hurrrrt.”
“Do you want me to get the doctor? He can give you some more meds.”
She pressed once on his cheek. She couldn’t talk anymore. Her eyes drooped closed, even though she wanted to look at him. Handsome, that voice of his made her feel warm all over.
“Come on, sweetheart. Stay with me for a few minutes more. I’ll get the Doc to give you some more meds in a minute.”
One move. “That’s it. It’s probably too hard to stay awake for too long. Let’s get right to it then. He’s not your fiancé. Who is he?”
She couldn’t open her eyes, but she wanted him to know Jarred shouldn’t be there. “Restraining order,” she sighed out.
“You have a restraining order against him. He’s an ex-boyfriend.”
Two moves. “No restraining order? But you said you had one against him.”
One move. “Yes to the restraining order, no to the ex-boyfriend. He wasn’t a boyfriend. Someone you dated or just knew?”
One move. You’re getting it, Sam. Hurry up. The black is coming back.
“Yes. Okay. I’ll look into the restraining order and find out what’s going on. I’ll ask your Dad about it.”
Two moves. “Don’t ask your Dad?” Two moves. “You don’t want him to know about Jarred coming here.” One move. “You don’t want them to worry.” One move. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll ask . . .”
“Kay,” she cut him off.
“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll talk to Kay and get the details. Are you okay?” She’d gone still again. A fine sheen of sweat broke out over her skin. Opening her eyes and talking had taken every ounce of energy she had.
Two moves. “What can I do for you? Do you want me to call your parents and have them come down to sit with you?”
Two moves. You stay Sam. Talk to me some more.
Elizabeth pressed her palm to his face, and he leaned into her hand. “Okay, sweetheart. You go to sleep, and I’ll stay with you. I pressed the button for the nurse. She’ll be here in a second, and I’ll get you some more meds.” He shifted in the seat and moved her hand back to the bed while he held it by linking fingers with hers. He took the painkillers out of his pocket and opened the bottle. She must have heard it because she squeezed his hand. “Just popping a couple of pain pills. My back is killing me.”
Why did his back hurt? She didn’t think she’d hurt his back getting him under the car. She kept squeezing his hand trying to get him to tell her what was wrong.
“It’s okay. My back muscles are going into spasms because of the gunshots.”
Her eyes flew open, and she squeezed his hand harder.
He stood and bent over her. “It’s okay. I wore a bulletproof vest. It saved me, but I have a couple of cracked ribs and nasty bruises. The muscles in my back hurt like hell, especially when they tighten up on me. They’ll be fine in a few days.”
She squeezed his hand once. The darkness crept in, but she was thankful it wasn’t all-encompassing like it had been before. Maybe being awake for a little while had helped to keep her from sinking so deeply into the black ooze.
He leaned over her, his face close to hers. “It’s nice to know you care.” He kissed her softly on the lips. She rocked him to the soles of his feet by that brief contact. He wasn’t about to let her know she’d sent a bolt of lightning through his system. So beautiful, and she came from a really influential and rich family. Way out of his league.
He was well off, thanks to Jenna’s generosity, more than capable of supporting a wife and family. But Elizabeth had grown up in a world he didn’t understand. He’d been raised on a ranch and worked in a profession women ended up hating. He felt the loss of a relationship he’d never even had with her. He settled back into his chair and held her hand while she went back to sleep.
Wow! She wished she could wake up enough to get him to do that again. Who knew such a simple touching of lips could send warm waves through her system and make her feel as if the sun was shining on her. She hoped Sam Turner, FBI agent, stuck around. Maybe Kay had been right. She needed a new man in her life, and a cop just might be the perfect choice. Well, an FBI agent anyway.
Chapter Fourteen
* * *
Thursday, 6:30 P.M.
SAM STAYED WITH Elizabeth until after shift change that morning. She slept, and he thought about everything that happened with Dickweed and the restraining order. He thought about how great it was she’d finally woken up. His thoughts always circled back to two things: he’d said something about marrying her and he’d kissed her. Just an innocent peck on the mouth, but it stirred something primal in him. The longer he sat watching her sleep, the more he thought about her and how she’d gotten under his skin. If he wasn’t careful, she’d work her way right into his heart, and he didn’t know what that would do to him when she woke up completely and remembered what happened to her, thanks to him. She’d want to get as far away from him as possible, as soon as possible.
He scared his family half to death when he walked through the front door that morning to find them all having breakfast at the dining room table. They all thought he was asleep in his room. The smile on his face when he got home startled them. He told them about his night with Elizabeth, leaving out the kiss and marriage business. They’d read too much into it, and he already knew a relationship between him and Elizabeth was a dream without a chance of ever becoming a reality.
His job was slowly turning into a burden where it had once provided him with a sense of pride and accomplishment. His personal life was suffering. If he was honest, he was suffering and needed to find some kind of balance in his life. The shooting had opened his eyes to everything lacking in his life.
Get a life, Sam.
Jenna’s voice echoed through his memory. Getting older, the years passing by barely noticed. If he didn’t watch out, he’d be too old to play ball with the kids he really wanted. Time to refocus, find a wife and have some babies, a real life. Jack made it look so easy, and Jenna was such a great mother and wife. He wanted those things for himself more than anything.
Since he hadn’t slept the night before, he went to sleep after breakfast with his family. Two little giggles from beside the bed woke him. Turning to his side, he peered over the edge of the bed and into the big blue eyes of his nephews, Sam, named for him, and Matt. So cute. Their little blonde heads peaked above the mattress as both of them stared at him.
“What are you two doing in here?” He scrunched up his face in a silly way and they laughed.
“Mommy says, eat,” they said in unison.
“Eat, huh. Dinner time?” Both little heads bobbed up and down. “Okay, cowboys, I’ll be right there.” They didn’t move from the side of the bed. Both looked like they had something on their minds. “What’s the matter?”
Sam looked at Matt and Matt looked at Sam. Apparently, Sam was elected speaker in their silent exchange. “You don’t look like Daddy anymore.”
“I don’t, huh. You want me to look like D
addy again?”
Both heads bobbed up and down. “You look scary,” Matt said, biting his lower lip, his eyes filled with worry.
Well, that hurt. He scared his own nephews. He needed a haircut and a shave, but he didn’t think he looked that bad. Maybe the bruises and cuts on his face scared them. “Are you guys afraid of the cuts and bruises? They’ll go away soon.”
Both heads shook side to side. “What’s the matter?”
“You look mean, like a lion,” Sam said into the mattress.
“You look like a bad guy,” Matt chimed in, not to be outdone by his brother.
Sam sighed. “You know Uncle Sam loves you, right?” Both heads bobbed up and down. “I don’t want you guys to be afraid of me. We like to play, right?” Little heads bobbed. “Crawl up here, munchkins. Uncle Sam wants a hug.” Both little boys climbed up onto the bed, and did exactly what Sam expected, but knew would hurt like hell. They jumped on top of him. His back screamed out in protest, his ribs burned and throbbed, clenching his jaw against the pain, he held his nephews tight. He gave them each a tickle and rubbed his scruffy beard against their bellies. They laughed uncontrollably and crawled all over him. They certainly weren’t afraid any longer.
“Okay, you guys are killing me. Go get Aunt Summer and tell her to bring her scissors. I’ll look like Daddy in a few minutes.”
Both boys sent up a cheer and ran from the room. Sam rolled slowly out of bed to his feet, painfully, and headed for the bathroom rubbing at the muscles in his back, his other arm pressed against his aching ribs. He’d shave while he waited for Summer to come and do her thing with his hair. She’d threatened him at the hospital. He had no choice now. They were so cute wanting him to look like Jack again. He wondered if they understood not everyone had an identical twin. They weren’t even two yet, but they were smart.
He’d just finished trimming his beard down and shaving half his face when Summer entered the bathroom. Turning from the mirror, he rubbed his hand over her rounded belly. Baby number three gave him a kick and he smiled.
“Who put the boys up to saying I was scary looking?”
Summer did her best impression of looking confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“Yeah, right. I’ll be done in a second, and you can chop off the hair. Apparently, I don’t look like Jack and that disturbs the boys.”
“It disturbs me too when you look like a member of the Hell’s Angels. You seem better. Did you sleep?”
“I did. Thankfully.”
“You’re happy she woke up and spoke to you.”
Sam rinsed off his now clean-shaven face and talked to Summer in the mirror. “I can’t tell you what a relief it is she woke up. The doctors thought she should have been up two days ago. I’ve been holding my breath since this happened, but when she didn’t wake up when they expected, I almost lost it. I don’t know what I would have done had she died. She saved my life. I couldn’t live with myself if she lost hers because of what she did for me.”
Summer hugged him from behind and talked to him in the mirror. “I’m glad she’s doing better. You know I couldn’t live without you, and neither could anyone else in this family. We love you, Sam. We’re happy you’re feeling better.”
“Thanks. Okay, make me look like Jack before the munchkin men start calling me Simba.”
“What?”
“They said I look like a lion. They don’t like the long hair and beard.”
“I don’t like it either. You’re so handsome, even when you look like a criminal.”
“Great. I wonder if Elizabeth believed I’m an FBI agent, or some thug hanging out in her room.”
Summer didn’t say anything. She cut Sam’s hair to match her brother Jack’s. She would have to talk to Jenna about Sam’s inadvertent admission that he cared whether Elizabeth saw him as a respectable FBI agent or a thug. She didn’t think Sam realized what he’d revealed with that simple statement about his appearance. Summer found it very enlightening. Sam had a crush on Elizabeth, and maybe something more. Summer hoped it turned into a lot more. Sam deserved some happiness. Now that Elizabeth had woken up, he was finally starting to get back to being the fun, loving, happy guy they all knew and loved.
Chapter Fifteen
* * *
Friday, 8:09 A.M.
SAM SAT IN his cubicle reading through the Silver Fox files. He glanced up when Tyler stopped beside him.
“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on leave. You look like a new man. Haircut, clean face, not sitting home brooding about what happened. You must be feeling better.”
“My nephews thought I looked more like a bad guy than a good guy. I’m here for my meeting with Vernet about the internal investigation into the shooting.”
“Doesn’t that guy hate you and have it out for you? I heard he reviews all of your cases, hoping to bring you up on charges and get you fired.”
“I don’t know about every case, but he does watch my every move. You make a guy look like an idiot in front of his boss one time and he never lets you live it down. Can I help it if the guy can’t take a joke?”
“I heard his boss didn’t think it was a joke, and Vernet had to attend some class on ethics.”
“Let’s hope he learned something, because he’s about to get his wish to have me fired granted, if he can prove I shot Elizabeth knowing she tried to help me. I don’t know how she remembers the events, but I remember them quite clearly now. I might be up shit creek without a paddle if her memory and mine don’t match. Vernet is looking for any excuse to go all the way and flush my career down the toilet.”
“I didn’t want to say anything, because the investigation is supposed to be ongoing and confidential, but I spoke with Vernet yesterday about my part of the operation. He’s on a witch-hunt and you’re the one he wants to tie to a stake. He’s trying to make it seem like we didn’t have proper backup at the bar, and perhaps you knew the Silver Fox was going to show up instead of Scott. He thinks you were hot-dogging again.”
“I don’t hot-dog anything. I’d be dead if I went off half-cocked all the time.”
“Just be prepared when you go in and tell him what happened outside Elizabeth’s place. Davies is backing us up on what happened at the bar. As for the shooting, you and I both know you were incapacitated by the drug you were given. You would have never fired your weapon unless you thought you were in mortal danger. You didn’t even draw the gun yourself. She had it and appeared to be a threat. Besides, you nicked her in the arm. It’s not like you killed her.”
“Thanks, I feel so much better about shooting an innocent woman.” Sam held up his hand to stop Tyler from protesting further. “I know what happened, and Vernet can’t change the facts. Even if he wants to say I shot her on purpose, the fact I was drugged and unable to think clearly and rationally is in my favor. I’m not worried about him, it’s such a pain in my ass to jump through all these hoops.”
“Give him the facts. Be the man of few words you are. Make him work for it.”
“That’s what I intend to do. On another subject, have you looked through some of these cases? Since I’m on leave, you’ve been stuck with all my pending files. The most pressing one is the missing person I got the day before all this happened.” He rifled through the files on the desk and came up with the one he wanted. “Here it is. Dianne Wales. She’s seventeen. Went missing about two weeks ago. No one has seen or heard from her. No troubles at home, suggesting she ran away, no witness has come forward or ransom demanded to suggest an abduction. She disappeared after school one day. The police are doing a good job of putting the word out and distributing her picture.” He handed the photo of Dianne over to Tyler.
Tyler scanned the high school graduation photo of a young blonde. Short hair, blue eyes, an all-American girl. The girl next door. She wore the standard black cap and gown, along with a pearl necklace with a gold charm. He looked more closely at the pendant, a rose in full bloom. The message from Morgan hi
t him all at once. He remembered the news reports, years ago, about the death of Princess Diana of Wales. They called her “England’s Rose,” or something like that. Dianne Wales was the Rose Princess from Morgan’s message.
“She’s the Rose Princess.”
“Excuse me? The what?”
“Remember I told you about the message Morgan left for me about you and Elizabeth. She also left a message about another case. I think it’s this one. She told me the Rose Princess is under the grand oak, and I need to find the King of Hearts.”
Sam’s eyes held a skeptical gleam.
“See here, in the picture. She’s wearing a rose. Her name is Dianne Wales. Princess Diana of Wales was known as ‘England’s Rose.’ Don’t ask me how I remember that. I recall seeing all the coverage of the princess’s funeral. That’s a pretty good tie-in to the message and the young girl who’s missing. Dianne resembles Princess Diana in some ways. It could work.”
“Okay, let’s say she is the Rose Princess. Who’s the King of Hearts?” Sam asked, surprising Tyler with his easy acceptance of Morgan’s message.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to go through the file. I’ll head over to the police station and talk to the detective in charge. Maybe I can come up with some viable suspects for the King of Hearts from their people of interest.”
“Let me know what you discover, or if you want to bounce ideas off me. I can’t be an active part in the investigation until I’m cleared, but I’ll go nuts sitting around doing nothing.”
“Why don’t you head to Colorado and hang with your family for a few weeks?”
“Not until I know for sure Elizabeth is all right, and we have some kind of closure with the Silver Fox. He’s still a threat to her, until we can figure out whether or not she remembers what he looks like.”
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