by Kris Norris
“Fallon?”
Her name seemed to vibrate in the silence as he stepped further inside the room. The air was heavy and still and except for her mud caked shoes tossed over to one side, there was no indication anyone was in the house. He walked over to the small table, fingering her set of keys when something on the floor drew his attention. He knelt down and ran a single finger through the watery drop, holding it up to the light. The redness of it shimmered, making his skin look sickly in comparison. He looked up and saw more drops trailing down the floor towards her room.
“Fuck!”
Gil drew his gun, and edged his back against the wall. More than a few images of what he might find flashed through his mind, but he pushed them away, forcing himself to concentrate on his movement. Every footstep was hushed, every twitch was calculated until he was standing outside Fallon’s bedroom door, gun poised beside his face, his chest tight with fear. He toed open the door, and sweep the room with his gun, ignoring the line of blood heading to the bathroom. He darted over to the closet, clearing the room first before stalking to the bathroom. The sound of running water was suddenly loud against the silence of the room, and he only paused for a second before he kicked the door open and burst inside, his gun aimed straight ahead.
Fallon dabbed at the wound, securing the first few strips across the opening. She’d miscalculated the last section of trail and had landed on a log when her bike went in one direction and her body the other. She’d used some bandages to hold the bleeding at bay, but it’d opened up on the drive home and left a bloody trial from her front door to her bathroom.
“Damn it!” Now she was going to be even later getting to Jane’s, a fact the woman wouldn’t let her forget. While Fallon appreciated her friend’s concern, the constant matchmaking was driving her crazy. Jane just didn’t seem to understand her reasons for staying single.
You just want Gil back.
She cursed at the thought, wishing her head would just shut up. Gil was only interested in her because of the case. They had a history. That made jumping into bed easy. But she was sure he’d find an excuse to let it all slide once the case was over, if he even bothered to say good-bye this time.
She winced as she tightened the last strip, not sure if it was the cut or the thought that hurt. She had enough in her life right now to worry about. She sure as hell didn’t need Gil added to that list. And what happened if she was pregnant? Would she keep the baby? Would she tell Gil?
She moaned and lowered her leg to the floor. It was all happening too fast. She never should’ve let Gil back in her life, even for a night of hot sex. Her heart just wasn’t able to distinguish between pleasure and love. And she definitely loved him.
Tears gathered in her eyes a moment before her bathroom door crashed open, banging the wall as it bounced back off the hinges. She screamed, dropped and rolled, tossing the can of disinfectant at the man who’d just burst into her bathroom. The bastard grunted as her aim hit home and she used the distraction to grab the toilet brush off to her left. Though she’d only gotten a glimpse of the gun in his hand, she knew if she hit his arm just right, the gun could be knocked loose, giving her a chance to defend herself. She cocked her arms and lunged to his left, swinging the brush in a graceful arc that connected hard against his knuckles, knocking him into the counter. She moved with him, determined to hit him again, when he turned sharply and grabbed her arms pushing her back against the wall.
“Jesus, Fallon, it’s me!”
She fought against his hold, not willing to go down without a fight, until he pressed his body against hers and yelled her name again. She looked up, finally breaking through the panic, and stared into Gil’s blue eyes.
“Easy, baby. It’s just me.”
Her breath came in hard pants, the fear making it difficult to get any air. He held her tight for another second and then slowly eased his grip, stepping back as he took the brush from her hand and tossed it on the floor. She forced herself to swallow, not sure how her legs were still able to hold her when they were trembling so bad she felt as if her teeth were chattering.
Gil held her stare as he slid his gun back into the holster under his left arm. Then he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. “That was…inventive.”
Fallon snorted and groped her way over to the toilet, plopping herself down when her legs finally gave out. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, hoping to hell he couldn’t see how badly she was trembling. “Damn it, Gil! You scared me half to death! What the hell was that all about?” She waved her hand at the Glock nestled by his chest. “What did you think you were going to find in my bathroom that required your gun?”
Gil’s expression changed and she saw the flash of fear register in his eyes before he quickly hardened his expression. “I wasn’t sure, that’s why I had the gun out.” He straightened his back and flicked his head towards the door. “Did you know there’s a trail of blood from the doorway to your bedroom? Or that you left your front door unlocked?” He crossed his arms again and tensed his jaw. “There’s a serial killer loose, Fallon. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find.”
Fallon huffed and forced herself up. “I cut my leg riding, and I guess I was just too preoccupied with fixing it than remembering to lock the door.”
Gil growled and took a step towards her. “Well starting now, that’s a mistake you can’t afford to make. Either you lock your door, or you don’t stay here alone.”
His statement was followed by his ‘this isn’t open for discussion’ look, but Fallon wasn’t buying it. “Like I told you before. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Gil only grunted as she pushed past him and propped her leg back on the counter. The cut she’d just finished bandaging together had started bleeding again.
“Good, God. That’s not a cut. It’s a bloody gash.” He moved in beside her. “You’ll need stitches.”
Fallon merely shrugged and applied pressure. “A set of butterfly bandages will do the same.” She looked up and glared at him. “As long as no one makes me roll across the floor again.”
Gil sneered back, but didn’t move. “It needs more than a few bandages.” He reached out and caressed her leg just below the wound. “Besides, if you don’t get it stitched, it’ll scar.”
“So,” she countered, trying to ignore the heat searing through her body where his fingers grazed her skin.
“You have beautiful skin, baby. I’d hate to see it marked up, when it doesn’t have to be.” As he spoke he drew soft circles on her skin with his thumb, smiling as bumps beaded beneath his touch. “Come on. I’ll drive you to the hospital where they can take care of this properly.”
He moved to touch her shoulder, but she scouted away, one hand raised up in front of him, the other still holding the gauze against her cut. “Don’t.”
Gil snatched his hand back, but didn’t remove the hurt from his eyes. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t come in here and suddenly start caring when you haven’t so much as called me in the past six months.” Her bottom lip quivered, but she continued. “I can’t do this. I’m not a toy for you to play with whenever the feeling strikes you. I need more than a cock. Hell, if sex was the only thing I wanted, I wouldn’t have spent the last half a year with only my hand to keep me company.” She winced as a single tear cascaded down her cheek and puddled on the floor. “It’s taken me a long time to move on. And I won’t go through that again just because you need a distraction from the case.” She held up her hand when he went to speak. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to take a shower and get changed. Jane invited me over for a barbeque, and if I don’t show up, she’ll send a squad car here to escort me.” She motioned to the door. “And make sure you lock the door on your way out.”
Gil’s jaw tensed, the vein in his temple fluttering from the pressure. She thought for a moment he was going to argue with her, but then he simply turned and marched out, pulling the bathroom door closed behind him. More tears gathered behind her lashe
s, but she didn’t try to stop them from trickling down her cheeks. The water from the shower would wash them away, as they’d done more times than she could count.
* * * *
Gil stood in Fallon’s living room, trying to understand what had just happened. There’d been so much he’d needed to say, so many emotions swirling inside him he just couldn’t get a handle on one long enough to put his feelings into words. He’d been scared. Scared he’d find her lying on the bathroom floor, her body sliced into decorative swirls, the beginnings of a cross carved into her chest. Scared that he’d never get a chance to tell her how much he still loved her, how he’d been an ass and wanted nothing more than to start over. Then he’d barged in and she’d turned the tables on him. Damn, she’d nearly broken his hand with the stupid toilet brush, let alone the welt humped on his forehead.
He smiled at the thought and couldn’t help but chuckle. She was feisty, he’d give her that much. And based on the pain throbbing through his knuckles, more than capable of defending herself. Still…
He sighed and leaned back against the couch, wondering how everything he did turned out wrong. How his appearance had gone from rescue to raid without so much as a smile from her. Had she even realised the risk she’d taken? Hell, riding alone was crazy enough, but forgetting to lock her door was downright reckless. He had half a mind to march back in there and…
His phone jingled.
Gil flipped it open. “Something new, Wade?”
“You know, it might be more fun for you if you didn’t know it was me until after you’d answered.”
“I’m not one for surprises.” Wade sighed and Gil felt his gut clench. “What?”
“I’m afraid I have some…disturbing news.”
Oh God, had the bastard stuck again? He closed his eyes and tried not to see the past seven crime scenes flash in his mind. “Another body?”
“Not exactly.”
Wade made a weird huffing sound that chilled Gil’s blood. “What then?”
Wade sighed again. “I just got a call from Trevor Watts. He said they had a break-in at the precinct last night. Seems someone took some files from the Human Resources office. Being Sunday, no one noticed until the cleaning staff found the door pried open.”
Gil scowled. “And Trevor thought we’d be interested because?”
“Because the files the bastard took were the personnel records of the dispatch centre operators. He’s got everyone’s name, address and phone number, not to mention a whole bunch of other personal information.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“The only lucky break is that he doesn’t know Fallon’s name. There’re at least a dozen ladies at the centre. He’ll have a tough time narrowing down his search. Hopefully your girl can give us some more clues before he discovers it’s her.”
“So we’re just supposed to sit around and see how long it takes him to figure out Fallon’s his mystery girl? I don’t think so.”
“Trevor thought you’d feel that way. He offered to send a patrol car out to keep watch, but I told him you’d probably prefer to take care of Fallon’s security yourself.” Wade paused as if waiting for him to argue. “I’m sure we can secure a safe house for her if you want.”
“Fallon would never agree to go. Since we have no proof that it was The Priest who stole the files, the Bureau won’t give us the authority to take her against her will, even if it is to save her life.” He cursed, hating the helpless feeling rising in his chest. “I don’t suppose Trevor has any leads for us?”
“They haven’t been able to get anything worthwhile off the security tapes. Looks like carving up women isn’t this guy’s only talent. Trevor said it was a madhouse Saturday night. And let’s face it. The last place you’d think someone was going to break-in to is the police station.”
Gil clenched the phone and suppressed the urge to toss it against the wall. He knew Wade was right. The police had too much on their plate already to worry about someone breaking in to the file room. But that didn’t help Fallon any. Based on the intelligence of The Priest so far, he doubted it’d take the man long to figure out Fallon’s identity. He couldn’t even bear to think what would happen then.
“Gil? Would you like me to call Trevor and have him send a unit over?”
“No. I’ll keep an eye on Fallon. She’s on her way to a barbeque at Jane’s house anyway. Just tell Trevor I’ll call him if I think she needs the added security.”
“Sure thing, buddy.” Wade paused and Gil was sure he could hear the man chuckling. “So do you think Fallon will mind you tagging along? She didn’t seem to be angry with me this morning. I think she might like me.”
“Right. You just keep telling yourself that, Junior.” He stopped when he heard Fallon’s door open. “Look, I’ll call you later. Do me a favour and find out exactly what was in those files. I want to know how intimately our guy is going to know those ladies.”
“Already on it. I’ll call you later to see how everything’s going. Oh and Gil. Try not to make her angry this time. I think your charm needs a bit of work.”
Gil sneered at the phone and tucked it back in his pocket. He’d resisted working with Wade at first, but the man was proving to be more than just competent. He was becoming a friend. He sighed at the thought and looked up just as Fallon walked into the room. She stopped she when she saw him, her hands curving around the sensual arc of her hips.
“You know, for a federal agent, you’re not very good with orders.”
Gil heard her voice bounce around in his head, but was too distracted to understand the words. She was dressed in a fire red shirt that skimmed her body, dipping down low in the front to reveal more than just a glimpse of creamy skin between her breasts. It looked like she had on a matching bra, the delicate lace edge peeking out at the bottom of the vee. Nestled in that beautiful valley was an emerald-coloured stone, dangling from a green suede cord. The stone was shaped like an angel, the surface smooth and polished. When she breathed it almost looked as if the angel fluttered her wings, quivering gracefully between Fallon’s breasts.
Gil forced himself to swallow as he followed the line of her body down to a mid-length black skirt, which accentuated the lovely curve of her ass. It looked like it was made out of some kind of silk, flowing from side to side with every movement Fallon made. She’d completed her outfit with a pair of black stockings, and it made Gil’s mouth water wondering if they were thigh highs. He felt his face kick up into an amused half smile when he reminded himself he’d find out later, when he’d seduced her back into his bed.
Fallon cleared her throat, drawing his attention back to her face. She looked anything but aroused and a sick feeling settled in his stomach.
“Is there a good reason why you’re still standing in my living room?”
She shifted her weight to the other foot and Gil nearly creamed his pants at the way her skirt and top moved with her. Damn, she looked hot.
“I’m positive I told you to leave.”
“Actually, you asked me to lock up on my way out.” He took a step towards her. “As you can see, I’m not out yet.”
Fallon huffed, but didn’t back down. “It was implied that you’d leave.”
Gil shrugged. “Well, next time perhaps you should tell me what you want, instead of just implying it.”
Fallon closed her eyes and Gil felt the sudden need to hold her. She looked lost again, and he couldn’t help but feel responsible. It wasn’t like he enjoyed fighting with her. He just wanted to talk to her, whatever the situation. But she definitely wasn’t making things easy.
“Okay. Stay. I’ve got plans, so if you’ll kindly move…”
“I’ll drive you over to Jane’s,” he interrupted, grabbing her set of keys off the table before she had time to react. “My truck’s just down the street.”
Fallon’s eyes went wide a moment before she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I’ll drive. It’
s not safe for you to go alone.”
Fallon snorted and stomped her foot. On anyone else it would’ve seemed childish, but on her, it looked hot and sexy and he wanted nothing more than to push her against the wall and fuck her.
“I’m not a child. Besides, I’ll be inside my car, and then far from alone at Jane’s.”
Gil lowered his eyebrows and looked at her. There’d been a strange tone to her voice when she’d mentioned Jane’s house and it made him wonder if this barbeque was a cover for something else. He took another step towards her, using his full height to his advantage. “Are you going on a date?”
Fallon’s face paled, then flushed, and Gil felt his own redden with anger. “It’s not a date. It’s a gathering.”
“A gathering where there just happens to be single guys,” he added.
Fallon shrugged and Gil wanted to pound the wall beside her.
“Jane thinks I don’t get out enough, so she invited me over for dinner. I’m not sure who else is going. I think she mentioned something about a friend of Brad’s being there.”
“A fire-fighter.”
She nodded. “A new guy at the station.”
“And you’re the appetiser for him.”
Fallon glared at him and pushed him aside as she made for the door. “I’m only going to make Jane happy. If I skip out, she’ll think I’m still sick and then I’ll be banned from the office for another week. Besides, I like Jane and Brad.”
“And this new guy from the station is just extra.”
Fallon turned and looked back at him. “You know. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous. Which seems kind of stupid since you were the one who left.”
“Fallon, you know I…” He stopped. There was no sense explaining when he didn’t have the answers. Besides, she was right. He had left. If he had any hope of getting her back, he was going to have to make up for that…and more. “Fine. You’re going to a barbeque with your friends. But I’m still driving you.”
