A Shot in the Dark (Dark #1)

by J. G. Sumner

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “It’s the least I could do. Hey, have you seen Skyler Smith recently?”

  “Yes, I was just talking to him a while ago.”

  “He’s talking?”

  “Yeah, and eating. He has quite the appetite.” She smiled as she thought of Skyler clamoring for the cookies.

  “Great, I’m on my way up there to see him. I hope he can answer some questions about his case.”

  “He is about to go into surgery. If you hurry, you might be able to make it there before they take him away.”

  Stephen turned to leave, but looked back at Laney. “Thanks. Remember, if you need anything.” He motioned his hand to his ear like a telephone and headed for the elevators.

  Laney walked around the department until she found the nurse who was going to be taking over Cameron’s care. She gave a brief report and then went back into the trauma room to get Cameron. She sat him in a wheelchair then took him to an empty room.

  “You’ll be here for a while. Francine is going to be your nurse, and she will take great care of you. She will be in here shortly to introduce herself.” Laney helped Cameron get on the gurney and gave him the remote for the television.

  “Is there anything else I can get you while you’re waiting?”

  “No, thank you. I think I’m going to try and sleep for a bit. Those medications you gave me made me sleepy.”

  “Well, if there is anything you need, push the button on your remote there, and someone will be in right away.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate your help.”

  “You’re welcome. Get some sleep.”

  As Laney left, the call light from the room across the hall rang. Not having anything more pressing to do, she went to offer some assistance. When she pulled back the curtain, she was greeted by Scott James. Laney jumped back and put her hand across her chest.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh good, it’s you. I’d hope that you’d be working today.” Scott moaned as his eyes closed.

  “I thought I told you not to come and bother me at work.”

  “I’m sick. I need your help.” Scott rolled to his side and vomited all over the bed and the floor.

  “Oh my God! What’s wrong with you?” Laney grabbed an emesis pan and some towels from the cabinet.

  “I’ve been on a bender. I can’t seem to get it together.” Scott started coughing. “If you’d come back to me, I know I could turn my life around. Please, Laney. I need you.”

  She grabbed some gloves and began cleaning up the mess. “Look, I’m sorry you’re in this predicament, but I can’t help you. We went through this for several years. You needed to get help then and you need it now. I can’t be that person for you. I can get our social worker in here to refer you to some rehabs, but this is something you’re going to have to do on your own.”

  Scott grabbed Laney’s arm. “You’re mine and always have been. It’s your job to take care of me. I need some money to help pay for rehab. You have more than enough. I’ve seen you driving around in that BMW. It’s the least you can do. After all, you drove me to drink.”

  His voice was stern. It was as if he flipped a switch. Laney had seen this so many times before. “Scott, please let go of my arm. You’re hurting me.”

  “Not until you show me that you’re mine. Kiss me.” Scott pulled her into him.

  Laney tried to push herself away. “You just vomited. That’s gross.”

  “I don’t give a damn! You will kiss me right this minute!”

  Scott took his other hand and grabbed Laney’s cheeks, forcing her lips to pucker.

  “Wait! I’ll do it, but just let me get you cleaned up first. You must be really uncomfortable. Let me take care of you.” Laney had performed this song and dance a hundred times in high school. If he felt like she was only focusing on him and his needs, he would calm down.

  “That’s more like it. I’m in desperate need of a sponge bath from my nurse.” Scott released her and snickered. “Now, let’s talk about that money. Five thousand should pay my bills and help get me through rehab.” Scott’s eyes grew heavy and finally closed.

  In and out of consciousness. Just how she needed him. Laney grabbed a wash cloth, wet it with warm water, and wiped his face before cleaning up the puke on the floor. When she finished, Scott was still passed out. Laney left to go find his nurse and update her on his status. Laney had no intention of being there when Scott woke up.

  ***

  Josh called Laney on her trauma phone when he was done operating on Skyler. They agreed to meet at the doctor’s dictation room right outside the operating room.

  Laney left the emergency department and went in search for him. She was eager to hear what the detective had to say and if there were any leads finding her stalker. She rounded the corner and saw him on the phone, sitting with several other doctors who were busy with their own activities. He looked up at her and motioned for a minute.

  She waited out of the way, trying not to stare. But she kept watching his lips move as he was talking. She couldn’t help but think of all the things those lips had done to her body.

  When he finished his phone call, he got up and headed toward her. When Josh reached her, he put his hand on the small of her back as he usually did. She pulled away, not wanting the staff to see. The last thing she needed was to get the rumor mill going. At least he got the point and started walking with her out of the department.

  “How much time do you have on your break?”

  “About twenty minutes unless another trauma comes in.”

  “Great. How about we grab some coffee in the cafeteria and head out to the patio?”

  “Fine, but how about you start talking along the way?”

  “I spoke with the officer. He was actually on his way to work when I called him and he made a stop at my house. I showed him the note. He took it back to the station and searched for evidence. There were no fingerprints or other DNA he could find. He was going to run some tests on it to see if the blood had any DNA matches in his system, but found that the blood was not human but instead chicken.”

  “Oh my God, that’s gross. This person killed a chicken?”

  “He thought that it was probably from a chicken that was already cut up and purchased at the store.”

  Laney wrinkled her nose. “That makes me want to throw up!”

  “Whoever is doing this is wearing gloves and being careful when they’re writing the note.”

  “So there are no leads?” Her voice cracked.

  “No, but he did say that we should stay at your place.”

  “Why?” She stopped in front of the cafeteria, turned, and looked at Josh.

  “Well, my house is out of his jurisdiction. He said if we stayed at yours then he could have police cars come through and provide surveillance of your apartment at night when this guy seems to be leaving the letters. It would be much harder for him to arrange that at my house.”

  Laney fought to hold back the tears. “It sounds to me like I’m being used as bait to catch this criminal.”

  “I guess you could look at it that way. I would like to think of it as he has been following you and knows where you are anyway. So, anywhere you go, you are in harm’s way. Let’s make it easier to nab him by being in the jurisdiction where we filed the report.”

  Laney bit the inside of her cheek as she headed into the cafeteria and straight for the coffee machine. “You know you sound like a cop when you talk about this.”

  “Well, I was talking to a cop earlier. It’s not surprising that I might have picked up some of the lingo.”

  The smile on Josh’s face put Laney at ease for the moment. “You’re a dork!” She poured a cup of coffee.

  “Well, I do like an episode of CSI occasionally.” He grabbed a cup and filled it.

  “So, you mentioned we should stay at my apartment tonight. Were you inviting yourself?”

  The smile on Josh’s face disappeared as
his brows furrowed. “I may be willing to let you stay in your apartment, but don’t think for a minute I’m going to let you stay alone.” He opened the door to the patio.

  “Ah, he’s back.”

  “Who?”

  “The overly protective guy I’ve come to know so well.” Laney bumped her shoulder into his.

  “I’m glad you’re taking this so seriously.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m scared. I’m glad you are staying with me. There’s no way I’d want to stay alone right now. At the same time, I refuse to allow this maniac make me too scared to live my life. I can’t lock myself up in my apartment, because that’s not living either. I realize I’m going to have to be more careful and look over my shoulder. It feels nice to have you there by my side through this. I can’t thank you enough, and I can’t begin to understand why you would do this.”

  Josh met her eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be there for you? You have a crazy man stalking you. In case you don’t recall, I’ve already told you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m not changing my mind now just because of some crazy man.”

  Laney looked away. It was as if he was staring right through her. “We’ve only been dating a few days. While I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I we’ve become very close, it’s still just been a few days.”

  “I understand your concern, but how long have we known each other? How long have we been working together?”

  Laney paused. Just because they knew each other didn’t mean they could jump into marriage. “It’s been awhile, but I wasn’t exactly your biggest fan.”

  Josh smiled. “Well, I thought you were pretty amazing. While you may think we’ve been together for only a few days, I feel like we’ve been together for much longer. I’ve watched the way you bite your lip when you’re nervous and how your forehead gets wrinkled when you’re stressed and getting mad at the computer. I love how you’re always willing to give your co-workers or whoever needs a helping hand. I’ve admired you from afar, and I’ve known that I wanted to ask you out for a while. I just needed some courage.”

  She was awestruck. Laney couldn’t believe he had really taken an interest in her for that long. And more, she couldn’t believe he would need courage for anything. Laney couldn’t suppress the smile that was forming.

  “Courage? You seem to have all the self-confidence in the world.”

  “I do, but that doesn’t mean that you’re going to necessarily like me as much as I like you, or that you’d even want to date me. As you said, you thought I was a jerk. I had to find a way to change your mind.”

  Laney took a sip of her coffee. The hot liquid soothed the fear that had been threatening to take over just moments before. “You knew I didn’t like you?”

  “Uh, yeah. Your face is like an open book. I could probably tell you what you’re thinking before you say it. Like now, your expression tells me there’s no way I can read you, but you’re still a little curious to see if I can. It’s changing, and now I can see you’re getting mad.” Josh laughed.

  She crossed her arms. “So you are telling me I’m predictable.”

  “In some ways, yes. Oh, don’t think you’re going to get up and walk away. Because I can see that coming too.”

  God, he could be so irritating at times. “I’ve changed my mind. You’re a jerk.”

  “You’re just annoyed that I know you this well. I love it when you’re upset. Your bottom lip sticks out. It’s really cute.”

  Laney took another sip of her coffee, thinking about how she could play this. “The ‘Dissect Laney Hour’ has been fun, but I think I need to get back to work.” She got up and threw out what was left of her coffee.

  Josh started after her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please stop walking away.”

  Laney turned around and glared at him. She started cracking up. So Josh thought he had her figured out. Wrong again.

  He grinned. “Ah! Nice job. You got me there.”

  “I guess I’m not as predictable as you thought,” Laney said smugly. Instantly, Josh’s brow furrowed again. Playtime was over.

  “About tonight. How about we drive to your apartment in your car and leave mine here? Maybe that will get the guy to think that I’m not there and he won’t leave a note.”

  Laney sighed. She enjoyed having a few minutes of not thinking about her stalker. “I don’t think it’ll matter since the first two notes were left when you weren’t around. Besides, don’t you have to go home and get some clothes and feed Duke?”

  “No, I brought some clothes with me after I talked to the detective. My sister can feed Duke. She’d probably prefer I wasn’t there anyway.” Josh paused as he looked up at the ceiling, presumably for some miraculous solution to Laney’s problems. “I know that he left those notes when I wasn’t there, but I would prefer driving with you instead of you driving alone.”

  “I don’t get off work until seven-thirty. Are you sure you want to hang out that long?”

  “I’ll grab some dinner for us and be back by the time you get off. We can just eat back at home.”

  Laney’s heart skipped a beat. “Home?”

  “Your apartment.”

  “You make it sound like we’re living together.” Was this a good thing? The seriousness of their relationship had started to set in. A few days ago, she didn’t have a boyfriend, much less someone living with her. The thought of being with Josh was never a blip on her radar. How did this happen? This was all moving so fast.

  “We kind of are right now. The logistics are just a technicality. Besides, anywhere I’m with you feels like home.”

  Her cheeks heated up. How could he be so sweet? Was he really the pompous jackass she thought he was before? Did she just make that up in her head because she wanted to hate him? This man was as smooth as butter and appeared to be head over heels for her.

  Josh motioned for them to continue to walk.

  Perhaps it was time to set some boundaries—to let Josh know they were moving faster than she was comfortable with. “You’re very sweet and I like you a lot, maybe too much. Don’t you think this is, well, we’re moving too fast?”

  Josh didn’t hesitate. “Normally I might say yes. But it feels right, and I’m enjoying every moment of it despite your psycho stalker.” He smiled and stared into her eyes.

  “I’ve fallen in love with you. While you may not be there yet, I hope you’ll feel the same about me someday. However long it takes, I can wait. So don’t go and get any crazy ideas in your head and think that you’re going to run away from this. Because whether you are willing to admit it or not, I know you love being with me. I can see it in your eyes, the way you talk to me, and the way you make love to me. I love you, Laney Pearson.”

  Oh my. Her knees somehow became weak. Her heart skipped a few beats as the butterflies took flight in her stomach. The gravity of his words settled in. Is this really happening? Could this man possibly be in love with me? Do I love him?

  Laney was overcome with emotion and didn’t know quite what to say. If only they were at home. All she wanted was for Josh to take her in his arms and make love to her right there. Instead, Josh embraced Laney. She was on display for the world to know she was his. Were there people watching? The last thing Laney wanted was for other staff to see them hugging. The thought of letting Josh go wasn’t appealing either.

  Laney felt like butter as she melted further into Josh’s arms. A whiff of his cologne permeated her senses. Laney’s entire body warmed as a tingling sensation took over. She could definitely stay in Josh’s arms all day. He was dreamy. Unfortunately, Laney’s surroundings didn’t allow her to shut out the world and focus on Josh. She slowly pulled back.

  “Are you okay?” His forehead wrinkled.

  Laney smiled in an attempt to reassure him. “I’m great. Thank you for everything you just said.”

  “It was all true. I do love you.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “I ha
ve to get back to work. I have some patients to round on. Are you going to be okay?” Josh took her hand in his.

  “Yeah, don’t worry about me. The ER is always busy. It’ll help me keep my mind off things.”

  “I’ll come get you after work. I’ll be waiting inside the staff lounge.”

  “How about we meet in the cafeteria? I’m not ready to start answering questions about us yet.”

  “Fine. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria at seven-thirty. If anything changes, you call me.”

  Laney forced a smile. “Sounds good.”

  Josh turned and strode down the hall toward the doctors’ lounge. A sense of emptiness consumed Laney as she watched him. How had they gotten to this point so quickly? She was falling for him hard and fast despite the fact she didn’t want to and she certainly wasn’t ready. The idea of professing her love to him was unfathomable, even though he clearly wanted to hear it.

  When she could no longer see him, Laney slowly walked back to the emergency department to finish her shift.

  Chapter 21

  Laney

  “Hey, handsome! Need a lift?” Laney walked up to the table in the cafeteria where Josh was sitting. He was playing with his phone but lifted his head and smiled when he heard her.

  “How was the rest of your shift?” He stood up and pressed his warm lips against her cheek.

  “Long and uneventful.” Her thirteen-hour shift had allowed for the fatigue to set in. Laney closed her dry eyes in an attempt to moisten them.

  “I’m sorry, baby. How about we go and work on making the rest of your day a little more exciting?” He winked at her and flashed his million-dollar smile.

  “Sounds good. Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes, actually. I was able to finish early today and I ran home to feed Duke and take him for a walk. It’s been a while since he’s been able to play. I also picked up some sushi for dinner. Do you like sushi?”

  “It’s one of my favorites. What kind did you get?”

  “I didn’t know what you’d like. So I got an assortment of eight different types of rolls.”