by Mary Abshire
He considered Emily’s words. Her logic made sense. Susan had as much access to medicines as he did. How and why she wanted Emily dead was a mystery to him. But the fact she’d tried with a drug from the hospital had created a problem. If he killed Susan using the same drug or a similar one, the police might think he killed her to get revenge for Emily. It gave him motive and would make him a suspect to investigate.
“I hadn’t thought about it like that, but you’re right,” he said. “I’ll be the first person the police look for if they find traces of a similar drug in Susan’s body.
“There are two bottles of poison Troy sent to me. You just need one to slip in a drink or inject into her body.”
“I don’t think I can try to slip it in her drink. She knows you survived, so she’s going to be very cautious around us.”
Emily laid her head back down on him and put her hand over his heart. “Then inject her with it. That should be easy enough.”
“I can get a syringe from work. That’s not a problem. I just need to lure her down to the subbasement to inject her.”
“That might be difficult.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She tried to kill me. She’ll suspect something is strange when you ask her to go to the subbasement alone with you. That screams danger.”
“From her point of view, why would I want to hurt her?”
“For starters, she’s not stupid. Secondly, my fake husband is a nurse and knows about the drug used on me. I came back from a jog with water from her and nearly died. The drug had to come from the hospital. She might not think you want to harm her, but she expects you’ll be searching for answers.”
“Okay…” He was on the same page as Emily. “What if I confront her and tell her I know about her prior marriages and she killed kids?”
“That’s very risky. I think she will argue for proof and say you’re out to get her because of me. I’m telling you, she won’t go to the subbasement with you now. And once she suspects you’re plotting something, she won’t trust you at all. You’ll have a far more difficult time trying to kill her because she will know you’re up to something. The best thing for you to do is come up with another plan.”
Andrew released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Irritation coursed through him as he realized Emily was right. He sat up and she rolled onto her back. “I don’t know where I can kill her if she won’t go to the subbasement with me.”
She sat upright too. “I’m not trying to make you mad, but you need to know she may be suspicious of your intentions since you’re my husband.”
He shook his head, hating to admit his plan was now in the toilet. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now.” Frustration filled him. Now more than ever he wished he could stab her in the heart, destroy the demon, and then go.
Emily put her hand on his cheek. “You don’t have to know what to do right this minute. You’re smart. You had a good plan and look how far you got.”
He snickered. “You almost died.”
“And that was a fluke. We had no way of knowing she’d come after me. If she hadn’t, you would’ve been able to finish out what you had planned. What I’m saying is that you can still figure something out. This bump in the road is just a bump.”
“It’s a pothole, Em. A big one.”
“Then you get a flat tire and fix it. Nothing is impossible. You go back to work and find a way to inject her with the poison so you can destroy the demon. You can find a way.”
Her words gave him confidence. He believed he could figure out a new plan to kill Susan. Hearing Emily agree showed she had faith in him. And that boosted him to a new level.
He took her hand and kissed her palm. He was lucky to have found her. No, he was grateful to the powers that be for sending him to her. Maybe they weren’t so bad after all.
“I will figure out a way to finish this job. You can count on that,” he said as he put her hand over his fast-beating heart.
“I don’t doubt you. I want to help if I can.”
He pressed his mouth to hers. “You always help and I appreciate it.”
She grinned as she settled back down on the bed. He followed her lead and she curled up next to him. She squeezed her arm tight around him.
“I want you, Andrew, but I’m really tired still and I just don’t have much strength. I’d rather wait another day for sex so we can enjoy it better.”
His cock pulsed from hearing her say she wanted him. He kissed her head. “I’ll wait however long it takes. I want you to be well again. And for the record, I love you for more than the phenomenal sex we have.”
Her lips stretched and curved up. “Thank you.”
He held her close, enjoying her touch and soft breaths brushing over him. She was such a smart woman, smarter than any he’d ever met. Again, he couldn’t help but think he’d been destined to be with her. They complemented each other so well, like two halves making a whole.
“Hey, Andrew,” she said.
“Hey what?”
“Why do you think she wanted to kill me? She hadn’t tried to kill any adults before. All her prior victims were kids.”
He’d had the same thought while he’d watched over her in the hospital. “As far as we know, she didn’t try to kill any adults. But she also wasn’t a nurse with access to medicines. This is her first job as a nurse. Maybe she wanted to test a drug or dosage of one and you were her guinea pig. Maybe she wanted the challenge, to see if she could kill an adult. I don’t know.”
“But why me?”
“Because you’re my wife. Because we watched the kids and said good things about them. Maybe the kids gave you a compliment and she got jealous. Believe me, I came up with a long list of possible reasons while I was waiting for you to wake up in the hospital. We’ll never know the answer unless she tells us.”
She released a long breath over his chest. “I should’ve heeded the warning when she acted nice and offered me water. I was silly to think a demon could be kind. She fooled me.”
“It’s all a mask. The demon hides behind a human façade. There is nothing good behind what you see.”
“I learned my lesson. I won’t make that mistake again.”
He rubbed her back and prayed she wouldn’t either. The odds were high she might not survive the next time. Demons were smart and tricky. That’s how they managed to get away with their evil deeds.
“You should get some sleep,” he said.
“You should too.” She gently poked his chest.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He had a lot to think about when he returned to work, but he pushed such thoughts aside to enjoy the comfort of his woman. One day he’d get to spend forever holding her in his arms, but for now he had to settle with the little time he had with her on Earth. The demon wasn’t going anywhere. She could wait while he relished being with the love of his life.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Emily stood in the shower with her head tilted back while the spray caressed her scalp. Water ran over her skin, pushing the suds away. She felt ten times better than she had when she’d walked out of the hospital, but she wasn’t ready to go for a jog yet. The afternoon and all night in bed with Andrew had been the best medicine. She’d slept well and felt energized. She was moving quicker too. Even her stomach had growled. After a few loud grumbles, she decided to get up.
The loving and caring angel had woken up sometime before her. He’d left her side only once during the night to use the bathroom and get some water. He was an incredible man. As far as she knew, he’d never left her when she had been in the hospital, except to run home to get her clothes. His devotion to her was strong, almost intoxicating. Being in love was a whole new world for her, but she was enjoying it.
She finished washing her hair and body before she stepped from the bathtub. She wrung the excess water from her long locks before wrapping a towel around her. The coldness of the floor gave her a slight chill. She noticed the air hadn’t
kicked on during the night while it stormed. In fact, it hadn’t kicked on since they’d arrived home. The inside temperature felt comfortable, but she wondered what it was like outside.
As she headed for the closet in the bedroom, she noticed the curtains were blocking the bright sun. After she donned a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, she headed for the window. She pushed the shades aside and blinked until her eyes adjusted. The birds were chirping outside and two rabbits were on the front lawn chomping on weeds that had sprouted. She opened the window and a cool breeze with fresh air came flying into the house.
Curious to discover what Andrew was up to, she hung up her towel and then headed out of the room to find him. She spotted him wearing only his boxers and standing by the stove in the kitchen. Something sizzled in a pot next to him. After one whiff, she determined he was cooking maple sausage. She couldn’t see what he had in the pan in front of him.
A bowl of grapes, blueberries, and strawberries waited on the center island. She walked around it and stopped. “What are you fixing?” She took a couple of blueberries and at them.
Andrew glanced over his shoulder. “Breakfast.”
The loaf of bread lay open on the counter. Two slices stood up from the toaster. Two others were lying on a plate. She peeked around his body and saw him flipping an egg in the pan. Seeing it was almost done, she pushed the lever on the toaster.
“Have a seat,” he said. “I can get this.”
She took a couple of strawberries from the bowel. A breeze brushed over her arms, catching her attention. The window above the sink had been opened. She moved toward it and gazed outside as she at the strawberries one at a time. Susan had her patio door wide open. Brian was playing in the backyard.
“What would you like to drink?” Andrew asked.
The toast popped up, delaying her answer. She set the two slices on the plate nearby and then put two more in the toaster.
“I’ll get some water. You threw the other out, right?” She figured he would’ve gotten rid of it since they weren’t going to the police.
“I dumped it when I came to get your clothes.”
She walked behind him to reach the fridge. “What do you want?”
“Water, but I can get it. Go sit down.” He sounded a bit bossy.
“I’m not helpless. And for your information, I feel a lot better since I got all that rest last night.” She took two bottles to the dining room. She passed her phone lying on the table and then set the drinks down.
If it was one thing she couldn’t stand it was for someone to think she was helpless or incapable of doing things for herself. She might not be fully recovered, but she was almost there. Besides, moving around helped her instead of lying in bed all night and day. Her muscles needed to be worked.
Andrew divided the sausage on the two plates. The eggs in the pan looked cooked and the toast would likely pop up at any second. She took the bowl of fruit. “Do you want any jelly for your toast?”
“Sure.” He set the pot on the stove right after the toast shot up.
Emily grabbed a knife before retrieving the jelly from the refrigerator. With the three items in her hands, she headed for the table.
“Have you checked your phone yet?” he asked from the kitchen.
“No.” She hadn’t been thinking about it either. Troy was the only one who would call her and she doubted he would since she’d already sent him a message informing him she’d received the poison. “Why?” She directed her attention to the cell at the other end of the table as she sat.
“I haven’t checked it either. I wasn’t sure if Troy would’ve have contacted you,” he said as he approached with plates in his hands.
“He shouldn’t have, but I can check later.”
He set a plate with a fork in front of her. “I know it’s not much—”
“Stop. This is much. My stomach hasn’t adjusted yet.”
He sat at her side. “Should I have called Troy to let him know what happened?”
“You’re kidding, right? He would’ve hopped on the first plan here and put a bullet in your head. He can’t ever know what happened.”
Andrew was on Troy’s shit list from what had happened in New York. It wouldn’t take much for Troy to send the angel back to heaven early.
“I know how much he cares for you,” Andrew said before he took a drink.
“Which is why he should never know what happened.”
“Are you okay with keeping such a secret from him?”
She sighed as she thought it over. Secrets led to breakdowns of trust, which would ultimately lead to a broken friendship. So no, she wasn’t okay with hiding her accident from him. But she needed to keep Andrew safe. “It bothers me some, but for the sake of your life, he can’t find out.”
“I will do what you think is best,” Andrew said before he chomped on a sausage link.
Emily moved the egg to a slice of toast. She lifted the combo to take a bite. “When do you go back to work?”
He finished chewing. “I checked my phone before I started cooking. The hospital left a message asking me to work tonight. I haven’t decided yet.”
“I think you should go.”
“You haven’t even been home twenty-four hours yet. Are you trying to get rid of me?”
She set her egg and toast on her plate before she dusted her hands. “I think you should get back to work so you can focus on what has to be done. Don’t make a big deal out of what happened to me. There’s no reason for you not to go back to work now that I’m better.”
He looked down at his plate. She sensed he didn’t want to leave her, but it was in both their best interest to kill Susan soon, which meant he had to form a new plan.
“I realize you want to stay and take care of me, but I really do feel much better. That bitch”—she pointed to the patio—“needs to die before another person is hurt or ends up dead.”
He lifted his gaze to her.
“You know I’m right,” she added. “You won’t accomplish anything if you keep staying here.”
“I’m sure I can accomplish something.” His lips curled on one side.
“Yeah, well that something won’t get you closer to destroying the demon. The only way you can do that is to go back to work.”
He lifted another sausage with his fork. “I guess it’s settled then. I’ll call after we eat.”
Relief flowed through Emily as she continued chomping on her food. The man had a good heart, but if he weren’t careful, it would control him. Destroying the demon would save lives, so it was of the upmost importance that he put a plan together soon. She would love for him to stay so they could catch up under the covers, or on top of them, or anywhere else. But killing Susan took precedence. Emily couldn’t bear to see another person get hurt or worse because of Susan. From here on out, the priority was to destroy the demon. And if Emily had to push Andrew in the right direction to keep him focused, then she’d have no problem doing it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Andrew cradled a baby as if it were a delicate china doll. The little boy had his eyes closed as he sucked from the bottle Andrew was holding. The infant had been born too soon, weighed too little, and was too tiny. It amazed Andrew how such a small creature could survive in a big world, but he had for two days, and as long as the demon didn’t touch him, he could make it.
“You doing okay?” Kurt held a baby near his shoulder, trying to burp it.
“He’s eating,” Andrew said. “A little slow, but he’s getting it down.”
They were alone with the babies in the NICU room while two other nurses, Stacey and LaDonna, worked at the main desk. Kurt had mentioned Susan was working, but he had yet to see her, not that he was complaining. The number of infants had dropped since many had been able to go home with their parents. Most of the babes they had now were sleeping except for a few, and only one seemed to be a bit whiny.
“Is he sleeping?” Kurt asked.
“I don’t think so. The fluid has go
ne down some, but if he continues like this for much longer, I’ll put him back down.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” Kurt ambled around, patting his baby’s back.
Andrew had been at work for four hours so far. Until he’d started feeding the baby in his arm, he couldn’t get his mind off of Emily. She seemed better from when she’d left the hospital. She’d been more talkative and more active around the house. He believed she would be back to normal soon, but he still worried about her and wanted to take care of her needs. All of them. Okay, one in particular he really longed to take care of.
Susan walked into the room with a slight smile on her face. She wore her usual blue scrub pants. Her top was white with cherries this time and her badge hung from a long necklace. She had her hair down for a change. In fact, Andrew couldn’t recall a time when he’d ever seen her with her hair loose. Without even glimpsing at Kurt or Andrew, she headed for the sinks.
Andrew looked at his coworker standing nearby. Kurt had a smug expression. He tilted his head as if signaling for Andrew to go with him. Andrew held his baby with care as he took small steps beside Kurt.
“I heard she got grilled by administration over her care of the baby that died,” Kurt said softly.
“Really?” Andrew tried to sound surprised, but his response came out sounding more excited instead.
“They asked me a lot of questions about her feeding the infant. I told them I’d seen her feeding it often and the charts looked okay. They asked if I’d seen anything abnormal.”
“Did you?”
“No, but don’t you think that’s strange? A couple other nurses said they were asked questions about her too.”
“It is unusual,” Andrew agreed. “Do you think she did something to baby?”
“I got thinking about it, and I suppose it’s possible. But what kind of person can hurt a baby? Look at them. They’re so cute and adorable when they’re not puking or needing a diaper change.”
