by Kylie Brant
"What?" The news had Cade straightening in his chair. "Why?"
"Apparently they think the dealer you were tracking is a big fish, and the task force always wants credit for the flashiest cases." Howard waved a hand. "That was unprofessional. Forget I said that. The party line is we're all cops and what does it matter who solves the case as long as it gets solved?"
Cade grinned. The earlier touch of territorial sarcasm reminded him of why he respected the man so much. Despite the fact that he was administration, he was also a cop and hadn't forgotten everything that meant.
"At least the case will have more manpower this way." He didn't give a damn who found the killer, as long as he was found. He'd concentrate on clearing his partner's name. He owed the man that much. He owed his widow.
As if reading his thoughts, the lieutenant asked, "How's Carla holding up?"
Cade gave a shake of his head. "The investigation coming on top of Brian's death is really taking its toll. I suggested that she leave the city, go stay with her folks in Baton Rouge for a while."
"Good idea. This thing has got to be stressful for her. She's going to need all the support she can get."
They were all going to need support, Cade thought grimly. Trying to do an end run around I.A., in addition to working the LeFrenz investigation, was going to going to mean keeping long hours. At least he wouldn't miss the rest. Sleep had been elusive ever since he'd opened his eyes and seen his partner's blank stare. Ever since he'd watched his own blood eddy out of him to pool with the river streaming out of Brian.
"You sure you're up to this? Physically, I mean?" The other man's words shook Cade from his grim reverie.
"I'm up to it."
The fact that the man didn't push nudged Cade's respect for him up another notch. He'd had enough of people fussing and poking at him during his recuperation to last him a lifetime. His little sister had been the worst offender of all, although his entire family had felt free to share then-disapproval of his decision to return to work so soon. They hadn't understood his need to get back to the same streets that had robbed his partner of his life. Only another cop would understand that.
"What was your feeling about LeFrenz's claim to know something about Brian's death? Do you think there's a real link there?"
Cade shook his head at the question. "It seemed a little too convenient, you know? Like something he'd throw out to rattle me or just to get me off his case about naming his supplier. But his knowing Freddie makes sense. Maybe he did meet with him after the shooting. When we find him, I guess we'll discover for sure if Freddie told him anything."
"And you still think that our best chance of finding him is by watching this O'Riley woman?"
"I'm certain of it." Again he outlined LeFrenz's obvious fascination with the doctor and his machinations to get her into his room during the interview. "I'm positive he'll attempt to contact her."
"But you don't know when."
"No, of course not, but—"
"I'm not saying you're wrong." Cade braced himself for the but he heard coming. "But we don't have the men available to keep an around-the-clock guard on the woman on the off chance he visits her. We need to focus on LeFrenz's usual haunts, his known acquaintances … hell, you know the drill as well as I do."
Cade did. He could also predict where this was going. "Of course we're gonna work the case, but I don't expect LeFrenz to show up at any of his usual places. The guy's no rocket scientist, but he's not that dumb. And even if he is, whoever's behind him has brains and money."
"I'll give it a couple days," the lieutenant said with finality. He held up a hand to stem any further argument Cade might have made. "That's as long as I can afford to waste two officers. Even that's pushing it."
Cade knew when not to press his luck. He'd wait to see what turned up by the end of that time and deal with it then. "Thanks, Lieutenant."
The man waved him from the room. "Don't thank me. Just go make the case. Both of them."
They exchanged a glance, unspoken understanding between them. Finding LeFrenz was going to be simple compared to what it would take to clear Brian's name.
Shae pressed the pamphlet into the woman's uninjured hand. "Just read it," she urged evenly. "Take some time before making your decision."
The blonde blinked, both eyes ringed with a rainbow of bruises, swollen half-shut. "Decision. What decision? I told you I fell. Tripped over a step stool." When Shae said nothing, just looked at her, the woman rushed on. "I'm clumsy like that. Always banging into something."
"Shattering your nose. Dislocating your shoulder. Breaking your arm." Shae nodded at the new cast she'd put on the woman. "I've read your file, Nancy. No one is that clumsy. Whoever is doing this to you, you need to stop covering up for him. Because one of these days he's going to kill you."
"He'd never do that," the woman said automatically. Then, as if realizing what she'd admitted, her gaze slid away from Shae's. "You don't understand. We love each other."
Tamping down her rising frustration, Shae said, "I see this kind of love all too often. I know what I'm talking about. Just go to a shelter for the night. Take some time to think about your options. They have counselors there who can help you."
"Dr. O'Riley, you have a phone call."
"Take a message." Shae didn't take her gaze off the huddled woman on the examining table. Now was the time to press her case, when she could sense the woman's resolve wavering.
But the nurse persisted. "He's refused to leave a message the dozen times he's called today. I can stay with your patient if you want to take it."
"I don't." She rarely received phone calls at work, and never since Liam had been sent to prison. Which meant that the caller was either Cade Tremaine or her father. Neither prospect was especially tempting. She was still smarting from the detective's insistence the previous day. And despite the fact she hadn't seen or heard from him in nearly thirty-six hours, she didn't doubt that he'd been serious about his vows to be back. He didn't strike her as a man who made empty promises.
Aware that the nurse was still watching her, Shae aimed her a look, raised her brows. The woman sighed and left the room, and Shae shifted her attention back to her patient.
"I don't want to go to a shelter," Nancy blurted out, chewing her lip. "I just wouldn't be comfortable going there on my own and all."
"I can admit you here for the night," Shae offered. "Keep you under observation for possible damage to your occipital nerve. Internal injuries." It wouldn't be much of a stretch, she rationalized. And if the ensuing time had Nancy finding the courage to leave her abuser, she'd say it was money well spent, and to hell with the HMOs.
"Dr. O'Riley." It was the same nurse again. Shae swung around, her eyes narrowed. The woman held up her hands placatingly. "You're wanted at the desk."
Nodding in resignation, Shae turned back to her patient. "Just take some time and think about it. I'll be back in a couple minutes and we can discuss it further, okay?"
Nancy ducked her head, her hair covering her features. But she nodded, a short jerk of her head, and Shae laid a soothing hand on her shoulder for a moment. "It's going to be okay. I'll help you in any way I can." When the woman failed to respond, she turned and hurried to the hall.
She approached the desk, expecting to see Tim Pearson waiting impatiently to talk to her. What she didn't expect to see was Cade Tremaine leaning a shoulder against the wall, watching her approach, his green gaze intent.
She faltered for a moment. His lean jaw was shadowed with a day's growth of beard. And although his eyes were alert, he looked as if he could use a few hours of sleep. Or a few days' worth.
Shae caught herself before the observations could soften into concern. It was second nature for her to immediately, size up a person's appearance as she tended to their health. Tremaine wasn't a patient, of course, but at the rate he was going, he could be. He wouldn't be the first to drop from sheer physical exhaustion. She knew intuitively that he wouldn't appreciate her re
minding him of that.
"Dr. O'Riley." His low drawl made her name sound like an endearment whispered in the still of the night against dark satin sheets. "I came to escort you home."
"I've been finding my own way home since I was five. I don't need an escort."
Amusement laced his voice. "It's no bother. No need to thank me."
"Look." She strove for patience and, with it, logic. "It doesn't make sense for you to hang around here on my account. I keep odd hours and I can't just leave when you show up."
"You've been off duty for forty-five minutes. The E.R. isn't especially busy, so there's no real reason for you to stay." He surveyed her critically. "When's the last time you ate something?"
She tried, but couldn't remember. The rotation that day hadn't been so much slow as routine. A baby with croup, a couple of sports-related injuries, a few broken bones and a ruptured appendix. Memory kicked in. Between the sprained ankle and the appendix she'd had a handful of jelly beans off the admission's counter. "One o'clock," she said triumphantly.
"Candy snitched out of a desk drawer or lunch in the cafeteria?"
Because it was less galling than telling the truth, she changed the subject. "I'm capable of feeding myself, as well. Go home, Detective. Get some sleep before we have to admit you." She spun around to return to her patient, half-surprised that he didn't protest. But she didn't spend much time wondering about his easy capitulation. Not when she went back to the trauma room where she'd left Nancy, only to find it empty.
She went back into the hallway. "Gayle." She stopped a nurse who was hurrying by. "What happened to the woman in Room 5?"
"The broken arm? She just left."
"Just now? Was she alone?"
Gayle shook her head. "She left with some guy. Come to think of it, he's the one who signed her out."
The nurse continued down the hall, leaving Shae wrestling with a surge of frustration. So her patient had chosen to return home with her abuser. Again. And all she could do was hope that the next time something set the man off, he didn't kill her.
Working her shoulders tiredly, she went to the locker room and retrieved her coat. Nancy had been her last patient. Now that she'd gone, there was no reason for Shae to stay. As she opened her locker and exchanged her stethoscope for her purse, she tried not to let the woman's choice weigh too heavily on her. Trying to grapple with things that were out of her control was fruitless and frustrating. There were enough of those instances daily in the E.R. to keep her humble.
But the woman's behavior was an all-too-poignant reminder of her childhood. Ryan O'Riley hadn't physically abused Shae's mother, but she'd exhibited the same blind faith that Nancy did. An unshakable belief in whatever their partners told them. That someday the man they loved would change. That someday things would be different. Watching that never-ending cycle had turned Shae into a skeptic by eight. A cynic by twelve.
And by thirty-two she'd become an expert at guarding her emotions.
As she headed toward the exit, someone fell into step beside her. With a sense of shock she saw that it was Cade Tremaine. Had she been thinking about it, she would have realized he was unlikely to give up so easily. As it was, she faced straight ahead and wished futilely for the power to make him disappear.
"My car's right out these doors," he offered.
"That's okay. I can call a cab."
"There's no need. I'll take you home. We need to talk."
Shae drew a deep breath and stopped short. "Listen, I'm sure you thought I was dodging your calls today, but the truth is, I was busy. And I really think we've said everything that needs saying, unless you're here to tell me that LeFrenz has been caught."
Cade was studying her speculatively. "He hasn't. And I didn't call you today."
She immediately felt foolish. "Oh." Why had she leaped to that conclusion? Because, she immediately justified, the man had bulldog tendencies and had made it clear she hadn't seen the end of him. Aware that his gaze hadn't left her, she looked away. "It must have been my father."
"Only way to know for sure would be to answer your calls once in a while," he said.
"I have a job to do." She continued walking, lingering embarrassment propelling her faster. "I don't have time for personal calls."
"What about a personal life?" Cade inquired as he strolled along beside her. It was irritating to note that, as long as her strides were, he kept up easily. His legs were longer than hers, and encased in soft denim that showed their lean muscular form to perfection.
She jerked her gaze, and her thoughts, off his body and focused on his words. "What about it?"
"I was wondering if you had time for one." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Seems like I've mostly found you at the hospital."
"Why should that interest you?" She made no effort to couch the words civilly. It was bad enough that the detective seemed intent on barging into her life at whim. Commenting on just how uneventful that life was was downright insulting. She could have told him that the very ordinariness of her days had been long sought and were prized highly. When she was a kid, her household was constantly in upheaval. As an adult she craved stability.
Demanded it. She wasn't a woman to appreciate the unexpected.
"It makes my job a little easier, actually. A jealous boyfriend might take exception to my hanging around you."
"/take exception to you hanging around," she said as he pushed open the double doors and they stepped out of the hospital. "That doesn't seem to stop you."
"My car's this way." The hand cupping her elbow, exerting the slightest pressure, was just gentlemanly enough to almost make her follow him. Almost. She stopped, forcing him to halt beside her.
He looked down at her, quirking a brow. "How many hours did you put in today?"
Nonplussed, she thought for a moment. "I don't know. Twelve or so."
"That's a long time to be on your feet." He dropped his hand and rocked back on his heels a little, surveying her. "Is it really worth it to wait another twenty minutes for a cab when I could have you home in that amount of time?"
Put like that, refusing his offer seemed almost churlish. Still, she was loathe to accept. Prolonging the day a bit while waiting for a taxi would be infinitely preferable to allowing him to have his way again. At some point he would have to accept the fact that she wasn't going to let him rearrange her life to suit himself.
With a sigh, she decided that particular battle should be fought sooner, rather than later. "All right." She gave in with ill grace. "And on the way home you and I are going to get a few things straight."
His lips curved, a quicksilver glimpse of a rare and wicked smile. "I stand warned. Give it your best shot."
The words sounded more like a dare than an invitation, but she'd never lacked fortitude. "You haven't asked if I've heard from LeFrenz."
They'd resumed walking to his car. It was annoying to observe that he'd shortened his strides to match hers. "You haven't."
"No." Her brows came together. "How did you know that?"
"You would have told me. At least that was what you promised the last time we spoke."
"I didn't promise. Exactly." When he slid a sideways gaze at her, sharp despite his lazy stance, it was all she could do not to squirm. "I just said I would." She wasn't in the habit of making promises. Not to anyone. Words were such fragile things, really, to bear the weight of the hopes which were inevitably pinned to them. She'd always found it far better to keep things simple. Free of expectations and recriminations.
"It's right here." His words jolted her back to the matter at hand. Looking past him, she saw a sleek midnight-blue sports car. She knew nothing about luxury cars, but even in her ignorance she could tell it was fast, powerful and expensive. Looking from it to him, she asked blandly, "Police issue?"
Amusement laced his words. "Borrowed it from impound." He pulled some keys from his pocket and clicked a button on the keyless entry. She heard a quiet snick as the locks released. Reaching
past her, he opened the door, held it for her.
Shae looked into the dark interior, then back at him. For some reason she was strangely reluctant to slide into that confined space with him. "Look." Her fingers tightened over the strap of her purse. "I told you he wouldn't contact me, and I think this proves I'm right. It's a waste of your time to be hanging around me, thinking otherwise.
You'd be better off doing … whatever it is cops do to investigate a case."
"How about if we make a bargain?" he suggested. Although he hadn't moved, he seemed to loom closer. "I won't tell you how to do … whatever it is that E.R. doctors do. And you won't tell me how to do my job." While her mouth was still hanging open at those words, he'd handed her into the car and gently shut the door.
Shae's mouth snapped shut. Okay, fine. Obviously fie was sensitive about taking suggestions. Unfortunately for him, she'd never been one to tiptoe around a man's fragile ego. "Look," she snapped once he'd gotten in the car, "I didn't realize you were so touchy. I'm just trying to point out that you could be spending your time more productively."
"It's not a problem." He turned the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. "These days I don't have much of a personal life, either."
Which was totally beside the point, and she was certain he knew it. Even more, it was surprising. Cade Tremaine didn't look like the type of man to spend too much time alone, at least not by choice. She could only believe that his convalescence, coupled with the investigation he was involved in, were the cause of his state. While hers was more due to choice.
But then all other thought was chased out of her mind. She had only a moment to secure her safety belt before the car leaped forward and out of the hospital parking lot. The high-performance engine sounded a muted roar as they headed in the wrong direction.
"This isn't the way to my apartment," she said automatically.
"I'm hungry, too. I thought we could pick up some sandwiches on the way home."
She cast a glance at him. On the way home. The phrase sounded a little too cozy. A little too intimate. As if it was a place they lived together, one that bore the stamp of both their personalities. The idea sent a chill skittering down her spine. Shae enjoyed having her own space entirely too much to welcome the thought of sharing it with anyone.
