by Jen Talty
“Does he know about our chats? Chat’s you’ve had with other men?” Gavin asked, his voice strained.
“No.” Charlotte wanted to turn around and give Gavin a piece of her mind about his tone, but she refrained.
“Then ask him what other man,” Eric said.
AngelaBennett: what other guy?
Friends4Ever: the one you’re dating.
AngelaBennett: I’ve never said I was dating anyone.
Friends4Ever: I’ve seen you with him, Charlotte. Do you think I’m stupid?
“Mother fucker,” Gavin muttered, slamming his fist on the desk, sending a paper weight crashing to the floor. “How does he know your name?”
“I have no idea,” she said so softly she could barely hear herself. Her body trembled from the inside out. Staring at the screen, her fingers froze on the keyboard.
“He just logged off,” Eric said.
“And look.” Gavin pointed to the screen. “He deleted his profile.”
“Let’s hope cyber got something.” Eric stood, stepping to the side of the desk.
Charlotte heaved in a huge breath, but her legs never fully extended. She tried again, only to have her chest burn from lack of oxygen.
“Breath slowly,” Gavin whispered in her ear. “Look at me.”
She turned her head, locking gazes with him.
“Breath with me.”
She mimicked his facial movements, breathing in through her nose, slowly releasing the air through her mouth. Voices echoed in the background, but she couldn’t make them out. Her mind spun and the room swayed.
Gavin’s hands ran up and down her thighs, squeezing gently. “That’s it,” he whispered.
Slowly, the fog lifted and her pulse slowed to something that might be considered normal. She blinked, focusing on Gavin’s dark bourbon eyes. “I have no idea what just happened.” The words slowly tumbled out of her mouth one syllable at a time.”
“You’ve never had a panic attack before?” Gavin asked.
She shook her head, which turned out to be a mistake as her stomach flipped and flopped, nausea spreading through her body. She did her best to shove that aside. “Can I see the pictures of the person who tried to break in tonight?”
“I was going to ask you to do that.” Gavin took the keyboard from her hands and brought up the footage, zooming in on the man as he climbed over the fence. “Hey, Dad, is this the best angle?”
Eric tucked his phone to his ear as he continued to talk with someone about the chat room. He quickly tapped a few keys, bringing up three different angles.
“How does your father know how to use our system?”
“It’s a pretty standard security set up and our family has a side business where we install them.”
“Impressive.” She leaned forward, studying the grainy face partially hidden behind a baseball cap. A faint memory tickled her mind, but she couldn’t pull it up.
“Bingo! We’ve got him,” Eric said. “Cyber traced him to a coffee shop not far from here. There is a car in the parking lot that fits the description. They ran the plates and it’s registered to a Richard Charles Lemaster.
“Lemaster plumbing?” she asked, staring up at Gavin, then back to the screen. “About a month ago I had a leaky faucet. I called them and I think that’s the guy that came out and fixed it.”
“How would he know you’re AngelaBennett?” Gavin asked, taking a step back.
“I must have had the site open and he saw my screen name or something.”
“Son, they are picking him up now. Want to ride along with me?” Eric said.
“I need a ride home anyway.” Gavin glared down at her. “I’m sure your family can give you a ride home, right?” But he didn’t wait for an answer.
Chapter 10
GAVIN LEANED AGAINST his father’s unmarked police car after walking through his and Charlotte’s apartments, making sure they were clear.
“Did you get ahold of her?” his father asked.
“She’s going to stay at her parents tonight, which I think is best until this Lemaster asshole is caught.” He stared at the duplex. So much had happened in the last two days and he hadn’t been able to reconcile the negative feelings swirling in his gut.
“Do you want a ride over there?”
Gavin shook his head. “Renee and Devon are going to drop off a car for me to use while my truck is in the shop.”
“I’m shocked she’s still dating Devon,” his father said, rubbing the side of his face. “Mom and I are afraid to get too attached, but it’s getting harder and harder.”
“She’ll get him to break up with her within the month.”
“And you know this how?”
Gavin shrugged. “She’s complaining about him being needy, which is bullshit. I tried to warn him.”
“What is wrong with your sister?”
“She’s just afraid of commitment. Hopefully, she’ll get over it soon before she breaks the heart of another one of my friends.”
His father’s hand gripped his shoulder. “And what about your heart? You seem torn right now.”
Gavin really had no right to be angry with her over chatting with anyone prior to talking with him. Hell, until they had slept together, he had no right to feel as though they were exclusive. Even then, without actually saying, hey, let’s only date each other, he still had no right to be pissed off.
But he was.
“Things got muddled before they even started.”
“Why? Because of the online dating thing?”
Gavin let out a short laugh, folding his arms across his chest. “Gee, Dad, someone might think you’re a detective with those deduction skills.”
“Sarcasm won’t change anything and really, you’re being childish. It’s not like you didn’t go on that site looking for a date either. She seems like a nice girl.”
“She is a nice girl. I’m just not sure where this is going. I mean, what could I possibly give her that she doesn’t already have?”
“You seriously didn’t just ask me that, did you?” His father pointed to the house and her mid-size nondescript car under the carport. “Does it look like any of that matters to her? Besides, her family is so down to earth. The only issue is her mother being a criminal lawyer, but she’s mostly white collar, which is why she makes the big bucks.”
“I wish it were that easy for me, but I kept looking around that house, and even if she doesn’t live off her parent’s money, it would always be there if she needed it.”
“Just like your mother and I are always there if you need us. It’s no different.” His father slapped him on the back, pulling him in for a manly hug. “I’ve got to get going. Watch you back and call me if Lemaster shows up.”
“Will do.”
He waited for his father to drive down the street before strolling up onto the porch. He inserted his key and pushed open the door. He stared at the computer he’d left on the coffee table. His sister had been afraid of not being able to love someone forever, where Gavin was afraid someone wouldn’t love him forever.
But if he didn’t give her a chance, he’d never know.
He pulled his phone from his back pocket. “Hey, Siri, call Charlotte Harp—”
Crack!
Thud!
Gavin dropped to his knees, clutching the back of his head, blood oozing through his fingers. The phone slipped out of his hand. “What the?”
Lemaster stood over him with a gun pointed at his face.
“This isn’t a smart move.” Gavin swallowed, the taste of metal filling his throat. “My father is a police officer.”
“I don’t give a shit,” Lemaster said, waving the gun around, his finger on the trigger. “You ruined everything. Had it not been for you, Charlotte and I would be together.”
“In your dreams.” Being condescending wasn’t too bright either, but his tolerance had been pushed over the edge. “Charlotte wants nothing to do with you.”
“We were getting along just
fine until you decided to trick her.”
“Trick her?” For almost all of Gavin’s childhood, he’d wanted to be a police officer like his dad. During high school, he’d read every procedural manual he could get his hands on. He’d been fascinated by hostage negotiation and one of the tips was to keep them talking. “How did I trick her?”
“You pretended to be something you’re not.”
Gavin wanted to remind him that was exactly what he’d done, but figured that would just piss him off. Not a good idea while he waved a gun at him.
“If you hadn’t brainwashed her into liking you, she would have seen that I’m the perfect man for her.”
Talk about delusional.
Gavin shifted, trying to stand.
Lemaster thrusted the gun in his face. “Don’t move, asshole.”
“This won’t end well for you.” He kept his eye on Lemaster’s hand, hoping he’d get the opportunity to disarm him.
“It’s going to be wonderful for me because Charlotte is going to need a shoulder to cry on after you kill yourself.”
Gavin couldn’t help it, he laughed. “And why would I do that?”
Lemaster’s nose flared like a wild bull as he waved his free hand over his face and neck. “You’ve never really gotten over those, have you?”
“If you think that’s going to work, you haven’t done your research about me.”
“Doesn’t matter. PTSD is common in firemen and burn victims.”
“In some cases, but not mine, and that is well documented after a few surgeries and many months in therapy.”
“But you’ve been burying your feelings for so long. The depression has slowly been building inside you and eating you alive.” Lemaster’s eyes widened like a rabid animal. “It will all be explained in your suicide note.”
“You’ll have to kill me before I write that crap.” Gavin heard a faint click coming from the back of the house. He shifted his gaze to his phone, which was still connected to Charlotte’s number, so either she was listening, or this had gone to voicemail. Either way, this asshole was as good as caught.
Now he just had to make sure he got out alive.
“I will kill you, don’t worry about that.”
“Up until you broke into my house and whacked me over the head, all they had you on was a weak case of stalking. Now assault with intent to injure and—” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father creep forward, weapon in hand.
“Shut the fuck up,” Lemaster said.
His father jerked his chin toward the front of the house.
Gavin took that to mean backup was already closing in.
“Get up. Time to write the note.” Lemaster inched forward, pushing the weapon out in front of him, taking better aim, as he steadied his arm.
Slowly, Gavin pushed himself to a standing position. A wave of dizziness rolling through his body forced him to pause. He blinked a few times, keeping Lemaster in his sights. His father had dipped behind the wall in the kitchen.
“I keep my pen and paper in the desk over there.” Gavin pointed to a hideaway desk on the back wall in the family room, which would put Lemaster’s back to the kitchen, giving his father the right angle to nail the asshole, or at least that’s what Gavin hoped for, because he was tired of staring down the wrong end of a gun.
“Stay right there.” Lemaster shuffled across the room, keeping his weapon pointed at Gavin.
His father stepped from behind the wall separating the family room and the kitchen, nodding his head toward the door.
Gavin slowly backed up, hands in the air.
As soon as Lemaster turned his head, Gavin’s father moved in.
“Drop the weapon,” his father ordered.
Lemaster froze for a second before tilting his head, giving Gavin a sinister smile.
“Oh fuck,” Gavin whispered.
Bang!
Gavin dropped to the floor, covering his head, as if that would stop a speeding bullet from tearing through his body.
Bang!
Bang!
A searing pain charged through his shoulder as his body flung backward, sending him crashing to the floor, landing on his back as he clutched the gaping hole the bullet had created.
“God, damn it,” he said with a loud groan. Blood trickled between his fingers.
“Apartment secure,” his father said, the same time as three uniformed cops stormed through the front door. “Get this asshole out of here.” His father raced across the room, dropping to his knees. “Are you okay?”
“Getting shot doesn’t hurt as much as getting burned.”
“A sense of humor is always good during these situations,” his father said, shifting to the side as first responders entered the building. “Oh goodie, look, it’s your sister.”
“Leave it to my brother to get shot.” Renee, decked out in full firemen’s gear, ripped open his shirt and pressed a gauze pad on both sides of his shoulder. “Went all the way through.” She waved her hand as the EMT’s entered with a stretcher.
“How’d you know to come here?” he asked.
“Charlotte,” Renee said with a wide, all knowing smile. “She called dad the second she heard you talking to Lemaster.”
“Can you call her and tell her what happened?”
“Already did,” his father said, standing over him. “Her parents are bringing her to the hospital. She might actually beat you there.”
Gavin dropped his head to the floor with a thud. He closed his eyes, ignoring the shouts and commands coming from his friends, family, and fellow first responders. He focused on the image of Charlotte he’d brought up in his mind of her sitting in his truck, feet propped up on his dashboard, twirling her hair.
A mental picture he hoped he’d have the chance to make real again.
***
Charlotte paced in the waiting room of the hospital. It had been two hours since Gavin had been brought into surgery. But what was worse than the waiting was that she hadn’t been able to see him before he’d been rolled into the ER.
“No news is good news,” Kim, Gavin’s mother said. She sat at the far end of the room, her legs crossed, holding a magazine in her lap as she aimlessly flipped the pages. His mother had soft, almond colored eyes that pleaded with her to sit down and relax. Eric, Gavin’s father sat next to his wife, his arm looped over her shoulder. They were so calm it made Charlotte worry even more.
“Come on, darling. I’m sure we’ll hear something soon,” her father said. As a doctor, she expected him to remain cool and collected. Even when he was dealing with the worst case, he always had this peaceful serenity about him, which made his patients and their families feel at ease.
But it only served to make her crazy.
“Worrying isn’t going to make things happen faster.” Her mother had perched herself next to Kim.
“Besides, this is a pretty simple surgery,” her father added. “And Wudder is the best shoulder surgeon in the state of Texas. Gavin is in good hands.”
“You say that about every surgery.” She gathered her hair over her shoulder and twisted it with both hands as if she were ringing out a wet towel. Her father had called in a couple of favors to get Dr. Wudder, which Gavin’s family had been quite appreciative of.
“Dr. Wudder could do this procedure in his sleep.”
She stopped and glared at her father. “Not helping, Daddy.”
The sound of the electric doors springing to life hit her ears, startling her. A man in dark blue scrubs entered the waiting room. A face mask had been pulled down, covering his neck.
“Dr. Wudder,” her father said, pushing himself from the wall. “How is Gavin doing?”
“Great. He’s in recovery right now, but he’ll be in a room in the next half hour.”
“Surgery went okay?” his mother asked.
“The bullet missed the joint, which I had been concerned about, so that is really good. We had to repair some of the ligaments and he’s going to be quite sore for some
time. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to use his arm for a while and he’ll require at least six weeks of physical therapy.”
“That’s going to make him ornery,” his father said.
“I bet. But he’ll be as good as new by then.”
“When can we see him?” Charlotte asked, her heart hammering against her rib cage.
“Are you Charlotte?”
She nodded.
Dr. Wudder smiled. “He didn’t want to be completely knocked out, so he was awake most of the surgery, though very loopy, and he had a lot to say about you.”
Heat rose from her pinky toe right to her cheeks. “About me? What did he say?”
“He just kept telling everyone that he had the sweetest, prettiest girlfriend in all of Texas.”
The heat flushing in her face turned to burning flames
“Come with me. I’ll take you to his room.”
She followed the doctor through the doors and glanced over her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?” she asked his parents.
“Tell Gavin we’ll be by shortly.” His mother smiled. “I think the two of you need a little time together.”
Charlotte’s chest tightened as she followed the doctor down a long corridor. “Looks like the nurse just rolled him into his room.” The doctor opened a door. “I’ll be by in about twenty minutes to check on him.”
She nodded, standing at the opening of the door. A curtain hung from the ceiling, blocking off the room. All she could see was the end of the bed and two mounds under the sheet, which she assumed were Gavin’s feet.
“He’s going to be loopy for a little bit, but he’s coherent.”
She sucked in a deep breath, gripping the fabric that separated her from Gavin. Her fingers trembled. In the matter of a couple of days, she’d fallen hard for the sexy fire firefighter. When she heard he had been shot, her knees buckled and it felt as though her heart at stopped.
“Charlotte?” Gavin’s deep raspy voice called out. “Is that you?”
She brushed her hair back and stepped into the room, pulling the curtain closed behind her.
“Well, you are a sight for sore eyes.” His smile brightened the dingy hospital room, but nothing could control her racing heart seeing him hooked up to IV’s and listening to a machine beep with every pulse of his heart. “Come here.” He patted the side of the bed with his good hand.
