Alex caught her gaze and she felt that tingle of connection. Of knowing they were on exactly the same wavelength.
But there was more to this than a surgeon worried about his patient or a doctor who found treating a case of child abuse appalling. The shadows she could see in Alex’s gaze created a flood of questions. She’d always been aware of that dark side to him, hadn’t she? She’d never had the chance to find out how it had got there. She’d been happy to just let it add to the frisson of danger that had gone with getting close to this man. The excitement of the illicit affair.
And, right now, it was more than just wanting answers to those questions … she wanted to defuse this situation. Or was it more than that even? That squeezing sensation in her chest suggested that she wanted to … make it better somehow. For Alex.
As if he read something of that in her face, his gaze jerked away from her to the stranger.
‘You’re Ramona’s boyfriend, aren’t you?’ Alex sounded calm. Dangerously so.
‘Who wants to know?’
‘I’m Alex Rodriguez. Felix’s neurosurgeon. I’m the person who’s been operating on Felix this afternoon. Getting some of the blood out of his skull before it did too much damage to his brain.’
‘Good for you.’ The man eyed Alex up and down. More up than down. Both Alex and his brother towered over this stranger by at least six or seven inches. Layla could see that he was practised in assessing another man’s strength but if he was intimidated by his male company he didn’t show it. He stepped closer to Alex. ‘If you’re a doctor, you can let me in through that door. I’ve got a right to see Ramona.’
Alex was taking a breath. Layla could see the way his eyes narrowed as he smelt the alcohol. ‘I’d like a word with you first, if you don’t mind.’
‘I do mind.’ Layla saw the way the man shoved the little boy to one side and then curled his fists.
The little boy staggered sideways and bumped into Cade, who caught him as he started sobbing. ‘You’re OK, buddy,’ he said.
‘Shut up, Cody, or you’ll be sorry,’ the man warned.
‘Like Felix was?’ Alex’s query was almost conversational.
‘Alex …’ Cade’s tone was a warning.
The men were squaring off at each other. Layla could feel the fury of Alex’s stare even though it was fastened firmly on the man directly in front of him. The tension was indescribable. Any second now and all hell would break loose. Alex would flatten Ramona’s low-life boyfriend and then what? She wouldn’t be trying to thank him for saving her job. She’d be fighting a losing battle trying to save his.
Not going to happen.
Without pausing to think about what she was doing, Layla stepped in between the two men just as both men raised their fists.
The vicious shove she received from behind was meant to get her out of the way but, in fact, it slammed her against Alex’s rigid body. He had no choice but to lower his fists to catch hold of her before she fell sideways. It still felt like she was falling but she was encased in an astonishingly powerful grip.
From the corner of her eye she saw the fist aimed at Alex, which would have connected with the side of her head if Alex hadn’t hauled her out of harm’s way.
He only held Layla long enough for her to feel that strength and all that leashed power. To feel the pounding of his heart against her own for no more than a second. And then he let go of her and moved so swiftly the attacker didn’t have a chance.
‘That’s enough.’ Alex grabbed the raised arm of the attacker and then twisted it behind the man’s back.
‘Ow … lemme go,’ the man snarled. The words turned into a whimper of pain as Alex clearly tightened his grip.
Layla, Cade and little Cody were all staring, wide eyed.
‘Call Security,’ Alex told Cade. ‘Layla, take Cody in to find his mother.’
Layla did as she was told. She held out her hand. ‘Come on, honey. I’ll just bet your momma is going to be so happy to see you.’
Behind her, she could hear Cade talking urgently to Alex. ‘I’ll sit on him till Security gets here. You need to go and cool down before you talk to them. I’ll tell them you got paged.’
‘No way …’ The refusal was almost drowned by a stream of obscenities and threats from Ramona’s boyfriend.
Layla used her swipe card to gain entry to the unit. As the doors closed behind Cody and herself she could only hope that Alex could control his fury. It didn’t matter what the man was guilty of—a member of staff in an altercation with a parent figure would be a dismissible offence.
She found a staff member to take care of Cody and filled them in on what had happened. She even spoke briefly to Ramona and learned that Felix had come through his surgery with flying colours and everybody was very pleased with how he was doing. It was only a few minutes before she could head back to see what was happening on the other side of the door. With a curious mix of both relief and disappointment she found Alex was nowhere to be seen. Ramona’s boyfriend was also gone from the scene and the security guard talking to Cade had finished whatever he needed to do.
‘I’ll go and have a word with the boy’s mother,’ he said. ‘And I’ll catch up with Dr Rodriguez when he’s done with that emergency.’
Layla pinned Cade with a look that told him she wasn’t leaving without some answers.
‘Where’s Alex?’
Cade shrugged. ‘Gone. I thought he should cool off a bit before he started talking to the cops.’
There was a moment’s silence as they stared at each other. Cade looked … defensive? As if he was challenging Layla to criticise Alex for coming on too strong. She weighed her words.
‘I heard you guys talking,’ she said carefully. ‘What did you mean by Alex knowing too much?’
She could see the shutters come down. Cade shrugged again, a gesture that told her this was between brothers and none of her business. And then his eyebrow rose.
‘Is it true what I’ve heard around here? That there’s something going on between you and Alex?’
Was this a case of attack being the best form of defence? Or was it a brother looking after a brother? If Layla wanted an honest answer from Cade, maybe he deserved the truth first.
‘Not now,’ she told him. ‘There’s … history. We were together way back. At the time of the Kirkpatrick case. You’d know about that.’
A sharp nod from Cade. ‘It’s what made me get in touch with Alex after not seeing him for years. Not that I got much of a chance to spend time with him before he took off to Brisbane.’
‘It messed up a lot of things,’ Layla agreed. ‘But what’s important right now is that I owe my job to Alex and I’m not going to let him get into trouble over what just happened here if I can help it.’
Cade’s nod was relieved. ‘Just as well. The creep’s telling everybody that Alex started it. Just laid into him without any provocation.’
‘I’ll sort it,’ Layla promised. But she wasn’t letting Cade off the hook just yet. ‘After I’ve talked to Alex, that is. Now, are you going to tell me where he is so I can do that before the cops start looking for me?’
Cade sighed. ‘He didn’t say where he was going but I’d guess he’s where he always is when he wants to burn off some steam. Where we both go.’
‘Which is?’
‘The hoop-shooting court out the back of the ambulance bay.’
CHAPTER THREE
THE SLAP OF the ball against the palm of his hand was hard enough to be causing pain.
Firing the ball towards the hoop with such aggression before he’d warmed up properly had ripped a bit of muscle, too, so that every subsequent attempt at a goal sent a stabbing sensation through his shoulder. On top of that, Alex had been going hard enough to be out of breath enough to make his lungs burn and create a satisfyingly deep ache in his chest every time he tried to suck in some more oxygen.
But he wasn’t ready to stop yet. No way.
This felt like a fight to the death.
OK, he’d been wrong about Tommy but he’d known in his gut that Felix had been the victim of abuse from the moment he’d seen him. He should have had the cops there waiting for that creep of a father figure to turn up.
He’d wanted to kill the guy. Or at least hurt him enough to make him stop and think about what he’d done to an innocent child. Felix was a baby, for God’s sake. He had no chance to defend himself in any way. He’d still feel the pain, though, wouldn’t he? And the shock of such a betrayal from a person he had to trust because his survival depended on it.
His breath coming in ragged gasps, Alex did another circuit of the court at high speed, hammering the ball on the tarmac with every step, getting back to the point where he could make another leap and fire the ball at the hoop as fast as he could.
He’d been luckier than Felix. Ten years old and big for his age before the abuse from his stepfather had really started. Big enough to be fiercely determined to protect his little brother. Strong enough to stand up to a man who’d made it very clear he didn’t give a damn about his dead wife’s kid.
He hated this part of his job. Hated the memories that came with cases like this. Felt consumed with anger that his time and skills had to be used to fight something that should never, ever have happened in the first place. In a perfect world he could devote his life to being the absolute best in dealing with the kind of things that weren’t preventable. The kind of complicated lesions that came out of nowhere and threatened to blow a loving, real family apart.
Everybody knew he was well on the way to being the best. What they didn’t know was that he was driven to it by the mix of guilt and determination that he had to live with for ever. Guilt over what had happened in the little Jamie Kirkpatrick case. Determination that it would never, ever happen again. That nothing, and nobody, would ever put him off his game.
And that was under threat.
It wasn’t just the anger about child abuse in general that Alex was trying to burn off here. Or the fury and disgust at coming face to face with the perpetrator in a single case. Part of what was pushing him on and on despite the pain right now was fear. This threat was huge.
Because of the guilt that had spurred his determination in the first place.
Because the reason he hadn’t been on top of his game for little Jamie was back in his life again.
And because the pull of it was unbearable.
It had been bad enough earlier today when he’d heard her speaking Spanish, for God’s sake …
He could probably have conversed with Ramona himself except that he’d shut the door so successfully on the language he’d heard so much of in his earliest years. The Rodriguez family had kept close ties with their culture but his mother had refused to speak Spanish after his father had died. Phrases had slipped out in emotional times, though, on the occasions she’d got cross. More often when she’d been happy, like when she’d been giving him a cuddle and kiss to say goodnight.
It was a language that touched something very deep inside Alex. It had roots in a happy time that was so long ago it was only a fairy-tale. Hearing Layla speaking it so fluently had given him a chill down his spine. Made him realise that there was more connecting him to this woman that he’d thought.
Pulling him back.
But he hadn’t realised the terrifying power of that pull until a few minutes ago. When he’d been so consumed with that anger towards Ramona’s boyfriend that he might have ignored Cade’s warning about what the consequences might be until … until Layla had stepped between them and everything had changed in a heartbeat.
The need to protect her had come with the same kind of automatic speed that he’d practised as a kid, making sure that Cade wasn’t going to get in the way of his father’s fists. And that had become more important than anything else.
And then that low-life had pushed her and she’d slammed up against his body and, as inconceivable as it should have been given the circumstances, the awareness of her warmth and softness and … just that she was Layla had messed with his head completely.
The desire to hurt the creep had been diluted by the relief that Layla was safe. The memories were jangled and confused. Cade had been right. He’d needed to get away to cool off and clear his head.
Was he succeeding?
It didn’t feel like it. Another circuit of the court and the muscles in his legs were burning now. Every pore was releasing sweat in a vain attempt to cool him down and he felt light-headed for a moment because he wasn’t getting enough oxygen.
But he still kept going. The anger may have worn off but he still had too many other emotions curdling his blood.
He had to fight the threat. Find a way through it. He wasn’t going to let his life get derailed again. He’d learned his lessons.
Not instantly, of course. He’d gone from his disastrous fling with a married woman to falling into bed with Callie Richards, one of his new colleagues in Brisbane. The lust had burned off fast enough, though, and he’d been left with a friendship he knew they’d have for ever. Callie was just like him. Burned by love to the same extent and determined that it would never interfere with her life again.
She’d tell him to do whatever it took to forget and then move on.
Like they had, after their fling had fizzled out. They’d been able to salvage a true friendship and work together without this gut-wrenching tension he was trying to get past now.
It was so hard fighting the past here. Especially now. The memories of Jamie. And Tommy. And now Felix.
And not just the memories of Layla. He had to deal with the reality of her. Every day. Every minute of the day it had started to feel like. That kiss. The feel of her body against his so recently upstairs. That disturbing, automatic need to protect her.
He had to deal with it. Or he’d have all his demons snapping at his heels for the rest of his life and he’d never find peace.
Alex was finally forced to stop moving and catch his breath.
Exhausted now, he could start to push everything out of his head. Except for the knowledge that he had to find a way through this and that he had no idea where to start.
Give him a case that was complicated enough to scare anyone else off and he was fine. He could make a plan. Step by step. A thorough investigation and then treatment with the goal of a cure lighting the path.
Work was great like that. But personal stuff?
Callie might know what he needed to do. She was a touchstone for advice.
Maybe Cade could help. He’d lived with the same background of violence and he’d only been protected until Alex had abandoned him and walked out when he’d been sixteen. Cade had been justifiably angry but they were sorting out that emotional minefield now. They were brothers again and that was thanks to Cade making the first move so maybe he would have a clue where you got started on a journey to make peace with the past and move on.
He certainly needed to talk to someone. If he didn’t find an outlet for the emotions he couldn’t suppress, he’d go crazy.
Things weren’t hurting quite so much now. A few more minutes of this over-the-top physical activity and he could go and have a shower. With a bit of luck he’d be too tired to even think after that.
Layla had gone through the emergency department and out the automatic doors that led to the ambulance bay. There was a crew unloading a young patient who appeared to be having a severe asthma attack. He was sitting bolt upright on the stretcher, clutching a nebuliser mask to his face. His anxious parents gave Layla a hopeful look as if the stethoscope around her neck and perhaps the seniority her white coat advertised meant she would pause on her way and put things right, but all she could offer was a sympathetic smile.
She’d never been around the back of the ambulance bay before. As far as she knew, this was where all the rubbish skips were lined up ready for collection so there’d never been a reason to go there. Tucked into the corner, however, and brightly lit by the powerful security lights, was a good-sized patch o
f tarmac. The backboard and hoop were securely attached to one of Angel’s walls.
Alex had clearly been working out without a pause since she’d last seen him. He was wearing nothing more than some shorts, a singlet and trainers, and his exposed skin gleamed with sweat.
And, oh, man … there was a lot of exposed skin.
Standing at the end of the line of rubbish skips and not directly under a light, Layla knew she was probably invisible. Alex was so focussed on his lonely game that he probably wouldn’t have noticed her anyway, even if she was out in the open. She should call out or something because it felt suddenly as if she was seeing something private but when she opened her mouth Layla found it was inexplicably dry and no sound emerged.
Even if the overhead lights weren’t picking Alex out from the surrounding darkness like spotlights, it would have been impossible to look away. This was the image of a very well-built, very fit man. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on Alex Rodriguez. Muscles rippled and tendons appeared like ropes on his thighs and arms as he ran and twisted, changing direction and gathering speed before firing a shot at the goal. Layla found herself holding her breath every time, waiting for the crack of the ball against the backboard and the satisfying slide of it going through the net.
There wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t be impressed by Alex’s body even when he was fully clothed and standing absolutely still. To watch him display this level of fitness and physical acuity was mesmerising. Erotic, in fact. She could hear the rasp of Alex’s ragged breathing and the occasional grunt of effort. She could almost feel the body heat coming at her in waves and smell the salty tang of his sweat.
Her mouth might be dry but there was another part of Layla that most certainly wasn’t. Her breathing rate had picked up as well and her knees were actually feeling weak, like those of some swooning heroine from a story like Gone With The Wind or something.
NYC Angels: An Explosive Reunion Page 4
