Undercover Lover (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Jane Leopold Quinn

  * * * *

  The next thing she knew was that she lay on her back, scrunching her eyes at the bright lights glaring on her. Someone cut off her sweater.

  There goes another outfit.

  Her world went black again.

  She woke briefly, now on the move, the wiggly motion—she thought nonsensically like a grocery cart with a wonky wheel—made her stomach jump. When the grocery cart took a corner too fast and skidded to a halt, she opened her eyes. Her head lolled to the side. She saw men wrestling.

  “Liz. God damn it! Let me go, assholes!”

  One man’s arms flew up, pumping forward in swimming motions. Other men kept trying to grab his arms and shoulders. Oh, my God, she was in the hospital again. Transfixed, she could only watch. The man stopped fighting, his arms falling to his sides. She got a good look at his face. Familiar. Her eyes drifted closed on a sigh.

  “Liz! Don’t…”

  On the move again, her gurney bounced sending shooting pain through her chest. She groaned.

  “Damn it, man. Get him away from her.”

  “Liz, baby.”

  She cranked open her eyes. This time the struggling man came closer. “Sam,” she whispered.

  “She’s awake. She said my name. Sonofabitch, let me go!”

  “Take it easy. She’s still in a lot of pain.”

  “Sam…wha…happened?” Her voice made a jagged, croaking sound. His face loomed right over her. His lips touched hers, lightly and delicately.

  “You’re gonna be all right, baby. They’re gonna fix you up,” he sobbed. “I love you. Love you, Liz. You’ve gotta be all right.”

  “Blood.” His face and clothes were covered with dried blood. “You hurt?”

  “Baby, you’ll be fine. They just need to get the bullet out of you.”

  “Me?” This was happening to her?

  “Yes, honey. Oh, God, you were shot.”

  “Come on, officer. Don’t upset her any more.” A man in a white coat gripped him by the shoulders. “Come on, get hold of yourself.”

  “Me?” she whispered again. She was so tired. In and out of a twilight consciousness, sometimes things were clear, then they floated away. “Die?”

  Held back by the white coated man, Sam’s face contorted in a grimace of horror, and he shouted, “No, no, baby, you’re gonna be fine.”

  She didn’t care anymore. The movement had stopped, a mask covered her nose and mouth, her eyes closed again, and her world faded away. She had some really strange dreams.

  She’d climbed to the top of the Sears Tower and clung to a telecommunications mast. Sam climbed up the side of the building just like Spider Man. Maybe he was Spider Man. He lost his grip and slipped several floors. She stretched her arm down. Maybe she was Rubber Woman. She almost touched him. “Grab it,” she dream-screamed.

  Her eyes popped open.

  Unh…the light.

  “Doctor, her eyes opened. She’s awake.”

  “Well, put her out again. I’m not finished.”

  Not finished with wh…?

  * * * *

  Sam precariously balanced himself tipping back on the legs of the chair outside Liz’s hospital room. Head resting on the wall, he squeezed his eyes shut, just for a moment. He felt so tired but too wired for sleep. She’d been wheeled into the room, her folks and sister by her side. The technicians made sure the machines and IVs were hooked up, and she was stable.

  “You Sam Bolt?”

  A male, not very friendly voice interrupted his dark thoughts. Another doctor probably. “Yeah.” He cracked his eyes open to see a man standing over him. “And you are?”

  “Tom Seeger, Liz’s brother-in-law.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Want to tell me what happened?” Seeger’s voice sounded deceptively soft.

  Strung out emotionally and in a vicious, guilty mood, he snarled, “I already gave my statement.” Seeger hovered aggressively in front of him, the thumb of one hand hooked in the front of his jeans pocket. The other arm hoisted a baby securely on his hip.

  Not intimidated by Seeger’s hostile stance, his lips quirked in an automatic smile at the cute kid.

  “This is Crystal.” Seeger nodded at the baby and smiled his pride. “Can you show your toothless little smile to the man, Cryssie?”

  Cryssie cooperated by grinning, drool and spit bubbles dripping down her chubby chin.

  Distracted, Sam almost missed what came next.

  “Why don’t you tell me what happened so I can explain things to my wife?”

  Seeger’s voice contained a quiet menace that Sam didn’t think for a moment meant the question had anything to do with his wife. “Liz’ll tell her what she wants her to know.”

  “Well, I want to hear it from you, Bolt.”

  Christ, he was too tired for this. Rising, he found them to be so alike in build that if this did degenerate into a punching match, it could well be a draw. Except he wasn’t the one holding the baby. The baby, thinking Sam wanted to take a turn holding her, picked this moment to flap her arms toward him and bounce.

  Seeger settled her more securely against his side and glared at Sam. “She’s been put in danger twice now because of you.”

  What could he say to that? It was true, fuck it all.

  “Serious danger. This time she was shot.”

  “You know, Mr. Seeger, I know all this. What’s your point?”

  His voice deepened into a growl. “My point is that I don’t want it to happen again.”

  “It won’t.”

  “Does that mean you have no more enemies?”

  God, this guy wouldn’t give up. And besides, he couldn’t answer that question. “I’m undercover,” he said.

  “Well, Detective Bolt, that doesn’t answer my question. Liz doesn’t need any more trauma in her life, and I don’t want Miry and her folks worrying about it either.”

  “I don’t need you to run my life, but it so happens I agree with you.” He hadn’t shot Liz himself, but he was directly responsible for everything bad that had happened to her. “I’m leaving just as soon as she wakes up, and I’m sure she’ll be all right. She saved my life.”

  My worthless life.

  He hated letting Seeger dictate to him, but the man was right.

  “Yeah, she did.” Seeger smiled then, showing his admiration for Liz. “She’s fearless, that one, isn’t she?”

  “Yes,” Sam responded unhappily. Too fearless. She shouldn’t have to run outside just to protect him.

  “Where’s this going between you two?” Seeger switched to serious again.

  “I don’t think it’s any…”

  “Yeah, it is my business. Liz is family. Her welfare is my business.”

  “Jesus, I already told you I’m leaving. I’m not arguing with you.”

  “J-j-je,” Cryssie slurred wetly.

  “No, no, sweetie. Bad word.” Seeger pursed his lips and shook his head at his baby. He addressed Sam without taking his gaze from the kid. “So you care about her, or you wouldn’t still be standing here.”

  Suddenly the door to Liz’s room flew open. “Tommy, what’s going on out here? We could hear everything.” The woman glared at Seeger. “Oh, there’s my baby. Come to Mama, sweetie.” Then she turned the same black look on Sam and held out her hand. “I’m Miranda, Liz’s sister. You’re Sam Bolt?”

  He hesitated to take her hand at first. Over her shoulder, he saw Liz’s parents poised on each side of the hospital bed, watching the show at the doorway. Liz appeared to be asleep. Then sheer courtesy took over, and he shook Miry’s hand. “Yeah.”

  “Guys, why don’t you come in? Liz’s in and out of it, but I’m sure she’d like to see both of you when she opens her eyes.”

  Miry gazed at him with a calm regard. No spite, no agenda other than an attempt to defuse the situation. He started to back away.

  “Sam,” she said. “Will you come in for a minute? She’s been saying your name. I think she needs to see you to
make sure you’re all right.”

  All right? She needs to know if I’m all right? She’d been shot, not him.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. How could he feel any more raw? She’d put her life on the line, and she worried about him. He owed her. He owed her everything. “Sure,” he responded. He faced the dregs of society every day, but facing Liz scared him shitless.

  * * * *

  “I think she’s coming out of it. Oh, Jack, come here.”

  Who’s Jack?

  “Liz, wake up, honey.”

  She didn’t want to, couldn’t. Her eyelids felt too heavy to open.

  The back of her hand felt like it was being tickled. Voices, all talking at once, laughing and crying. The bed shook. She groaned, speech beyond her capabilities at the moment. Very slowly she slit her eyes open, closing them again.

  “Come on, Liz. Open your eyes. You’re gonna be all right, honey. Wake up.”

  She recognized her mom’s voice, but that was the only thing she was sure of.

  “Honey, it’s Mom. We’re all here. Dad and Miry.”

  “Liz,” Miry said, “Cryssie wants you to open your eyes. Sam’s here too. He’s been so worried about you.”

  “Wha…happen…?”

  “You’re going to be fine, hon…”

  The next time she woke, she opened her eyes immediately. She was alone. In the quiet night, she heard the machines surrounding her beeping, hissing, gurgling. She flexed her fingers.

  Someone on soft shoes entered the room and leaned over the bed. “Liz, you’re awake. Good. Do you have any pain?”

  “Thirs…” The only movement she could make was to slide her tongue over dry lips.

  “Okay, all I can give you is ice chips.”

  The woman spooned a few small pieces of ice into her mouth. “Mmm,” she said encouragingly. “I know. I bet even the ice tastes good. My name is Michele. I’m your night nurse. Janice is your day nurse. She’ll be here later.” While Michele talked, she took her temperature and smoothed the pillow and covers. “Honey, you’re doing fine. Pretty soon you’ll be able to go home.”

  “Where is…?”

  “Sam?”

  “Unh.”

  “Actually, we made him get out of the room for a couple of hours. You have one really great boyfriend. He’s been wild worrying about you. They practically had to handcuff him when you were being taken into surgery.”

  Her gaze followed the nurse around the room. “Tell me,” she croaked in a dry-throated whisper.

  Michele chuckled, “He shouted and made a ruckus. Two cops held him back so they could get you into surgery. I heard he was a cop, too.”

  She couldn’t process this information. She didn’t think Sam was her boyfriend, but maybe she didn’t remember everything. “Mom? Da-?”

  “Your family was here too, but the doctor suggested they go home and get some rest. You’re in stable condition. Nothing really to worry about, and they needed to get some sleep.”

  “Okay,” she mumbled.

  “Would you like Sam to come in?”

  “No.” She didn’t want him to see her like this, so weak and stuck with tubes and things.

  Chapter 20

  Sam listened outside Liz’s hospital room. When she said no she didn’t want him to come in, he felt like bawling. He couldn’t blame her. Look at all the trouble, to say the least, he’d caused her. And now she didn’t want to see him.

  What if she never wanted to see him again? He deserved that. It would be better for her if he did leave. She saved his life by shouting even though it almost cost her life. He should at least thank her. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  The nurse came out of the room and nodded conspiratorially to him. “She’s pumped up with drugs. Don’t take her seriously right now.”

  He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, his arms folded across his chest, and gazed at her. She appeared to be asleep. His heart thudded uncomfortably in his chest, painful thoughts careening and colliding with the pleasurable. Wild memories of her sweet body draped over his couldn’t beat off the horror of hearing her shout the warning and then seeing her shot. He struggled to corral his fear together with his love, trying to even out his emotions and knowing he never could. Unbidden, a smile creased his face as he remembered how nice she’d been to Petey. If he ever wanted to settle down, she’d be the one.

  Whoa! That’s a little over the top? I don’t want to settle down. I can’t. Remember, fool? Some women can’t hack being cops’ wives. She’d be forever bugging me about when I’m coming home. Angry if I have to miss some important event like the birth of our kids.

  Well, I’d make sure that didn’t happen. Somehow, I’d be there for her.

  But she didn’t want to see him. Cold clutched at his stomach, encasing his heart in ice, and spreading outward. Slowly and stiffly, he tiptoed over to the bed, checked her vital signs on the monitors, and confirmed her breathing was regular, her chest rising and falling steadily.

  Be safe, sweetheart.

  He bent over her, brushing his lips gently over her dry ones. In an agony of uncertainty, he squeezed his eyes shut, controlling his emotions, pushing his deepest feelings, his darkest fears, as far inside as possible. He loved her, but he’d caused too much trouble for her. All this stuff would forever be between them. Reality hit him. Any hope he’d ever had of life as a normal man with a wife and children to come home to just crashed and burned.

  “I’ll always love you, Liz. Be happy,” he whispered over her sleeping body, wondering, hoping somehow she heard him.

  * * * *

  Staring moodily out the window at the dreary, rainy day and a bullet hole in her shoulder certainly made the whole hospital experience pretty miserable.

  “Liz?” She heard the tentative voice coming from the doorway.

  “Hi, it’s Jeff. Remember? I brought Petey to visit. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Oh, hi, guys.” This was a surprise but a nice one.

  “Hi, Liz. You got shot?”

  She laughed at Petey’s excitement, and the movement hurt. She supposed it was an adventure, like a real-life TV show for him.

  “Hey, Petey, be polite. Sorry, Liz.”

  “That’s okay, Jeff. Hi, Petey. And yes, I did get shot.”

  “Does it hurt?”

  “Yes, a little, but they’ve given me a lot of medicine, so the pain isn’t so bad.”

  “Good.”

  Her eyes shifted back to Jeff. “How did you find out about this?”

  “Well, for starters we heard it on the news. Then Sam called to warn my parents. The damn reporters somehow got his name and tracked them down. Liz, you saved Sam’s life.”

  “Yeah, you saved my brother’s life. I’m sorry you got shot, though,” added Petey.

  “Thank you, honey.” She smiled at him. “I’ll be all right.” Both brothers looked so much like Sam, the same midnight hair, dark eyes. It hurt seeing them. She’d felt his lips feather over hers, thought she’d heard him say the word love.

  “You gonna marry my brother?”

  She winced when Petey plopped himself onto the foot of the bed.

  “Peter!” Sam barked.

  When had he arrived?

  Petey’s head swiveled toward his stormy looking brother at the door.

  “Get off the bed. She’s in pain,” Sam growled.

  Stunned by his vehemence, Petey, as shocked as Liz and Jeff, jumped up immediately, his distressed gaze snapping back to her.

  “Petey.” She lifted the hand without the IV. “I’m okay. Here, hold my hand a minute.” She glared at the figure in the doorway. The heart monitor beeping sped up. Jeff glanced at the machine and back at her. You couldn’t keep a secret hooked up to a heart monitor.

  No one moved. The three men loomed, taking up all the breathing room, all looking at her. Jeff and Petey shifted their gazes to the doorway, then back to her. She couldn’t read Sam’s expression, his face hidden in the shadows.

 
All of a sudden, Jeff switched into gear, and said, “Petey, let’s go get some pop.”

  “But Sam’s here.”

  “Yeah, we’ll bring him some. Let’s go,” he said, hustling Petey out of the room.

  Sam didn’t so much as make eye contact with his brothers as they pushed past him, his gaze glued to hers.

  “Hi, Petey.” From the hallway, a woman’s voice greeted the young man. “Is this the room?”

  Sam’s eyes closed, and he winced. Shit, he mouthed.

  “Sam, honey.”

  Sam, honey? Liz’s stomach flipped. What now?

  “Is this young lady your friend, Liz?”

  A middle-aged couple brushed into the room past Sam but stopped just inside the door.

  “We won’t stay long, dear. We wanted to thank you personally.”

  Her head spun. All these people crowded at the doorway, all looking at her. Sure she didn’t look anywhere near her best, she also started to feel much worse. To put the clincher on matters, she burst into tears, squeezing them out of tightly closed eyes. Oh, God, her shoulder hurt. Her chest hurt.

  “Oh, Liz, We’re so sorry to have upset you.” The woman slowly approached the bed and placed a palm on her cheek. “You’re warm. Are you in pain?”

  She stared into the woman’s eyes and moaned, “Unh hunh.”

  “Sam, go get a nurse.”

  The woman rubbed the back of her hand, the one with the IV, in a soothing motion. It didn’t stop the flow of tears, though.

  Janice, the day nurse, bustled into the room. “What’s the matter, Liz? Are you in pain?”

  She nodded.

  “Here.” Janice wrapped her fingers around the drug control.

  She’d forgotten about it in all the fuss.

  “Press this. Remember?” The nurse placed her thumb on the control and helped her push.

  In only a few seconds, she felt the lessening of pain, a wonderful serenity flowing through her veins. Her muscles began to relax. She could breathe easily again.

  “Honey, press it any time you need it. You can’t overdose. We won’t let you. Pretty soon you won’t need it at all. Don’t worry, you’re doing fine.” Then she turned to the visitors. “You probably shouldn’t stay too long. She’s still pretty weak.”