Chapter 12
Even for a powerhouse attorney like Diego, it took time to bond Dallas out. She’d been forced to spend the night in lockup. The next morning, instead of heading to her apartment, she insisted on being taken directly to the hospital. The need to see Gael, to assess his recovery for herself, was stronger than her desire for a shower and sleep.
The sight of him was a shock—pale, almost gray, with a tube down his throat helping him to breathe. Dallas became weepy again. She’d cried more in the last twenty-four hours than she had in the whole thirteen years since her family’s passing. Her relationship with Gael had made her a damned sap!
Tentatively she approached the bed. Gael’s eyes, while glassy with the effects of the sedative, found hers immediately. The spike in heart rate had her concerned he didn’t want her there. She looked to Diego, seeking some type of clue as to how she should go about this.
Gael’s cold hand reached out and gripped hers. The strength surprised her and had her breathing a sigh of relief. Because she needed the skin-on-skin contact, she raised his hand to her cheek, rubbing his knuckles along her cheekbone.
“Hey.” She didn’t know why she said that. It wasn’t like he could verbally respond.
Tears blurred her vision and she shut her eyes. The last two days had taken their toll on her. Exhaustion and frustration, as well as fear for both Gael and Frank, had her emotionally fragile at the moment.
She felt, more than saw, Diego move to her side.
“They tell me the tube gets removed later today, man. The police are going to want to question you at the first opportunity. I intend to be there to mediate.”
A slight, subtle nod of his dark head indicated he understood.
“You going to be okay if I take your girl home for a shower and nap? She hasn’t had much sleep in the last day and a half.”
Another slight nod.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with Gael,” Dallas insisted stubbornly, perching on the side of the mattress.
Gael removed his hand from her grasp and reached up to trace her jawline. His eyes spoke volumes, moving from her to Diego, a clear indication she should go.
“I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered.
He traced down her throat and placed his palm flat over her heart. Then he placed the same palm over his own. Other than to indicate they were of one heart, she didn’t know what he was trying to say.
Her confusion must have shown because he gestured to her and the door. His cocked eyebrow had her snorting.
“You’re bossy as hell even when you can’t say anything.”
The skin around his lovely, honey eyes crinkled, indicating how amusing he found her complaint.
“I’ll get a shower because I feel grubby, but I’m coming right back,” she warned, stroking his hair back and glaring down at him.
Dallas placed a long, lingering kiss on his forehead and rubbed the tip of her nose along his stubbled cheek. “I love you, Gael. I’ll be back soon.”
* * *
The ride back to her place was mostly in silence. As they pulled into her parking lot, she looked up at the balcony of her apartment. A large part of her never wanted to set foot in her living room again. The place was going to be a mess. Since it was a crime scene, she imagined it would be doubly so with the blood from Gael’s and Eddie’s wounds.
The emotional trauma of the incident made her shy away from ever wanting to stay there again. Perhaps she’d grab her laptop to search real estate while sitting in the hospital with Gael.
“You okay, cariño?” Diego’s low baritone voice snapped her out of her preoccupation with relocating.
“Yes. Sorry. I was woolgathering.”
“Understandable. Stay put, and I’ll come around for you.”
“We should have thought this through. Are you really going to carry me up three flights of stairs to get to my apartment?”
“Is that how Gael’s been helping you up and down?”
“Yes.”
“Then I can do it. He’s the puny one of the family.”
“You do know I’m telling him you said that.”
His booming laugh was infectious, and for the first time in two days, Dallas laughed.
“He won’t be offended. Now, if you told my arrogant brother, Rod, I’d said that…” He grinned.
“I really have to meet Rod one day. I’m forming a mental picture of a pretty playboy.”
“Pfft. Pretty? I suppose, although he would insist on ruggedly handsome.”
Her giggle bubbled up. “I was thinking the exact same thing about Gael last week.”
Diego laughed and agreed she’d hit the mark with that comment.
As he carried her through the door of her place, Dallas was hit by the metallic smell of blood right off. She almost gagged. At the time, in the midst of the emergency, she hadn’t given it a second thought. Now, the sight of so much blood made her sick.
Her face must have had a nice green hue because Diego rushed with her toward the bathroom and set her on the edge of the tub. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she replied testily. “Stop asking.”
He squatted in front of her and took her hand. She noted the similarity in the way the cousins moved. Gael always did the same when he was trying to capture her undivided attention. “I’m looking out for you until Gael is back on his feet, whether you like it or not. Understood?”
Compressing her lips to stem off any snarky comeback, she nodded.
“Good. Bath or shower? And direct me toward where I’d find what you want to wear.”
“I have to clean up the living room first, Diego. No point in getting a shower and then getting nasty again.”
“I’m calling a crime scene cleaning company I know to take care of this. Do you need help getting undressed?”
“It’s a broken foot in a boot, I think I can manage to strip.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” His wicked grin had her fighting back a smile of her own.
“Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“Yes, but I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“You’re all bark and no bite. Becca would make your balls into a necklace.”
Diego shuddered, and Dallas suspected it wasn’t exaggerated. “She really would. That woman scares me.”
“Go. I can manage.”
“You hungry?”
“I was until we walked in the front door.”
“We’ll grab a bite before heading back to the hospital. Do you have a spare key to leave for the cleaning crew?”
“In the top drawer on the right as you enter the kitchen.”
“Great. I’ll leave you to it,” Diego said and exited the bathroom.
Opting for a shower because it was the quickest method, Dallas turned on the water and stripped. After adjusting the temp, she stood under the hot streaming water for a full five minutes before shampooing her hair. As she lathered up, she recalled the events leading up to today. How had she been lucky enough to escape two more attempts on her life by that scum, Eddie? Her father had always claimed she’d been born under a lucky star. She didn’t feel so lucky. Essentially, she’d brought a snake into their midsts. Now Gael, too, was paying the price.
Dallas rinsed, dried and slipped into her robe, feeling like a new woman. She took a few extra minutes to apply a little makeup to her pale, drawn face. Diego had set her crutches outside the bathroom, and his consideration allowed her more mobility around her apartment. She made her way to the bedroom and eyed the unmade bed. Plopping down, she pulled Gael’s pillow to her and sniffed the case. His smell comforted her. Funny how in just a few weeks time, she’d become used to his sleeping beside her. She replaced the pillow, smoothed the sheets, then wiped the lone tear which had escaped.
Once her emotions were in check again, she quickly dressed and hobbled out to find Diego in her kitchen. He was on the phone firing off what sounded to be instructions in rapid Spanish. The man was a force to be reckoned with.
“Ready?” he asked, after disconnecting his call.
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.”