CHAPTER 28
Sean trained his gaze on the gray doors, willing them to open, but they wouldn’t move.
“Sean.” He turned around to see Callie stepping off the elevator. “What’s the news?”
“Still nothing.”
She had a cardboard coffee cup in her hand, and she held it out to him, but he shook his head.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
She took a sip and turned to look at the doors. “I thought they said an hour?”
“They did.” Sean glanced at his watch again. It had been nearly two hours since Brooke had gone into surgery, and still no updates. With every minute that ticked by, acid was eating away at Sean’s stomach.
He glanced across the waiting room at Brooke’s brother and his girlfriend, who were sitting in chairs beside a television no one was watching.
“Mahoney’s out.”
Sean looked at Callie and tried to process the words. “Out . . . ?”
“Of surgery. Sounds like his shoulder and arm are torn up, but otherwise he’s okay. Doc says he’ll be cleared to go later. Jasper and Ric are going to take him in. And Hurd is being booked as we speak.”
A bitter lump clogged Sean’s throat. Mahoney was going to be okay. Meanwhile, Brooke was still stuck back there—
The doors pushed open. A woman in blue surgical scrubs emerged and scanned the waiting room.
Sean rushed over, joined by Owen and Lin.
“How is she?” Owen asked.
“She’s in recovery.” The vise around Sean’s heart loosened. “The surgery went well.”
Lin slumped against Owen. “Oh, thank God.”
“She’s very lucky she missed a direct hit. It looks like several shotgun pellets deflected off the ground and caught her in the lower leg, one fracturing her fibula. We removed the fragments, set the bone, and did our best to repair the tissue damage. She’ll have some scarring.”
“How’s her head?” Sean asked.
The doctor looked him over, taking in his badge and sidearm. “She’s not ready to be interviewed, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“No, I mean . . . she took a blow. She said something about a shotgun stock when the paramedics were with her. Did you do X-rays?”
“We ran a number of tests, and it looks like she’s got a mild concussion.”
“Mild?” Owen asked.
“We’ll keep her under observation tonight, but if everything goes well, she should be ready to leave tomorrow.”
“Can we see her?”
“She’ll be awake soon, but very groggy. You can see her, but it’s best if you keep it short.” The doctor turned to Sean. “Are you Detective Byrne, by chance?”
“Yes.”
The doctor handed him an envelope. “Before we put her under, she made me promise I’d give you this.”
“What—”
“The fragments. She said you’d need them as evidence.”
Sean stared down at the envelope. The doctor answered more questions from Owen, but Sean wasn’t listening. He just wanted to see Brooke. He tucked the envelope in his pocket and looked at her brother.
“You first,” Owen said.
“You mind?”
“Go ahead. I need to call my parents.”
Sean pushed through the doors and didn’t stop at the nurses’ station. He’d been in this wing of the hospital not long ago, and he didn’t need directions. He strode down the hallway to the recovery rooms.
At the first door, he stopped cold. Brooke lay on a gurney under a light blue blanket. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, and dark purple bruises stood out against her pale skin. She looked asleep.
Sean’s chest tightened as he stepped into the room. He knelt beside her and slid his hand under hers. Her fingers felt warm, but she didn’t move.
“Brooke,” he whispered.
Nothing.
He glanced behind him and dragged a chair over. He sat down and reached over to touch the side of her face that wasn’t injured. “Brooke, honey, I’m here.”
She was still. Silent. But with every gentle rise and fall of her chest, Sean felt like he could breathe again.
He kissed her hand and held it. Then he settled in to wait.
• • •
Callie caught Sean in the bull pen. He’d been scarce since yesterday, and she was surprised to bump into him at work. She’d expected him to take at least a few days off.
“Got a minute?” she asked.
“Not really.”
“This won’t take long. But I need to show you something.”
Not waiting for an answer, she stepped into the nearest interview room and waited for him to close the door. She took a chair and he reluctantly followed suit.
“How is she?”
He sighed. “Doing better. She had a rough night.”
“I won’t keep you.” Callie pulled out her phone and opened up a photograph. “Take a look at this.”
Sean took the phone and stared down at the picture of lined paper filled with loopy handwriting. “What is this?” He glanced up.
“Samantha’s journal from when she was fourteen.”
“How—”
“Amy Doppler brought it in. She spent yesterday over at Samantha’s house, packing up her things. She came across this journal tucked between some textbooks.”
Sean skimmed the words and his expression darkened when he got to the part about going to see the judge. Fourteen-year-old Samantha Bonner had used the very same words as Hannah Lipsky to describe the encounter. Her description of the cop who escorted her to the office fit, too.
As part of his deal with prosecutors, Joe Hurd had identified Mahoney’s other accomplice as Burr County sheriff’s deputy Craig Petok. Like Hurd, the man had been on the judge’s payroll for years.
Sean glanced up. “Did you see this about the cop who picked her up, the guy with the shaved head?”
“I know. It has to be Craig Petok.”
“Holy shit. She even mentions the green banker’s lamp.” Sean shook his head. “Has Rachel seen this?”
“Not yet. But this is the ‘proof’ they were talking about, Sam and Jasmine. Some of the passages are marked with sticky notes. I’m thinking maybe she took pictures of the pages and sent them to the judge as part of their extortion plan.”
Sean handed back the phone, then leaned back in the chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. The man looked beat, and Callie doubted he’d slept at all last night.
“How the hell did we miss this? We turned that house inside out.”
“Yeah, but we were looking for drugs,” Callie said. “The dogs aren’t exactly trained to sniff out an old diary. And anyway, it was tucked between some textbooks. Amy wouldn’t even have noticed it if it hadn’t fallen out while she was packing up Samantha’s things.”
“So, where is it now?”
“Jasper’s got it. He’s taking it to the lab for fingerprinting. Samantha’s prints are all over it, I’m sure, but there’s a chance we could even find Jasmine’s. Not that we need any more evidence against Mahoney now that Hurd is talking, but every bit helps.”
“Hurd is cooperating?”
“Rachel’s using him as leverage against the judge. Turns out Hurd has a dark red pickup truck registered to his name, supposedly keeping it for his son who’s away at college. Hurd claims Mahoney borrowed the vehicle from him the week of the murders, claiming his car was in the shop. I think Rachel’s positioning Hurd to testify against the judge. From what I hear, she’s determined to nail Mahoney on everything, no deals.”
“Good for her.” Sean glanced at his watch. “Listen, I have to go. I’m picking up Brooke.”
“She’s being discharged?”
“At noon, supposedly. I’m taking her home.”
Callie arched her eyebrows. “Home as in . . . ?”
“My place. If she agrees.” He blew out a breath. “I’ve got some convincing to do.”
“Hmm.” Callie tilted her head to the side. “Interesting tactic.”
“What is?”
“Taking her to your place. She doesn’t strike me as someone who wants to be babysat.”
“She isn’t. But she needs help, even if she doesn’t know it yet.” He shook his head. “She’s medicated and she’s on crutches. I’ve been there. There’s a lot that’s hard to do, and the first few days are the worst. The exhaustion comes out of nowhere and knocks you flat, and I want to help her through that.”
“You look exhausted yourself.”
“Me? I’m fine.” He raked his hand through his hair. Then he checked his watch, and she realized he was nervous more than anything. “I’d better go.”
He was in love. Callie could see it. She hoped Brooke could, too, and that she was ready for it because Sean Byrne didn’t do anything halfway.
Callie smiled at him. “Tell Brooke I said hi. And good luck with your convincing.”
He smiled slightly. “You think I’m going to need it?”
“Absolutely.”
• • •
“You’re rushing it,” Roland told her.
“No, I’m not,” Brooke insisted.
“I disagree.”
“Well, it’s not up to you, is it? So, are you going to help me?”
He sighed on the other end of the phone. “Fine. But for the record, I think you’re rushing it. Text me if you change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
Brooke tossed her cell phone onto the coffee table and stared at her laptop. She had 286 messages in her in-box, and it had been less than three days.
The doorbell rang, and she startled at the unfamiliar sound. She looked at Sean’s front door. He usually used the back door, and he had a key. She debated for a moment before grabbing her crutches and heaving herself up. She loped over and peered through the peephole and was shocked to see Maddie, Kelsey, and Alex.
Brooke unlocked the door and clumsily pulled it open.
“Surprise!” Maddie stepped past her, carrying a tray of cardboard coffee cups. “We decided to bring our coffee klatch to you.”
Brooke smiled. “But it’s Friday.”
Kelsey kissed her cheek. “We needed an emergency session.”
“Plus, we wanted an excuse to check out your new digs,” Alex added.
“They’re not really my digs,” Brooke said, leading them into Sean’s living room.
But she could tell her friends didn’t buy it. Brooke’s laptop was on the coffee table, her jacket was draped over a chair, and her favorite magazines were stacked on the end table beside her phone charger. She’d made herself quite at home in Sean’s space. Temporarily.
“Wow, this is nice.” Maddie looked around. “Great view of the greenbelt.”
“Yeah, not quite the bachelor pad I imagined.” Taking a seat on the armchair, Kelsey quirked an eyebrow at Brooke. “Who knew Sean Byrne had a domestic side?”
“Nice alarm system,” Alex said from the foyer. “This thing’s top-of-the-line.”
“Leave it to you to notice his electronics,” Brooke said.
Maddie sat on the sofa and passed out coffee cups and muffins. “We got you a chai latte.”
“Thanks.”
“In exchange, we want the full story, uncensored,” Kelsey said. “How are things with you and the sexy detective?”
“Good.” Brooke leaned her crutches against the end table and lowered herself onto the couch. “How are you? I understand you and Gage have a new project under way.”
“You see what she did there?” Kelsey looked at Maddie and sipped her coffee. “The baby-making mission is going fine, thank you very much.”
“Any news?” Alex asked.
“Not yet. But Gage is taking the whole operation very seriously. The man is determined.”
“Give a SEAL a mission . . .” Maddie smiled and bit into a muffin.
“But enough about my tireless husband.” Kelsey put down her cup. “We’re here to talk about you. How’s the fibula?”
“The fibula is fine, Dr. Quinn. Thanks for asking.”
“And how’s everything else?” Maddie asked with a worried look.
“Fine. Or better, I should say.”
Brooke knew what Maddie was asking, but she wasn’t ready to talk about Sean. He’d seemed so pensive lately. So quiet around Brooke. She worried something was wrong, but whatever it was felt private between them.
“They had an article in the paper this morning,” Kelsey said. “Evidently, they think Mahoney may have had dozens of victims over the years.”
“I saw that.” And even if Brooke hadn’t seen the article, Sean had been keeping her updated on the case.
“It makes me sick,” Maddie said. “It’s always the most vulnerable people. I hope they throw the book at him.”
“That’s the plan.” Brooke picked up her tea. It was her favorite kind, but she didn’t feel like drinking it. She still didn’t feel back to normal yet. Maybe she never would.
“How’s Cameron Spence doing?” Kelsey asked. “He’s, what, ten years old?”
“Eleven. I talked to his mother yesterday, and she said he’s doing okay. Some nightmares about what happened, which I guess is to be expected.”
“And you?” Maddie asked.
Brooke shrugged. “Some.”
“Your doctor should be able to prescribe something for that,” Kelsey said.
“I don’t know. Sean’s been good about it. I’d rather have him than a pill.”
All three of her friends smiled at her.
“Aww . . . that’s so sweet.” Kelsey dabbed her eyes.
“Oh, God. Are you actually crying?” Maddie asked. “Maybe you are pregnant.”
“What? It is sweet.”
“It’s not sweet, it’s hot,” Alex said. “I’ll take sex therapy versus a pill any day.”
“Damn, me too.” Maddie winked at her. “Especially with those sexy law-enforcement types.”
A noise at the back door had everyone turning to look at the kitchen as Sean walked in. He wore jeans and a leather jacket and had his badge clipped to his belt. The layer of stubble on his jaw reminded Brooke he’d been called out of bed early this morning.
“Speaking of . . . ,” Alex mumbled.
Sean seemed unfazed by all the women in his living room. “Ladies.” He nodded at them.
“Hey, Sean,” Maddie called. “Hope you don’t mind we invited ourselves over.”
“Don’t mind at all.” He deposited a brown sack on the kitchen table and walked into the living room and leaned over the back of the sofa to kiss Brooke’s cheek. “Brought you some lunch.”
“Thanks.”
He returned to the kitchen as her friends watched her, every one of them grinning.
“Well, look at the time.” Kelsey jumped up. “Better get back to work.”
Alex and Maddie stood, too, and Brooke grabbed her crutches.
“No, don’t get up,” Maddie said. “We can see ourselves out. Bye, Sean. Take good care of Brooke for us.”
“Will do.”
Brooke rolled her eyes and followed them to the door, where they said good-bye with hugs and teasing and even a few tears from Kelsey. Then Brooke crutched her way over to the kitchen, where Sean was unpacking deli sandwiches.
“You guys were talking about me.”
“How would you know?”
He gave her a sly smile. “I’m a detective.”
He grabbed a Coke from the fridge and popped it open. “What did you tell them?”
“That’s confidential.” She propped the crutches against the counter and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and she felt a familiar rush of warmth. She loved the feel of his arms around her.
“Missed you this morning. I didn’t even have time to make coffee.”
She pulled back. “You didn’t have time to shave, either.”
He rubbed his jaw.
“I like it.” She leaned her hip against the counter. “So, hey, I wanted to let you know I decided I’m going back to work on Monday.”
“Already?”
“I’m getting way behind.”
He took out a few plates and put the sandwiches on them. “I thought your doc said no driving for another week.”
“Roland can drive me. He lives across the park from here, so it’s on his way in.”
Sean lifted his shoulder. “Makes sense.”
Brooke watched him, trying to read his reaction. “That’s it? You’re not going to try to talk me out of it?”
“Sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”
“I have.”
“Then, I hope you’ll take it easy until you’re back to feeling one hundred percent.”
She tried to read the expression in those hazel eyes of his. “So . . . you don’t have an issue with Roland?”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Matt always had a thing about him. I’m glad you’re not the jealous type.”
“I’m totally jealous.”
She pulled back. “You are?”
“Hell yeah. Roland gets to see you all day.” Sean slid his arm around her and cupped her butt. “I only get to see you at night and on weekends.”
She smiled. “But they’re very good nights.”
“They are.” He kissed her. “And I have a confession to make. I didn’t just come here to bring you a sandwich.”
“No?”
He lifted her up and carried her into the living room. Taking care with her cast, he set her down on the sofa where they’d shared those first intimate moments. Then he lowered himself beside her.
He kissed her, and her entire body responded. She slid her hands around his neck and pressed against him, drinking in everything she’d craved this morning when she woke up in an empty bed.
He tipped her head and took her mouth with a kiss that was greedy and possessive and tender, all at once.
“You taste so good,” he said against her lips. “I can never get enough of you.” He kissed her chin, her neck, her collarbone, and his hands eased underneath her sweater.
“Sean . . .”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
He stopped and stared down at her. She could tell she’d surprised him, and her throat went dry because she’d surprised herself, too. The silence stretched out, and nerves rippled through her. She didn’t want to pressure him by saying it too soon.
He kissed her, and the raw need in the kiss made the nerves disappear. She felt light. Free. Exhilarated—like she always felt when she told him something in her heart. Even if he didn’t say it back, she was glad she’d told him.
He broke the kiss and looked down at her. “I love you, too.”
“You don’t have to say it just because I did.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting to say it. I’ve been choking back the words for weeks.”
“Weeks?”
“Yes.” He framed her face in his hands. “Brooke. You are the bravest, smartest, sexiest woman I have ever known. I think I’ve been in love since the day I met you.”
She sighed quietly and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, he was watching her.
“What’s that look?”
“I’m just . . . relieved.” She smiled. “You’ve seemed so, I don’t know, preoccupied lately. I thought something was wrong.”
He brushed her hair out of her face and his gaze lingered on the ugly bruise along her cheek. “Something is wrong. I keep replaying everything that happened and how close I came to losing you. Every time I think about it—”
“I know.” She kissed him to stop the words. “I get that way, too.” She rested her hand against his chest. “I keep remembering how I felt walking toward the end of that pier knowing my life was about to end, and all I could think of was how truly sorry I was that I never had the guts to tell you how I felt about you and us and everything.”
He gazed down at her, and the love in his eyes made her heart feel swollen.
“And how do you feel about me and us and everything?”
“I feel . . . grateful. So grateful, I can’t even put it into words.”
He kissed her. “You don’t have to. I know.”