Chapter Two

Declan walked into Daniel’s office at the back of The Master’s Den and dropped into the desk chair with a tired sigh. He’d spent a few minutes with Shawn at the hospital and then took off so Shawn could get some sleep. He was in very capable hands so Declan was sure he would be fine. He’d head back in the morning. Shawn was so out of it on pain meds, Declan doubted Shawn would even notice he wasn’t there.

Pushing the chair closer to the desk, Declan signed onto his work email account and read through the crime scene report. This made three doms so far. All tied to a metal table and all tortured to death.

Forensics found no DNA, other than the victim’s. No fingerprints. No hair. No nothing. All the crime scenes were set up the same way, the bodies positioned in the same manner. The only thing that was different was the number of cuts, slashes, and stab wounds over the victim’s bodies. As though some held on longer than others.

Nothing had been released to the press. They’d kept as much of this under wraps as they possibly could. Nothing new had been found, so Declan shut down the email and stood.

He wasn’t in the mood for the club, so he decided to take a walk through the quarter. He wasn’t the only F.B.I. agent working the playroom, so he didn’t have to be there every night. Besides, since the bodies were found in abandon houses throughout the quarter, their screams masked by the loud music and partying in the streets, maybe he should explore the surrounding area more. Who knows what he might see?

He stepped outside through the kitchen and drew in a deep breath of cool, crisp air. Bourbon Street was crowded tonight, the music from the various bars louder than usual. He turned right and headed past a couple of restaurants. The spicy smells that came from the kitchen made him realize he’d missed lunch.

He started to step into one when he spotted someone he knew coming down the street. “Father Carrington,” Declan said in greeting.

“Good evening, Declan,” Father Carrington replied.

He came to a stop and held his hand out. Declan took it with a smile. “What are you doing out and about this time of night?”

“I just came from Royal and Dauphine. I dropped off some dinners for the homeless.”

Declan gave a nod as they released hands. “I’m sure they appreciate it.”

“I heard about Shawn. I’m so terribly sorry. Will he recover?”

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. I’ll let him know you asked about him.”

Father Carrington smiled and Declan wondered for the thousandth time why that smile never seemed to reach his eyes. Carrington was a nice man, always doing something for the homeless here in the quarter. But at the same time, he seemed a bit standoffish. Although most of the regular women at the club thought him very handsome and often made comments about wishing they could meet up with him behind a pew or inside a confessional.

“Good,” Father Carrington said with a nod. “I’m glad to hear that. Something really needs to be done about all the drug dealers here. It’s just not safe anymore.”

“Agreed, just not sure what can be done.”

“Good evening, Father,” a young woman said as she walked past.

She waved and sent Father Carrington a flirty smile. Carrington looked incredibly uncomfortable, before composing himself and nodding at the young woman. “Good evening.”

Declan smiled slightly. “She won’t bite, Father.”

Carrington smiled, but again, that smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Yes, well…it was good seeing you again, Declan. Give Shawn my best wishes.”

“I will, Father. Thank you.”

Declan watched him walk away. He wasn’t a broad man. Quite the opposite actually. He was tall, willowy, and had an unusual grace about him. The homeless in the area loved him and so did the women. Declan shook his head and grinned as several women did double takes. Was he really that good looking to them or was it the clothes he wore, marking him as a priest and labeling him as out of reach? He knew lots of women who would see him as a challenge they would love to tackle.

Turning back toward the restaurant, Declan reached for the door just as it opened, almost catching him in the nose. He took a step back and stared in surprise at Shawn’s doctor, who looked just as surprised as he did.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed. “Did I hit you?”

Declan stood immobile for a brief second. She looked different tonight. She still wore scrubs, but her hair was down. The wind blew the soft curls into her face and brought his attention to her deep, blue eyes. She brushed the curls back with a huff and moved the two boxes she carried to her other hand.

Declan gave himself a shake as he wondered what the hell happened to his tongue all of a sudden. “No. No, you didn’t hit me. I’m fast, so I got out of the way in plenty of time.”

She smiled slightly. “Oh, good. I would hate to have to put you in a bed next to Shawn.”

“Hand us a couple of video game controllers and I’m sure we would be just fine.”

She laughed that adorable laugh he liked so much. Declan glanced at the boxes to take his mind off how good she looked. “Dinner for two?”

She glanced down as well and lifted the boxes slightly. “Yeah.” She brought her gaze back to his. “They’re for my PA and I. I have the night shift again, so these are for later.”

“PA?” he asked.

“Physician’s assistant. She helps me during surgery. Does pre-op stuff, post op stuff, helps close, that sort of thing.”

Declan nodded. “I see.”

“Have you been by to see Shawn?” she asked.

“I have.”

A couple tried to move around Jillian, but she didn’t see them so he grabbed her elbow and pulled her aside slightly. Jillian gave the couple an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” the young woman said with a smile.

Declan noticed he hadn’t moved his hand right away, so he dropped it quickly. She stood close enough he could smell her scent. His nose flared as he inhaled a slight hint of roses. It was her shampoo. As she turned back to him, the wind blew the scent in his direction.

“I should probably be getting back to the hospital,” she said as she took a step back, putting some distance between them. “I’ll check on Shawn when I do my rounds later.”

Declan nodded, wondering what it was about her that had him so frazzled. She was adorable with the top of her head just barely coming to his shoulder. He could put his elbow on her head and use her as a prop. “I left my number with the nurse’s station if you need me. I thought Shawn would sleep better if I wasn’t there.”

She smiled slightly. “I doubt he gets much sleep at all. The nurses will be checking on him every couple of hours or so. Blood pressure, pulse, checking his stitches. The pain meds may help him sleep through some of it, but not all.”

“That kid could sleep through a hurricane,” Declan said with just a hint of sarcasm. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

She giggled softly. “Most teenagers can. It was good seeing you, Mr. Reed.”

“You as well, Doc,” he replied.

Her cheeks flushed just a bit as she turned to head down the street. Declan watched her walk away and couldn’t help but notice her figure. Her tight, little, hourglass figure. He wanted to run after her, talk to her some more, maybe say something funny so he could hear her laugh again.

Declan snorted. “What the hell are you doing, Declan. You’ve got a case to clear up. You don’t need to be chasing gorgeous doctors.”

Two men coming out the door stared at him with amusement. Declan realized he must’ve said that out loud. “Sorry,” he said. “Talking to myself is a bad habit.”

One of the men snickered and pointed his thumb at his partner. “You should hear this one.”

Declan chuckled as he stepped into the restaurant. It was time he stopped daydreaming about the doctor and got some dinner. Maybe while he ate he could take a second look at the crime scene report. They needed a break and the sooner the better, before another Dom was murdered.

* * * *

 Jillian stopped outside Shawn’s door, her hand frozen in the air, just shy of touching the wood. Maybe she should send Deanne to do this. What if he was in there? The gorgeous Mr. Reed. At least that’s the name he’d written above the phone number he’d left with the nurse. Declan Reed.

She lowered her hand and glanced at the chart. Everything looked good on paper, but she should really go in there. Maybe he hadn’t gotten here yet. It was morning, but it was early.

Forcing herself to get a grip, she pushed the door open and peeked inside. Shawn was lying in the bed, his eyes staring sleepily at the television. He spotted her and smiled. “Hey, doc.”

Jillian smiled and fully stepped into the room. “What are you doing awake so early?” she asked good-naturedly. Although in truth, she knew why. That was one of the biggest patient complaints. Inability to sleep because of all the nurses. “Are those nurses keeping you up?”

“It’s okay,” he said tiredly. “They’re just taking care of me.”

Jillian crossed her arms, holding the Ipad to her chest. “I bet the girls just go crazy for you, don’t they?”

“Of course they do,” Declan said behind her.

Jillian turned to see him standing in the doorway, a cup of steaming coffee in his hands. He looked just as tired as Shawn, and she couldn’t help but notice he appeared to wear the same clothes she’d seen him in earlier. The pleated slacks and button down shirt, although slightly wrinkled, really outlined his broad frame and trim waist. That was a man who did not sit behind a desk all day.

“He’s a football player,” he said casually. “Don’t all girls like football players?”

Jillian smiled slightly and turned her attention back to Shawn. He was a good-looking young man with big brown eyes and jet-black hair closely cropped to his head.

“I couldn’t say,” she said to Shawn. “I always liked the nerdy guys.”

Shawn snorted, making her laugh.

“And what’s wrong with nerdy guys?” she asked.

“Boring,” Shawn sang.

“Hey,” Declan said as he walked in and sat on the edge of Shawn’s bed. He held his cup up and pointed a finger at the boy. “I’ll have you know I was a nerd in school.”

Shawn crossed his arms and stared at Declan with skepticism. “For a nerd, man, you suck at video games.”

Declan looked over his shoulder at Jillian. “He’s got me there.”

Jillian laughed again and lowered her arms. “Up. You two can fight about who’s more nerdy after I’m done examining him.”

Declan pushed off the bed and walked over to sit in the chair by the window while Jillian lifted Shawn’s gown to take a look at the stitches. “It’s looking good,” she said. “A little bit of redness, but that’s to be expected. How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy and it hurts to move, but other than that…” Shawn said.

She lowered his gown back down. “Believe it or not, the more you move around the faster you’ll heal, so I want you up walking around some today, okay? Maybe Mr. Reed can walk you out to the roof top garden. It’s very nice up there.”

“It’s Declan,” Shawn and Declan both said at the same time.

“Forgive me,” she said. “Declan.”

“I hate being called Mr. Reed. Reminds me too much of my father.”

Jillian studied him briefly, wondering why that would bother him. It was none of her business, so she probably shouldn’t dwell on it too much. It was bad enough she couldn’t look at him without wondering what he looked like naked. She’d been without sex way too long if that’s all she could think about when he was around.

“Afraid of growing old, Declan?” she asked with a grin as she made a couple of notes in Shawn’s file.

“I’m already old.”

She snorted and glanced at him through her lashes. “You’re what? Thirty-five at the oldest?”

“Close,” he said.

His full, surprisingly sexy lips tilted in a slight smile that made Jillian’s heart flutter.

“He’s thirty-six,” Shawn said.

She smiled at the boy. “I was close.”

“He says he feels older than that, though,” Shawn said.

Jillian glanced at Declan briefly before turning her attention back to Shawn’s file. “I can understand that. After a long night shift, I often feel much older.” She lowered the Ipad and smiled at Shawn. “At least I didn’t have anymore gunshot victims last night.”

Shawn’s lips spread into a wide, cheeky grin. “So that makes me special. I’m your only one.”

She swatted the side of his leg with the Ipad. “That’s right.”

“There were two others brought in,” Declan said. “I was so worried about Shawn, I didn’t think to ask about them.”

Jillian sighed sadly. “They didn’t make it. One died in route. The other died just seconds after arriving. They weren’t much older than you,” she said softly as she looked at Shawn.

Shawn lowered his eyes. “That’s a shame. If it hadn’t been for football, that could’ve just as easily been me.”

She lifted the Ipad and pointed it at him. “Just stick with it. And get out of that bed today. The sooner you heal, the sooner you can go back to playing.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She cringed. “Ma’am. I hate ma’am. It makes me feel old.”

Shawn smiled slightly. “Yes, doc.”

Jillian laughed softly as she turned to leave the room. “I’ll take it.”

Declan watched her go, wondering if he should go after her, invite her for coffee. When did he become such a pansy? He was a Dom. A confident Dom, so why was he just sitting here? Because he had three murders to solve. He didn’t have time to screw around.

“Why the hell are you just sitting there?” Shawn asked.

“Hey. Mouth,” Declan said as he pointed a finger at Shawn.

Shawn rolled his eyes. “I’ve heard you say worse.”

“Do as I say not as I do.”

Shawn snorted, but his lips lifted in a slight grin. “She’s gorgeous. You like her. Go talk to her.”

Declan shook his head and took a sip of coffee.

“Why not? I didn’t see a wedding ring.”

Declan pursed his lips and stared at the cup. “I have a – “

“Yeah, yeah. You have a murder to solve. Don’t you always have a case to solve? How do you have a life if you always put the cases in front of everything else?”

He stared at the boy in amusement. “How did you get to be so smart for someone your age?”

Shawn snorted. “Look at where I come from, man. I had to be smart to make it this far.”

“Good point,” Declan murmured.

He clicked so well with Shawn because he was Shawn. A broken boy from a broken home who had the stubborn drive to get out, to make something of himself. He’d swear he wouldn’t be like his father. His abusive, prick of a father. He’d gotten out, and he’d won by making something of himself. No one could ever take that away from him just like no one could ever take Shawn’s achievements from him. They were two peas in a pod. Declan had no one at that age, but Shawn would have him. No matter what.

Declan pushed to his feet. “How about we go check out this roof situation?”

“Chicken.”