Release, page 14
“Yeah.” She looked behind her to a door covered by a black curtain. “He’s still setting up.”
“How much would something like this cost?”
“That one’s about fifty bucks.”
“Whoa.”
“It’s worth it. Seriously, look at the detail.”
He did. It was a black dragon, but his wings were torn and damaged, as if he’d just come out of a long, bloody battle. “I don’t know. How long does it take to heal?”
“You’d have to wear a bandage for, like, three days. Put some antiseptic over it. The only other thing is not to soak it for a month. It’s not bad.”
“Fifty bucks, huh?”
She nodded.
“How long would it take?”
“Couple of hours.”
He couldn’t stay that long. He had to be at Nate’s in an hour and he had to get there by cab. His car had been wrecked, and left, along with his hand, on a road in Sunland.
No way there was enough money for this. “I’ll think about it,” he said.
“Wait, I’ll give you a card.”
She walked over to a small desk in the corner, giving him a good view of the tat just above her butt. Nice.
He tucked the card in his coat pocket, then headed out again. No other store on the street was half as interesting. Except for the bakery. He had enough for a coffee and a danish, which he took with him.
As he walked, he thought about what Harper had said last night. This morning, rather. How she’d said he’d make someone a great husband. And he wondered again why she’d said it.
She seemed determined to let him know that she wasn’t interested in him. His dick, yes, but nothing more. Why make the point so clear, so often? Was it going to be shoved in his face every time they made love?
He laughed. They hadn’t made love. They’d had sex. Which clearly wasn’t all he’d wanted, was it? If it was all about sex, he wouldn’t have given a shit what she’d said. But her words had bothered him all day.
He had no clue what he wanted from Harper. Maybe nothing. But maybe more.
Chapter 14
She’d seen two patients, both of whom were repeat visitors, and both of them had asked her if she was all right. The fact was, she wasn’t all right, not even close.
Instead of getting better, the day had gone straight downhill. She’d spilled her coffee when Mary Lee had walked into the break room unexpectedly. She’d almost stuck herself with a needle. And, dammit, she couldn’t stop from going to reception to see who was in the waiting room. Even if someone was there from Omicron, did she expect them to be wearing a sign? Was every man in a suit secretly in the CIA and out to kill her?
It was crazy and she hated it. All she’d ever wanted was to be left alone, and now she felt as if every eye in the world was on her, every motive nefarious. Would the police come arrest her for murder? Or harboring a traitor? Would Omicron poison her coffee? Kill everyone in the clinic?
She wished for the hundredth time that she’d never gone to Kosovo. That she’d never agreed to escape. And, God knows, she shouldn’t have agreed to put the trauma room in her house.
Nothing was worth this kind of fear. She’d never willingly betray the others, but she had to get out of this. The others, they were soldiers and used to living in a state of terror and uncertainty. This was never how she’d planned her own life. All she wanted was to be a doctor, to have her own home, to not be obligated to a living soul.
Everything had been relatively okay until Seth. Yeah, he was good in bed, but so were a whole bunch of other guys. Guys who didn’t know how to kill with one blow to the head. If Seth disappeared, she wouldn’t be much of a target. She really didn’t know anything, as far as they were concerned. She was a doctor who’d seen a village wiped out by a chemical agent. It could have been any number of agents, none of which would make her suspicious.
Everything would be normal again once Seth left.
“Dr. Douglas?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay, honey?”
She put on her most reassuring smile. “Thanks, Mary Lee, but don’t worry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
“You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”
“I would.”
“For example, if you were thinking about the whereabouts of a certain young man?”
Harper realized she had been standing in the middle of the break room for several minutes, empty coffee cup in hand. And then she realized that Mary Lee was referring to Seth and that everyone in the clinic must have come to the conclusion that they were lovers.
She felt her face heat as she went to the coffeepot and poured another cup, even though she’d originally come to wash the cup and get some water.
She’d worked so hard to keep her private life private. Then Seth had walked into the picture, and even this place was now unsafe. “Seth is fine, Mary Lee. He’s just out looking for another job. And, no, we’re nothing more than friends.”
“Friends,” Mary Lee repeated. “Pardon me for saying, but the way he looks at you? That’s not one friend to another.”
“I have no control over how anyone looks at me. But I can assure you the looks are not returned.”
“Uh-huh,” the receptionist said but in a way that was so disbelieving that Harper felt slapped.
What had happened here? A month ago, no one in this place would have dared be so familiar with her. God, everything had gone to hell while she wasn’t looking.
“Is my next patient ready?”
“Yes, Dr. Douglas. She’s in exam one.”
At the mere mention of the room, Harper tensed, and—dammit all to hell—her hand was shaking again. “Thank you.” She left the room as quickly as she could and went straight into her office.
Once the door was shut and locked, she went into her purse and pulled out the cell phone Nate had given her. She dialed his number and waited impatiently for him to pick up.
“Yeah?”
“Nate? It’s Harper.”
“Hey, how you doing? Seth’s here if you—”
“No,” she said, interrupting him. “I don’t want to speak to him. I want you to tell him to come get his things. I don’t think he should stay with me. In fact, I know he shouldn’t. I want him out before I get home.”
“Did something happen? Were you threatened?”
“No. I’m fine. Or I will be as soon as he’s gone. Just do that, okay? And know that if someone gets hurt, I’ll do what I can, but no one stays with me again or the whole deal is off.”
“Harper—”
She cut him off, then turned the phone off altogether. She didn’t care to have a discussion about her decisions. All she wanted was to get her life back—and she wasn’t about to wait for the fall of Omicron to do it.
* * * * * *
Nate cursed the woman under his breath as he severed the connection. Behind him, Seth, Cade, Kate and Vince were sitting on his ratty couch. They’d been discussing the plans for Tam’s experiment. It had felt damn good, like old times. In fact, not ten minutes ago he’d gotten off the phone with Boone, who’d had some luck in Nevada. He was pretty sure he knew where Omicron was manufacturing the gas. Nate had figured the phone call was Boone again. Instead it had been a body blow to his closest friend.
Seth had clearly gotten that all was not well with Harper. Just the fact that she hadn’t wanted to speak to him was ominous. Nate knew the man wasn’t prepared to hear his message. But there was no out.
“She okay?” Seth asked.
“Physically, yeah. I don’t think she’s doing so well emotionally, though.”
Seth sat up straighter, then decided that wasn’t good enough and he stood. “What did she say?”
Nate went close, but he didn’t touch Seth. “Why don’t we go in the other room?”
“Why don’t you just tell me what she said?’
“She wants you to get your stuff out of the house.”
“She’s kicking me out?”
Nate nodded.
“That’s not even her fucking house.”
“It is, Seth. What are you going to do? Stay there against her wishes?”
Seth cursed and went to the window. Nate didn’t have a clue what to do. If this had just been a woman Seth had been seeing, he would have told his friend to blow it off. But it was Harper, and she was still a necessary part of the team. From what Nate could see, there was a lot going on between them that could end up endangering them all. “Why don’t you let her cool off for a couple of days. Then talk to her. I’m sure this is just the fallout from last night.”
“You don’t know that,” Seth said. “She didn’t want me there from the beginning. I’m sure she regrets not letting me die.”
“Seth, that’s not true.” Kate got up and went to him, although Nate could see from Seth’s body language that he didn’t want her advice. “Harper’s not used to any of this. She’s had trouble with this from the very start. Remember, she’s not military.”
“Neither are you.”
“But I’ve been around you guys a lot more. Nate’s right. You need to give her some time.”
“Time. Right.” Seth headed for the front door and slammed out.
“Think he’ll be coming back anytime soon?” Vince asked. He took Kate’s hand as she sat down next to him. She gave him a worried look and a small shake of the head.
“He’ll catch up.” Nate sat down in the folding chair at the small table where he’d kept his notes, then turned back to Vince. “Now what were you saying about that reporter?”
“He wants to come tomorrow night.”
“He’s a security risk. We can’t have him there.”
“I think we need to consider it,” Vince said. “He’s risking his life on this story. He wants to have some proof, something real to back him up when he goes to the editor.”
Nate shook his head. “How old is he?”
“Twenty-three. He’s a believer, don’t get me wrong. But he’s not Corky Baker and he needs more to substantiate what he’s writing.”
“How can we give him that? If he lets on that Tam is alive…”
“He won’t. He understands what’s at stake.”
“Okay, but you’re in charge of him, Vince,” Nate said. “If it all goes to hell, I’m blaming you.”
Vince grinned. “Been there, done that. I’ll watch him, don’t worry about it.”
“There isn’t anything about this operation that doesn’t worry me.” Nate rubbed his face and wished he could sleep for about two weeks. “Kate, do me a favor. Give Harper a call. See what you can do.”
“I’ll try, but don’t count on me to come through. I don’t know her very well.”
“You’ve got the best shot of any of us.”
Kate leaned into Vince’s shoulder. “Damn rotten timing for them to have a lover’s spat.”
Nate shook his head. What was it with everyone that they had to pick now to fall in love? Didn’t they realize their chances of coming out of this alive were about fifty to one? Dopes. “Okay, let’s talk about living arrangements. Now that we have one more body to worry about.”
* * * * * *
Harper walked into the empty house and saw immediately that Seth had done as she’d asked. His mug was gone from its usual spot beside the coffeepot.
A lump came to her throat, but she swallowed it down. She would not get sentimental about this. She’d made the right decision. He was a great guy and all, but he was dangerous. Too dangerous.
What she needed now was some peace and quiet. It had been such a long time since she’d had her own life. Could she even remember what it was like to live on her own? To not wonder what he was doing? If he was in pain? What kind of crap he was going to give her?
She never should have kept him here. Like a stray dog, he’d insinuated himself into her life, and that wouldn’t do. Even if the Omicron thing was over tomorrow, she would still want her privacy and her freedom.
She dropped her purse off on the kitchen table, then headed for her bedroom. The bed was made, and she hadn’t left it that way this morning. Pulling back the comforter, she saw Seth had changed the sheets. Probably washed them, too. It must have been some trick for him to put on the new linens with his claw.
Changing clothes quickly, she put on a pair of jeans and an old sweater, then she went down the hall to the basement door. Her steps echoed as she descended the stairs, and, yep, he’d cleared out of there, too.
One thing she had to say for the guy—he sure knew how to clean. He’d probably learned that in the Army, not the clinic. She supposed it didn’t really matter.
She walked around the room, her fingers grazing the sparkling stainless steel. He hadn’t left a print behind, let alone something more substantial. It was as if he’d never been there.
Except she remembered. How horribly sick he’d been when the infection had hit the remains of his hand. How it had been so touch and go. The final decision that she alone was qualified to make. How scared she’d been to do the surgery by herself, wishing she could send him to a hospital, where he belonged.
And, oh, how he’d hated her. Funny how hard that had been to recall these last few weeks. But when he’d woken with his hand gone, he’d wished her a thousand curses. Every look had been a glare, every word a slur.
That really hadn’t bothered her. He’d like to think so, she was sure, but she’d been around too many people in similar situations to take it personally.
If he’d stayed mad at her, she probably wouldn’t have minded keeping him here. But things had changed. One day she was the devil, the next a lover.
She hugged her waist, remembering how it had been with him, how he’d just wiped her out. And how comforting to feel his hard body right next to her when she went to sleep.
She climbed the stairs again, trying to keep her footsteps quiet, but in the empty, sterile room, the sound bounced off the walls. It was better upstairs, on the hardwood floor.
She was a little hungry but not enough to really cook anything. She went to the fridge and grabbed a carton of yogurt. Then she went to the living room, which they’d hardly ever visited. She turned on the TV, not at all sure what was on. She’d lost track of the series and she didn’t pay for cable. She ended up turning the damn thing off after a few rounds with the remote.
She could read. Hadn’t she been complaining that she had no time for books anymore?
On the other hand, maybe she should just crawl into bed. Tomorrow was the street fair, where she and Mary Lee would hand out condoms. Their booth never got that much action, but the waiting around was harder on her than if they’d been swamped. She’d never done well with idle time.
She finished off her yogurt, threw the carton away, then went back to her bedroom. It was dark already, and she was so exhausted she’d probably fall asleep immediately. So she changed once more, this time into her sleep shirt.
In the bathroom, she stopped short. There was a note taped to the mirror. She thought about throwing it out without a glance, but she wasn’t quite up to that.
Harper—
I don’t understand. I thought that it was good between us, even if you never wanted anything more than sex. You never asked my opinion, so I never gave it. I would have been okay with just that, if that’s all you wanted to offer. What I don’t get is that I thought we were friends. I know the recent events have been hard, but that’s when friends are most necessary.
Anyway, don’t take any risks, okay? I know you don’t want to be involved, but you are. They’ll come after you if they can. So keep low and stay alert. Seth
She crumpled the paper in her fist and threw it in the trash can. He just didn’t get it and she doubted he ever would. Which was fine. Because she didn’t need any friends. She’d been just fine on her own and she would be again. Pity about the sex, but oh, well. The price was too high. He’d see that in the end.
She brushed her teeth and washed her face, then crawled into her big bed. As expected, she fell asleep in minutes.
* * * * * *
What she hadn’t expected was to wake at three-thirty from a nightmare. She’d been back in Serbia, of course, but this time she’d come to the village when everyone there had still been alive.
She’d watched the children play—the little boy with his truck, the girl with her curly-haired doll. She’d seen the townspeople go about their daily chores—putting out the garbage, buying bread and cheese. And then the plane had come over them and the choking had begun. No scent, no plume. Invisible death stealing every vestige of life, including her own.
She’d struggled and coughed and felt her insides churn. There was no voice to scream for help as everyone around her fell to the ground in their own individual agonies. As she’d fallen on a pile of bodies, she’d awakened with a gasp.
Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she reached across the bed for Seth.
He wasn’t there. No one was there. Just like her death in her dream, she was alone. So alone it felt like the end of the world.
15
To call it a festival was truly a joke. Harper came here every month, to the little booth they put up right next to the CVS Pharmacy parking lot. The clinic’s booth usually had a sunglasses vendor next door, but from time to time they got lucky and the falafel cart would be there instead. They got more traffic with falafel than sunglasses. Although they never really got a great many people to come by. Usually horny guys hoping to get lucky. Every once in a while they got someone serious, a young girl perhaps too shy to go to her mother’s gynecologist but who didn’t want to get pregnant. No one ever brought up the topic of HIV on their own. Somehow all of these young people felt immune, as if nothing bad could ever happen to them. Except that every day someone else in this neighborhood contracted HIV or was killed in a drive-by shooting. The gangs here were notorious, but that was true in most big cities.
All they could do was try, which they did. It was typically her and Mary Lee, although sometimes some of the other doctors or nurses would come by for a few hours. Regardless, Harper showed up. She stayed in the booth, usually with a book in hand, and waited for someone to stop. Some days she read the whole book without getting out of her chair.
