Same/Difference (The Depth of Emotion #4) (29 page)

She’s okay.

“PAIGE!”

He continued shouting to alert her assailant that someone was on the way. He couldn’t remember when but, at some point, he pulled out his gun. He focused on Paige. There was a disconnect between his mind and body as he was assaulted with too many questions and no answers.
Why would someone want to hurt her?

He tried to control his thoughts as he made out the scene more clearly. He’d find the son of a bitch sooner or later. It would show up on a camera somewhere. This was Las Vegas. The best surveillance on the market was on every building, street corner, and traffic light. He’d dissect every frame he could get his hands on to find out who did this to her. He was just a few steps away from her when he zeroed in on the rise and fall of her chest.
Thank God!

“Paige…”

It was a pained whisper. He dropped to his knees beside her, close enough to see that the blood was coming from the side of her face that lay on the pavement. A gulley of crimson was pooling around her head. Quickly, he turned and then saw Blake lying beside her. Blood poured out from the bullet in his chest. His mingled with hers and Falcon was unable to determine how much was from whom. His shoes and pants were soaked from the gruesome puddle. He took off his jacket and lifted Paige’s head gently. He expected the worst but saw where the bullet ripped the flesh away from her cheekbone and burned through the indent below her earlobe.
It hadn’t gone through!
With trembling hands, he placed shaky fingers to her neck.
Thank God! Her pulse was still strong!
He tried to talk to her. If she were conscious, he could keep her focused.

“Paige…baby, can you hear me?” He reached for his cell and dialed 911. He didn’t know what he told them because his focus was on her.

“Fal?” Her eyes were fluttering open and closed. He could tell she was confused.

“Just stay still, baby. An ambulance is on the way.”

He cradled her in his arms but his mind went into survival mode. He kept talking to her about all of their memories while he assessed and processed the scene. He was already building a profile. Blake’s eyes were open and lifeless. There was no doubt he was dead: what he couldn’t figure out was why Paige was with him? She hated him. Was she forced? Did that asshole draw her into a line of fire because he was pissed at him? It was a good thing that the asshole was dead or he would have killed him for getting her hurt. And who was the shooter? No matter what the motive, she was alive and, soon, the man who tried to kill her would know that.

He’d come after her to finish the job.

Not going to happen.

He needed answers and Paige was the quickest way to get them. He’d hunt the bastard down, but for now, he had to minimize the news of her survival. Fortunately, he had contacts.

He looked down at her, his heart squeezing with an ache bigger than himself. For the first time in his life he felt wrecked and helpless. He tried to focus on a plan that would keep her safe and, for that, he needed her help.

T
he hospital room was isolated away from the Emergency Room as a precautionary measure. The lyrical beeps were in sync with her heart and pulse. She’d been sleeping for about an hour. Once she was coherent she had a severe panic attack and they had given her something to calm her down. Once they had cleaned the blood and dirt off her face the wound had looked better than he expected. Miraculously, it only required a few stitches closer to her ear. It was a deep wound, but it was short in length. Her doctor said all that was required was rest, antibiotics, and a medicated salve.

The doctor had spoken to the Las Vegas police spokesman about the press release. He directed Falcon to the County Sherriff and the two of them came up with an acceptable story. It would be reported that there was a shooting in which a man was killed and a woman was injured. To protect Paige, they would say the surviving victim suffered head trauma and couldn’t recall any details. The police were looking to the public for their help.

Hopefully, between his vigilant watch and the news report, Paige wouldn’t pose a serious threat to the shooter and that would buy him more time to put a plan in place to catch the man who shot her. In the meantime, he was going to insist that she seriously consider a plan he proposed about their living arrangements. There was no reason that they needed to be apart at all if she agreed. It would be the best solution all the way around. He proposed it to her a few days after he left the beach, and he recalled the conversation.

“Hey, babe.”

“Hey, yourself.” Her voice instantly made him smile.

“What are you up to?” He heard the ruffling of paper in the background.

“I was just looking through some contracts. What about you?”

“I was doing the same thing a little while ago. I just got back from dropping them off at Carter’s.” He walked into the kitchen and put the cell on speaker. “Did you eat today?”

“Yesssssss…I did.” Her voice held a hint of annoyance.

“Good.” He was concerned because she would work all day without eating and then get overtired. Now that he knew it was a trigger for her he wanted to check on it. She probably thought he was a pain in the ass, and he was, where her well-being was concerned. He’d bought a sandwich on the way home. He was sure his garbled voice gave away the fact that he was eating. “Can I run something by you? I had an idea when I was driving and I want to know what you think.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I know we said that we’d work out the distance thing, but I have an idea that could make this work for us. What states is your license good for?”

“Maryland and Delaware.”

“Good. So you could sell up here.”

“Yeah, I can.” He could hear the interest in her voice.

“What do you think of this? I’ll get you familiar with Deep Creek. You could have a little office up here?”

“I’m never opposed to any business proposal, Fal, but what’s in it for you?”

“Other than having you up here with me?” He laughed. “Don’t worry; I want something in return. I was thinking the same thing for my business. You can look for some office space for me down where you are. We already handle some things at the beach, you know, for Declan. I’m sure I can pick up a few accounts with all the business on the Boardwalk.”

“So, if we travel between the two, we’ll be able to spend more time together?” The excitement in her voice was unmistakable.

“I love you. You know that?”

“I love you, too,” she laughed. “And I think it could really work. It’s always good to diversify and Deep Creek is a great vacation spot. I don’t think I’d have any problem selling up there and, as for you, you can use my list of commercial clients for prospects.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He paused a moment, then playfully lowered his voice. “So tell me; what are you wearing?”

She burst into laughter. “You’re crazy!” After a minute or so her voice softened. “But I miss you, too.”

Paige was awake. He stood beside the bed in the Emergency Room. They had been there for several hours. The police followed the ambulance to the hospital and Paige had given her statement. She didn’t know much. She was on her way to meet Elizabeth and saw Blake.

She was not happy to be in the hospital. Her panic attack had now worn off and she was ready to leave. It was good to see that her spunk had returned.

“I’m fine.”

“So you said.” His voice was commanding. She rolled her eyes at him.

“But I
am
fine. All I have is a banging headache and I want to get out of here.”

“We’re not going anywhere until the doctor says so. Not to mention I want to hear the news.”

He laughed when she rolled her eyes again. Seemed like once the fogged cleared from her head, she’d returned to her old self.

“When are they going to get all this stuff off of me?” She held up the arm with the intravenous fluids and stuck a finger under one of the leads to the heart monitor.

“As soon as everything comes back from the lab.”

She huffed. “You know I don’t like hospitals.”

“I can see that.” He leaned down and kissed her on the head. “Humor me, okay? I just want to make sure you’re okay. “Her eyes softened and she lay back on the pillows.

“What’s going to happen next?”

“I’m not sure.” He shrugged and shook his head. “The press release emphatically states that you didn’t see the person who shot you and you don’t remember much else. I’m hoping that will put the shooter off your trail for a while. From what you’ve told me, he was meeting Blake. You weren’t part of whatever was going down.”

“So I’m good then. I can leave and we can get back to our plans.”

“Not that simple, sweetheart. You are not leaving my sight.”

She gave him a wicked smile and narrowed her eyes. “I’ll take that as a promise and not a threat.”

He leaned over the bed. His kiss pinned her against the pillow while he reached through the hospital gown and placed his hand on a soft, round curve.

“As much as I’d like to take you back to the hotel right now and tie you down, I’m threatening to beat your ass unless you promise to listen to the doctors—and me.”

“Promise?” She smiled mischievously, then winced at the pain in her cheek. “You can do whatever you want if you’ll take me back to the hotel.” She wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tight.”

Now, please…get me out of here.”

I
had no idea where Falcon was taking me. He’d made me rest in the suite for the last three days and now his only instruction was to wear something loose-fitting. No matter what the surprise was, I couldn’t help but be happy about his enthusiasm. He warned me that I might not like it and that I shouldn’t get my hopes up too high, but I couldn’t imagine him planning something for me that I would hate. For a tough guy, he had a very tender heart when it came to me.

You would think that being shot at and knowing that a killer might be after me, would make me want to cower and hide. I didn’t want to do that anymore. I didn’t want to
be
that person anymore. I was either brave or crazy but I was tired of running away. Instead of thinking up a new coping mechanism, I wanted to face things head on. Falcon had a problem with that. I loved that he wanted to protect me, but I wanted to live my life, not hide in a corner. He respected my opinion, but he didn’t like it. He said we would just have to
agree to disagree.
At least we were putting aside our differences to have a nice day.

I puttered around in bare feet for most of the morning until Falcon snuck up behind me and swatted my rear end. He told me I had an hour to get ready. When I told him that wasn’t a problem he burst out laughing. Just to spite him I was ready in fifty-five minutes.

The sun was shining and the temperature was pleasant. It was one of the perfect days in the desert. The cold winters near the Atlantic Ocean tested me more with each passing year. I felt fortunate to be able to escape a few times a year. Of course, this escape was my honeymoon. Falcon held my hand as we walked along the Strip. It was the greatest feeling. Everything was so colorful and crisp and, though I knew Vegas was the most beautiful, pigmented, man-made city, I couldn’t help but think that a brush with a bullet made me appreciate the little things that gave me pleasure. Like now. I loved how small my hand felt inside of his. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, but he led me to Planet Hollywood. I think he was trying to confuse me as we meandered through the hotel. After pausing in front of some shops to throw me off balance, he stopped in front of a tattoo shop.

“What’s this?” I grinned, my expression a total question. He looked at me with unsure eyes.

“All I ask is that you keep an open mind and listen to what the man has to say.”

Falcon’s pleading appearance made me curious. He said that this was a gift to me, but only if I wanted it to be. Once we walked into the shop I was impressed. I’d never been inside a tattoo parlor and this one was pristine. You could have mistaken it for a surgical center if not for all of the unique artwork. What looked like massage tables were sparkling clean, as were stools and chairs. A very handsome Latino man approached us.