The Sacrificial Lamb (50 page)

Domenic was admitted right away and rushed off to surgery, while Alex stood around frantic and wild-eyed. Stafford had been able to secure them a small private waiting room where she paced back and forth. There was no word on how long Domenic would be in surgery, and because she wasn’t a relation, no one would give Alex any information.

Half an hour later, Deputy Dufresne escorted her father and Shane into the room. John Montgomery rushed to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. “What happened?” he asked urgently. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine! It was my fault!” she blubbered. “I was upset, and I ran the wrong way. Then I was outside and…
he
was there…and he grabbed me and was trying to take me again. And then Domenic came. He said Scrabble, and I ducked, and then they shot at each other. And now Domenic is in surgery.”

Alex was aware that in her agitation she wasn’t making much sense, and the look on her father’s face confirmed as much.

“Alex! Slow down. Who was taking you?”

“Carlo! Crazy as a shit house rat, Carlo! Is he dead? Domenic shot him. Is he dead?” She looked around urgently and locked on to Dufresne, who was nodding his head.

“Yes, he’s dead. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”

“He’s dead?” her father asked, dumbfounded.

“You didn’t know?” Alex asked.

“No. We were in the courtroom and everything went crazy. Dufresne told me there was a shooting, and they couldn’t find you. When we went outside, the ambulance was just leaving. I thought it was you who was hurt, so we followed it.”

“No,” she moaned. “Domenic. It was Domenic who was hurt. Oh God.”

Alex slumped against her father’s chest, and he held her tight. Shane stared at her, looking confused and upset. He didn’t say anything to her, which was just as well. She knew, now more than ever, they had to talk. Ignoring him had been a horrible mistake, and she felt sick thinking of how much pain could have been avoided if she had just had the strength to end things with him at the first.

“We have to get them all back to the safe house,” Dufresne was saying to Stafford.

“No. I’m not going anywhere,” Alex told him in a determined voice. “Not till I find out how Domenic is.”

“Miss Montgomery…”

“
No!”

“It’s still not safe here for you,” Dufresne stressed.

“I’ll stay with her,” a stranger’s voice said from the doorway. Both deputies whirled around, blocking her father and her from view, and reached for their guns.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?” Stafford barked out.

The man held up a police badge. He was tall, blond, and slim but built solidly. “I’m Russell Sutherland, Domenic D’Angelo’s brother-in-law.”

“How do I know this is real?” Stafford asked, stepping forward and examining the identification.

“My father, Miles Sutherland, is a surgeon here at the hospital. Almost any employee on the floor can verify my identity. That’s how I knew you were in here. He’s working on Domenic right now.”

“Come with me,” Stafford said. Both men left, presumably to see if this man was indeed Russell Sutherland. Dufresne stayed behind and stood near the door. He sighed deeply and ran his hand through his floppy red hair. Despite all the drama, he still seemed like he was in a cheerful mood.

They returned ten minutes later, and Stafford was much more relaxed. He turned to his partner and said, “He checks out.”

Russell walked toward them and held out his hand to her father who grasped it firmly, a small smile curving his mouth.

“Sheriff Montgomery,” Russell said in a low, commanding voice. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine. Thank you for all of your help, son.”

Russell turned to her, and Alex noticed his startling, vivid gray eyes and easy smile. He was quite handsome and had a reassuring presence that disarmed her right away.

“You must be Alex,” he said gently, holding out a hand.

She glanced down at her own hand, which was still blood-stained, and she grimaced, clenching it shut.

“Oh, right,” he said, lowering his hand, brow puckering.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “Domenic talked about you a lot.”

Russell gave her a heart wrenching smile, full of regret and pain. “Okay, Shane? John? We have to go now.”

“I don’t want to leave Alex,” Shane said, eying Russell suspiciously. Alex closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She hadn’t wanted to do this, but there was no choice.

“Do you mind leaving Shane and me alone for a bit?” she asked Stafford. He frowned, obviously remembering the last time he left her to her own devices.

“Bring Sheriff Montgomery to the van through the back,” Stafford ordered Dufresne. “Sutherland and I will wait outside and meet you down there.”

Everyone cleared out of the room, leaving Shane and Alex alone. He watched her warily, like a man who heard ticking from the suspicious package next to him. Alex couldn’t say she blamed him since she was about to drop a bomb on him.

“Alex, what’s going on?” he asked quietly.

“Sit down, Shane.” She sighed, gesturing to the plastic chairs behind them.

He sat next to her and Alex turned, taking one of his large hands in both of hers. It somehow seemed wrong to touch him with the blood of her lover on her hands—both literally and figuratively—but she did it anyway.

“Shane? Why did you tell Domenic that I was your fiancée today?” Her brows drew together, and she concentrated on keeping her eyes on their hands.

“Because that was the plan. We’re going to get married someday.”

Alex looked up into his eyes, knowing she had to dispel this fantasy of his. “Would you have said that before I got kidnapped?”

“Yes!” he replied defensively, his shoulders hunching up, but the look on his face gave him away.

“I don’t think you would have.”

“Alex, what’s all this about?”

“You know I love you, right?” she asked, and his features smoothed out a fraction. “But, Shane,” she continued, “I’m not
in
love with you anymore. And I don’t think you’re in love with me anymore either.”

Shane pulled his hand out from between hers and stood up, leaning toward her. “Don’t tell me how I feel, Alex!”

“You know I’m right,” she said in a soft voice. “I think when I was taken it scared you because you thought you lost me.”

“That’s a lie. I
love
you. I’m
in
love with you!”

Alex gazed at him, not saying anything.

“Why don’t you admit it? Something happened between you and
him!”
he said, flinging his hand toward the door.

“You’re right.”

Shane cried out, lacing his hands behind his head and flinging it back, while closing his eyes fiercely. “I knew it! You came back changed! You weren’t
my
Alex anymore!”

“Shane, I haven’t been your Alex in a long time,” she said, getting up and walking toward him.

“Stop saying that!” he said, raising his hand palm out to stop her from coming nearer.

“It’s true. We haven’t been close in a long time. Why are you denying it?”

“Because you’re lying!”

“Am I? Or are you just conveniently trying to forget?”

“You’re just trying to make yourself feel better about what happened.”

“No, Shane. I could never feel good about what happened. I never wanted to hurt you, but I can’t help how I feel.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, shaking his head back and forth, still in acute denial. “We can get past this! I’ll forgive you, I swear. It was just a stupid mistake. You didn’t mean it.”

“It wasn’t a mistake,” she said in a soft voice.

“Alex,” he gasped out, staggering into a nearby chair heavily. Reaching out a long arm, he took hold of Alex’s waist, pulling her close, and buried his face in her stomach. “Please,” he said, his voice muffled against her shirt. “Please, don’t leave me. I can’t—”

“Oh, Shane,” she said, tears welling in her eyes and overflowing. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as both of them cried. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

They stayed like that for a while, simply holding one another and mourning for the loss of their relationship. Shane had been right—she
had
thought one day they would get married. At the time, she hadn’t known any better. Alex hadn’t known that she could fall in love like she had with Domenic. She had been happy in a comfy, safe relationship, and it never occurred to her to question it. But comfy and safe just weren’t enough anymore. She wanted the fire and the passion, something she’d never had with Shane from the very beginning.

Eventually Shane dropped his arms from around her and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, drying the last of his tears. Alex sat down beside him, wiping her own face and waited for him to face her. When he did, she gave him a watery smile and reached once more for his hand. He grasped it and pulled it into his lap, tracing the veins on the back of her hand.

“You’re right,” he said roughly and then cleared his throat. “I didn’t want to admit it. Losing you like that…it scared me, Alex. I just kept thinking how could I live without you?”

“You don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do. You and John are going to disappear. This was the only way I could keep you in my life.”

“But neither of us was really happy.”

“I know. But I figured we’d get over it, you know? That it was just a rough patch and we’d…be okay.” He continued to run his fingers over her hand, frowning deeply at it. “But that wasn’t going to happen, was it?”

“I don’t think so, Shane.”

“What am I going to do without you?”

“Move on. Find someone who makes you happy. Someone who will love you like you love her.”

“I thought I had that already,” he said sadly, looking at her with pain etched in his features. Alex stared at him, helpless. It would take some time before Shane was able to truly let go, but she knew he would. She wanted his happiness and hoped he found it.

“So what now?” he asked sincerely.

“I don’t know. Now that Carlo is dead, my dad doesn’t have to testify, but he will have to come back for the other trials.”

“And where will you go?”

“I don’t know, Shane. Everything is really uncertain right now.”

“Are you going to be with
him?”
he asked, the pain resurfacing. Alex just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, indicating she didn’t know the answer to that either.

They sat staring at each other for a while longer, unsure of where to go from here. So much remained unsaid, but at least the most important thing had been brought to the surface. There was a light knock on the door, and Stafford poked his head in the room.

“Is everything okay in here? We can’t stay much longer.”

“Yeah,” Shane replied, clearing his throat again and getting up. Alex stood up as well and walked with him toward the door. Turning, he took hold of her and crushed her to his chest. “Love you, Alex.”

“Love you too, Shane.” She felt a large lump in her throat. Alex knew this was the end of them. While it had been inevitable and was the right thing to do, it didn’t make it any easier to say goodbye.

Alex watched him leave without even a glance back. Once he was gone, she sat in one of the horribly uncomfortable waiting chairs and cried bitter tears. She cried for herself. She cried for Shane. She cried for Domenic and this whole entire mess.

This was the start of her new life, and so far, Alex wasn’t sure if she liked it very much.

R
USSELL
C
AME
B
ACK
I
NTO
T
HE
R
OOM
after Alex had more or less composed herself. He must have been waiting outside, listening to her sobs, and she was embarrassed that their first meeting had gone like this. He waited by the door, smiling hesitantly. She gestured that he should come and sit down.

“How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better,” she said with a weak smile. “Is there any news about Domenic?”

“They’re still in surgery. It will probably be another couple of hours.” Her eyes began watering again, and Russell reached out a tentative hand to rub her shoulder. “Hey, no, no. Come on, don’t cry. He’ll be fine! My dad is the best surgeon in the tri-state area.”

Alex could hear the pride and conviction in his voice. He obviously trusted that his father would save Domenic, and she hoped he was right. Reaching over, she snagged more tissues from the box on the small table. She blotted her face and blew her nose loudly, making Russell smile. He lost that anxious look, which made her feel better.

“So, you’re really Domenic’s brother-in-law?” she asked, sniffling pathetically.