24
The trip to the hospital took only a few moments. Kira’s side felt as if it were being consumed by a brush fire spreading ferociously through the upper part of her body.
She was wheeled into a treatment room, and nearly immediately a trauma surgeon was by her side and inspecting the wound. “In and out,” he said. “You’re lucky. No major bones in the way, but it nicked a rib, and it’s going to hurt like hell for a while. The bullet sucked in pieces of your clothing. It’ll have to be cleaned and you’ll need a series of antibiotics.”
The curtain was shoved aside and to her shock Max Payton stood there. She’d expected Chris.
Her first thought was how glad she was to see him.
How did he know? Chris’s words came back to her. Max had as much to lose as anyone if she was named heiress.
Max studied her for a moment, then turned to the doctor. “How is she?”
The doctor looked at him. “Husband?”
“No. A friend.”
“Then you’ll have to wait outside.”
Chris walked in with Nick.
The doctor raised an eyebrow. “Family?” he asked again.
“Friends,” they said in unison.
“You’ll have to wait outside, too.”
“How is she?”
The doctor sighed and turned to Kira. “How many more are there?”
She was already light-headed. Now her head swam. She shook her head. “I don’t think …”
A nurse ushered the men out and returned.
The doctor turned back to Kira. “The nurse will give you a local to freeze the area and clean the wound. She’ll also give you another shot, an antibiotic and a painkiller. I’ll see if we can’t find a room for you tonight.”
“I don’t want to stay.”
“Do you have someone living with you?”
“No.”
“You shouldn’t be alone. If it starts bleeding again, or you have a reaction …”
“I can get someone.”
He frowned. “You’re going to be weak. You really need bed rest for two or three days.” He sighed, giving up. “I can’t make you stay. You will need someone to drive you home.”
Just as he walked out, a fourth person popped his head into the room. “I’m Detective Cal Perkins,” he said. “I saw Chris outside. He says he’s a friend.”
“He is.”
“He’s a good one to have.” He took out a notebook. “Chris filled me in outside on a previous attack and burglary. You reported one, not the other.”
“Because I wasn’t sure the first was an actual attack. I think I wanted to believe it was an accident.”
“But you don’t now?”
“Oh no. I stopped believing in coincidences a few hours ago.”
“Did you see anything tonight?”
“No. No sound. No indication. Just a fire running through my side. It knocked me to the ground.”
“Any idea who did this?”
Before she could reply, the nurse shooed him out as she had the others. A shot numbed Kira’s side while the nurse cleaned her wound and bandaged it.
Kira left with several prescriptions. The four men were waiting outside.
She went to Nick first. “Thank you. You didn’t have to come here.”
“I wanted to give you your keys.”
“You could have left them in the newsroom.”
He grinned. “And go into the halls of the enemy?”
“Is that what you think the Observer is?” she said.
“Close to it. Anyway, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I might not have been if you hadn’t fallen on me.”
“Hell, it’s a good story, and now I have to go write it.”
He escaped, obviously embarrassed.
The detective stepped up. “Ms. Douglas?”
“I’ve told you everything I remember. Can you come over in the morning if you need anything more?”
“In the morning, then,” he agreed.
She was left alone with Max and Chris, and they looked none too happy with each other. She tried to get to her feet and nearly fell. She clung to the table. She was weaker than she’d thought.
She looked at Max. “How did you know what happened?”
He gave her a chagrined look. “The truth?”
“That would be nice.”
“I had two men following you. I was worried about you. The agency is well-known and reputable. They were supposed to keep you safe. It didn’t work that well, and someone will be fired in the morning.”
“You shouldn’t blame them. No one could have expected this.”
“They sure as hell should have seen something.”
Then the words sank in. They should have registered quicker, but her mind had gone as feeble as her body. “You hired someone to follow me without bothering to share that information?”
“You would have said no.”
“Maybe,” she admitted. “Maybe not.”
“You should go home, if you aren’t being hospitalized,” Max said. “I’ll take you.”
So late. And she was so tired. But she didn’t want him to take her home, or maybe she did, and that made her not want him to. Damn, if she ever wrote that sentence for publication, she would be fired.
But the fact was that she couldn’t afford to like anyone at the moment. Particularly anyone belonging to the Westerfield clan, and most certainly Max did.
His eyes demanded an answer. Demanded a trust that she didn’t have. Not now.
Chris stepped closer. “I’ll take her.”
“Kira?” Max said.
She knew the question was about more than taking her home. It was about trusting him. She wanted to. She wanted it with all her heart. But she couldn’t. Despite his impact on her life, she’d only known him a few days. Something like a week, and that week had been tumultuous. Too much had happened to think logically. Too much was at stake to fall in love …
Or had she already done that? She hadn’t considered the word before. Not in connection with Max. Lust. Desire. Extraordinary attraction. But love? How can you fall in love in a few days?
You can’t, she told herself. Not now.
His eyes shuttered, like the first time she’d seen him. He gave her a half smile. “As you will.”
He left without another word. It was as if life drained from the room.
She stood. She felt weak on her feet and dizzy, and her side hurt. Not like it would without the painkillers, but she definitely knew it had been injured.
Chris looked at the empty doorway, then at her. “I must have missed something.”
“No.”
“Something between you two?”
He’d been too much help to lie to him. He was her friend. Probably the best friend anyone ever had.
“Not now.”
“Okay. But if you ever want to talk about it, I have a good ear.”
“You have a good heart, too.”
“A lot of people would scoff at that.”
“I want to know how the other people are before I go,” she said. “I feel responsible.”
“All right,” he said, “but you’ll do it in a wheelchair.”
She agreed. Her side was hurting more by the moment. But she felt responsible for the others who’d been injured. Maybe it was random, but maybe it was because she had pursued Leigh Howard.
Chris quickly returned with a wheelchair and pushed her down to the information desk.
He identified himself as a former police officer and current private investigator and asked about the other victims in the city hall attack. The woman hesitated, then made a call.
“One died,” she said. “The other two are stable.”
Kira closed her eyes.
“It’s not your fault,” Chris said.
But it was.
“Did you have any idea you were followed?”
“No,” she said. “I probably should have. I did try to pay attention to what was going on. I did as you said. Stayed with someone. I almost got Nick killed.”
“I’ll check into the agency Payton said he hired.”
“You don’t think he did?”
“Oh yes. I’m just not sure what their orders were.” He paused. “I really have no reason to say that. It’s just that too much about Payton’s youth is missing. And he does have a stake in what happens to the Westerfield heiress.”
“Thanks for telling me that.”
“For a reporter, you’re too damn trusting.”
She made a face at him, but her silence agreed.
He didn’t say anything, just turned the wheelchair toward the door.
“What did you do?” The voice rose on every syllable.
“I did what you told me to.”
“I didn’t tell you to kill anyone. I just wanted you to scare her away.”
“That’s not the impression I got.”
“Well, end it.”
“I don’t think so.” The voice was full of amusement.
“I’ll go to the police.”
“No, you won’t. I’ll tell them you planned the whole thing. Besides, you owe me. You owe me a life.”
“Not this.”
“This and more. Much, much more.”
Silence on the end of the caller. “Why? Why shoot so many?”
“You didn’t want the target to be obvious, did you? You wanted to scare the hell out of her, but not draw the cops your way.”
“Don’t you think they’re going to look at all of us now?”
“Maybe you. Not me. But there’s no proof. And you’ll go on protecting me.”
He hung up.
The caller’s blood froze. He was out of control. And now there was no way to stop him.