Hidden Devotion (Trinity Masters #5)(44)

Devon’s vision dimmed and his stomach rolled. He couldn’t lose her.

“Poison? What?” Franco headed for the door. “Call 911 back.”

Devon grabbed him, pushing him toward a table. “Set her down.”

There must have been something in his voice, something that let the other man know that he would not hesitate to kill if needed. Franco laid her on the table.

Devon leaned down so she wouldn’t have to speak above a whisper. “What else do I need to know?”

“Almonds.” In the light of the rare-book room, her skin was flushed as if she had a sunburn, her lips turning blue. Her breathing was ragged.

“I understand.” Devon wanted to hold her, kiss her, tell her it would all be okay. He did none of that.

She seemed to relax, as if she trusted him to take care of her. Praying that was true, and praying he could save her, Devon dialed his phone.

“Hello, Alexis? This is Devon Asher. I need your help. Do you have a cyanide-poisoning kit?”

*****

“She knows.”

Devon ignored Franco and dropped into a chair in Michael’s office at Boston General Hospital. He wasn’t even sure what time it was anymore and he was exhausted. Franco was stripped down to his underwear, a blanket over his shoulders. They’d both handed over their clothes and showered as a precaution, in case there were trace amounts of the poison on them. Devon had borrowed a pair of scrubs and run back to his hotel then headed out to investigate. He hated being away from Juliette when she was ill, but he knew her well enough to know she’d want action, not useless waiting.

“Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”

“Shut up.” The words were too quiet for Franco to hear.

“I saw her face. She was heartbroken.”

“I said shut up.”

“No.”

Devon was too tired to stop himself. He exploded out of the chair, pinning Franco against the wall with his forearm across his throat.

“You have no right to question me. I’ve done my duty. My whole life I’ve done my duty. Juliette got to take a stand, to be idealistic. I didn’t.”

Franco was eerily calm, not resisting him in any way. Devon eased back. Franco grabbed his shoulder and flipped their positions, pinning Devon against the wall, the calm demeanor a ruse.

“If you loved her, you wouldn’t have used her.”

“Used her?” Devon closed his eyes. “What exactly does she know?”

“She knows you’re a CIA agent and that you’ve been using her for information without her knowledge.”

“Fuck.” This was worse than he’d imagined. Everything was spiraling out of control. “I hoped…I hoped she’d only figured out I was CIA.”

“If our marriage is going to work, you’re going to have to tell the truth.”

Devon opened one eye. “Our marriage?”

“I told her that the three of us should get married.”

Devon eased himself away from the wall, forcing Franco back a step. “I know how Juliette feels about the CIA and what I do. She made it very clear years ago. After last night, there might have been a way for us to reconcile, but now…” He swallowed, forcing his voice to remain level though it wanted to break from pain. “I’m sure you’ll be part of the trinity she eventually assigns herself, but I won’t be.”

“She loves you—she’s loved you for a long time.”

“According to her, it’s not love, it’s brainwashing.”

“Juliette doesn’t seem like the kind of person who can be brainwashed.”

That startled a laugh out of Devon. “No. She’s not.”

“I think that’s what makes her angry, what frightens her. She’s tried to talk herself out of loving you, and she can’t.”

“Franco…don’t. Please.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t give me hope.”

The door opened and Alexis stepped in. Her face was grim. As one, they turned to her.

“You were right, Devon. It’s cyanide poisoning.”

“Fuck,” Franco whispered.

“Will she be okay?”

“Yes. It wasn’t a huge dose and we got to her in time for the hydroxocobalamin to be effective.”

Both men sighed in relief. Juliette would be okay. Devon hadn’t taken a true deep breath since she’d whispered “almonds”, prompting him to inhale and realize she smelled like bitter almonds, the telltale sign of cyanide poison.

“How?” Devon needed answers.

“I’m not sure. I’ve only seen this kind of thing when it’s been inhaled. Usually cyanide poisoning is accidental and happens when there’s been a fire, particularly in a place with a lot of plastic. But you,” she gestured to Franco, “said you were with her. If you aren’t feeling sick, then it wasn’t inhaled, meaning it was either ingested or injected.”

“I brought something for you to test.” Devon took a bag from his pocket and held it out. In it was a gold pen he’d found on Juliette’s desk. “Be careful, it’s sharp, and it looks like there’s blood on it.”

Alexis held up the bag to examine the pen. “A poisoned pen? If it were coated in cyanide and she cut herself on it, that might be enough to transmit it.”